May 31- June 4, 2021
City Church Discipleship Group Guide
The Book of Ezra
This week’s reading will be the book of Ezra. Unlike Esther, Ezra isn’t narrative as much as history. Yes, that does mean there are a lot of names and numbers, get a volunteer to fumble through chapter 2. :) Take time to pause where you need to, ask questions where you need to, and reflect on what God was doing at this time and what it means for the Church.
Background
Ezra spans about 80 years, it starts before Esther but finishes after Esther. It takes place after the Babylonian exile ended when King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree for the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Shockingly, God worked through a gentile king to re-establish worship amongst His people. Even more shocking is Cyrus’ decree, it sounds oddly similar to the last decree of Jesus. God seems to have a pattern in mind, exile, return, temple, and worship. This pattern occurs in Exodus, in Samuel, in Ezra, and in Jesus. When Jesus came to the people of Israel, He came calling the people to repent, when that didn’t happen He began prophesying the destruction of the temple, eventually the temple was destroyed and the Jews had no place of worship, that is a form of exile. Jesus, however, said “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” Jesus spent three days in exile (in death), He returned (resurrection), and is the new temple (the meeting place where people encounter God and worship). Worship requires a temple, Jesus is the foundation of the temple and He makes His people into the temple stones. We, the church, are God’s temple.
The book of Ezra details the return of the people from exile, the rebuilding of the temple, and the restoration of worship. Enjoy!
Reminder
When you’re reading, don’t try to master the content. Think of it like a drive through the country, you can’t memorize every tree and bird and flower, but when the drive is over you can look back and know it was a good time because you saw trees and birds and flowers.