Ezra Devotionals
One for each chapter. Want to test what you read? Take the Ezra quizzes.
- Ezra 1: The Word Behind the Decree
Ezra opens with a foreign emperor issuing a decree, but the first verse makes sure we know who is really acting. The LORD moves the heart of Cyrus king of Persia, and he does it…
- Ezra 2: Every Family Counted Home
Ezra 2 is a long register of those who made the journey back: families named by ancestor or hometown, then priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants, down to the…
- Ezra 3: Weeping and Shouting Together
The first thing the returned exiles build is not a wall or a house but an altar. They set it on its foundation and offer the morning and evening sacrifices, even though they are…
- Ezra 4: When the Work Stands Still
Opposition begins with an offer of help. The people of the land say they worship the same God and ask to build too, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua refuse, as Cyrus had commanded…
- Ezra 5: Under the Eye of God
The work restarts not with a new decree but with a word from God. Haggai and Zechariah prophesy in the name of the God of Israel, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua begin building again,…
- Ezra 6: Made Joyful by the LORD
The search Tattenai asked for ends in a surprise. A scroll is found recording Cyrus's decree (6:1-5), and Darius not only tells the officials to leave the work alone but orders it…
- Ezra 7: The Gracious Hand Upon Ezra
Ezra enters the story with a family line reaching back to Aaron (7:1-5) and a reputation as a scribe skilled in the Law the LORD had given. The king grants him everything he asks,…
- Ezra 8: Fasting Instead of an Escort
At the Ahava Canal, Ezra finds no Levites, sends for them, and credits their arrival to the gracious hand of God (8:15-20). Ezra had told the king that God's hand is gracious to…
- Ezra 9: Confession Without Excuses
Ezra receives hard news. Many of the returned exiles, priests and leaders included, have married among the surrounding peoples, whose detestable practices are compared to those of…
- Ezra 10: Hope Spoken Over Guilt
Ezra's prayer draws a large crowd who weep bitterly with him (10:1). Then Shecaniah speaks. They have been unfaithful to God, he says, and even so there is hope for Israel (10:2).…