Ep. 204. Ezra 1,3-5 | Rebuilding

EPISODE 204

REBUILDING: EZRA 1,3-5

One of the difficulties we face in reading the prophets is trying to understand the timeline. Isaiah is 66 chapters spread out over four kings. Hosea is 13 chapters spread out over the same four kings. Ezra is only ten chapters long but covers nearly 100 years of history. In fact, the prophet isn't even in Jerusalem during the first part of Ezra. He is almost working as a historian recounting what God did in Judah and Jerusalem. Chapter four of Ezra serves as a summary of decades of life for the returned captives. We read these books and think of them as happening in a relatively short time. We assume that one chapter immediately follows the preceding chapter, even though it is possible that years have passed or, in the case of Jeremiah, that the chapters themselves are out of order.

The opening lines of Ezra are identical to what we found in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23, but the prophet Isaiah had already spoken of the work King Cyrus would do for the nation of Judah and the people of Jerusalem. (nearly 200 years earlier, by the way)

Pay special attention to Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Joshua) throughout these pages of the prophets. They were instrumental in rebuilding Jerusalem. Zerubbabel was the governor of Jerusalem (since they were under Persian rule, they were no longer allowed to have a "King"). Jeshua, also called Joshua, was the priest of God.

The people who came to Zerubbabel in 4:3 were the descendants of the Assyrians and Israelites. (also called the Samaritans) We have to go back to 2 Kings 17:29-33 to be reminded that when Assyria routed Israel and took over the land, God sent lions among them to eat the foreign oppressors. As a result, the Assyrians and the Israelites intermarried and served both the God of heaven and idols. They now desired to be part of the work happening in Jerusalem, but Zerubbabel did not have any of it.

In Chapter 5, we see that both Haggai and Zechariah were pivotal in encouraging the people of God to get back to work on the temple. After all, the temple had not progressed beyond the foundation for quite some time, and both prophets challenged and encouraged the people to finish the work.

As challenging as it can be, it is important to examine the names, kings, and times of these small books to see how they fit into the overall narrative.

ADDITIONAL READING: 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Isaiah 44:27-28; Isaiah 45:1-3; EZRA 8:27; Haggai 2:3; 2 Kings 17:29-33