Introduction to Ezra/Nehemiah

Rebuilding by Faith

Ezra 1:1-4^[1]

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

We are beginning a study through the historical narratives of Ezra and Nehemiah today. I like to preach OT, NT epistle, and a portion of a gospel. This is because, as I was reminded this week, of Acts 20:26-27: Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

This series is about rebuilding; I have titled this study rebuilding by faith. These two books chronicle the rebuilding of the temple and then of the walls of Jerusalem. I hope to do a high-flyover series, not a slow walk through series. Lord willing, it will be helpful for us all to see God at work to keep His covenant and to bring us the Christ in these two books.

Timeline[2]

Abraham is called, 2000 BC

Joseph to Egypt, 1900 BC

Moses leads the Exodus, 1445 BC

Israel under the judges until Saul, 1000 BC

David and Solomon until 931 BC

Israel leaves Judah, 931BC

Israel destroyed, 722 BC

Nebuchadnezzar takes first wave of captives to Babylon, 605 BC

Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, 586 BC

70 years Captivity, for continued idolatry, and 490 years ignoring 7^th year land Sabbaths

Jeremiah begins preaching 627 B.C. Prophecies of destruction, captivity, and restoration.

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther happened from 536-415 BC in Babylon, Media, and Persia

Why did God send them to captivity?

God was fulfilling His promises.

Promise to make a nation of Abraham, to bless the world through him.

Gen 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Messiah would come through him.

To run a rebellious Israel off to captivity for punishment if they disobeyed God.

Deut 28:41, 45. You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity.

"All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you.

To let the land get its due Sabbaths, according to His command.

Lev 25:3-5 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.

So Israel went into captivity because of repeated, intentional disobedience and idolatry. They went into captivity for 70 years because part of that disobedience was not giving the land it's Sabbath rests.

Why did God restore Israel?

Because God loves His people, and God was fulfilling His promises.

Promise to make a nation of Abraham, to bless the world through him.

Gen 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Messiah would come through him.

To restore a humbled Israel to the land after their captivity.

Jeremiah 25:12-13 Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste. I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 "For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. [context!] Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

So the stories in Ezra and Nehemiah contain much wisdom about worship, the Word of God, protection, leadership, etc.; but they are primarily about God's faithfulness to keep His covenant promises to His covenant people. That includes new covenant people – He was bringing the Messiah through Israel so that the church could be saved!

How did He restore Israel? He used godly, humble men who pored and prayed over the Word of God. They returned in three stages.

Ezra 1:1-4

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

2 "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel--he is the God who is in Jerusalem.

4 And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem."

Ezra 7:1-10

1 Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,

2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,

3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,

4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,

5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest--

6 this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

7 And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants.

8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

9 For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him.

10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

Nehemiah 1

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital,

2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.

3 And they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire."

4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

5 And I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned.

7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.

8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples,

9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.'

10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.

11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Do you hear these godly, humble men poring and praying over God's Word? Here is yet another man that God used in this restoration…

Daniel 9:1-8

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans--

2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.

6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.

8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.

So rebuilding by faith. Timeline.

Why did God send them into captivity, why did he restore them from captivity – He was keeping His covenant promises.

How did He restore them? He used godly, humble men poring and praying over God's Word.

So, as we close…

Do we need restoration in the church today? To be restored to right obedience?

Will God still keep His new covenant promises to us?

Will there be godly, humble men who will pore and pray over God's Word?

 

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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] I used the ESV Study Bible (Crossway) and the International Inductive Study Bible (Precept Ministries International, Harvest House) as resources to put this together

Repentance with Action

Rebuilding by Faith

Ezra 10^[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, November 11^th, 2012

This book is about Rebuilding by Faith. Rebuilding the foundation of faith, obedience, and worship that God's people had torn down at great cost! Rebuilding by hearing God, trusting Him, and obeying Him. Here's what we've seen so far…

You can't rebuild until you go back. So they were sent, by God through Cyrus, home.

You can't rebuild when you fear local officials more than God. Work had ceased; but they heard the prophets, got back to work and finished the temple.

You can't rebuild when you forget what God has done for you. So they celebrated the Passover for the first time in over a century.

You can't rebuild rightly when you don't know law. So Ezra went to teach it.

Last week in chapter nine we saw that you can't rebuild when you're hiding this nasty secret – and it's sin. So they were confronted with it, and that's where we come to today. Let's read chapter 10 of Ezra, the final chapter of this book (EZRA 10 from pulpit bible).

