This small group Ezra 5 Bible study contains outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, verse by verse commentary, and applications. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Ezra 5 Bible Study Commentary – With Discussion Questions For Small Groups
Ezra 5 Bible Study Video
Ezra 5 Bible Study Podcast
Outline
I. The people begin rebuilding the temple again (1-5)
II. The local leaders write to Darius (6-17)
I. The people begin rebuilding the temple again (1-5)
Discussion Questions
- Who did God use to spark the people to resume building the temple?
- If you have time, you can look at passages in Haggai and Zechariah to see more about why the people stopped building at this period in history. How did the people respond to Haggai and Zechariah’s message?
- What does this show about their attitude?
- Have you allowed opposition or fear to keep you from doing things you know God wants you to? Can anyone share any examples?
- What should we do when we know God wants us to do something, but fear creeps in?
- Who were the guys who came to ask them questions about their rebuilding project this time?
- What do you think their motive is?
- How did the people answer? Did they stop the work this time?
Cross-References
Background Passages
Haggai 1-2
Zechariah 2-3
On God’s protection
Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.
Psalm 71:24 – My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. The people started off well after their return to the land. Some of their first actions included rebuilding the altar, re-instituting the sacrifices, and celebrating festivals to remember God’s providence, which hadn’t been celebrated in centuries. They were excited and on fire to serve God.
Then adversity came. Their enemies rose up to ensnare them and try to stop them from rebuilding the temple. Every trick in the book was attempted, ranging from sabotage to intimidation. Unfortunately, it worked. The people gave up rebuilding the temple. They allowed God’s enemies to keep them from doing what was right. Instead of prioritizing God’s kingdom, they returned to their homes and started focusing on themselves and looking out for number one. This situation went on for 16 years!
2. God used two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, to rebuke the people for their disobedience and laziness and inspire them to rebuild again. To see some of what was going on in these 16 years, turn over to Haggai and read it together.
From Haggai, we can learn several key points:
a) The people thought they would wait until a later time to finish the temple (putting off what God wants us to do today is one of Satan’s all-time classic attacks). (Haggai 1:2)
b) The people were seeking their own comfort and putting themselves before God. (1:4)
c) They focused on materials, but because of their sin, God did not bless them. The harder they worked, the less they got. They had ignored God’s instructions, and it was time to repent. (1:5-11)
d) Finally, the people repented and heeded God’s instructions. (1:12)
e) God promised to be with them. (1:13)
f) The new temple was nothing compared to the old one, but God would be with them and didn’t care about the physical appearance of it. (2:3-4)
g) One day, God will act in a marvelous way and make Jerusalem the center of the world, and people from the four corners of the earth will pay tribute to it. (2:5-12)
h) God did not bless them while they were putting themselves first. (2:13-19)
i) God chose Zerubbabel as their leader and would bless him. (2: 20-23)
Application: What principles can we observe from the book of Haggai? What specific things can you learn from the passage that you need to apply? Discuss together.
3. Leadership is very important. Throughout Israel’s history. we see that the people of Israel usually follow their leaders’ actions, whether good or bad. If the king worships Baal, they worship Baal. If the king follows God, they follow God. Here, Zurabbabel and Jeshua decided to resume the work. The people followed them. If God has put any of us in a position of authority/leadership, we need to take our responsibility seriously and use our position to inspire others to follow God and do what is right.
4. Another group of people came to challenge the temple rebuilding project. They include the locally appointed leaders over that region of the Persian Empire and do not appear to hate the Jews or have the same motivations to stop the work as those in Chapter 4 did. They seem to be doing their job to figure out what is happening and making sure that no law is being broken. Likely, their motivation is to protect their own skin. If found negligent and the local residents were planning any harmful schemes, their lives could be at risk if the king heard about it.
5. The Jews gave them the names of the key builders. The fact that the leaders continued in the work, even though their own necks were on the line if the king decided against them, was proof that they had really repented and truly desired to serve God this time around.
6. God was with them. The political leaders (Tattenai, etc.) could have asked them to stop until they had a decision from the top. But they didn’t; instead, they allowed them to keep working. It is somewhat surprising because permitting them to keep doing the work was a little risky. If the king ruled that they were breaking the law to rebuild the temple, he may have blamed them for allowing the work to continue.
Application: The people genuinely repented, and God blessed them. This is very different than what we see in Haggai. While they were sinning, everything seemed to be going against them. Now that they were serving God, He was blessing and giving them favor. Is there anything we can learn from this to apply to our own lives today?
II. The local leaders write to Darius (6-17)
Discussion Questions
• What was their purpose in writing Darius? Can you learn anything about their position from the tone of the letter? Is the tone of this letter any different than the one in Chapter 4? In what ways?
• From the letter, what other insights can we gain as to what answer the Jews gave the political leaders for why they were rebuilding the temple?
• What does this show about them?
• Are there any spiritual principles or present-day applications we can get from this chapter?
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. The tone of this letter is quite different than that of the letter in Chapter 4. In Chapter 4, the Jews’ adversaries flattered, lied, accused, attacked, and deceived, while this letter seems to be pretty neutral. Facts are not misrepresented but laid out one by one. Even the Jews are quoted so the king can hear their point of view.
2. Verses 11-16 record the Jews’ statement with their reasons for rebuilding the temple. We can see that they also lay out the facts that we have read in Ezra 1, as well as the history of Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem. In verse 11, they identify themselves as servants of God. In verse 12, they ascribe the reason for their demise to the nation’s horrendous sin before God, showing a repentant heart and a willingness to take responsibility for their nation’s sins and recognize the past mistakes that they had made.
This is another sign that they were truly repentant. Any person who decides to serve God will face adversity and stumble sooner or later. We will have spiritual highs. And we will fail sometimes, too, and sin against God. Knowing this, I just want to leave you with this verse: Proverbs 24:16, “A righteous man falls seven times, and rises again.” Will you rise again when you sin?
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Thank you so much for blessing me with these Bible studies. Our church is currently doing our women’s inductive study on Ezra and I enjoy starting off the week with your videos.