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“Ezra's Return” • 11.18.18 • Calvary
Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- The Temple of God has been functioning in
Israel for nearly 60 years when God opened the door for Ezra to return from
Persia. Chapter 7 furnished us with a portrait of this man.
- We learned that he was a Priest, who was also
a skilled scribe of the law of Moses, whose heart had been touched to seek, to
do and to teach the law of the Lord.
- The King referred to him as an
"expert" and extended great resource for his return. Chapter 8 fills
in the details of that journey. Let's take a look at verse 1.
Text
• Ezra 8:1 : "These are
the heads of their fathers’ houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went
up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes:" : Ezra is writing in the first person, recounting in his mind the
people that made their journey with him from Babylon to Jerusalem. Verses 2-14 provides us with a list of 1,514
people.
- That first wave of people numbered over
50,000. When you add in women and children to Ezra's cohort, you might have
reached into the 5,000 mark. That is a stark dropoff!
- What kept God's people from returning to
their land? For one, life in Jerusalem was not as attractive as one might think
for those that had never been.
- Unlike the first wave of people, Ezra's
people were not emotionally vested in Jerusalem. For such people, a trip to
Jerusalem represented a big sacrifice.
- At the same time, there was plenty of comfort
in Babylon for these former captives who were experiencing a time of cultural
renaissance for the Jews.
- The Queen and Prime Minister of Persia are
Jewish! The Persian empire favors the Jewish people. Their people are safe and
their lives are relatively prosperous in Artaxerxes' land.
- Essentially, these people of Israel have gone
psychologically from being displaced captives to being honored citizens, which might
be a blessing, but it is a dangerous spiritual proposition.
- They were never to identify themselves as
people of Persia! They were eventually to be separate from the world in order
to fulfill God's Word through them!
- The life that God calls His people to will
never be more attractive than the offer the world makes us on a superficial level.
But the world will never satisfy the true child of God!
- When we lose that perspective, we are in a
dangerous place spiritually and the world that we are supposed to impact suffers
for our lack of missonal zeal!
- In that respect, given their culture's lack
of desire for a godly life, as well as the danger that their journey would
present, you have to give these people high marks for their choice. Verse 15.
• Ezra
8:15-20 : "Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we
camped there three days. And I looked among the people and the priests, and
found none of the sons of Levi there. Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib,
Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan,
men of understanding. And I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place
Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddo and his brethren the
Nethinim at the place Casiphia—that they should bring us servants for the house
of our God. Then,
by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of
the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with
his sons and brothers, eighteen men; and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his
brothers and their sons, twenty men; also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed
for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim. All of them
were designated by name." : The King had sent out a
general call to all that would be willing to return. Ezra had not done any
recruiting.
- When the people met at the river, he searched
the people out and found that none were of the tribe of Levi. Why were they
absent?
- The Levites who served in Israel were not given
an allotment of land. These Levites might have become accustomed to the
advantages of not being bound to the law in Persia.
- In some respect, they were trading the value
of their service to God Almighty for a shot at the Almighty Dollar! Ezra cannot
let his brothers, his fellow priests, settle for that!
- To go to Jerusalem without priestly support
would have been a failed venture before they even began! Ezra sent this
delegation out in search of a few good priests and Nethinim.
- These gentlemen went out and delivered Ezra's
message to Iddo, not knowing who would respond. He's hoping to get someone,
anyone to join him and herein is the grace of God!
- Look at what God did by His good hand! He
didn't just bring anyone. He brought a man of understanding! This word is widely
translated among our versions.
- Sheribiah was a man of "insight"
(NASB), who was very "astute" (NLT), "capable" (NIV) and a
man of "discretion." (ESV) This is the kind of help any man of God
wants from the Lord!
- This is the sort of leader a leader asks for!
And he usually doesn't come alone! Sheribiah was key in recruiting others who
were suddenly motivated to come along! Verse 21.
• Ezra
8:21-23 : "Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we
might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us
and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the
king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the
road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, 'The hand of our God is upon
all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all
those who forsake Him.' So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our
prayer." : Having gathered the right people,
Ezra seeks to sets the right tone for the trip by calling for a fast, the
decision to forego eating for the sake of focused group prayer.
