Ezra 7 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Ezra 7 Short Summary:

In Ezra 7, we are finally introduced to Ezra, a scribe and priest living in Babylonia. He decides to return to Judah to teach the people the commands and statutes of God. Artaxerxes, King of Persia, gives Ezra his blessing, and sends him back to Jerusalem with silver, gold, and provisions for the Temple of God. He instructs Ezra to teach God’s laws to the people and punish anyone who refuses to obey it.

Ezra 7 Summary

WHEN:

• 538-537 BC - The people of Judah return to Judah.

• 536 BC - Rebuilding of the foundation of the Temple.

• 536-530 BC – The adversaries of the Jews oppose the Temple rebuilding.

• 530-520 BC – Work on the Temple stops by decree of King Artaxerxes.

• 520 BC – Work on the Temple resumes.

• 516 BC – Work on the Temple completed.

• 457 BC – Ezra arrives in Jerusalem.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Captives of Judah – The descendants of Israel who returned to Jerusalem and Judah following 70 years of exile in Babylon. The returning exiles became known as the Jews (4:12).

• Artaxerxes Longimanus – King of Persia from 464-424 BC.

• Ezra – A priest and scribe who was skilled in the Law of God.

WHERE:

• Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple. The city was under reconstruction after being destroyed by the Babylonians 50 years earlier.

• Babylonia – Ezra left Babylonia and travelled to Jerusalem.

OUTLINE:

• EZRA TRAVELS TO JERUSALEM (7:1-10):

  • Chapter 7 leaps forward in time about 60 years. A new ruler, Artaxerxes Longimanus, was on the throne of Persia.

  • We are introduced to Ezra, a scribe from a priestly family who was “skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given” (7:6).

  • Ezra had a good relationship with the king because God’s blessing was on him.  

  • Ezra decided to travel back to Jerusalem with a company of exiles in the 7th year of Artaxerxes’ reign. 

  • Ezra wanted to teach God’s statues and rules to his people in Judah.

• ARTAXERXES’ LETTER (7:11-28):

  • Artaxerxes wrote a letter and gave it to Ezra to take back to Judah.

  • The letter included several decrees regarding the exiles and Jerusalem.

  • It gave permission for any Israelite to return to the Promised Land.

  • Artaxerxes decreed that silver and gold were to be given to Ezra’s company to fund sacrifices at the Temple.

  • The royal treasury was to supply Ezra and the Temple with whatever they needed up to the price of 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without measure.

  • The priests, Levites, temple singers, doorkeepers, and temple servants were exempted from taxes.

  • Artaxerxes decreed these things, in part, to win the favor of the God of Jerusalem (7:23).

  • Ezra was charged with appointing judges and magistrates and teaching them the Law of God.

  • Ezra was given legal authority to punish anyone who refused to keep God’s commands.

  • In the final 2 verses of the chapter, Ezra praised God for using the King of Persia in such a marvelous way. He then gathered up leading men of the Israelites and prepared to make the journey to Judah.

APPLICATION:

• Though the “corporate” worship at the Temple had already been reestablished, Ezra wanted to return home to teach the instructions of God to the people.

• The Temple worship wasn’t the only thing that mattered, God’s Law was to permeate people’s personal lives and change them, making them distinct from the nations around them, even when they were away from the Temple.

• This is an important principle to keep in mind.

• Some churches are overwhelmingly focused on what happens at the worship gathering on Sunday morning, but they’re not that concerned about whether their people are distinct from the world between Monday and Saturday.

• There is more to God’s Word than just instructions about how to worship properly, and we need Ezra’s to remind us of that. We need people to teach us how to live holy lives when we leave our worship gatherings.

• The instructions about worship are no more important than the instructions about how to be Christlike on the weekdays.

• If our whole identity is tied up in how we worship on Sunday, but not how we live on Monday, we are missing some key parts of God’s instructions.

• Let’s hold ourselves to a high standard in the way we worship “corporately” AND in the way we mimic Christ in our personal lives.