The first six chapters of Ezra actually give a background to Ezra’s entrance onto the scene. We aren’t introduced to him until the seventh chapter. These first six chapters breeze through the post-exilic history of God’s Old Testament people in rather pell-mell fashion that is difficult to follow, so I will share the history.
Cyrus, the first king of the Persian Empire, also known to history as Cyrus the Great, made a policy of returning to their lands the peoples whom the Babylonians and Assyrians before them had exiled. So his returning the Jews to Judah and even rebuilding their temple was not unique. He attempted to cover his bases by honoring many pagan gods in the same way. King Cyrus was followed by his son Cambyses (who is not mentioned in Scripture), who was followed by King Darius. The temple was rebuilt during Darius’s reign. Xerxes, also known to Bible readers by the Hebrew version of His name, Ahasuerus, followed Darius his father to the throne. Xerxes was probably Esther’s husband. Artaxerses followed Xerxes; it was during his reign that the events of Ezra and Nehemiah took place.
During the Persian Empire, about 50,000 Jews returned to their homeland in three waves: the first under a governor named Sheshbazzar, the second led by governor Zerubbabel and high priest Joshua, and the third led by Ezra and Nehemiah. The temple foundation was laid under Sheshbazzar’s leadership, but work on the temple was stopped by opposition. Spurred on by the word of God given through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, governor Zerubbabel and high priest Joshua led the work to rebuild the temple to its completion; we will read more about that in the books that bear their names. Tomorrow we will pick up with the events that happened under Ezra’s leadership.