Brief Notes on Ezra

(Originally written June 9, 2008 in the Journal)

Lord I feel deflated, defeated and dejected. The hope in my heart is failing. My strength has left me. Lord see my heart, my soul and my mind, they lie prostrate before you. Will you show me pity? Will you extend your grace?

How long oh Lord must I suffer, whether justly or unjustly? How long will you afflict me? The pain is temporal, but real. The Christian does not allow himself to be driven to the depths of despair by the ills of this world, nor does he cherish the goods of this world because he looks to the eternal and has an endless supply of joy. The Lord is joy. Halleluiah! May all men be so fortunate as I am to see the Lord and know that He is good.

But Lord, my vision is weak. I am near sighted and hampered by this world. This world is the world you have made; it is blessed by your very hand. Though we have polluted it with strife and sin, it still points to your amazing craftsmanship. Lord lift up my eyes to you. May you remove my near sightedness so that I can see your glory.

Show me the path you wish me to walk. Make it plain and clear so that even I, the lowest of minds, may see it.

"So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:7-8).

Lord everyday I try to have sought you. Some days I feel close to you. Other days I feel you are aloof and hide your face from me. Do not turn from me. Your love is all that sustains me. Without that I will surely die! Lord look to your servant here and grant him mercy. Grant me clemency and pardon me of my many iniquities.

See, I walk the narrow path. I walk straight and upright, trying to swerve neither to the left nor the right. I seek righteousness, not for my own sake, but so that your glory may be magnified.

Who am I that the Holy Father, creator and Master of all, should notice me? I am nobody. I am less than that. Even still you speak to me as a son? Do not hide your voice from me, but speak to my heart and I will listen. Remove the stiffness of my neck. I humble myself before you. I ask not for riches or wealth, but only simply to hear your voice and understand your words. You are my treasure. You are my hope, my joy. I give you all that I am, a small gift I know. But, all I have is yours. Counsel me with your words and soothe my anger, fear and despair with your voice.

Notes on Ezra

Chapter 1 - King Cyrus of Persia released the Judahites after years of captivity. He sent them back to rebuild the Temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed.

Chapter 2 - 42,360 men returned to Judah from exile. When they returned to Jerusalem they gave a free-will offering to the house of the Lord.

Chapter 3 -

They restored the altar of the Lord and began to offer holocausts on it as prescribed in the Law of Moses. Then they laid the foundation for the new temple. Some cried for the old Temple. Others rejoiced for the new.

Chapter 4 -

Men of Israel came down to Judah and demanded they be let to help rebuild the temple. When they were refused they acted to stop the rebuilding process.

Artaxerxes stopped the rebuilding of Jerusalem because the men of Israel tricked him into thinking that Jerusalem would stop paying tribute once the city was rebuilt.

Chapter 5 -

Haggai and Zechariah urged the people to keep rebuilding in the name of God. When the enemies of Jerusalem learned this they sent another letter to the king of Babylon to halt the rebuilding.

Chapter 6 -

King Darius of Babylon issued a decree stating that the Temple should be rebuilt and that any men who interfered with it should have his house reduced to rubble and be impaled on a beam from his own house. The Temple was completed in the sixth year of the reign of Darius. The people then celebrated Passover.

Chapter 7 -

Ezra, a descendant of Aaron came to Jerusalem from Babylon. The hand of God was upon Ezra, who was a scribe. Ezra was put in charge of the Judahites by King Artaxerxes of Babylon.

Chapter 8 -

Ezra gathered many Israelites with him, but no Levites were found so he sent for some. Ezra and his followers arrived in Jerusalem safely and presented the gold and silver from Artaxerxes to the Temple.

Chapter 9 -

Ezra denounced the intermarriage between the Israelites and the surrounding peoples.

Chapter 10 -

The men who had taken foreign wives sent them away, along with all the children born to them.