had come to the end of the line, and that they must cry out for mercy? Make a study of these important phrases in this paragraph: “We have been unfaithful to our God.” “Yet now there is hope.” “Let us make a covenant with our God.” “Be courageous and act.” V The Propitiation (10:5-17) The story of Ezra ends by showing how the sin of mixed marriages was dealt with, and how peace with God was thereby restored (Recall the words “hope” and “covenant” of 10:2-3.) The price of restoration was high This is perhaps the main truth of these closing verses of Ezra Observe the following in your study: a) Firm authority of God’s spokesman (10:5) b) Deep remorse (10:6) c) Thorough investigation (10:7-8, 14) d) No one excused from examination (10:8) e) Sense of fear (10:9, 14) f) Tragic consequences involved in the solution (10:44) g) Way to restoration (the word “propitiation” in this outline means atonement, or restored fellowship by sacrifice): confession of sin (10:11a), offering for sin (10:19), dissolution of marriage (10:116) V KEY WORDS AND VERSES OF EZRA Some key words and phrases of Ezra are: “went up,” “Jerusalem,” “decree,” “house of the LORD,” “hand of the LORD upon him,” “law of the LORD.” The Word of God is prominent throughout the book, under various designations Look up each verse cited here and jot down the word or phrase used: 1:1; 3:2; 6:14, 18; 7:6, 10, 14; 9:4; 10:3, VI APPLICATIONS OF EZRA What are some important spiritual qualifications of God’s servants? What lessons about worship and praise can be learned from this book? Satan always tries to oppose God’s work What can Christians to prevent such opposition, or overcome it when it exists? Does God use unbelievers to ful ll tasks in His work? If so, how and why? Can you cite examples on the contemporary scene? What constitutes a mixed marriage today, in the sense in which it was a sin of Ezra’s time? Why is it such a dangerous evil? VII BACKGROUND OF NEHEMIAH A TITLE AND PLACE IN THE CANON The book of Nehemiah is named after its main character and its opening words (1:1a) In all Old Testament canonical lists it has been classi ed as a historical book Both Hebrew and Greek Bibles of the earliest centuries treated Ezra and Nehemiah as one book The two-book classi cation of our English Bibles may be traced back to the Latin Vulgate Bibles B DATE AND AUTHORSHIP Authorship of the book may be attributed to Nehemiah, who probably wrote most of it around 420 B.C Some parts of the book contain his memoirs (1:1—7:5; 11:1-2; 12:27-43; 13:4-31) The list of Jewish families given in 7:5-73 was from a ... “house of the LORD,” “hand of the LORD upon him,” “law of the LORD.” The Word of God is prominent throughout the book, under various designations Look up each verse cited here and jot down the word... Authorship of the book may be attributed to Nehemiah, who probably wrote most of it around 420 B.C Some parts of the book contain his memoirs (1:1—7:5; 11:1-2; 12:27-43; 13:4-31) The list of Jewish... confession of sin (10:11a), offering for sin (10:19), dissolution of marriage (10:116) V KEY WORDS AND VERSES OF EZRA Some key words and phrases of Ezra are: “went up,” “Jerusalem,” “decree,” “house of