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Ezra and Nehemiah, Restoration

If you were to ask me which of the historical books in the Bible were the least studied, I'd venture a guess and say Ezra and Nehemiah. Books like Chronicles may be repetitive, but people do like to see the different take on certain stories. Even books like Leviticus and Deuteronomy, which are mainly law codes and speeches, have famous passages or interesting verses that we like to look at. 

Ezra and Nehemiah, however, simply get ignored. The interesting thing is people generally know what they are about. They can tell you that the rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem's walls happen in these books. People generally just don't see the significance of it. When we ignore the books of Ezra and Nehemiah we ignore a crucial part in Israel's history as well as something central to God's character.

Background

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book. In fact they still are in the Jewish Scriptures. The book was largely written by Ezra, who was a scribe, with chunks written by Nehemiah. The books go together and really tell one big story.

Many see Ezra and Nehemiah as a continuation of Chronicles, also written by Ezra. Chronicles details Israel's history up to the exile, while Ezra and Nehemiah detail their return and rebuilding. Due to the time of the events described, Ezra and Nehemiah are probably some of the last books to be written before the 400 year gap to the New Testament.

Themes

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah center around three important people. They are Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. All three represent a different area of Judah's restoration.

Zerubbabel is the man who leads the people back to Jerusalem. He brings the people home. It is also under his watch that the temple is rebuilt. Zerubbabel personifies Judah's restoration to their homeland.

The next person to arrive on the scene is Ezra. He comes nearly fifty years after Zerubbabel leads the people back to Jerusalem. Ezra is a priest and a scribe. He knows the Word of God probably better than anyone on the planet at the time. When he arrives in Jerusalem he is shocked to find the people committing many of the same sins that led to the exile in the first place. Ezra becomes the religious leader during this time. He reintroduces the Law and teaches the people God's Word. Ezra personifies the restoration of Judah's morality, religion, and knowledge of God.

The final restorer here is Nehemiah. Zerubbabel brought the people home, Ezra brought the Law to the people, and Nehemiah helped restore Judah to a place of safety and influence. Nehemiah was a civil leader. He is best known for overseeing the reconstruction of Jerusalem's walls and dealing with their hostile neighbors. Nehemiah personifies the restoration of Judah's security and status.

The book's primary focus is not on these three men, but rather on God who used them. The credit and glory is always given to God for being the true restorer of Judah. Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah are all people who faithfully served God and who God used to fulfill his promise of restoration. The outlook at the end of these books is hopeful, since they people are confident that God has not forgotten his promises.

Theological Point

Our God is a God who restores. Despite all the sin and evil that infested Israel, God remained true to the promises he made to Abraham and David. He kept a remnant of Judah alive so that he might restore the relationship with his people. 

Restoration is important to more than just the exiles. Restoration is the center of God's plan for us. He wants to restore the relationship that has been broken by sin. He wants us to be his children again. He wants to restore the cosmos to its status before the fall. This is accomplished through Jesus Christ. 

Conclusion

When we skip the books of Ezra and Nehemiah we skip something vital about God's character. There are places in the Old Testament that speak of God's desire for restoration, but not that many that show what that looks like. The struggles and trials of the returning exiles mirror many of the struggles and trials we have today as we attempt to leave our sinful lives behind. 

The promise God gave the exiles holds true for us; no matter how broken we are or how lost we've become, God will bring us restoration.

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