Ezra’s genealogy
This establishes his priestly descent going back to Aaron, son of Levi
It also establishes he was a captive in the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia
This presumes the historical time of the exile when Ezra returned to Jerusalem                                 

Word of the Lord
This prophetic formula was never used of Ezra                     

Indictment of sins
Litany of Israel’s sins
Despite God’s many mercies, Israel has failed to be obedient
They have also sacrificed to other gods
Ezra is to “pluck out his hair” – a sign of God’s anger
Calamities will ensue upon those who have disobeyed the law
God repeats all the wondrous things He has done for Israel                                

Historical review of God’s dealings with His people
Description of God’s deliverance at Red Sea
He gave them light from a pillar of fire
He gave them quail as a sign and water from a rock
When they murmured against Him, He gave them manna – the bread of angels
He gave them fertile lands and expelled the inhabitants who opposed them
When they cursed God, He gave them sweet water to drink
“What more could I do for you?”
“Because you have turned from me, I will turn to other nations”
Israel has brought all this upon itself
God has not deserted them; they have deserted God
Israel’s rejection is final                     

God is concerned for Israel
Israel’s rejection was not God’s original plan
He was a father and a mother to them; He gathered them as a hen gathers her chicks
Israel failed to respond; now she will be rejected                     

A new people to come
There is a new group that will take Israel’s place
This would be the Christian Church
“I will hand over your houses” – a symbolic transfer of Israel’s status
These new people “have not known me”
This is a possible reference to Gentile Christians
This nation will come “from the east”
Its leaders will be the patriarchs and prophets of old
It is not clear why they will be coming from the “east”
(It is a possible reference to the place where this was written)
In that sense, Christianity was moving westward
The Christian Church will take over from the Jews                     

God will judge Israel
Israel’s response to God’s saving deeds has been to be disobedient
Jerusalem is depicted as the mother of this nation
Now she is widowed and deserted; she has lost her children
It is this mother that confirms their sins and proclaims God’s judgment against them
Their punishment will involve being scattered among the nations
Their name will vanish from the earth
Assyria is included because they have harbored Jews                     

Promises for the new people
They will be given the kingdom that had been offered to Jerusalem
Christians are exhorted to pray that this happens as soon as possible
Heaven and earth will be witnesses of this event                     

Assurances for the Church
God assures them that He will care for and protect them
The image of a mother now refers to the Church
She will rear her children joyfully, without fear
Author refers to imagery from Revelation – twelve trees with twelve fruits
Images from Jewish tradition are handed over to Church
Jewish expectations for handling the dead, caring for widowed and orphans are now expected of Church
This all describes a complete passing on of the mantle

The rewards of the kingdom
Christians should look forward to the coming of the shepherd
He will give everlasting rest
They should observe the blessings of those who already have rest
Again, they are to pray that this all comes to pass soon                     

3:1-36       Ezra’s lament
                   First, he reviews God’s history with people
                   Adam was created and given life in the garden
                   He sinned and brought death into the world
                   Then there was the flood, but Noah was spared
                   Then there was Abraham and the promises made to
                   him
                   People continued sinning and ended up in Egypt
                   God rescued them from Egypt and gave them the law
                   He did not remove their wicked hearts
                   Still, he led them into the Promised Land
                   People continued sinning, so God gave them a king                    (David)
                   Even that didn’t stop them from sinning, so God sent                    them into exile
                   Yet, the conquerors (Babylonians) were far worse than                    Israel ever was
                   It appeared as though God tolerated their sins and                    wickedness
                   “Has anyone kept your commandments like Israel?”
                   “How can anyone understand your ways?”

