Will Vaus

Today in our journey along Route 66 we are paying a visit to the book of Ezra... Author   Although the caption to Nehemiah 1:1 indicates that Ezra and Nehemiah were originally two separate compositions, they were combined as one in the earliest Hebrew manuscripts and in the Septuagint. Josephus (AD 37-100) and the Jewish Talmud do not refer to a separate book of Nehemiah. Origen (AD 185-253) is the first writer known to distinguish between the two books. Jerome (AD 390), Wycliffe (AD 1382) and Coverdale (AD 1535) all followed this precedent set by Origen.   Certain materials in the book of Ezra appear to be first-person extracts from his memoirs. Other sections are written in the third person. Linguistic analysis shows that these different extracts resemble each other, making it likely that the same author wrote both.   In the past, some scholars believed that the author/compiler of Ezra and Nehemiah was also the author of Chronicles, based on characteristics common to al...

The closing chapters of Nehemiah contain material that may, at one time, have been part of the book of Ezra. Chapter 9 contains a long prayer purportedly made by Ezra at a sacred assembly of the Jews. In this prayer, Ezra recites the most significant points in the history of Israel, starting with creation, then Abraham, the Exodus, the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, and so on. This type of recounting of the history of Israel is not unique to Ezra. We see another example in the New Testament in the form of a sermon given by Stephen in Acts 6 and 7. Whether or not Ezra actually prayed such a prayer, this recounting of Israel’s history serves the point of giving a summary of the story of Israel up to this stage for the reader. The key thing in all of this is that the Jewish people serve a great and mighty and awesome God who keeps covenant with them and shows them his steadfast love forever (Nehemiah 9:32). Beginning with Nehemiah 9:38 and on to the end of chapte...

You may be wondering by this time: how do the narratives in Ezra and Nehemiah fit together? The two men are mentioned together in Nehemiah 8, but how do the rest of the narratives in these two books coincide? Lawrence Boadt addresses that question in this way: We know the dates for Nehemiah’s terms as governor were 445-433 B.C. and 430 or 429 down to perhaps 417 at the most (that is, two twelve-year terms). But we are not sure about Ezra. If he had come before Nehemiah in 458, as has traditionally been believed, why did Nehemiah have to do the same reforms all over again? Many scholars solve this question by suggesting that Ezra really came after Nehemiah, in the year 398 B.C. They base this on the reference to the “seventh year of King Artaxerxes” in Ezra 7:7 for the beginning of Ezra’s ministry in Jerusalem. But in fact there were two kings of Persia named Artaxerxes: Artaxerxes I ruled from 464 to 423, and Artaxerxes II from 404 to 358. Ezra 7:1 simply reads...

Lawrence Boadt offers this introduction to the book of Nehemiah…. Nehemiah began his work in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes I, i.e., about 445 B.C. He was a high official in the court despite the lowly-sounding title he bore, “royal cupbearer.” Nehemiah was a Jew, and had received a heartbreaking letter from his own brother in Palestine describing the terrible conditions that existed there. Since he was an advisor of the King, he had no difficulty in getting the king’s ear. He persuaded Artaxerxes to make Judah an independent province, name him its governor, and allow him to rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem. He was skilled enough in political matters to foresee that he would face great obstacles from local officials who did not want any change in the power structure. Nehemiah quickly surveyed the situation and made preparations to start on the walls shortly after his arrival. But as soon as the project became public, Sanballat, the governor of Samaria...

The closing chapters of Ezra focus on the dilemma of the returning male Jewish exiles having intermarried with women of the various surrounding nations: Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites (Ezra 9:1). The list is intriguing since it does not include any Babylonians, the people with whom one would expect the Jews to have intermarried during their seventy years in captivity. Rather, the list reflects the traditional Jewish enemies of long-standing. We have read similar lists of enemies going all the way back to the Torah. Thus, it raises the question whether this list accurately represents those with whom the Jews actually intermarried during the exile or post-exilic period. Ezra’s response is to tear his garments, pull at his hair, and sit appalled—traditional actions of lament. Then, at the time of the evening sacrifice, Ezra prays to the Lord about the matter, making confession of the sins of his people. One ...

These chapters in the book of Ezra reveal a dream becoming reality. The dream was one of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. It was the dream of the Jewish exiles returning from captivity in Babylon. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah played the role of encouraging the Jews to fulfill the vision given to them by God. Zerubbabel and Shealtiel led the people in actually doing the work. This shows us that fulfilling God’s plan for his kingdom always requires a team, and each member of the team plays a different role, using unique gifts. However, as Bruce Wilkinson writes in his book, The Dream Giver , there are always border bullies waiting to check us and stop us when we are on the verge of entering God's territory and fulfilling a God-given dream. In this case, the border bullies are Tattenai the governor, Shetharbozenai, and their associates. They come to the Jews and ask, “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” How do we ha...