Ezra Lesson 2 – God Reveals His Goodness to the Jews (Ezra 7-10)

1. What family was Ezra from? What was his goal in going back to Jerusalem?

He was from the family of the high priest, Aaron. He was from the right family to begin worship of God again in Jerusalem. He wanted to study the law of God, do it, and teach it to the people of Israel.

2. Why was Ezra afraid to ask the king for soldiers for on their trip back to Jerusalem?

Ezra had already told the king that God’s hand is on them for good for those who seek him. Ezra was afraid of showing the king that if he asked for soldiers, then he actually didn’t believe in God’s power to protect them.

3. When Ezra, the priests, and Levites arrived at Jerusalem, what were they shocked to find out?

The people who were young were celebrating because they could soon worship Yahweh in a way they never could have in exile. Those who were older saw the foundation and began weeping because the glory of Solomon’s foundation and temple were far more grand. This one paled in comparison to the old one. Would God’s blessing still be with his people?

4. What did the chief leaders and Ezra command all the people who were guilty of intermarriage to do?

They told the people to put away their wives and divorce them. So, over a period of 3 months, the people obeyed the words and commands of Ezra and the chief leaders of Israel.

5. What does this story teach us about who God is? It teaches us about God’s goodness to his people. He worked in the hearts of kings to bring his people home from exile. It teaches us about God’s

faithfulness to remember his promises to them. He brought them safely home from a 900-mile dangerous journey and he gave them everything they needed to restore worship to him. It teaches us that God is worthy of our total devotion. He will not receive worship that is in a different way than he demands. We cannot worship him partly, we must worship him only.

6. How does this story point us to our need for Jesus?

Like Ezra, Jesus teaches the people of Israel the commands and law of God, but Jesus goes beyond the law to the heart of the law, to love God perfectly and love our neighbor. Jesus is the only one who obeyed God perfectly. He is the only one who honored his Father completely. Jesus is better than Ezra. Jesus is not from the line of Aaron, but he’s from a line like Melchizedek. Jesus is the one who fulfilled the law to worship God fully and identified with his people’s sins (like Ezra), but Jesus was also the perfect priest who restored true worship of God through his perfect faithfulness. Even though Ezra ends on a discouraging note, a better priest, the Lord Jesus would come and restore true worship by changing the heart of the people, giving them a new heart, so that we can worship God rightly by his grace. Praise God we have such a savior!