1-15 Repentance with Attitude

1-5 Confession with a Covenant

6-8 Call with Consequences

9-15 Conditions Concurred With – Mostly

16-44 Repentance with Action

16-19 Unbelievers put away, offerings offered

20-44 Names named

You know you're broken over sin when…

You initiate change and encourage your leaders to lead it.

You're public in your acknowledgement and merciless in your obedience.

·      Public tears. Public naming of sin. V 2, v 10 'Broken faith with our God', v 10, 19 'guilt'

·      Public call for a covenant with God.

·      Public gathering to purge the sin from God's people.

·      Public officials legislating the end of marriages, public list of names.

No more hiding, vagueness, bartering over consequences, justifying, etc.

You're diligent in your action. It isn't just started, it's finished. Remember Zaccheus in the New Testament? Luke 19:8 "And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." Repentance intended is one thing; carried out is another, a better thing.

You're thorough in your obedience.

You suffer the consequences - Marriages broken, lives ruined – the costs were high – in full confidence that God's mercy will prevail even in these actions. The cost is easier than God's wrath.

What are the benefits of such humility, brokenness, and repentance with action?

Rebuilding by faith requires obedience, even at great cost.

Joy of repentance is gained for God's people.  Long ago a teacher in a school for the deaf and mute asked his students: "Which is the most delightful emotion?" Eventually as they turned their slates to him, he read, "joy", "hope", "gratitude", "love", and then surprisingly, "repentance".  The girl who had written that had such a peace on her countenance! He asked her why it was the most delightful, and she signed back, "It is so delightful to be humbled before God!"[2]

Families are families of faith. The deepest part of their beings – the spiritual, eternal parts – were now in unity! There was no more religious discord in the homes.

 Now let's go back to one verse here, v 19. They pledge themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt. What is the difference between what they had to do and what we have to do?

Much is the same. Brokenness over sin, confession, repentance, humility, action. But when it comes to offering sacrifices to appease God's wrath – that's where the difference is.

You see, God sent His Son to the cross. There, my burdened soul found liberty.

Finally. Let's consider, church family, that we are to engage in HOLY MATRIMONY. Along with other words I said last week that we've lost, this is a phrase we do well to revive. Holy Matrimony. Marriage is from God, and we are set apart to God as holy people, so we should only engage in holy marriage to holy people. Easier to do obey than to have to repent and untangle such a mess as they had, don't you agree?

 

Repentance. Repentance with Action. 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] Foster, Elon. 6000 Sermon Illustrations. Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1992, pg 554.

The Standing Problem and the Kneeling Solution

Rebuilding by Faith

Ezra 9^[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, November 4^th, 2012

Pastor after pastor after pastor have stories of how they went through a search process with a church, agreed to go with great faith, then got there and found out what was really going on, and it wasn't good. There was a standing problem that he was unaware of. The last guy didn't address it, or was unable to make a difference if he did.

What do most men do? Many just leave. Some others stay, but try to figure out how to keep things from getting worse, or from blowing up altogether. There are a few, though, who see what's going on, and get on their knees to beg God to work among His people once again!

Ezra came to such a situation. He knew there was a remnant in Jerusalem who needed instruction in God's Word. He knew there was a temple and God was being worshipped. He knew they were poor and needed to grow. He did not know that the leaders had a dirty secret they had failed to divulge. Follow with me as I read Ezra 9:1-15

1 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

2 For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost."

3 As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled.

4 Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice.

5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God,

6 saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.

7 From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today.

8 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery.

9 For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.

10 "And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,

11 which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness.

12 Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.'

13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this,

14 shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?

15 O LORD, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this."

The Standing Problem: The Priests and the Levites had married women (and gotten women for their sons) from the tribes around the Israelites that God had specifically said NOT to in Deut 7:1-5. "When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.

What is the big deal here? Don't marry those from around you; it could lead your descendants into idolatry. Really? Let's read this text from 1 Kings 11:1-6.

1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,

2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.

3 He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.

4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. 

So marrying people from other tribes could indeed bring trouble. But let's be clear; it's not just people from other tribes – Ruth was from another tribe and became the great-grandmother of David. Both she and Rahab of Jericho are in the lineage of Christ! So it wasn't just people from any other tribe or nation. It was the idolatry that these people brought with them. God is not racist; neither was the writer of this book. No, God hates idolatry. He calls it an abomination

So the standing problem was intermarriage with unbelievers. So we wonder…

What were the Israelites thinking? We don't know; but whatever it was, was rooted in unbelief, and in lack of fear of God. I can imagine a few things they'd say if asked…

·      There aren't many Israelite women.