4:1-50       Uriel’s response
                   He is sent to Ezra to help him understand
                   Basically, his main point is that it is impossible for men                    to understand God’s ways
                   He has three illustrations for Ezra to consider
                   If Ezra can explain any one of them, the angel will
                   explain it all to him
                   He will answer his question about the way of the Most                    High
                   He will teach him why the heart is wicked
                   Ezra invites him to speak
                   The angel tells him to “weigh a pound of fire,” to                    measure a bushel of wind,” or “call back a day that has                    passed”
                   Ezra acknowledges no man could do that
                   More impossible tasks are given
                   “If you cannot understand things you have grown up
                   with, how can your small capacity comprehend God”
                   Ezra cries out in despair at which point the angel
                    follows with a parable
                   The parable involves a revolt by the trees who want to
                    roll back the sea
                   At the same time the sea wants to get rid of all trees
                   Fire thwarts the trees; sand blocks the sea
                   The angel asks: which was right and which was wrong
                   Ezra acknowledges that they were both wrong
                   They each have their own place
                   Uriel says this is true for men and God as well
                   Ezra cries out again – why wasn’t he given the gift of                    understanding
                   He does want to know abut things on earth
                   Like why has Israel been handed over to the godless                    Babylonians?
                   The angel answers that he must wait for the new age to                    come
                   Then all will be made clear
                   Evil must first run its course; judgment will take place
                   Evil in the world goes way beyond Israel’s problems
                   Ezra, of course, wants to know when all this will happen
                   The angel tells him it is not for him to know
                   The Lord will act when the appointed time has come
                   The appointed time will not be affected by the sins of
                   the world
                   Then Ezra asked if the past exceeds the future
                   He is given a vision of fire and a storm
                   Yes, we are nearer the end of the present age than the                    beginning

4:51-5:20 Signs of the end
                   Ezra wants to know if he will live to see the end
                   The angel can’t tell him that but does give signs of the                    end
                   These are typical apocalyptic signs
                   Increase in chaos, confusion, and wickedness
                   A complete reversal of the natural order of things
                   Upon hearing all this, Ezra is very upset
                   He is told to pray for seven days

The second dialogue
At the end of seven days, Ezra is again disturbed
Using a variety of images, Ezra describes the choosing of Israel
The problem: God first chose her then put her at the mercy of others
If God really wanted to punish her, he should have done so Himself
How could He use people who were more wicked than Israel
Uriel comes back again
The angel asks if Ezra loves Israel more than God does
Ezra says he knows God loves Israel
The instructions are the same – do what is impossible for man but easy for God
Of course Ezra cannot
God’s judgments and God’s love cannot be understood by people
Ezra then asks why God’s judgments are delayed
A delay in judgment doesn’t help those living now
God’s plan for the world must go until the appointed time
Ezra then asks for more information about that appointed time
How near is it?
Will it come through someone? – no, only through God
(Scholars think this was meant to counter Christianity’s understanding of Jesus)
What interval is there between then and now?
This is followed by more signs of the end
Again, there is a reversal of what is expected
After all this, those who are left will be preserved
Wickedness will be blotted out; fidelity will flourish
Ezra then feels the ground shake and is told again to pray for seven days