- They were to humble themselves before God.
Yes, they were gifted. Yes, they were called to minister in God's land. But
apart from God's help in getting there, they'd never make it!
- As with most who fast, they were putting
themselves in the hand of God because of the concern that was laying directly
before them.
- Ezra had been given great resource, but had
not considered the logistics of the trip itself! As he looked around, he noted
the children whose lives were now entrusted into his care.
- He looked at the possessions, which had been
a great blessing for the house of the Lord. In context with the long and lonely
road ahead, they were now a great lure to potential highwaymen.
- Why would he not now turn back? He could have
asked the King for an escort now. Unfortunately, he might also have lost these
that were somewhat hesitant to come in the first place!
- Instead, Ezra called them all to stand
together before the Lord with a request to know the way that they should go in
lieu of having an escort from the King.
- Ezra's statement was one filled with faith
and truth but it had not been tested! He believed the right thing, but needed
to be confident along with the people!
- Ezra's example reveals that when we are
caught at the end of our choices, it's important that we go no further than our
confidence in the Lord will take us!
- You might see this as pride and presumption
and maybe it was. But the fact remains that in God's good grace, when the man
of God stops to ask the Lord for wisdom, the Lord will answer!
- We serve a living God who answers prayers!
Never forget that! We may not like the answers that we get, but they are always
the right answers given at the right time!
- We aren't told how they knew going forward
that the Lord had answered their prayer. Did Ezra recall a set of scriptures?
Did they receive a general peace? We aren't told.
- What matters to us is that God again answers
with what we lack when we call on Him! V.24.
• Ezra
8:24-30 : "And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah,
Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them— and weighed out to them the silver,
the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the
king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present, had
offered. I weighed into their hand six
hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred
talents, one hundred talents of gold, twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of
fine polished bronze, precious as gold. And I said to them, 'You are holy
to the Lord; the articles are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a
freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers. Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of
the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel in
Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.' So the priests and the Levites
received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bring them to
Jerusalem to the house of our God." : Ezra
distributed the offering and the articles for the Temple to the leading
priests, weighing them out to them.
- I know it's difficult to understand just how
much they were carrying, but this is tonnage! The gold alone weighed out to
over three and a half tons! Why did he weigh it out to them?
- First, when you are a part of a caravan, it's
good to spread out the valuables. The second reason is for accountability. With
so much money, some might not be missed!
- This is why Ezra looks them in the eye and
tells them that they are separated to the Lord, as are the articles that they
are carrying! They will be weighed again in Jerusalem!
- These men received their charge to guard what
was given to them and made ready for their journey. Verse 31.
•
Ezra 8:31 : "Then we departed from the river of
Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand
of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from
ambush along the road. " : In retrospect, Ezra can
look back with clarity.
-
They made the 4 month, 900 mile journey because God's hand upon them. Don't
think for a moment that their journey wasn't difficult.
-
One does not get delivered from enemies unless they show their faces!
-
God delivered them out of their hands. What schemes are we unaware of? What
kind of tactics were used? None of that is important to Ezra. God gave them the
victory!
-
Our testimonies are best when God gets the most press! Whatever the enemy did
or tried should pale in comparison to what the Lord did in response!
-
God's protective hand covered them and brought them safely to their
destination. Verse 32.
•
Ezra 8:32-36 : "So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed
there three days. Now
on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the
house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with
him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; with them were the Levites, Jozabad the
son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, with
the number and weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that
time. The children of those who had been
carried away captive, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings
to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams,
seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a
burnt offering to the Lord.
And they delivered the king’s orders to the king’s
satraps and the governors in the region beyond the River. So they gave support
to the people and the house of God." : After a
three day period of rest, the people of God brought the offering to the Temple.
They hadn't lost a single item along the way. The weight matched the invoice!
-
For the first time in the lives of these men and women, they offered burnt
sacrifices in the Temple of the Lord their God! Can you imagine the emotion
that flooded their hearts?
-
Consider that they also did so after such a difficult journey in which the Lord
their God delivered them from their enemies! With that fresh in their minds,
I'm sure their worship was sweet!
