Lesson
103: Ezra 1–6
Introduction
In
fulfillment of prophecy, the Lord inspired Cyrus, king of Persia, to allow the
Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Ezra
1–6
gives an account of the first group of Jews who returned to Jerusalem and began
reconstructing the temple. However, opposition from adversaries halted the
Jews’ efforts. Through the encouragement and help of the prophets Haggai and
Zechariah, the Jews overcame the opposition and completed and dedicated the
temple.
I.
Ezra 1 The Lord inspires
King Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple
---Before
class, write the following questions on the board:
Do you think it is possible for the Lord
to inspire someone who is not a member of the Church to accomplish His
purposes? Why or why not?
---Ask
a few students to respond to the questions on the board.
---Invite
the class to continue to ponder these questions as they study Ezra 1 and learn about
the actions of King Cyrus, who was not one of the Lord’s covenant people.
---Explain
that after the Jews were carried away captive to Babylon, Cyrus, the king of
Persia, conquered the Babylonians and became the new ruler of the Jews. (You
might invite students to look at “The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah at a Glance”
[see lesson 102].) The book of
Ezra begins with an account of Cyrus’s interactions with the Jews.
---What did Cyrus do?
---You
may want to point out the phrase “that the word of the Lord by the mouth of
Jeremiah might be fulfilled” (Ezra
1:1).
Explain that Cyrus’s actions were a fulfillment of prophecy. (You may want to
suggest that students write Jeremiah
25:11;
29:10 and Isaiah
44:28;
45:1 in the margin of
their scriptures next to Ezra
1:1.
Explain that even though the books of Jeremiah and Isaiah come after the book
of Ezra in the Bible, Jeremiah and
Isaiah prophesied many years before the events recorded in Ezra took place.)
---What do you think this phrase
means?
---What can we learn from this
account about how the Lord can accomplish His purposes? (As students respond,
emphasize the following principle: The Lord can inspire people,
regardless of their religious background, to accomplish His purposes.)
---Can you think of individuals
from various backgrounds whom the Lord has inspired to accomplish His purposes?
(If students need ideas, you might suggest people who were inspired to
contribute to the translation or printing of the Bible, such as John Wycliffe,
William Tyndale, or Johannes Gutenberg.)
---Read
Ezra
1:4, 7–8
aloud looking for what Cyrus did to support the Jews in these efforts to
rebuild the temple.
---What did Cyrus do to support
the Jews in their efforts to rebuild the temple?
---Explain
that Ezra 2 contains a list
of Jews who were among the first to return to Jerusalem and indicates that this
group included approximately 50,000 people.
---Summarize
Ezra
3:1–9
by explaining that the Jews first rebuilt the altar of the temple and began
offering sacrifices. They were directed by Zerubbabel, the Jewish man appointed
by the Persians to serve as the governor of the Jews, and Jeshua, the presiding
high priest of the Aaronic Priesthood. Many Jews contributed time and resources
to the reconstruction of the temple.
---Read
Ezra
3:10–13
silently, looking for how the Jews responded when the foundation of the temple
was laid.
---Why do you think their joy
was so great? Why do you think that many of those who had seen the original
temple wept?
---Display
a soccer ball, and ask for a volunteer to come to the front of the class. Give
him or her the ball. Tape a small image of a soccer goal on one of the
classroom walls near the floor.
---Ask
the student what he or she should do with the soccer ball to score. (Kick the
ball into the goal.)
---Invite
the student to softly kick the ball toward the goal on the wall and score.
---What would make this
experience more like attempting to score in an actual soccer match? (Having
opponents and teammates.)
---What is the opposing team
trying to accomplish when you have the ball?
---Draw
a picture of a soccer field on the board and a circle representing the person
with the ball. Then draw 11 X’s representing the 11 opponents who are trying to
prevent the other team from scoring.
---How
can the opposition someone faces in a soccer match be like what we experience
as we try to keep the Lord’s commandments?
---What are different forms of
opposition we might face in our efforts to obey the Lord? (Label some of the
X’s on the board with forms of opposition that students mention. They do not
need to name 11.)
