This Ezra 7 Bible study guide 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 7 Bible Study Guide – Verse by Verse Commentary With Questions
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Ezra 7 Bible Study Notes
Outline
I. Ezra returns to Jerusalem along with another part of the remnant (1-10)
II. God grants them favor in the eyes of the king (11-26)
III. Ezra thanks the Lord for His blessings (27-28)
I. Ezra returns to Jerusalem along with another part of the remnant (1-10)
Discussion Questions
• What was Ezra’s occupation?
• What did a scribe do?
• What does the passage say about his abilities as a scribe?
• In verse 6, what is Ezra’s attitude toward the law? (it is given by God)
• Who is the king at this time?
• What did Ezra ask of him?
• What does this tell us about Ezra’s character? (bold and took initiative)
• How did the king respond? Which requests did he grant? Why?
• Who returned with Ezra? Is this the same group that we saw returning at the beginning of the book? How much time had passed? (The first group returned in the first year of Cyrus 538 B.C. Ezra returned in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, 458 B.C., 80 years later.)
• How long did the journey take for them to arrive in Jerusalem?
• Was this longer or shorter than average? Why do you think so?
• Why does the passage say God’s favor and providence were with them? What does this tell us about the result of faithfully serving God?
• What can we learn about Ezra and his character from verse 10? Is there any progression here?
• What applications can we get from this verse?
Cross-References
Verses for Teachers
2 Timothy 2:15 – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Titus 2:7-8 – In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
James 3:1-2 – Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
1 Peter 4:10 – Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. From Chapter 7 to the end of the book, Ezra records the second return to Jerusalem. This was 60 years after the first return. We are reminded from this that most of the Jews alive at the time were dispersed throughout the Persian Empire. Only a small percentage had returned in the early chapters of this book.
Although most of these Hebrews lived across a large geographical area, they still viewed Judah as their home, and many wanted to return there.
As noted in Chapter 1, moving would have completely changed their lives. Their jobs, homes, friends, and many possessions, as well as everything they were used to, would have to be left behind to journey to a faraway country that most of them had never even seen. For the first return, only a few of the very old people had actually lived in the land. This time, no one had. Although the text doesn’t mention it, God must have been moving in their hearts to inspire them to return to the land He had promised them. This was taking a significant step of faith, and there was no one better to lead this journey of faith than Ezra.
2. Ezra was descended from a long line of priests and traced his lineage all the way back to Aaron. He likely traces his lineage here to show the readers his qualifications and authority to lead the people of Judah.
There would surely be many times along the journey, and after arriving, that the group would not want to follow his leadership, so listing his credentials was also a way to ward off these disagreements and divisions.
3. Verse 6 tells us that Ezra was a scribe. Scribes were considered to be experts in the law. They studied it carefully and memorized large sections of it. One of their chief duties was to copy it letter by letter, word by word, book by book. At that time, there were no printing machines, so scribes were the ones responsible for copying the law and passing down more of the holy Scriptures to the next generation. When people had questions about the law or its application, they would also ask the scribes for answers. In addition, as we later see with Ezra, one of their responsibilities was to teach the law to the people. This was an important position of spiritual leadership.
4. Verse 6 also informs us that Ezra was skilled in the law, more so than an ordinary scribe. God had given him a special “gift” for understanding and teaching the law. Although God promises to give every believer a spiritual gift in the New Testament, these types of gifts are not limited to the New Testament or modern times. God also blessed certain people in the Old Testament with incredible abilities or talents to accomplish His purposes.
Reflect: Can you give any examples of people in the Old Testament that would have something akin to a spiritual gift?
5. The things the king did to help Ezra, listed out later in the chapter, were first requested by Ezra. This shows us that Ezra had the initiative to lead this journey back to Judah. It wasn’t something commanded by the king. God moved Ezra to lead this group’s return. Ezra took the initiative to ask the king for permission and help. Making such requests of the king also showed one of Ezra’s chief characteristics: boldness.
6. Later, we will see that the king answered his requests. In verse 6, Ezra tells us that the king was so favorable to them because God’s hand was with them, which is the unifying, underlying theme throughout the book of Ezra. We see again and again God’s providence and sovereign power in moving heathen kings to accomplish His plans and purposes.
God has a plan for the nations. He has a purpose in allowing each and every politician to be elected. Though most have no respect for God, God will use them to accomplish His plans anyway. We should be comforted, knowing that the leaders of our countries were put there by God for a reason. Although they appear to be in control, they aren’t. God is.
7. The people who returned to the land were partly composed of priests, Levites, gatekeepers, and temple servants. These were people whose occupation was serving God.
8. From verses 8-9, we see that the journey took four months. The length of this journey is a reminder that the decision to move to the Promised Land was not easy. It was a “go and don’t look back” decision. There was no turning back. The people were giving up everything they ever knew to go to a place they didn’t know because they believed God wanted them to. This is a classic example of the kind of faith God wants each one of us to have. While the journey took four months, it was evidently shorter than average since Ezra ascribes the speed of their pilgrimage to God’s hand being with them.
9. God’s favor to them here appears to be connected to Ezra’s faithfulness. Because Ezra was so faithful, God blessed the people and was with them. Sometimes, one good leader can have a profound impact on his people. In this case, Ezra’s faithfulness helped to secure God’s blessings for the entire group.
Reflect: Can you think of any other cases in Scripture where one person’s faith brings benefits/blessings to others close to them?
