Ezra is a book of hope, redemption, and warning. It tells us that God will always be faithful, even after he puts us through tough times, and that if we keep our eyes on him, our lives will be blessed. One thing you must keep in mind while reading Ezra is that the Hebrews just came out of a fifty year exile from their homeland by God and enslaved under Nebuchadnezzar. Because of their sins, everything they built leading up to that point is simply destroyed and forgotten. Try and imagine the trauma of such an event. An entire people captive, ripped from the homeland. You must understand this to better understand the context within which Ezra is written. After fifty years, God’s people can finally return to their promised land. In Ezra, you will learn a powerful lesson about self-discipline, about ruthlessly cutting sin out of your life, and about the inevitable attack by the enemy when you are drawing closer to God.
