Sunday, February 5th, 2016

Ezra 6-7

Ezra is a book centered on fresh awakenings and new beginnings. Capturing the Sovereign God’s dedication to His covenant promises, the book is broken up into two sections governed by two different returns of the Jewish community from exile to the promised land. The first section, in chapters 1-6 focuses on the rebuilding of the temple while the second section chapters 7-10 focuses on Ezra as scribe and priest and his administration of God’s law. The book teaches us about God’s sovereignty and His faithfulness to His promises as well as our obligation to faithfulness, purity, and holiness.


General Questions:

  1. 1. In Ezra 6, we see the temple being built through God’s sovereignty and it fills the Israelites with joy. What is an area of your life where you faced opposition, but ultimately found joy in God’s sovereignty?
  2. In verse 19, through the end of the chapter, what does it say about the faith of the returned exiles that they “kept the Passover” after the completion and dedication of the temple?
  3. How do we joyfully celebrate and remember the faithfulness of God in our lives today, both individual and corporately?

For Further Discussion:

  1. In verse 10, Darius states his real purpose in the government allowing the former exiles to worship God – his selfishness. Even though God still advances the meta-narrative of the Bible, we see that the government isn’t really on God’s side. They just want his blessing. How do we see this today? How does this affect the way we live?
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