Ezra-Nehemiah
Does trust in God preclude human effort? (Ezra 8:21-36)
Ezra 8:21-36 In a church I attended in the UK, an African student finished his studies and was looking for a job in engineering. After several unsuccessful interviews, stressed about his expiring visa and how to support his family, he…
What hinders us in following God? (Ezra 8:1-20)
Ezra 8:1-20 Early in my working career, I felt the stirrings for Christian ministry and left to become a volunteer with a Christian mission in the UK reaching out to international students. My boss was puzzled why I would give…
God is at work! (Ezra 7:11-28)
Ezra 7:11-28 Waiting for the promises of God can be hard when the fulfilment takes years, and we wonder if God is really on our case at all or has forgotten us entirely. The psalms in particular are full of…
What makes us grow in the faith? (Ezra 7:1-10)
Ezra 7:1-10 Whenever I visit churches, I ponder the question of what these places implicitly communicate about their purpose. One church I recently went to was particularly friendly and strong on fellowship and the sermon focused on God’s acceptance and…
Looking to the future with joy (Ezra 6:13-22)
Ezra 6:13-22 The most obvious note that marks out our passage today is the joy of the exiles as they complete the temple building. If we are cynical, we could say that it is easy for them to be joyful…
When God turns obstacles into opportunities (Ezra 6:1-12)
Ezra 6:1-12 We left the story of the exiles and their temple building at a tense point, when they re-started the project under the encouragement of Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 5:1-2) but were challenged by the Persian officials about authorisation…
The possibility of powerful change (Ezra 5)
Ezra 5:1-17 After the commissioning service in my first job teaching Old Testament, someone approached me with the message, which he felt was from God. It was, ‘You in yourself are enough’. For a rookie lecturer those were powerful words…
Difficulties in God’s work and His purposes (Ezra 4:4-24)
Ezra 4:4-24 There are periods in our lives when everything goes swimmingly, the timings are perfect, the details fall into place and difficulties evaporate like the morning mist. There are other phases when everything goes wrong, and we wonder why…
What does it take to build God’s Church? (Ezra 4:1-3)
Ezra 4:1-3 From our modern context, the returnees’ categorical refusal of help from local people feels harsh. Some commentators condemn the exiles and blame them for the subsequent retaliation that comes on them. Is this a fair assessment though? Interpreting…
Waiting for the promises of God (Ezra 3:8-13)
Ezra 3:8-13 As a young Christian, I shared my struggles about singleness with a godly Christian woman who felt the Lord give her a verse for me, Ps 107:28-30. Like the psalmist, I felt storm-tossed at times and while I…