Ezra
Ezra A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. August 26 – Read Ezra 1 The ancient book (scroll) of Ezra included the book of Nehemiah as they both continue the books of ancient Israel’s history begun in 1 Kings. There is an odd transition here from the end of 2 Chronicles 36 in that the last three verses there are identical to the first two and a half verses in this book. The other odd piece of this book is that Ezra does not show up until chapter seven! We begin here with a name and a date – the year Cyrus became king of Persia 539 BCE. This causes me to wonder about significant dates in our lives. First, we may think of our birth year or the years of life changing events like becoming king. We might recall graduating class years or the year we were married or started a new business as we see those years marked on their signs. As I write this, I note that I have been a pastor since 1983. What all do you note for yourself? Here something significant happened ...