Rebuilding by Faith
Ezra 7-8[1]
As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, October 28th, 2012
To this point we've studied the book of Ezra with no mention of the man called Ezra. In fact, the first six chapters record events happening almost 60 years before Ezra arrived at Jerusalem. This first mention of Ezra is the story of the second wave of exiles returning home. When Ezra came to Jerusalem the temple had been re-built, and if I have my chronology right, Nehemiah had rebuilt the walls as well. That's debatable, but I hold to that based on Nehemiah 8, which we'll check into next week. Let's read our text.
Read Ezra 7 & 8, then prayer.
Things we observe in Ezra 7 & 8:
1. Continued favor with kings. God has now shown Israel great favor with Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes. Some think, due to the placement of the letter mentioned in ch 6, that this was the second Artaxerxes. I disagree, thinking that letter was simply mentioned in a non-chronological way.
This was a very generous offering from Artaxerxes, and all of it was tax-free (7:24)! I am grateful for such favor from these kings, and grateful that our government allows us free worship today! I am also grateful for the integrity of the gift, which only came with explicit instructions to worship God in His way, and no hints to sync the king's idolatry with it. I don't believe Ezra would have accepted that help at all, but rather refused it like his predecessors a generation before (4:2-3).
But let it be noted that these kings occupied the place of a patron, or a philanthropist who supports various people groups and their right to worship. Better to be a lowly priest in the eternal kingdom than to be a powerful patron of a temporal one. Because of Christ, we have membership in the eternal Kingdom of God, who has purchased, with the blood of said Son, people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to worship Him in His Kingdom forever!
2. Ezra comes to bring the knowledge of God's Law to God's people. While the first wave of exiles had knowledge of the law, there was still a need for the people to be instructed in God's law, just as there is today, and always will be. We're not told exactly what all had gone on in the interim 57 years, but what we are told isn't good (Ezra 9ff, Neh 13).
3. Ezra's qualifications.
· He was a man of godly character. He was respected and trusted by King Artaxerxes. The King obviously saw ability and skills in him to put him in charge of not only teaching the law but also establishing the government. He also entrusted vast amounts of wealth into Ezra's care, completely confident that it would be used only to worship Jehovah, and not for Ezra's personal gain. The world still needs to see the character of God's men, ('well thought of by outsiders', 1 Tim 3:7).
· He had a priestly lineage. Ezra was a priest descended from Aaron, and he took this very seriously. In the OT the priests were responsible for taking the sacrifices of God's people before God in worship. Thanks be to Christ, who has with His one offering made all who believe in Him priests of God free to come before God!
· He was a man of the word. Ezra was a knowledgeable, wise scribe, 'skilled in the Law of Moses' who had 'set his heart to study the Law of the LORD and to do it'. The obedient teacher is always more fruitful than the one who has only knowledge.
· He was a wise leader who delegated (8:24-30). In fact, Ezra had more authority from Artraxerxes than the Sanhedrin had from Rome; he could execute the death penalty for crime (7:26). And yet Ezra saw the need for more leaders under him (7:15-20, esp. 19)
4.The dangerous journey home required faith, 8:21-23. Four months of travel with a big group and a significant amount of gold and silver - 25 tons of silver, 3.75 tons of gold! It was a long and dangerous journey back to the wilder west (Province Beyond the River), even with a large band of people. Literally 1450 people traveling roughly 900 miles hauling tons of gold, silver, oil, wine, salt, and wheat, plus trip provisions. But unlike the first Exodus (Numbers 12), Israel continued believing God would save them. It says a lot for Ezra that, being put in charge of all this wealth and over all religious aspects of the worship of his people, he is only concerned about God's name and the faith of said people. So they fast, pray, and beg God for protection and blessing on this trip home - and God hears, and answers.
Throughout Scripture God shows mercy and great help to those concerned about His name, His Word, His worship, and His people. Ezra was such a man.
5. Worship is the homecoming celebration. As with the first crew when the temple was completed, the second wave of returning captives offers prayers, sacrifices, and praises to God (8:35-36). While it's not mentioned explicitly here, it's inferred strongly that JOY is once again characteristic of the worship of God. Sacrifices were made joyfully to God based on God's covenant love and grace shown them!
Folks it's not necessary to act like all of our circumstances are pleasant to joyfully worship God. You see, our spiritual standing and our eternal circumstances are better than anyone can even express! God has done this through Christ! So through Christ, we offer up the sacrifice of praise with great joy, even despite our temporal situation; for our eternal situation in Christ is beyond compare, and very secure!
To sum up today's observations, it's encouraging to see how God can use one man who is concerned about God's name, God's Word, God's worship, and God's people. Ezra was that man in his day.
Does God have such a man here for this day, this time, and this place? We don't know, but we know this; he will have the same driving concerns.
[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.
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