05/21/2022 – Day 325 – Ezra – Chapters 6 – 10
I want to share a short excerpt from the introduction section of the book of Ezra in “The Apologetics Study Bible”, pg. 678 – 679:
The Reliability of Ezra
“Prominent in Ezra are texts of official proclamations of the Persian government (e.g. Ezra 1: 1-5; 4: 8-10, 11-16, 17-22; 5: 6-17; 6: 6-12; 7: 11-26). Until recently many scholars doubted the authenticity of these texts. They claimed that the language sounded too theological or that that didn’t follow standard Persian from. However, recent studies have silenced these criticisms. Study of the letters from the Jewish community Elephantine, Egypt, reveals that the theological sound of the royal edicts is probably the result of the interaction of the Jewish people with the king prior to the issue of his edicts. In other words, the king (or his scribe) used language that would be familiar to the recipients. The official letters in the book are now known to be comparable in style to typical letters of the day, varying partly in whether they were written from inferiors to superiors or vice versa.”
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Now for the reading of today, and the conclusion of our two week Wednesday study of Ezra, here are some biblical verse commentary from the same “The Apologetics Study Bible”:
“6:21 – Spiritual holiness was expected of those who worshiped God. Today’s church could learn from this early community. Church discipline has fallen by the wayside as contemporary congregations attempt to shed their image of exclusivity. However, God expects to be served by a holy people. The church today must demand that church members conduct themselves according to certain spiritual standards that honor the faith community and God (see Romans 12: 1-2; 1 Peter 1: 13-16).
“7:26 Antaxerses allowed the requirements of religious law to become state law in Israel. This was appropriate since Israel was both a religious and a political entity. It would be inappropriate to apply the religious laws of the church to the state in the same way today since the church is not a political entity.”
“9:3: Ezra’s reaction to the intermarriages was not driven by racism. His concern was a spiritual one. These ‘surrounding peoples’ (v. 2) adhered to other faiths. Ezra was deeply saddened that the people, especially the leaders, had jeopardized the spiritual purity of the community by allying themselves with people of other faiths God had instructed His people not to adopt other beliefs. (see Deuteronomy 11: 13 – 32).”
Soli Deo Gloria!
Thoughts? Reflections? Questions? Prayer.
Questions for fellowship generation, the lifelong sanctification process:
- What does the text reveal about God’s character?
- How has this reading generated prayer for you and/or us?
- What themes stand out to you in this bible study?
- How does our reading fit into the bigger picture (creation, the fall, restoration, etc.)?
- What verse(s) jumped out at you like never before? Is it explainable at this point?
- Do you have any questions you would like to put before the group as to how to interpret any particular verse(s) in our reading. Let scripture testify to scripture: Share with us where you sense contradiction between passages elsewhere.
- What did you find convicting and inspiring at the same time? Share with us how the Spirit of God is working within you as a messenger, both within and outside of our fellowship group.
- Share with the group how our study is calling or confirming to you a new mission to glorify God in our times.