Lesson 6: There Shines a Star (Ezra 7)

by | Feb 11, 2022 | Old Testament Studies

INTRODUCTION: THIS WEEK IS OUR LAST ON THE BOOKS OF NEH AND EZRA. WE TURN OUR ATTENTION THIS WEEK TO THE PROPHECIES THAT TOUCH ON THE EVENTS RECORDED IN EZRA AND NEH THAT DEAL WITH THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH, AND WE LOOK AT THE MESSIAH PROHPECIES IN GENERAL IN THE O.T.

  1. EXPECTATIONS OF NEH AND EZRA



    1. LETS BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING OF PROPHECY BY TURNING TO GEN 3:15. OUR LESSON SUGGESTS THAT EZRA HAD THIS PROPHECY AVAILABLE TO HIM. READ



      1. THE LORD IS SPEAKING TO THE SNAKE. WHO DOES GOD MEAN WHEN HE SAYS THAT HE WILL PUT ENMITY BETWEEN “YOU AND THE WOMAN?” (THE SNAKE IS THE DEVIL. THE WOMAN COULD MEAN WOMEN IN GENERAL, THE CHURCH (REV12:1-5) OR ISRAEL.)


      2. THE TEXT THEN CONTINUES BY SAYING THAT ENMITY WILL ALSO EXIST, “BETWEEN YOUR OFFSPRING AND HERS.” THEN IT SAYS, “HE WILL CRUSH YOUR HEAD.” WHY IS OFFSPRING SPOKEN OF AS “HE?” (IN GENERAL, OFFSPRING REFERS TO JEWS AND THE CHURCH AND SPECIFICALLY, JESUS.)


      3. DID THE DEVIL HAVE ANY “OFFSPRING?” (IT SEEMS THAT THIS REFERS TO HIS FOLLOWERS.)


      4. IN OUR STUDY OF EZRA AND NEH THIS QUARTER, HAVE YOU SEEN ANY ENMITY BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE OFFSPRING OF THE DEVIL? (YES. CONSTANT FIGHT TO REBUILD JERUSALEM. CONSIDER THE HISTORY BEFORE THIS: THE “FAMINES” THAT JOSEPH HELPED HIS FAMILY OVERCOME; THE EDICT OF PHAROAH TO DESTROY ALL THE MALE CHILDREN; THE EGYPTIAN ATTACK AT THE RED SEA; THE PLOT OF HAMAN. AND, LATER, THE DECREE OF HEROD TO KILL ALL THE BOYS UNDER TWO YEARS.)


      5. SHOULD WE BE SURPRISED IF THE UNRIGHTEOUS SHOW ENMITY TOWARDS US?


      6. SHOULD WE HAVE ENMITY TOWARDS THE UNRIGHTEOUS? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S STATEMENT THAT HE WILL PUT ENMITY BETWEEN US AND THEM?


      7. THE NIV HAS AN INTERESTING TRANSLATION OF THE WORD TRANSLATED “CRUSH” HIS HEAD, AND “STRIKE” HIS HEEL. THE WORD IS EXACTLY THE SAME IN THE HEBREW. IT CAN ALSO MEAN (IN ADDITION TO THE “BRUISE” IN THE KJV AND NKJV) “BREAK.” THAT IS THE WAY THIS SAME WORD IS TRANSLATED IN JOB 9:17 (IT ONLY OCCURS IN THREE PLACES) BY THE KJV AND IS TRANSLATED AS “CRUSH” BY BOTH THE NIV AND THE NKJV.)


      8. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TAUGHT THAT THE “WOMAN” IS NOW THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH INSTEAD OF ISRAEL, AND IN THE LAST DAYS THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH SORT OF GETS NARROWED DOWN TO THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH. THE VICIOUS ATTACK BY HITLER ON THE JEWS, WELL AFTER THE TIME THAT THE WOMAN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH CAUSES ME TO PAUSE ABOUT WHAT WAS TAUGHT TO ME.



        1. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? IF THE JEWS NO LONGER HAD ANY SIGNIFICANCE IN THE ENMITY BETWEEN THE OFFSPRING OF GOD AND THE OFFSPRING OF THE DEVIL, WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? (I SUGGEST THAT WE STUDY THIS AND BE OPEN TO SEE HOW THE LORD WORKS.)



    2. WHAT ROLE DID THE TEMPLE AND THE SACRIFICIAL SERVICES PLAY IN THIS PROPHECY OF GEN 3:15? (THEY WERE PART OF THE PROPHECY. THE GEN ACCOUNT IS NOT SPECIFIC, BUT GEN 4:3-4 INTIMATES THAT GOD HAD ALREADY REVEALED THE SACRIFICAL SYSTEM TO ADAM, EVE AND THEIR CHILDREN. THE SACRIFICE GIVEN BY JESUS WAS PART OF THE CRUSHING OF THE HEAD OF THE DEVIL. THE SECOND INSTALLMENT IS THE FINAL DESTRUCTION.)


