Tucked into the middle of the Old Testament and easily passed over amidst the longer, winding historical narrative of God’s people, is the brief, yet powerful account of the restoration of both God’s city and God’s people after decades of exile in a foreign land.
Originally recognized as one book, Ezra and Nehemiah tell a collective story of a near century-long moment in Israel’s history from the time of their first return from exile in Babylon until the full restoration of the temple, walls, and people of Jerusalem. These books chronicle the many details of God’s mighty hand and Israel’s faithfulness—and lack of faith—during this time. Both of these books include many lists, chronologies and even genealogies, which makes them easy to want to zoom past in our study of the Old Testament.
It is sometimes tempting to avoid books like Ezra and Nehemiah, assuming they will offer little real-life application for our students. But a deeper look into the text will reveal that these two Old Testament books provide a treasure-trove of meaningful applications to students’ lives today.
Even more than application, Ezra and Nehemiah offer our students the gift of possibility. In the same way that stories give us imaginations for things that once might have seemed impossible, these stories preserved for us by God will give our students imaginations for the bigger work of God and his determined faithfulness to his Word. These books build a framework of God’s powerful work for our students that can stand up against questions of uncertainty or frustration in trials and tragedies.
With this in mind, I’l like to offer three important truths for students found in the book of Ezra.
God is sovereign over all their circumstances.
The book of Ezra is a testament to God’s complete control and absolute sovereignty. We see this truth beginning with verse one, as we read that the Lord fullfils his word by stirring the king’s heart (Ezra 1:1). Or as God stirred the spirits of the Israelites to help rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:5), or in the Israelites’ declaration after the completion of the temple’s foundation (Ezra 3:11), or as King Darius finds the scroll that directs him to stand against Israel’s opposition and orders the temple rebuilding to continue (Ezra 6).
Ezra teaches that God is not only sovereign over his people, but he is sovereign over all circumstances, nations, and rulers. As we approach a season in our country guaranteed to bring change in the leadership of our nation, Ezra is a reminder that our students can confidently place their hope in God’s power over all other rule and reign. There is nothing that is outside of God’s providential care and control. No matter what circumstances our students face in this life, Ezra reminds them of God’s provision and know with certainty that no king, no president, no ruler is outside of the sovereign power of our God.
God will be found by those who seek him.
A foundational theme throughout the book of Ezra is God’s faithfulness toward, and provision over, those who seek him. Ezra 8:22 names this explicitly, declaring that the hand of God (or his provision/protection) is gracious or good to all who seek him.
Our students will experience seasons when God feels distant, or when it is hard to recognize his work in their lives. Yet, through the Israelites’ story, our students will learn that God is both eager and faithful to be found by those who are seek after him. God longs to dwell with his children and he is never far from any of us. Our students will see through the story of Ezra and Israel that God is near to those who call on him.
The heart of worship is the joy of the Lord.
The core reason for the exiles’ return to Jerusalem is the mission for them to rebuild the temple that was destroyed when they were taken into exile. This rebuilding mission was the first priority as Israel returned to Jerusalem because the heart of God is the restoration of his people. God not only sought to restore Israel to their home, but he sought to restore to them to worship.
In Ezra, students will learn that right worship was at the center of God’s call for Israel to rebuild Jerusalem because worship was the means of restoring God’s relationship to his people. God cares deeply for his relationship to his creation and worship is part of that relationship.
In Ezra, our students will witness the restoration of festivals along with worship, and they will see that the heart of worship for God’s people is actually the joy that comes from God alone. Worship is not based on our feelings, or our actions. Instead, God is the object of our worship and the source of our joy. Our worship is not about us, or our feelings, but our God. It is the joy of the Lord that leads to worship.
In this cultural moment, our students are often trained to look solely to their emotions for understanding what is true. They are tempted to believe that if God does not feel good, then he must not be. If God does not feel in control, he must not be. If I do not feel sincere in my worship, then I should not worship.
Yet, the book of Ezra reminds us that our joy comes from the Lord, not our emotions. God is the source and reason for our worship, not our feelings. God’s truth stands firm, even when our feelings fade. The joy of the Lord leads us to worship; and that is a joy that is unshakable and unchangeable!
Examples of Faith
It can be easy to read a book like Ezra and assume those ancient events have little to no relevance to our students today. But these post-exilic books of Nehemiah and Ezra are exactly what many of our students need. What better way to encourage reliant faith in a post-Christian culture than to show them examples of that type of faith in that type of culture? What better opportunity to proclaim the gospel’s power than to show the ever-faithful power the God of the gospel—from beginning to end—toward his people?
Let’s build our students an unshakable framework by teaching them the fullness of his story, showing them how God’s sovereignty has never changed and never will.
Be sure to check out Rooted’s latest curriculum package: Restoration, including the books of Esther, Nehemiah, Ezra, and Zechariah.