---Invite
students to look for truths as they study Ezra
4–6
that can help them overcome opposition to their efforts to obey the Lord.
---Explain
that when the Jews returned to Jerusalem, there was a group of people living
nearby called Samaritans. The Samaritans were “people who lived in Samaria
after the northern kingdom of Israel was captured by the Assyrians. The
Samaritans were partly Israelite and partly Gentile. Their religion was a
mixture of Jewish and pagan beliefs and practices” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Samaritans”;
scriptures.lds.org).
---Read
Ezra
4:1–2
aloud looking for how the Samaritans are described and what the Samaritans
wanted to do.
---What did the Samaritans want
to do?
---What did Zerubbabel and the
leaders of the Jews tell these people?
---Read
Ezra
4:4–5
aloud looking for how the Samaritans responded after Zerubbabel and the other
leaders rejected their offer.
---How did the Samaritans
respond when Zerubbabel and the other leaders rejected their offer?
---Summarize
Ezra
4:6–24
by explaining that these verses contain additional accounts of ways in which
the Samaritans sought to oppose the Jews’ efforts to rebuild their temple and
Jerusalem. The reconstruction of the temple halted for several years, largely
because of the opposition of the Samaritans. After years of not working on the
reconstruction, some Jews lost interest in rebuilding the temple (see Haggai
1:2–6).
---Read
Ezra
5:1–2
aloud looking for why the Jews eventually resumed their efforts to rebuild the
temple.
---Why did the Jews resume their
efforts to rebuild the temple?
---Explain
that when local Persian-appointed governors learned that the Jews had resumed
building the temple, they questioned the Jews’ authority to do so and opposed
the Jews’ renewed efforts.
---Read
Ezra
5:5
aloud and look for why the local governors could not hinder the Jews’ efforts
to rebuild the temple. (You may need to point out that by this time, a new
king, Darius, ruled the Persian Empire.)
---What do you think it means
that “the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not
cause them to cease”? (God was watching over the Jews and preventing the local
governors from stopping them as they rebuilt the temple.)
---What truth can we learn from Ezra
5:5
that can encourage us when we face opposition? (Students may use different
words, but make sure they identify the following principle: God
watches over and helps those who seek to obey Him. Consider writing
this truth on the board.)
---What are some ways in which
God watches over and helps His people when they are faced with difficulties in
their lives?
---Summarize
Ezra
5:6–6:6
by explaining that the governors over the region wrote a letter to King Darius
informing him of what the Jews were doing. They reported that the Jews claimed
Cyrus had made a decree allowing them to rebuild the temple and provided them
with resources for the endeavor. Darius ordered the king’s records to be
searched, and Cyrus’s decree was found.
---What did Darius order the
local governors to do?
---In what ways might Darius’s
response have strengthened the faith and courage of the Jews?
---What were the Jews able to do
after King Darius’s decree was received?
---What influence did the
prophets have on the Jews’ efforts to rebuild the temple?
---What principle can we learn
from the example of the Jews following the prophets? (Students may use
different words, but make sure they identify the following principle: By
following the prophets, we can overcome opposition and prosper in our efforts
to obey the Lord.)
---Direct
students’ attention to the different forms of opposition listed on the board.
---What teachings or examples
set by prophets can we follow to overcome these different forms of opposition?
---When have you seen someone
overcome opposition and prosper in his or her efforts to obey the Lord by
following the prophets?
---Invite
students to reflect on opposition they might be experiencing in their efforts
to obey the Lord. Ask them to respond to the following question in their class
notebooks or scripture study journals:
---What will you do to follow
the prophets so you can overcome opposition and prosper in your efforts to obey
the Lord?
---Summarize
Ezra
6:15–22
by explaining that the Jews offered generous sacrifices as part of the
dedication of the temple. They also celebrated the Passover.
---You
may want to invite students to read Ezra
6:22
silently, looking for an illustration of the first truth identified in this
lesson.
---Conclude
by sharing your testimony of the truths discussed in this lesson.