·      Well, times have changed, the world has changed; it's a different culture.

·      I am sure I will convert them to worship Jehovah.

·      I won't ever compromise on worshipping Jehovah.

·      It's not that big a deal; we're both fine with the difference.

Should there be some concern whenever a conversation with God begins with, "I know you said this, but…" I mean, when's the last time you began a prayer with that line? Ezra remembers the last time Israel did; they wound up mostly dead, with a handful of select people shipped off to Babylon in chains. So how does Ezra address the standing problem?
With a kneeling solution. He prays! He intercedes, repents (though he didn't sin), begs God for mercy.

Consider with me some of the key words in Ezra's prayer.

Iniquities. Guilt. Ashamed. Slaves. Favor. Steadfast love. Abominations.

Have you been before God with those words often? Ever? In this prayer, there are at least two contrasts to consider; faithlessness/steadfast love. Abomination/Tremble.

So, from Ezra's response and his prayer, what do you think He is feeling? 
Guilt? Shame? Fear? Deep regret? Consternation - that we, after all our sin and all God's mercy, would even squander this incredible opportunity by yet again putting idolatry in our homes! What is really shocking is that Ezra had not sinned against God in this manner! You can't tell it from his prayer, can you?

Don't you love people who pray for others as if it was their own sin? Can you think of anyone else who would take our sin on Himself like Ezra did for these people?

Why would Ezra be so scared? What does Ezra know that maybe the remnant has forgotten?

The wrath of God is real. He's astounded that they could so quickly forget, but they did – and we do. God has no patience with those who supposedly believe in and worship Him marrying those who blatantly do not believe in and worship Him. The only way this can work is for the supposed believer in Jehovah to quell, or to compromise their faith. What do they have in common with this potential mate? Things that are obviously more important than worshipping Jehovah.

Israel had earned its punishment. For years, decades, and centuries, Israel had tested God, and finally He had acted – to destroy Jerusalem and leave a small remnant.

God will keep His Word - thus, he trembled at it.

God fully expects to be the center of our lives. You see, Ezra knew that the lives of Israel revolve around God, and not vice-versa. 

Folks, marrying those who do not believe in and worship God was a sin for Israel. Is it still a sin today? Yes. We are to marry those who believe in and worship Jesus. 2 Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

If you think it's not a big deal, remember these words; abomination. Idolatry. I do believe God thinks it is a big deal. Because we are to love Him with all our heart. We are to seek His kingdom first of all. We are to worship Him only! He is our life, and our lives are hidden in Him! He is our Savior. HOW can we become one with one who is casual toward Him or doesn't even believe Him?

Disobedience. And it leads to more trouble down the road.

As for Ezra, praise God for a man who sees a standing problem and takes a kneeling solution. Church, we see the way to deal with our sins. Brokenness, humility, grief!

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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.

The Arrival of Ezra

Rebuilding by Faith

Ezra 7-8^[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, October 28^th, 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.

 

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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.

Courage to Finish the Work

Rebuilding by Faith

Ezra 5-6^[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, October 21^st, 2012

Prophets Preach Against Pausing, 5:1-2

1 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.

2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

Movement needed. The leaders had paused in the work of rebuilding the temple, and had instead set about building their own houses! It had been a hard 15 years while they weren't working on it. Haggai observed that nothing they had done had prospered! Haggai 1:3-9
the prophet writes, "consider your ways!", and calls them to stop work on their own personal houses to restore the house of God so they could restore worship! But they needed courage to finish the work.

"They had not said, "I will not", but rather, "I will, but not yet." Though submitted to God in choice to obey, they were still un-submitted and unbelieving in the TIMING of their obedience. We are not in control of God's work when we are God's. There was movement needed; and God's men preaching God's word to God's people got the movement jump-started.
Haggai and Zechariah spoke the word of God, were with them, supporting them. (5:1-2)
Elders prospered through the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah (6:14). This is a telling statement because they had specifically NOT prospered while not rebuilding.
Folks, it wasn't that God didn't want them to live in houses, or to fix or maintain them. It is that He had called these people to a specific purpose and they had, in fear of local officials, abandoned that work. God was calling them to get back to what they were sent to do! Agriculture, commerce, work, trading, building, marrying, - all these things have to go on. But not at the expense of worshipping God. Remember under their covenant the house of God was central to the worship of God. It is not today; but it was then.

Listen, folks; there is never a good time to pause in your obedience. Summer before last a man told me he and his wife had worked long and hard to serve God, and they were going to take the summer off and travel, take it easy, enjoy their weekends. I haven't seen them since, and I bet no other body of believers has either. Christian preaching should strengthen us against pausing and call us to trust and obey God.

