Rebuilding …

First to the short New Testament book of 2 Thessalonians. It has been an encouragement for almost 2000 years for all who read it to be reminded of the Messiah’s second coming. And then we go back to the Old Testament and the fascinating book of Ezra. After leaving the book of 2 Chronicles and coming to the book of Ezra we find a 70 year interval has passed. The patience of God has been stretched to the point that Israel needs some discipline. Four hundred and ninety years of disobedience to God’s clearly expressed command to the children of Abraham has finally brought discipline to this chosen and elected nation. This book is the first of what is known as the ‘ post captivity’ books. It deals with an extremely important part of the history of the nation of Israel covering their release from their captivity as a nation. The book was written by Ezra, a descendant of Hilkiah the high priest who found a copy of the law during the reign of King Josiah we read about in 2 Chronicles 34:14. So Ezra the priest was not allowed to serve during the captivity mainly because there was no longer temple, destroyed along with the entire city of Jerusalem. Ezra the scribe had a love for the word of God that is reflected by him mentioning the importance of it by name 9 times in this short book. May we all grow in our love for it as we study this book.

In Him, Pastor Ed