FEATURED STUDY | July 15, 2026 | A Study on Chapter 7 of the Book of Ezra
Ezra Comes to Jerusalem
Cigineate: the act of a canine smoking a cigar. After discovering that Bazinga, the slang expression uttered ad nauseum at last week’s youth retreat, is not in Webster’s Dictionary, I resolved to invent my own word in hopes that it will earn admission to that esteemed publication. I think that if I can get enough people to use the word, sort of like crowd funding, Webster’s will be forced to include it. Perhaps there will even be some renumeration for me, although I am at a loss to think of who would benefit enough to pay me. The very least I expect for my efforts is a Wikipedia page. Since some dogs may prefer to vapineate, my chances of success are doubled. Webster’s is regarded as the gold standard for dictionaries and their editors guard its reputation jealously. Adding new words is not taken lightly. In our study of Ezra chapter 7, we learn more about the man Ezra, a scribe who jealously guarded God’s word.
Although we have read and discussed the first 6 chapters of Ezra, he has not been part of the story until chapter 7. The first thing we see is that his genealogy dating back to Aaron is listed. This is significant for 2 reasons: 1. It establishes his right to the priesthood as he is a direct descendant of Aaron 2. It informs us that he is a very important figure in the Bible. I know of no other person except Jesus with such a listing in the Bible outside of 1st Chronicles so we should be attentive to what God intended by this unique record.
We also see that Ezra was a teacher well versed in the Law. The KJV refers to him as a scribe, an ignoble profession by the time of the ministry of Jesus but an honorable one centuries earlier. King Artaxerxes granted him all he requested because it was evident that God’s hand was on him. Ezra was granted leave to go to Jerusalem and other priests and Levites also went. Ezra was probably born in Babylon and Ii is thought that he went to Jerusalem in 458 which was 58 years after the temple was completed. Some have questioned why he waited so long to leave Babylon, but Matthew Henry noted that Ezra went when God was ready to send him. Henry speculated that God left him there to minister to those remaining in Babylon while Jeshua tended to the Israelites in Jerusalem.
Ezra took with him a letter given to him by Artaxerxes which charged him with inquiring how the Law was being observed. He was given gold by the king and authorized to raise money from other sources to purchase anything needed for sacrifices. Artaxerxes also ordered the officials of Trans-Euphrates to supply Ezra with anything he required up to significant amounts of silver, wheat, wine and oil. Note that in his letter, Artaxerxes repeatedly refers to God as the God of heaven who had the power to turn His wrath upon the king. Finally, he ordered that the priests, Levites and any workers at the temple were to be exempt from taxes.
He authorized Ezra to appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates. He ordered Ezra to teach the Law to the people who would be punished for disobedience. The chapter ends with Ezra praising God for changing the king’s heart and extending good favor to him before the king.
Jewish tradition holds that Ezra was the man most responsible for compiling, editing and canonizing the Hebrew Bible. Henry wrote that since prophecies were about to cease, it was time to promote scripture knowledge (see Mal. 4:4). Today, since prophecies have ceased, it is time to promote scripture knowledge. Paul wrote that all Scripture is God breathed and he charged Timothy with the responsibility for rightly dividing the word of truth.
Unlike the dictionary, which is updated as our language evolves, God’s Word is fixed. It was not by accident that the 10 Commandments were written in stone. Near the end of John’s Revelation is a warning not to add or subtract from what he wrote. The same admonition applies to the entire Bible. Many have sought to discredit the Bible by pointing out contradictions that do not actually exist. The fact that such a lengthy book has no contradictions should be proof enough that God is indeed the author and those who complied the Bible were led by God
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