10. Verse 10 provides excellent insight into Ezra’s character. The foundation for everything he did was his heart to study the Word of God. Notice that he “set his heart” to do it. First, Ezra studied God’s Word. Studying the Bible is not something that happens automatically. This world is busy. Many things are vying for our time, and lots of things around us can distract us. The same thing was true at that time. But Ezra did not allow those distractions to keep him from God’s Word. He set his heart to do it and would not allow anything to interfere.
A. Furthermore, we see that Ezra practiced obedience to the Word. This comes before teaching it. In James 3:1-2, we learn that a person should not become a teacher too hastily since God will judge this person more strictly.
Some teachers happily tell others what to do but do not practice it themselves. Ezra was not like this. He set his heart to practice–to do– everything he learned in the law. Ezra was not studying it just to gain knowledge. He was not just investigating it to be able to answer people’s questions. He was not studying it because he had to. Ezra studied it because he wanted to.
We should always remember that this is the goal of Bible study: to practice what we learn. If we are not practicing it, it is useless to us. Ezra also knew he had to set a good example for those he taught. It would be hypocritical to tell others what they should do unless he willingly did it himself. This doesn’t mean a teacher can be perfect. No one is perfect. But every person who teaches God’s Word should set their mind to do everything they teach others to do.
B. Ezra changed his own life and spread it to the rest of the people. He used his position, knowledge, and influence to make a difference among the people around him. This three-step approach to God’s Word could be easily remembered through an acronym. SOS. Study. Obey. Spread.
II. God grants them favor in the eyes of the king (11-26)
Discussion Questions
- What was Artaxerxes’ opinion of Ezra?
- What privileges did this decree lay out for Ezra and the people?
- Would you describe the decree as negative, neutral, or favorable?
- Why was the king so favorable to them?
- Who contributed the funds needed for their journey and for the temple?
- What were they to do with these funds?
- Why would the king give funds and allow them to use these funds for whatever seemed good to them (18)?
- Besides the valuables taken from Babylon, what else did the king provide for them?
- Did the temple workers get any special privileges?
- What responsibilities did the king give to Ezra?
- What is the significance that he also gave Ezra the authority to punish those who disobeyed God?
Cross-References
Verses on God’s Sovereignty
1 Chronicles 29:11-12 – Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
Psalm 115:3 – Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.
Lamentations 3:37 – Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Artaxerxes considered Ezra to be learned in the commandments of God (verses 11). So, Ezra also had a good reputation, even among secular society.
2. Once again, we see that God granted His people favor in the eyes of a heathen king who went above and beyond his duty to support the people of Israel. The king’s decree granted them several privileges:
A. Any Israelite who wanted to return was granted permission. This in itself is pretty amazing. Many Jews certainly would have had important positions in society in the central areas of the kingdom. It could have hurt the nation’s economy to allow anyone to return. Many kings may have given this permission to some poor people or only certain groups. But here we see that anyone could go back.
B. Ezra and his group were basically given the title of emissary as they were going to be the king’s representatives to check up on the people and the temple (14).
C. The king and his counselors gave silver and gold to this cause, which they did not have to do. They offered it freely.
D. They were allowed to take any other gold and silver that others gave them or that they had earned in the region. So they were not only taking their work power with them; they were also taking their buying power, and they were also taking the buying power of those who donated to them.
E. In fact, just like in the first return 80 years before, many of the people around them did donate freewill offerings.
F. These offerings were to be used for the temple services and sacrifices. But they were also to be used however Ezra and the others saw fit. The king essentially hands them a bunch of treasure and tells them they can use it how they want, truly a gift with no strings attached. This shows the respect and trust that the king had in Ezra, believing that he would use resources for good purposes, not waste them, or even worse, start a rebellion with them.
G. Beyond what they were given to take with them, the king also gave them some vouchers that could be used at the empire’s storehouses located in that area, entitling them to many more valuables. One hundred kors is approximately 750 bushels. One hundred talents is about 4 tons. One hundred baths is about 600 gallons.
H. The king also excluded all of the temple workers from being required to pay taxes (something akin to modern day tax exempt charities and organizations).
I. Punishment could even include death. Giving the power to punish people was pretty rare in those days. The Roman Empire, for example, did allow the Jews some flexibility to handle their affairs. But they did not permit them to execute anyone, which is why they needed Pilate to execute Jesus. Artaxerxes gave Ezra the authority to do conduct capital punishment, once again showing the great trust he put in him. From this section, it appears that Artaxerxes may have made Ezra the governor, or at least a leading official, to oversee that land, which is why he gave him so much official authority.
III. Ezra thanks the Lord for His blessings (27-28)
Discussion Questions
- How did Ezra respond to this amazing generosity and kindness?
- Who did he give the credit to?
- What lessons can we learn from this?
- What can we see that Ezra understood about God based on verses 27-28?
- So fill in the blank: God is…
Cross-References
Verses on Thanksgiving
Psalm 7:17 – I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Psalms 107:1 – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Ezra gave all the praise, glory, and credit to God for this amazing generosity and favor from Artaxerxes. He correctly realized that it was God’s hand that moved the king to do this, and God was actually in control. He knew it was God’s grace and mercy to them and immediately thanked God for it. Ezra’s attitude is admirable and reminds us to always thank God for the things He has done for us. Everything good that happens to us is from God’s hand, and we should not forget Him.
2. God strengthened Ezra for the task before Him, and Ezra set out to do it with all his heart.
Application: If God wants us to accomplish something, He will give us all the means and resources we need, whether by miracles, answers to prayer, favor in the eyes of authority, or many so-called “coincidences” (i.e., God’s providence).
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