Overview
After seventy years of Babylonian exile, God stirred the heart of King Artaxerxes to permit Ezra and approximately 1,500 exiles to return to Jerusalem. Ezra, a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, led this return and worked to restore temple worship and teach God's Word to a spiritually compromised remnant.
Key Scriptures
"And the king granted him all his request according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him" (Ezra 7:6, NASB). "For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel" (Ezra 7:10, NASB). "The hand of our God is favorable to all those who seek Him" (Ezra 8:22, NASB).
Application
Just as Ezra prioritized studying and obeying God's Word before teaching others, believers today should cultivate personal biblical literacy and spiritual obedience as the foundation for ministry and influence.