Title: Ezra's Prayer
Ezra's Prayer
Text: Ezra 9: 6-15
The meaning of the name Ezra is 'help', 'my helper' or 'assistance'. Ezra is the 16th generation of Aaron (priests) (Ezra 7:5), the son of Seraiah, who was the high priest in the days of King Zedekiah, and a priest and a scribe who was well versed in the law of Moses ( 2 Kings 25:18-21). , Ezra 7:6)
1. Who was Ezra?
Around the 5th century B.C., King Cyrus of Persia (Persia) made Israeli captives precious. There were two spiritual leaders at this time, one was the political leader Nehemiah (the governor appointed by the Persian Empire) and the other was the religious leader Ezra (priest and scribe). These two men are like two chariots that rebuilt Israel's faith.
Ezra was eager to restore faith anew by reading the Book of the Law before the people of Israel.
“The children of Israel dwelt in their cities, and in the seventh month, all the people gathered together in the square in front of the floodgates to ask Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. and brought them to the front of the congregation, both men and women, and read them in the square in front of the floodgates from dawn to noon in the presence of men and women and all who could understand; and all the peoples gave ear to the book of the law” (Nehemiah 8:1 - 3)
1) Ezra is a scholar who is proficient in the law. (Ezra 7: 5-6, Neh 8:1) Also, he was a great leader who led the people during the second return from Babylon. He was a man who had faith to kneel before God in the face of great things. Also, they did not receive military escort for the danger of robbery due to many offerings, because they believed that receiving military help while believing in God's protection was an act of unbelief. He was sensitive, evident in the way the people publicly confessed their sins through mixed marriage with a foreign woman and urged them to rededicate themselves to God (Ezra 9:5, 10: 10-11). repent the nation