Commentary and
Background Information
Ezra 1.
The Lord can inspire people, regardless of their religious background, to
accomplish His purposes
After
discussing the virtues of King Cyrus, President Ezra Taft Benson spoke of the
way our Heavenly Father can work through individuals on the earth to accomplish
His purposes:
“God,
the Father
of us all, uses the men of the earth, especially good men, to accomplish his
purposes. It has been true in the past, it is true today, it will be true in
the future” (“Civic
Standards for the Faithful Saints,” Ensign, July 1972, 59).
The
Lord can bless anyone with inspiration, including those of other faiths. Elder
Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
“No
denomination—not even the restored Church—has a monopoly on the blessings of
the Lord. He loves and blesses all of His children” (“Miracles,” Ensign, June
2001, 12).
Elder
Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of individuals
during the Reformation whom the Lord inspired to accomplish His purposes:
“While
some were inspired to translate the Bible, others were
inspired to prepare the means to publish it. By 1455 Johannes Gutenberg had
invented a press with movable type, and the Bible was one of the first books he
printed. For the first time it was possible to print multiple copies of the
scriptures and at a cost many could afford.
“Meanwhile,
the inspiration of God also rested upon explorers. In 1492 Christopher Columbus
set out to find a new path to the Far East. Columbus was led by the hand of God
in his journey. He said, ‘God gave me the faith, and afterwards the courage’
[quoted in Mark E. Petersen, The Great Prologue (1975), 29]” (“Preparations
for the Restoration and the Second Coming: ‘My Hand Shall Be over Thee,’” Ensign or
Liahona, Nov. 2005, 89).
The
following statement by President Ezra Taft Benson further illustrates how the
Lord inspired the explorer to accomplish His purposes:
“God
inspired … Christopher Columbus, who testified that he was inspired in what he
did.
“‘Our
Lord,’ said Columbus, ‘unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire
for the deed. Those who heard of my enterprise called it foolish, mocked me,
and laughed. But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me?’
(Jacob Wasserman, Columbus, Don Quixote of the Seas, pp. 19–20.)” (The
Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 577).
Ezra
2:2. Who was Zerubbabel?
“Zerubbabel
was a descendant of Jehoiachin, the king who was carried away captive into
Babylon … , which descent means he was of the royal Davidic line.
Zerubbabel was also an ancestor of Jesus Christ [see Matthew
1:12].
… Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah (see Haggai
2:2)”
(Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi, 3rd ed. [Church
Educational System manual, 2003], 320). Zerubbabel
served under the Persian-appointed governor of the province in which Judah was
located.
Ezra
4:3. Why did the Jews reject the Samaritans’ offer to help rebuild the temple?
Jewish
leaders cited King Cyrus’s decree that the Jews were the ones who were to
rebuild the temple. The leaders of the Jews may have rejected the Samaritans’
offer because the Samaritans were not faithful worshippers of Jehovah.
Furthermore, the Samaritans’ participation could have led to future conflicts
if they claimed shared ownership of the reconstructed temple.
Right
margin extras:
The
Blessings of Scripture (3:03)
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles tells of William Tyndale, who was executed for translating and publishing the Bible in English. He also testifies of the blessings and responsibilities of having God’s word so readily available. You may want to show this video to help students better understand how the Lord can inspire people to accomplish His purposes.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles tells of William Tyndale, who was executed for translating and publishing the Bible in English. He also testifies of the blessings and responsibilities of having God’s word so readily available. You may want to show this video to help students better understand how the Lord can inspire people to accomplish His purposes.
Teachers
should have faith that with proper guidance and encouragement, students can
understand the scriptures, learn to identify doctrines and principles, explain
the gospel to others, and apply gospel teachings in their lives. President
J. Reuben Clark Jr. described some characteristics of seminary and
institute students: “The youth of the Church are hungry for things of the
Spirit; they are eager to learn the gospel, and they want it straight,
undiluted” (The Charted Course of the Church in Education, rev. ed.
[booklet, 1994], 3).
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