-
They gave their offering and Ezra's leaders delivered the King's orders to the
civic authority. All their efforts lifted the spirits of those that worked in
the house of God.
- Everything seems to be going so well
and then we come into chapter 9.
•
Ezra 9:1,2 : "When these things were done, the
leaders came to me, saying, 'The people of Israel and the priests and the
Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with
respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites,
the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their
daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is
mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and
rulers has been foremost in this 'trespass.'" : Listen to those words in verse 1 again: "When these things were done." Their journey and
their sacrifice are behind them.
-
That time of joy in worship is contrasted with this sorrow and the discovery of
the depth of Israel's sin. Ezra knew about the spiritual decline that marked
the people of Israel, but not the extent.
-
The people of Israel and the Priests and the Levites had not maintained a
separation from the people of the lands, referring specifically to
intermarriage.
-
Their investigation uncovered a pattern of this all the way to the top of the
leadership who were foremost in this trespass! They were leading God's people,
not in righteousness, but in sin!
-
Israel's relationship to God required that they remain separate, holy, as a
nation. When it comes to intermarriage, God was not worried about things from a
racial or ethnic standpoint.
-
There are foreign women who married Jewish men, but that had converted to
"Yahweh." A prime example would be Rahab, a Canaanite woman who
confessed the greatness of Israel's God.
-
The Jews of Ezra's time however, had completely disregarded any such notion of
separation. Did you see that word "trespass?" This was a willing
departure from a known statute!
-
God's people knew better than this! They knew from their own history that the
influence of heathen marriages had compromised Solomon and eventually their own
forefathers!
-
In spite of the danger, they entered into covenant relationships with these
heathens and in the process caused the holy seed to be mixed!
-
They are willingly forgetting that their blood line will be bring the seed of
the woman, the Messiah, into being that will ultimately defeat Satan!
-
How many are willingly stepping aside from God's clear command, joining
themselves to those that have no regard for the Lord because they are not concerned
for God's will for their lives?
-
These Jews were living without any regard for God's plan, completely
unconcerned about what God would want from them! Have a look at Ezra's response
in verse 3.
•
Ezra 9:3,4 : "So when I heard this thing, I tore
my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard,
and sat down astonished. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel
assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried
away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice." : Ezra's heart is crushed! As the words were coming out of his
leader's mouths, he took a hold of his garment and robe, tearing it from his
neck.
-
Then, not having a garment left to tear, he turned his attention to his beard
and hair! He is mourning over what he has found!
-
Truly, as you walk with the Lord and see the value of obedience in your own
life, it just crushes you when those you love won't do the same!
-
When it happens, you will relate to what happened to Ezra. He was astonished.
The word refers to desolation and devastation! He is sitting in stunned silence
before the Lord.
-
He was not alone! Soon, a group of people came to him assembled around him.
What a beautiful picture. That is where you and I find healing!
-
We gather together to worship and give glory to the God of the Universe, to
Jesus our Redeemer! Part of that time is spent in holding each other up, making
sense out of the senseless!
-
Notice how these people are described. They are those who "trembled at the
words of God." These are the kinds of people that you want around you in
time of crisis!
-
The phrase speaks to reverentially, reflexively moving at the words of God.
These are the ones that God said Ezra would find. Turn over in your Bibles to Isaiah 66.
•
Isaiah 66:1,2 : "Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My
footstool. Where is
the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand
has made, and all those things exist,' says the Lord. 'But
on this one
will I look: On him
who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word." : When Ezra came to Jerusalem, he didn't find people that
trembled at His Word. He had to bring them with him!
-
The ones that had never set foot in the Temple, who didn't grow up in the
shadow of Mt. Zion, but that were sensitively tuned to God's Word, carried the
hope for Israel and the world!
Conclusion
- God's work in
this world is never about the establishment of a holy city as an end. It's
about the establishment of a holy people who will gather to bring their praise
and honor to Him!
- The people
that journeyed across the desert may have believed that they were coming to
meet Christians that would be stellar examples of the faith.
- What they
found was the reality that they were bringing health with them! They carried
the answer and the hope that the work of God could continue!
- May He find
in us a group of people who are of a poor and contrite spirit, confessing our
sin, and reflexively moving at the sound of His Word!
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