  2. THE MESSIAH PROPHECIES.



    1. LETS TURN TO DANIEL 9. DANIEL WAS IN CAPTIVITY TO THE BABYLONIANS, AND LIKE EZRA AND NEH HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HIS PEOPLE AND ABOUT JERUSALEM. HE STARTED PRAYING AND WHEN HE DID THE ANGEL GABRIEL WAS DISPATCHED TO GIVE HIM A MESSAGE. LETS READ THIS MESSAGE IN 9:21-25.


    2. WHAT AMAZING NEWS DOES v.25 GIVE DANIEL? (IT TELLS THAT A MESSIAH IS COMING TO RESTORE JERUSALEM AND GIVES A PROPHETIC DATE!)


    3. OUR LESSONS SUGGESTS THAT THE BEGINNING DATE IS 457 AD (THIS IS NOT THE COMPLETION DATE OF THE TEMPLE; THAT WAS 516), BUT THIS IS ART’S DECREE TO RESTORE THE CITY OF JERUSALEM.



      1. CAN WE WORK THIS OUT FROM THE BIBLE?


      2. LETS DO THE MATH HERE: WHAT ARE 7X7 AND 62X7? (7X7=49 AND 62X7=434. 434+49=483.)


      3. IF 457 IS THE BASE LINE, LETS SUBTRACT 483 = 26. BECAUSE WE STARTED LATER IN 457, THE DATE GOES OVER TO 27. 27 AD IS THE DATE OF THE BAPTISM OF JESUS!


      4. VERSE 27 TELLS US THAT IN THE MIDST OF THE WEEK (7) THAT HE WILL PUT AN END TO THE SACRIFICE. THE PASSOVER IN AD 31 (3.5 YEARS AFTER THE BAPTISM OF JESUS IN THE AUTUMN OF AD 27).


      5. SO WHAT IS THE “BIG DEAL” ABOUT THIS? (THAT IT DEMONSTRATES THAT JESUS WAS INDEED THE MESSIAH. THAT GOD HAS A MASTER PLAN BOTH HIS FIRST COMING AND HIS SECOND COMING. AND THAT HE SHARED IT WITH HIS PEOPLE.)


    4. OUR LESSON TELLS US THAT CHRONOLOGICALLY, EZRA, NEHIMIAH AND MALACHI CLOSE THE OLD TESTAMENT. THEN APPROXIMATELY 400 YEARS PASSED BEFORE THE NEW TESTAMENT TIME. MALACHI ALSO GIVES US SOME PROPHECIES OF THE MESSIAH, SO LETS LOOK AT THEM.



      1. TURN TO MAL.3:1 AND 4:5-6. 2. WAS THIS FULFILLED IN JESUS? 3. DID JESUS HAVE A MESSENGER, A MODERN DAY ELIJAH COME BEFORE HIM? (READ LUKE 1:13-17.)


    5. ANOTHER IMPORTANT, AND INTERESTING MESSIAH PROPHECY IS FOUND IN ISAIAH 52 AND 53. LETS TURN TO THIS.



      1. READ IS 52:13-15. WHAT DO YOU THINK THESE THREE VERSES DESCRIBE? (THE FINAL VICTORY OF CHRIST. IT FIRST SPEAKS OF HIM ON THE CROSS, AND THEN SUGGESTS THAT THOSE WHO SAW HIM ON THE CROSS, OR THOSE WHO REJECTED HIM WILL BE EQUALLY ASTONISHED TO SEE HIM WHEN HE COMES IN HIS GLORY AT THE SECOND COMING.)


      2. READ 53:1. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BELIEVING THE STORY OF CHRIST AND HIS INCARNATION, AND REVEALING THE SAVING POWER OF GOD? (THE TWO GO TOGETHER. THE ONLY WAY TO BE SAVED IS TO BELIEVE.)


      3. READ 53:2-3. WHAT WAS THE DRY GROUND OUT OF WHICH JESUS GREW? (ISRAEL)



        1. IS THIS VERSE TALKING ABOUT HOW JESUS LOOKED? (PERHAPS. BUT MAY BE TALKING ABOUT HOW THE JEWS LOOKED AT HIM. HE WAS THIS TENDER SHOOT, COMING UP OUT OF A GROUND (ISREAL) THAT WAS LOOKING FOR A MIGHTY KING, A FLASHING VICTOR. NOT SOME POOR GUY WHO HUNG AROUND WITH LOW-LIFES.)


      4. READ 53:4-5. IS THERE A TRANSITION NOW IN THE ATTITUDE OF THE PEOPLE? DO THE PEOPLE SEEM TO KNOW BETTER NOW? (IT SEEMS THAT THEY NOW ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JESUS BORE OUR SINS AND SUFFERING.)


      5. IF NEED MORE TIME GO THROUGH TO VERSE 12.



  3. NEXT WEEK: YOU KNOW THAT I JUST LOVE TO HAVE US STUDY THE BIBLE BY GOING THROUGH IT BOOK BY BOOK. THE LAST TWO WEEKS THE LESSON HAS HAD US SKIPPING AROUND, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE ENTIRE NEXT QUARTER HAS US SKIPPING AROUND INSTEAD OF STUDYING ANOTHER BOOK. HOWEVER, THE TOPIC IS SOUL WINNING, AND SO I AM HOPING THAT WE WILL GET A REAL BLESSING FROM THIS STUDY.