An Outline of Ezra 7:27-9:15

1. The speaker and the historical context

            • Speaker: Ezra

            • Historical Context: The return of God’s people from Exile

2. The main point of each section

            7:27-28: God works in the king’s heart to show kindness to 

                 God’s people

            8:1-14: God works in the people’s hearts to direct them to  

                 return to Jerusalem

            8:15-20: God works in the Levites’ hearts to direct them to 

                 return to Jerusalem

            8:21-32: The people seek God’s help for their trip to 

                 Jerusalem

            8:33-36: The people restore the treasures of the Temple and 

                 offer sacrifices to Him           

            9:1-4: Many of the people are guilty of marrying foreign 

                 idolaters

            9:5-15: Ezra confesses the people’s sin of marrying foreign 

                 idolaters 

3. A summary of the text in one sentence

God is all-powerful and works on behalf of His people to accomplish His will, but this does not exempt us from prayer, worship, faithfulness to His commands, and confession of sin.

4. Contemporary applications for the passage

            • God is in complete control of every situation (e.g., 

              government, work, etc.)

            • Believers must not neglect the spiritual aspect of life (e.g. 

              work before church)

            • Believers should never marry unbelievers

            • Believers should confess their sin to God