More Opposition from Officials, 5:3-17

3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: "Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?"

4 They also asked them this: "What are the names of the men who are building this building?"

5 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.

6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king.

7 They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: "To Darius the king, all peace.

8 Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

9 Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: 'Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?'

10 We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders.

11 And this was their reply to us: 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.

12 But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia.

13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt.

14 And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;

15 and he said to him, "Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site."

16 Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is not yet finished.'

17 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter."

As soon as obedience was renewed, so was the opposition. Ever see that in your life? Ever ask God to help you re-start your devotions, your attention to your marriage or home life, your sharing of your faith, your giving, or your worship attendance - things you had paused in obeying? Often before it gets off the ground some opposition comes; either from your calendar (busyness), your flesh (laziness, discouragement), or your enemy (spiritual attacks, sufferings). These people saw it, and it was the same tactic from the same crowd that had stopped them before. But God's Word strengthened them this time, and they plowed on through it. Being fed a steady diet of God's good words sure gives a person grit to keep going. Athletes know the importance of their diet when for endurance through physical challenges; mature believers know the importance of God's Word for grit to fight through opposition to obedience. Opposition will not cease; but God's strength will only grow through you as you persevere.

More Help from Above, 6:1-12

1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored.

2 And in Ecbatana, the capital that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: "A record.

3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits,

4 with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury.

5 And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God."

6 "Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away.

7 Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site.

8 Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River.

9 And whatever is needed--bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require--let that be given to them day by day without fail,

10 that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

11 Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill.

12 May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence."

Work kept going, and this time there was a favorable reply from the king of Persia. That was because there had been favor from the King of Kings. Building this temple was God's idea, which He would surely support! God had it torn down by leaders of a foreign nation because of Israel's idolatry and disobedience. God had it rebuilt - and paid for - by leaders of a foreign nation – all to teach His people faithfulness, humility, and obedience. By His good mercy, they were still learning this.

Local officials Rehum, Shimshai and associates had stopped the work before (4:4ff) by intimidating the Jews and lying about them to the king. Here Tattenai and others attempted to stop the work again. But God showed Himself faithful to timid Israel once again, mercifully. As He had moved Cyrus, so He moved Darius to strongly support (and pay for) the rebuilding of the temple. This should help us to see and believe this truth: We have only ONE Government Official to fear; that is the King of Heaven, for we are in His Kingdom now, and His authority is over the entire earth (Matt 28:18). And at the final consideration, we have only one Government Official to obey; especially when doing His work! 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

Acts 17:26 "And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,"
God created the earth; God is sovereign over all the earth, people, and nations; and God has given all authority to Jesus. We are His church, called to do His work on earth. We must persevere in that work, beloved! When He desires to give us help from above He will; when He desires to purify us by allowing persecution from authorities He will sustain us and advance His good gospel through that suffering. It is ours to humbly trust and obey.

The Temple Completed, Covenant Worship Restored, 6:13-22

13 Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered.

14 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia;

15 and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

17 They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18 And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover.

20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.

21 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the LORD, the God of Israel.

22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Two beautiful phases to this restoration of covenant worship. 1) The re-establishing of regular priesthood work and sacrifices, according to the Law of Moses, and 2) the celebration, first time since Josiah had led Judah to celebrate it 120 years before this (2 Kings 23). This is God's chosen people worshipping God in God's prescribed way consistently for the first time in centuries. This is God's people remembering God's initial salvation, when He delivered them, when He saw the blood and passed over them.

Amazing. Can you imagine the joy, the fulfillment, the peace, and the overwhelming gratitude? "'Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you" (Jer 32:17).

We've rejoiced at prodigals coming home to God and His church. This was a small representation (thousands) of an entire nation coming back to God!

Then they celebrate the Passover. Do you remember when God saved you? Do you recall how desperate, how sinful, how isolated from God you were? We do well to recall how great a salvation He has brought us to, church!

God's chosen people, regularly worshipping God, in God's prescribed way.

God's chosen people, remembering God's initial salvation, as He told them to do.

God's people, putting down their personal pursuits to re-start God's work.

Strengthened by God's men preaching God's Word to God's people.

Courage to finish the work.

Church, what has God called us to? 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.

When Rebuilding Begins

Rebuilding by Faith

Ezra 3-4^[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, Oct 14^th, 2012

2:70-3:1 They rebuilt their homes.

