Author Archives: Joseph Malekani

Ezra 8 Commentary The Bible has an obsession with lists and genealogies. It’s for good reasons! The people in exile needed to remain separate. Blood relations provided physical barriers between the community of God’s people and others.We can see Ezra singling out Levites for selection to serve at the temple of the LORD. It wasContinueContinue reading “Ezra 8 Commentary”

Ezra 7 Commentary “Third Kings” won’t be a bad title for the Book of Ezra. This book is as much about the goodwill of foreign kings as it is about the heroism of Israel’s nation-builders. While many kings of Israel promoted evil and persecuted the servants of the LORD, here we see the LORD atContinueContinue reading “Ezra 7 Commentary”

Ezra 6 Commentary “Who authorized you?” Tettenai had asked. Israel’s response to this question was reported at length in Tettenai’s letter to Emperor Darius. It wasn’t exactly like he believed Israel, but you guess he hoped Israel’s outrageous response would shock Darius into a no-look decision to halt Israel.Tettenai’s letter was read, and a searchContinueContinue reading “Ezra 6 Commentary”

Ezra 5 Commentary Two prominent post-exile prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, step up to encourage the reconstruction effort. The two prophetic books bearing their names contain details about their respective works. It is the function of the pulpit to encourage the saints to provide a suitable dwelling place for their God. And here the remnant desperatelyContinueContinue reading “Ezra 5 Commentary”

Ezra 4 Commentary It can be a moment of pride when the LORD lets you hear the enemy talk about your privileged position. Of course, the enemy is hurting inside and is very envious. Their fear of you drives them to hate. Unfortunately for Israel, this is all in the past. Yes, there was aContinueContinue reading “Ezra 4 Commentary”

Ezra 3 Commentary “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” Psalm 137:1. They are back in Zion! They worship the LORD with their sacrifices even before the foundation of the temple is laid! You don’t have to wait for organized structures before you can worship the LORD! How they missedContinueContinue reading “Ezra 3 Commentary”

Ezra 2 Commentary If the list in this chapter were a list in the Book of Life, all of us would be checking it every day. It definitely felt that way for the remnant! Being away from Jerusalem was always going to be a pain for the Old Testament saint. It can never be aContinueContinue reading “Ezra 2 Commentary”

Ezra 1 Commentary The Book of Ezra appears to continue the storyline of the Book of Chronicles. 70 years have passed. God’s faithful servants have been watching the clock. The LORD had promised to restore the kingdom to Israel after 70 years. Cyrus, the king of Persia, is the tool in God’s hand to makeContinueContinue reading “Ezra 1 Commentary”

2 Chronicles 36 Commentary King Jehoahaz. King Jehoiakim. King Jehoiachin. King Zedekiah. King Nebuchadnezzar. King Cyrus. And the prophet Jeremiah. Chapter 36 is fast-paced and brings to a close the Book of Chronicles. Each of the characters mentioned plays a role, but the LORD is pulling the strings in the background. The kings of EgyptContinueContinue reading “2 Chronicles 36 Commentary”

2 Chronicles 35 Commentary Yesterday, we heard how the LORD promised Josiah a peaceful death. But being wounded in battle and consequently dying from the same wounds doesn’t represent the wish of the LORD for Josiah. This sad incident is representative of man’s fate. Our poor decisions are responsible for much pain and suffering inContinueContinue reading “2 Chronicles 35 Commentary”