Life of Ezra

Theme Verse: For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it,and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. (NKJV)

Ezra was a man who lived in the fourth century (Bright, 2020). It is estimated that his ministry took place between 458 B.C and 432 B.C. He was the son of Seriah and a descendant of Levi. He taught the law to the exiles who had returned to Judah from Babylon, and he also led the second wave of Jews to Jerusalem. Sadly, when Ezra had arrived in Jerusalem, he found out that the people of Israel had intermarried and had become too comfortable doing what they were doing, which made the prophet very frustrated. He then ripped his clothes, which was a sign of mourning in the Jewish culture (Ezra 9:1-2). Ezra and the other exiles believed that the kingdom of Israel had been destroyed because they did not follow God’s laws. Fortunately, the people of Israel realized their sin and chose to repent (Ezra 10:2-6). Ezra read the law to the people of Israel, and they decided to follow God (Nehemiah 7:73-10:39).

As the people of Israel were studying the law, they noticed how they had not done certain things, such as celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, which was a Jewish holiday held on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Its purpose was to help the Israelites remember all that God had done for them and to give the Israelites a day of rest (Leviticus 23:39-43)

(Nehemiah 8:13-18). The returned exiles then assembled and started fasting and wearing sackcloth, putting dust on their heads, and asking God for forgiveness (Nehemiah 9:1-37).

One lesson that can learned from the life of Ezra, is how God always keeps His promises. Many years before the time of Ezra, Jeremiah had told the people of Israel that they would be in captivity for seventy years, but God would eventually let the Israelites go back to their homeland. Another lesson we can learn from Ezra’s life, is God’s grace. God could have just forgotten about His people and just left them in captivity, especially given the fact that the Israelites did not always obey His laws. However, God chose to instead have mercy for the Israelites and allowed them to renter the Promised Land.

A third lesson that can be learned from Ezra’s life, is humility. As a nation, the Israelites humbly asked for God’s forgiveness. By wearing sackcloth and fasting, the Exiles realized that they sinned and needed God (Nehemiah 9:1) (Free Bible Lessons, 2020). Lastly, another thing we can learn from Ezra, is bold faith. Before Ezra and the other exiles started their four-month journey from Persia to Israel, they prayed. An interesting fact about Ezra’s life, was that Ezra had previously told the king that God would protect them on the journey. Many times today, people say the same thing about other situations. However, those same people who say such things do not show it through their actions. Ezra showed action when he talked about his faith in God, especially when the Israelites started their journey back to Israel (Wolstenholm, 2019).

In conclusion, Ezra was a man of God who helped the Israelites and led them during the second wave out of Persia.