NOTES for Ezr 7:1-28

The account of how and with whom Ezra made his way to Jerusalem proceeds solemnly and in detail, even including the text of the royal decree. We have just read an equally detailed account of the return to Jerusalem of the main body of exiles, and now the return of a group led by one of the teachers is described with the same care. The inclusion of two accounts so similar in manner could be explained by the respect that both the people and the king had for Ezra personally and by their understanding of the importance of his mission. That is true, but it is not the whole story: Ezra's arrival in Judea marks the beginning of a new historical stage, comparable to the return from exile. If the people first returned to their land, they must now return to their calling.

The king, having granted Ezra powers of authority, did not foresee what the consequences of his mission would be. Outwardly little would change: Judea would still be governed by the royal governor, but the authority of the priestly leadership would now become increasingly real. The Jews have no state of their own and will not have one for a very long time, yet the people's unity around their Lord is beginning to grow strong again, and it binds them more firmly than the bonds of statehood.