Ezra & Nehemiah: Return and Restoration

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah appear back to back in our Bible and are often linked together. They tell the stories of these two men who return home to Israel from Persian exile. Very early on these two books were combined as one. Josephus (A.D. 37 – 100) refers to the book of Ezra but Nehemiah. The oldest manuscripts of the Septuagint (a pre-Christian Greek translation of the Old Testament) also treat the two as one book. The first distinction between the books comes from the early church writer Origen (A.D. 185 – 253). So even though we have two separate books, they are closely linked and therefore we are looking at them together this week.

The two books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell how God’s people were restored from their Babylonian exile. They are returning to their covenant land and community, even though it is not under their control.  It was still ruled by foreigners. The books are about how these two men played a role in the restoration of Israel and specifically Jerusalem. There are five important themes that flow through both books:

1. The restoration of Israel was God’s work. He changed the hearts of the Persian emperors and those who supported them. God raised up prophets to speak on his behalf. God protected his people on their return and spared them from their enemies. He also brought Ezra and Nehemiah to perform their separate ministries and brought about the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.
2. The restorative work was complete even though Israel did not have political independence. The temple was rebuilt and its services (daily sacrifices, priestly ministries, annual festivals) were brought back to life in accordance with the Laws of Moses and the regulations put in place by David. The covenant was renewed.
3. Just as God used other world powers to judge and exile his people, he used them to restore his people to their land. He originally allowed Judah and Israel to be conquered and sent off to exile. Now he was using some of those same world powers to restore Israel and Jerusalem.
4. The restoration of Israel was not easy. It was met with opposition at nearly every turn. However, that opposition was met at every turn and ultimately did happen.
5. The restored people of Israel were in constant need correction and reformation. They remained a wayward people who needed to be reminded of their covenant with God. After restoration everything was not OK. The people still needed to direction and to remember the God who had restored them.

Ultimately these two stories are about how God brought about a ‘return’ and ‘restoration’ to Israel. I think that’s something we are all looking for right now. A ‘return’ to normal life and a ‘restoration’ of our lives. We are not in political exile but our confinement can feel like an exile from normal life; school, work, friends, church, etc. So when that happens, what can we learn from these two books? Here is how we can look at those five themes mentioned beforehand from Ezra and Nehemiah and apply them to our current situation:

1. Our ‘restoration’ and ‘return’ to normal life will be God’s work. He is working behind the scenes to restore his creation.
2. We may be restored and return to normal even though the new ‘normal’ might look very different. Israel was restored without being restored politically. God will restore our lives but everything will not be the same.
3. Similar to the first point, God is working behind the scenes to restore his world. We don’t often link religion to politics, but in some form or another God is using those ‘in charge’ of our world to bring about his restoration.
4. Restoration is not going to be easy. We are still going to face some challenges as we return to normalcy. We will face challenges individually and as a human race.
5. We will still need constant reminders of our relationship with God. In times of distress and uncertainty we often (more than other times) look to God for answers. This is a reminder that when we get back to our new ‘normal’ we are still going to need God going forward.

Our story of restoration and return will eventually happen, even if our new reality doesn’t quite look like our old one. What we need to remember is that God has been, is, and will continue to be with us and have a relationship with us. He is working behind the scenes to restore his world.
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Questions for Discussion/Contemplation:

1. What did you know about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah before reading this?
2. Where do you see God working behind the scenes to restore our world right now? Is it easy or hard to think about God somehow working with ‘world powers’ to bring about restoration?
3. What is the ‘thing’ that you most want to return to ‘normal’ right now? Will you be able to accept that the return might not be the same as you remember it?
4. What are some challenges you can think of in your ‘return’ to normal? What is going to be hard for you to get ‘back’ in your daily routine?
5. What reminders are you going to need in our ‘return’? What are some lessons or things that God has taught you during this time that are going to be important going forward?