The third dialogue
It is similar to the first two but has a greater emphasis on sin and its consequences                 
After praying for seven days, Ezra is again disturbed
He reflects upon the seven days of creation
All this was created for the benefit of “our sake,” yet those nations that count for nothing are ruling over “your people”
Why does Israel not have possession of the world that was created for her?
The angel comes again to respond
What Ezra said is true
Yet, because of sin the world is a dangerous place
Israel must endure the hardships of this world before she will be able to experience the blessings of the world to come
This may be so, according to Ezra, but the wicked are still treated unfairly
If those who are good will be rewarded at the end, what awaits the wicked
They suffer here too, but get nothing in the end
The angel refutes Ezra’s sympathy for the wicked
They get what they deserve
Argument is put on hold while additional apocalyptic images are described
This includes the reign of the Messiah that will mark the end of the age
As far as the Jews were concerned, this Messiah had not yet arrived
The Messiah would usher in a 400 year rule (of joy and peace), then he would die
Seven days of silence would be followed by the final judgment
Then the new age will begin       
The argument is resumed; Ezra tries a new approach
This promise of reward is great, but will anyone really qualify for it
Everyone sins at some point
So when the Lord talks about punishing the wicked, He will end up having to punish almost everyone
In response, the angel compares what is valuable to what is common
In metals, gold is scarce and more valuable than clay
But which would you rather have
God will have joy in the few who are saved because they will have made His glory prevail
The many who are not saved are no more than a “vapor, flame, or smoke”
Given the angel’s heartless attitude, Ezra says it would have been better if man had never been created
All men will be judged because all men fall short
Maybe it would have been better if there simply was no judgment at all
Angel replies that it is man’s own fault for sinning
God has been patient, forgiving
Man was given the law and chose to ignore it
Therefore, man has brought judgment on himself
He will have no defense on the last day
Though Ezra asks for more information about the torment that awaits, the angel is clear – he will not be included in those facing torment
Those who are righteous will have different experiences from those who are not
There are seven stages that occur after death for both groups
The wicked begin their torment immediately
The righteous are in a state of joy and will be rewarded
The righteous, however, cannot intercede for the wicked
On the Day of Judgment, each will be accountable for his own actions
Ezra reminds the angel that people used to be able to intercede for each other
The angel replies that the Day of Judgment inaugurates a new age
Things will be different
Ezra again laments that it would have been better if Adam had never been born
Or at least that Adam would not have been able to sin
Basically, he is questioning God’s sense of fairness
Angel simply repeats that man is accountable for his own choices
Ezra presses the point that God is compassionate and merciful
Maybe through that, sinners can be saved
Angel replies that many have been created but only a few will be saved
After this, Ezra appeals directly to God to show mercy to His people
Despite the angel’s rebuttal, he prays for more understanding
He desperately wants to make sense of all this
He knows that God created man and cannot believe that He would then turn around and destroy him
Finally, though, he leaves it in God’s hands
Ultimately, the angel rejects his argument advising him to think about his own future rather than the torment that awaits the wicked
They have reached an impasse of sorts
The dialogue ends with another request for signs that the end is near
Again Ezra is told to pray for seven days

The first vision
Ezra no longer questions God, but admits that God’s ways are just
After seven days, he again addresses the Most High
In thinking about the world, he sees that Israel was given the law
They disobeyed the law and for that they were destroyed, yet the law survived
Generally, when the container is destroyed, the contents are also destroyed
This is different and contrary to the natural world
His musings are interrupted by a grieving woman
She is mourning her son who was born after years of barrenness
He dropped dead on his wedding night
She, therefore, wants to die
Ezra rebukes her saying she should be mourning for Jerusalem
Then he contrasts her loss with that of the earth’s
How many young men has the earth lost
She should put her own loss in perspective
While he is still speaking, she is suddenly transformed into a city
Ezra has no idea what this means and cries out for Uriel
Uriel appears and identifies the woman as Zion
The birth and death of her son corresponds to the rise and fall of Jerusalem
Because Ezra had compassion for the woman, he saw the vision of the restored city                                 

The vision of the eagle and the lion
Two nights later, Ezra saw another vision
In this one, a monstrous creature rose from the sea – an eagle with twelve wings, eight rival wings, and three heads
The wings and heads rule over the earth for a time, then disappear
Eventually, only one head and two wings remain
Then a lion comes and rebukes the eagle for oppressing the earth
The lion says its time for the eagle to go
The eagle immediately bursts into flames and disappears
Ezra asks for an interpretation of this dream
Uriel states the eagle symbolizes Rome
The heads and wings are Emperors
The rival wings are great military commanders who try to seize power
The end of the eagle signifies the end of the Roman Empire
This is all part of God’s plan
The lion represents the Messiah who confronts the evil rulers
It is the Messiah who will bring them all to judgment
Ezra is told to write this vision in a book and share it with others
In the meantime, people are noticing that Ezra has been gone a long time
They think he has abandoned them
He tells them that he had come to pray for Zion and to beg for mercy
The people returned to their homes to wait for him

