Bible Character Studies: Ezra the priest/scribe

Ezra

Ezra was a godly man, raised up by God to be the spiritual leader during the second return to Jerusalem. He was a contemporary of Nehemiah.

He was both a priest and a scribe. (Ez. 7:6, 12) His genealogy is recorded back 16 generations to Aaron, the first High Priest (Ez. 7:1-5). He arrived in Babylon sixty years after the second temple was dedicated, 80 years after Cyrus’ decree.

He was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses (Ez. 7:6). This was no small task as life had changed a lot in the intervening 1,000 years since the law was given. But the pattern of his preparation is exemplary.

“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.” Ezra 7:10 He first studied God’s word to know what He commanded, then he obeyed, then he sought to teach others. Seek, do, teach is a great pattern to follow. Tradition says Ezra had the law memorized and could recite it from recall.

After the temple was rebuilt and dedicated, they reinstituted the appointed feasts, which they now saw as a great privilege. (Ez. 6:19-22) He was given great privileges and freedoms by the kings of Persia (second cause) because  “the hand of the LORD my God was upon me.” (first cause). He was granted everything he requested (Ez. 7:6), as the letter from king Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:12-26) records. Any Jews who volunteered to go to Jerusalem were freed to go to assist in the rebuilding and resettlement. (Ez. 7:13) The project was financed generously by the royal treasury (Ez.7:15-20). They were given discretion in spending (Ez.7:18), given exemption from taxes (Ez. 7:24), and allowed to exercise local autonomy by appointing any magistrates or judges as he saw fit to do. (Ez. 7:25).

Ezra acknowledged that all these things were done because of the grace of God moving these pagan kings to extend mercy to both him and his people (Ez. 7:27,28).

The humble character of the man is best shown when he hears about the great sin of intermarriage with the pagan Samaritans, especially that the leaders and rulers had been foremost in this transgression. He understood full well that God had justly punished them as He’d warned, expelling them from the Promised Land for taking on the ways of the people of the land, not remaining separate and holy as they were told they should. He saw how the Samaritans, who were the offspring of mixed marriages (spiritually) had drifted far from true worship. And now that they were finally back in their homeland, they were already beginning the slippery slope into idolatry.

Ezra’s priestly prayer of confession and intercession, recorded in chapter nine, is like Daniel’s (Dan. 9:1-20) and Nehemiah’s (Neh. 1:4-11) because he also used plural pronouns to include himself in the guilt of the sin, even though he had not personally married someone from there. He understood national sin led to national guilt and often national punishment. The sin of the few contaminated the many. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Gal. 5:9

He humbled himself, fasted, lamented, and prayed for repentance. He was humiliated. He knew they had transgressed a clear command of God’s word. A transgression is an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offense. They were without excuse. (Ez. 9:10-15)

He recognized the goodness of God in giving them favour in the sight of the kings of Persia, and in leading them back to the land to rebuild the temple. He had graciously redeemed a remnant and revived them. He had given them a peg in His holy place; this speaks of permanence. Now he feared they could lose it all again, and rightly so. (Ez. 9:6-9)

Ezra’s prayer of repentance was an example to the leaders, who trembled at the word of God, and they came and confessed that they were guilty, God was right to judge them. Yet they still had hope that God would forgive them, because of His mercy in the past. They supported and encouraged Ezra in the difficult task ahead of him. Only a few opposed the process of dealing with the intermarriage issue. It was thoroughly investigated by leaders in each city, and it was completed within three months’ time. The priests led by example in promising to put away their pagan wives and admitting their guilt, and presenting a trespass offering.

We’ll see more of Ezra in the book of Nehemiah.