What Is the Theme and Purpose of the Book of Ezra?

The theme of the book of Ezra is the restoration of the covenant identity of Israel through God’s providence. The purposes of the book flow from this theme. (1) Ezra wrote because he wished to narrate the way God fulfilled His promises to restore His covenant people to the land of Judah after the Babylonian captivity. (2) He wrote to reveal God’s providential care of His children and illustrate the way imperial powers can be used to further God’s redemptive purposes. (3) He wrote so that the process of restoration involved in the rebuilding of political and religious structures necessary to secure the continuity of Judean covenantal identity during the Persian period would be remembered. (4) He wrote in order to detail the rebuilding of the temple and the reconstitution of the people of God living in accordance with the law of Moses. (5) Ezra wrote because he (and Ezra-Nehemiah combined) understands the return from captivity as a promise of an even greater return. That is to say, Ezra presents the return from the exile as a fulfillment of prophecy (Ezr 1:1-4), but the conclusion to Nehemiah shows how Israel had still not kept the Mosaic covenant. So, although the return from exile was part of God’s graciousness to Israel, it did not tell the entire story. Rather, it pointed to an eschatological day of fulfillment, when Messiah would fulfill all the promises God made to His people.