Returning Home

Rebuilding by Faith

Ezra 1-2^[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, September 30, 2012

We are studying through Ezra and Nehemiah, where the theme is Rebuilding by Faith. We saw last week that the reason Israel went into captivity in Babylon was because of their sin; God had promised to punish idolatry and disobedience. God was fulfilling His promises. The reason they came back out of captivity was that God loved His people, and was fulfilling His promises.

Today we will read through the first two chapters of Ezra and consider the concept of Returning Home.

The exiles returned in three waves…

·      Under Sheshbazzar in 536 (decree in 538) BC, recorded in Ezra 1-2

·      Under Ezra in 458 BC, recorded in Ezra 7

·      Under Nehemiah in 445 BC, recorded in Nehemiah 2

So this returning and rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem recorded in these two books took place in three phases which took around 90 years.

We're looking at the first wave of returnees who came with Sheshbazzar (a.k.a. Zerubbabel, 'a stranger in Babel')[2] today. Follow along as I read chapter 1.

[Read Ezra 1:1-11]. This first chapter has three portions; the proclamation, the preparation and separation, and the arrival.

The Proclamation. In fact, through both prophets the Isaiah and Jeremiah God had predicted the restoration of Israel to the land before the captivity of Israel! Listen to this…

Isaiah 44:28 who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose'; saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built,' and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid.'"

Isaih 45:1-3 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: "I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

These prophecies were spoken and written approximately 150 years before Cyrus became king. Josephus wrote in his excellent Jewish Antiquities, 11:5-7 that Cyrus read the prophecy by Isaiah and was so impressed with the divine power to tell the future that he eagerly sought to fulfill what was written about him here.[3]

The Preparation and Separation. Notice how Cyrus had simply said, "Whoever is among you" (v 3), and the writer noted, "…everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem." This was a free will situation, not a mandatory return. These brothers and sisters willingly took up the long journey to a place that was burned down and desolate. It wasn't a romantic return to glory; it was a humbling, hard, long trip back to start with nothing at ground zero. They chose to take up this work to be identified with God, to renew the worship of the God of the heavens.

The separation was displayed in the vessels. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them away to his idolatrous house of worship in 586 BC, and evidently cut up some of them (2 Kings 24:13). To the tune of 5400 articles of gold and silver, Cyrus meticulously separated them and generously sent them back with the returning exiles. It makes me think of 2 Tim 2:20-21.

Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

Everything in Cyrus' collection wasn't honorable! You see, God was calling Israel to return home to renew worshipping Him; their covenant worship was centered in the temple and on the sacrifices and offerings. The vessels were needed to offer sacrifice to God; of animals, incense, and bread.

When these vessels were taken away they had been only tokens of history. The common inhabitant of Jerusalem had not appreciated them. With the exception of Josiah, no kings in Judah had worshipped Jehovah as their God in Jerusalem for many decades. Josiah's grandfather Manasseh had been the worst idolater king ever; he had sacrificed many of his children to idols, and had 'filled Jerusalem from end to end with innocent blood'. When they were brought back they were carefully catalogued, transported, and stored until the temple was rebuilt – all 5400 of them. God had chastised His people, and in great humility they diligently cared for these vessels. And so they arrived in Judah. Let's move on to chapter 2. 

[Read Ezra 2:1-70] Zerubbabel is the governor and Jeshua is the priest. Notice how diligently the Jews kept records of their lineage! It wasn't this just for fun or for tax purposes; it was for proof of their heritage. Two groups were noted: ordinary Israelites and temple servants (priests and Levites, singers, general servants).

Without direct proof the priests and Levites couldn't serve God at the temple. They weren't outright rejected; they were told to wait until a priest could consult God with the stones of Urim and Thummim. These were the stones in the breastplate of the high priest, and how the he often sought direction from God. Thank God we have grace; we can't know a man or woman's heart; we have to accept their confession of faith. But we are required by God to judge fruit.

So the entire group who came home was numbered 49,697 people, with 8,136 animals. About these people.

When they had been in Israel before the captivity the people were defined by their idolatry, pride, and arrogance; all connected directly to their rejection of God's Word. When they came back they were humble, serious, and devoted to the worship of God. Why else would you travel the length of Syria, through what is Jordan, and into Jerusalem, a journey taking months through dangerous territory?

God knows His own. Neither a vast nation nor seven decades could hide God's people from His eyes. God was at work to bring them home. But what they came home to was only a shred of what they left, and work was ahead of them. Never again would they see the glory of the temple Solomon built, and the city of David as it had been.

But they came back to the place of The Name. This is where God had said Abraham's descendants would worship him. And they had returned to renew worshipping God. They were returning home.

Hard to get back once you've strayed. You don't realize what you're leaving, do you? But God sees, and has mercy. This was an entire cavalcade of humble prodigals! Folks, are we humbled at what we have as believers? They had returned. In Ezra 3-6 they will rebuild. Let's pray.

 

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[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.

[2] Ironside, H. A. Ezra, Nehemiah, & Esther. United States, Loizeaux Brothers, 1905, 1913, 1914; 1941 combined edition

[3] As noted in the ESV Study Bible Notes on Isaiah 44:28