Ezra 7: Powerful Friends
LIFE IN A FOREIGN country can be difficult. There are new foods, unexpected customs, new ways of speaking or even a new language, different ways of dressing and much more. Something that helps a great deal in such a situation is a friend from the new culture who can help you make the adjustment and introduce you around. In this chapter Ezra finds a friend—and a benefactor—in the king. As a result, many good things come to his people as well.
Warming Up to God
What connections, friends, privileges or abilities do you have which you can use to benefit the church?
Read Ezra 7. »
Discovering the Word
- What qualities of Ezra would have helped him to find favor in the eyes of the king (vv. 5-6, 9-10)?
- Describe the king's generosity to Ezra and his people (vv. 13-22).
- What commission is Ezra given by King Artaxerxes(vv. 25-26)?
- This is most likely the same Artaxerxes who wrote the letter stopping all building in chapter 4. What does the letter suggest about why the king changed his mind about the temple (vv. 23, 27-28)?
- Since Israel lay between the kingdom of Persia and Egypt (the other superpower of the day), it was undoubtedly useful for the king to have friendly allies as a buffer. How can God use this king with mixed motives?
Applying the Word
- If God is able to change a king's heart as he did with Artaxerxes, how might that change your faith in God and your prayer life?
- Ezra's lifelong preparation and faithfulness to God put him in a pivotal place to be used of God. How can you faithfully prepare yourself for such a day?
Responding in Prayer
Pray for those in leadership in your country and around the world. Affirm your trust in God alone.
For Further Study
Transforming Leadership by Leighton Ford