BaptistWay Bible Series for March 1: Making a fresh start

Have you ever had to start over after a devastating loss? More often than not, you’re forced to start with much less than you had. It’s tough going. But what if you were given a chance to start over and rebuild with most of what you had to begin with, plus a little more help along the way? Sound too good to be true? Not when it’s God’s provision.

As we’ll discover in Ezra, God graciously provides everyone the opportunity to make a fresh start in the midst of desperate and difficult situations, even the ones we bring on ourselves.

Ezra and its following book, Nehemiah, are similar in theme and storyline, each chronicling the return of the exiled Jews to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple and city and the remembrance and confession of their sin. They are believed to have originally been separate books, even though they were presented as one in some old Hebrew manuscripts.

Ezra is traditionally attributed as the book’s author, while Nehemiah is thought to have authored the book with his name. Similarities in style between Ezra, Nehemiah and 1 and 2 Chronicles suggested same authorship of the four books, or perhaps Ezra’s editorship (in addition to being a priest, he also was a scribe).

Let’s catch up on what’s been happening as we enter the book of Ezra: The Jews had been conquered by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C., the temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed and the city’s walls leveled. The Babylonian army had conquered Judah and the most promising and talented Israel had to offer had been deported into exile to serve the Babylonian empire.

It’s important for us to remember that the defeat of Judah and the exile of so many to Babylon is not solely the act of an empire’s desire for power and territory. It also is the enactment of God’s judgment and the punishment of his chosen people who have broken covenant with their Lord. God’s covenant with Israel, which started with Abraham, promised them to be a mighty nation dedicated to his glory. They had a great future, a future they lost through sin. Was their future past? Or would God allow them to restore their future?

It’s nearly 50 years later, 538, and as is common, there’s a bigger bully in the territory. Persia recently has conquered Babylon. The Jews now are subjects of the Persian Empire and Cyrus is in his first year as king. The events in Ezra occur between 538 and 457.

As Ezra opens, we’re exposed to an apparent contradiction: God is using a pagan king to fulfill the prophecy of Jeremiah (25:12, 29:10), one that predicted the defeat of Babylon and the reinstatement of his people to their promised land. While the act of a holy God using a non-believing king to enact his will seems contradictory, one of the theological themes in Ezra is God’s sovereignty over all—he has the power to reinstate his people and the authority to use whatever means he sees fit to carry out his will, even someone who does not believe in him.

 God’s will is evident as Cyrus delivers his decree to the Jews, directing them to return to their homeland and “rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel” (v. 2, NAS). They were free. It must have felt wonderful after 50 years of exile, but as so often is the case with God’s blessings, there was more. Cyrus directed his subjects to support Israel with money, food and offerings for the temple.

Cyrus probably didn’t need a political poll to judge reaction to the decree. It was immediate. Starting with the heads of the tribes, the priests and those whose “spirit God had stirred” (v. 5) the people went. It appears even their Gentile neighbors surrounding them were caught in the excitement, dutifully following the decree and encouraging Israel by sharing their wealth.

Can you imagine the moment? Separated from their home for so long, they were being allowed to repatriate. Can you imagine the wonder? They were being given the opportunity to rebuild their spiritual center, the temple.

But the blessings were to continue. Cyrus extended his aid even further, returning in full the articles that had been taken from Israel by Nebuchadnezzar.

Beginning in verse 7 and continuing to the end of the chapter, we’re exposed to a literary form repeated throughout the book of Ezra: Lists. Verses 7-11 detail those returned articles, including gold dishes, gold and silver bowls, “and 1,000 other articles” (v. 10).

What was the purpose of this and other lists in Ezra? One writer suggested it may have been a way to lend continuity and organization to a people freshly on their own again. Perhaps Ezra had a keen sense of history and wanted to catalog the items for time.

Or perhaps Ezra, as an exile expressing his gratitude for a fresh start, knew the truth taken from the old hymn and chose to “count your blessings, name them one by one.” It’s a worthwhile lesson for us. As God forgives us and gives us a fresh start, isn’t it wonderful to look back and list the things he’s provided us?  

Questions to explore

• God gave Israel a fresh start for its future. Did they deserve it? Can you name a time he has given you a fresh start? Did you deserve it?

•    Israel was in exile in another country for 50 years because of their sin of rejecting God. When we sin, how does that feel like exile?

•    In Ezra 1, God accomplished his will through an unlikely source, a pagan king. Can non-believers really be a part of God’s plan for the world?

•    Think of the phrase, “Restoring the future.” How does God restore our future when he forgives our sin?