Ezra 1-4

6 books of the Old Testament cover post-exile Israel
Ezra/Nehemiah/Esther
Haggai/Zechariah/Malachi

Just as there had been 3 waves of exile, there were 3 waves of return
1. 538BC Under leadership of Zerubbabel
2. 458BC Under leadership of Ezra
3. 445BC Under leadership of Nehemiah

I am studying/teaching this period of Israel's history in chronological order
1. Zerubbabel leadership (Ezra 1-4)
2. Haggai's prophecy (Haggai 1-2)
3. Zechariah's prophecy (Zechariah 1-8)
4. Temple completed 516BC (Ezra 5-6)
5. Zechariah's prophecy (Zechariah 9-14)
6. Esther (Esther 1-10)
7. Ezra's leadership (Ezra 7-10)
8. Nehemiah's leadership (Nehemiah 1-13)
9. Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 1-4)

Historical Context
Prior to the exile, Jeremiah & Isaiah had prophesied regarding the exile. Jeremiah specifically predicted its duration (70 years, Jeremiah 25:11) while Isaiah specifically named the leader who would initiate the return (Cyrus, Isaiah 44:28). One day, while in exile, Daniel was reading Jeremiah's prophecy (Daniel 9:1-27) and began to pray to God regarding the prophesied return. According to Josephus, the Persian King Cyrus was so impressed with Isaiah's prophecy (calling him by name about 200 years before his birth) that he did everything in his power to perform what he believed God had called him to do, namely, to send the Israelites home to re-build the temple of God. This is where Ezra begins.

Chapter 1 gives account of Cyrus's Decree
1. Cyrus sends any willing Israelite home to build the temple of the Lord
2. Cyrus orders others to help fund the project
3. Only those whose hearts God moved returned (5), about 50,000
4. Cyrus sent the temple articles with the returning exiles

Chapter 2 gives a list of who returned
1. Prominent members (2)
2. Families (3-20)
3. Towns (21-35)
4. Priests (36-39)
5. Levites (40)
6. Singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, servants of Solomon & miscellaneous (41-63)
7. The whole company numbered 42,360 not counting servants
8. Some gave free will offerings upon arrival in Jerusalem
9. They settled in their respective towns

Chapter 3 describes the beginning of the project
1. After settling into their towns, they assembled into Jerusalem in the 7th month
2. Jeshua (priest) and Zerubbabel (prince) began to build the altar of God
3. Israel's worked in spite of resistance from their neighbors
4. Morning & Evening sacrifices were re-instituted
5. Feast of Tabernacles, burnt offerings, sacred feasts were re-instituted
6. The foundation for the temple was laid
7. The laying of the foundation prompted differing responses
--Many shouted praises to God
--Many in the older generation wept due to comparison with Solomon's temple

Chapter 4 describes the opposition to the project
1. Israel's enemies asked if they could help (so as to, most likely, derail the project)
2. Zerubbabel refused their help
3. Israel's enemies set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to continue building; they hired counselors to hamper the project
4. And so the work came to a standstill (24)
* Chapter 4 also tells of later times throughout the project when opposition arose (6-23)
** I will address 6-23 later, as chronological order dictates