The third vision – a man from the sea
The man from the sea provides more details of the Messiah
The Messiah will come not only to destroy the Roman Empire but also all of God’s enemies
Then he will gather the twelve tribes to live in the messianic kingdom
Ezra sees a vision of a man rising out of the sea
He goes to the top of a mountain
Hordes of men gather to wage war against him
Instead of fighting the men, the Messiah simply opened his mouth
Out came fire, flame, and a storm of sparks
Without a sound, the fire burned up the hordes
The Messiah then gathered up other men, some with joy on their faces
Others full of sorrow
Ezra asked what this vision meant
This time it is unclear whether God or the angel responds
The man from the sea is the Messiah
He will take his stand on Mount Zion and defeat all who oppose him
He will then gather a peaceful company
These are the ten tribes from Assyria
They will join the others who are already in Palestine
The Messiah will protect his people who are left
Ezra wanted to know why this man came up from the sea
The answer to that question was beyond his ability to understand
These visions were given to Ezra because of his character
He has devoted himself to studying the law and the wonders of God

The writing of the sacred books
These verses are very different from the rest
They are comprised of a story about Ezra
As his life is coming to an end, he is instructed to warn the nations
Ezra worries who will instruct them after he is gone
He says that the law was destroyed in the fire (destruction of Jerusalem)
He asks for permission to restore the writings
God grants this permission
He is to tell the people he will be gone for 40 days
He is to bring several good scribes
God will “light a lamp of understanding in his mind”
Ezra follows these instructions to the letter
Then he took with him five scribes and began to dictate what he was told
The scribes wrote non-stop for forty days
At the end of that time, they had written ninety-four books
Some books were to be held back to be given only to the wise
And so he did

God will wreak vengeance on the wicked
The prophet is instructed to announce God’s words
The words should be written down
They should not fear any plots against themselves

God is about to let loose his vengeance

15:5-9       The wicked have been persecuting the innocent
                   The blood of the innocents have cried to the Lord for                    vengeance

15:10-13  God will deliver His people from Egypt
                   Egypt will be struck down with plagues
                   Its land will be destroyed; seed will not grow; trees will                    be devastated by hail

15:14-19  Description of chaos
                   In the aftermath of this destruction will be chaos
                   Nation will fight against nation
                   No one will show pity on another

Judgment for kings and rulers
Kings will reap what they have sown
Those who have tormented the innocent will be tormented
Those who have sinned will reap death and destruction 

Apocalyptic Vision
Hordes of dragons will come from Arabia

Judgment on Babylon
Images of storm clouds represent nations attacking Rome
Historical events might be behind this imagery
Clearly the author thought Rome was about to fall

Judgment on Asia
This probably refers to eastern Rome
The point of the two prophecies is that it will encompass all nations

Judgments are irreversible
God’s judgments are already in progress
Nothing can stop it
The passage is addressed to Babylon, Asia, Egypt, and Syria
This would encompass the whole Roman Empire
Many disasters are described, but cannot be tied to specific events

Horrors of the last days
Despite the catastrophes people will continue their evil ways
Destruction will be complete
Most people will die; the earth will be left a desert

Advice to the faithful
The end is compared to childbirth
Birth pangs are inevitable and only last for a short time
There will be an increase in evil

God knows men’s sins
Those who have sinned (everyone) should not deny their sins
God already sees them as well as their innermost thoughts
They cannot hide; God will call everyone to account
It is better to abandon their wicked ways
Then God “will set you free from all distress”

Assurance for those who are persecuted
Those who fear the Lord will be targets for persecution
Horrible events are described
Nonetheless, they should remain faithful
God will rescue them; they should not fear or doubt
Those who are wicked will be shut off and doomed to destruction by fire