70 Now the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel in their towns.

1 When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem.

Re-established themselves in the city of the Name, and on the land Jehovah God had given them. First was to get back to the land God had placed them on, then to set about re-establishing the worship of Almighty God, "I AM that I AM". God had promised them the land when He had prophesied that they would be His people; the connection was firm; so it was the joyful labor of coming home to rebuild. But not just their own lives; that as never been enough. They were come to re-establish true worship of God!

3:2-7 They rebuilt the altar.

2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

3 They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening.

4 And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required,

5 and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the LORD.

6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.

7 So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

The people of God gathered to worship God together. Just as it is today, it was a glorious thing when God's people came together to worship Him the way He said to! Notice what is missing here; there was no town hall discussion to determine what needed to be done next. There was no discussion about what made sense, what might be expedient, or what might be the most pragmatic, successful approach to get the worship of God going again. They simply did what God's Word said to do. They now had a beautiful hold on the value and the sufficiency of God's Word[2].

 Week one I asked this question in the overview: How did He restore Israel? He used godly, humble men who pored and prayed over the Word of God. Someone obviously had the Scriptures available before Ezra returned from Persia. Twice you read, "as it is written", referring to the law of Moses. Then there is a reference to David's teachings on praise, and Ps 118:1 is evidently quoted, 3:10-11. God's truth is always sufficient for God's people to follow in worshipping God.

So what was first? They re-established the sacrifice. That was what they first did when coming in to the land the first time (Deut 27:1-8), and it was what they were going to do now first of all in worship. Those sacrifices pointed ahead to the One Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, where we begin our worship – at the cross! We come often to the cross, the one sacrifice by which we are counted forgiven, and made righteous to enter to worship God. He is our altar, and any true recovery of Christian worship must start with Christ. This is our only approach to God, church; through the blood of Jesus, the "New and Living Way". Hebrews 10:19-20 "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,". So they diligently set about offering sacrifices to God both morning and evening, according to God's instruction through Moses.

3:8-13 They rebuilt the temple foundation.

8 Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the LORD.

9 And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers.

10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel.

11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,

13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

They had to start somewhere, and this is where it starts correctly; from the ground up. And they began with singing – and the same words they sang (1 and 2 Chronicles) when they brought the ark to the tabernacle in Jerusalem, then when they placed it in the temple built by Solomon. God is seen as good when His people worship Him in faith and obedience! But

It is a joyful day, and hope was strengthened by the first step in this temple's rebirth. Sacrifice, work, giving – all counted as privilege to those who now loved God. But it wasn't all joy. Did you hear about the old men weeping? They recalled the huge, incomparable glory of the former temple, and they knew what they had lost. They were in the pig-pen with the prodigal lamenting, "what have we done!", Praise, joy, and burdens calling people to weep and cry out to God. That can still be our worship! Folks, let us learn here; surely, surely we don't need to take all that we have – the cross of Christ, and that empty tomb, and that Holy Spirit's presence in us, and this good Bible, and the love we can enjoy in Christ – for granted! Let's move on…

4:1-5, 24 They were opposed and stopped. Verses 1-5 tell us the story of what happened.

1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,

2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here."

3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."

4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build

5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

 then in verses 6-23 the writer tells about letters written in the future to Artaxerxes about the building of the wall. Perhaps he wanted us to know that opposition to the work of God's people lasted on and off for a century. So we move on to v 24, "Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia."

So they encountered opposition, and were halted in their work. First of all it came subtly; 'let us join you!'. Wisely they held that off. Then more direct attacks came from both Jews who had never left and from Samaritans, mixed by the Assyrian kings. It wasn't popular opinion that the worship of God be re-established in Jerusalem. Mark Dever points this out in his message on Ezra[3]: "Friend, if you're you are uncertain about the truths of Christianity, please hear these words of advice: do not try to determine what is true by what is popular." We're not Muslims who follow a conquistador; we follow a crucified and risen Savior who became the sacrifice necessary to save us from His own wrath. We understand the truth that in human hearts resides a hatred for God, and a natural rebellion to His Word. If we were to follow what's popular, well – that's what happened on the day Jesus was taken to the cross. Popular opinion cried, "Crucify Him!"

 

Church, let's consider this. Our worship begins with sacrifice; not ours, God's.

Our worship is in God's Word.

Our worship, if lost, must be rebuilt according to God's Words.

Are we taking our great privileges for granted?

Finally, when we seek Christ in this world, we are to expect opposition. Our own flesh, our world system, and our diligent enemy, the accuser of the brothers, Satan. But we hold to this good truth –  Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

 

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

[3] Dever, Mark. Promises Made: The Message of the Old Testament. Crossway Books, Wheaton, 2006.