Ezra Expresses His Appreciation To YHWH (Ezra 7:27-28).
From this point on we have a passage (Ezra 7:27 to Ezra 9:15) where Ezra uses the first person singular in what are often called ‘The Ezra Memoirs'. But it is quite clear that Ezra 7:27-28 connect back with what has gone before from Ezra 7:1. This has caused many to see that Ezra 7:1-11 must also have mainly been based on Ezra's memoirs, if indeed they were not the work of Ezra himself. Certainly the inclusion of the decree of Artaxerxes in Aramaic must be seen as the work of Ezra, for Ezra 7:27-28 assume it. It can therefore be reasonably argued that the writer's faithfulness to his sources points to Ezra's authorship from Ezra 7:1 onwards in spite of the use of the third person (which regularly occurs in Scripture as used by writers when referring to themselves). And this being so there is good reason for arguing that the accumulation of all that has gone before, and the faithful use of sources, including the citing in Aramaic of the various decrees, is also the work of Ezra.
‘Blessed be YHWH, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of YHWH which is in Jerusalem,'
Ezra gives praise to YHWH for having put it into the king's heart to beautify the house of YHWH in Jerusalem. He thus sees this as one of the main emphases of the decree. As he was given permission to use surplus monies in any way that he felt suitable (Ezra 7:18) it indicates that this is one of the things that he would have majored on. This would explain why he saw Artaxerxes as one of those involved with enabling the completion of the Temple (Ezra 6:14).
‘And has extended covenant love to me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes.'
He also sees YHWH as having extended ‘covenant love' towards him before the king, his chief advisers, and all his mighty princes. He recognised that it was YHWH Who had put it into their hearts in order to give him the authority to do all these things.