Ezra 1 The Proclamation of the King!
Ezra is a
Continuation of 1-2 Chronicles
A)In those books Ezra was writing to the Remnant that would return to
rebuild and Restore
B)He Traces History to remind them of what happens when God’s pp seek
Him – He blesses
1)When they don’t/ No blessing at all
C)The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of those who came back
–
1)How they were once again established in
the Land
BACKGROUND
July 18, 586 BC
was a day of infamy in Judah
A)On that day the
Babylonians marched into the city, burned the
B)The prophet Jeremiah was watching this scene from beneath
1)You can hear the grief and
passion of Jeremiah in the words of the Book of Lamentation.
C)For over 40 years he preached to
1) Sometimes I want to complain – feel like my
message is not being heard
D)40 Yrs He
preached, prayed and prophesied and ended up in jail.
1)All of this without ONE
convert. He wept over the end of
Daniel and Ezekiel were alive at this
time too.
A)Daniel had already been
carried away into
God would prosper him – gave
him a position of influence { Influenced Kings Neb / Darius / Later Cyrus
B)But he did NOT have it easy.
1)He was thrown into the
lion’s den, faced the sentence of death and all sorts of other precarious predicaments.
C)Ezekiel on the other had did NOT have a ministry to the politicians.
1)But he did have a ministry
to the people
He too prophesied and preached and
prayed.
A)He had a tough
ministry. In order to declare his message, he had to lay in his side in the
streets for 340 days.
B)The Lord was into giving
ILLUSTRATIVE sermons in order to drive home the point of His prophecies.
C)God had Ezekiel put his underwear (tunic) under a
rock near the river, and
then a year later go retrieve them
and put them on and walk
around in them.....
D)He had Ezekiel eat cow dung, He had
him cut his
hair and burn it.
E)These are the
ways that the Lord had Ezekiel preach
in order that the people would grasp the
message.
1)Shock Value – grab attention –
There are a lot of Crazy things being done today / shock value
F)Difference is God directed
Ezra to do these things
1)Today – pp being weird –
trendy / read in a book
G)Infact I’m sure the other
prophets were saying I am sure Glad I am not Ezekiel
1)No one was trying to
immolate his ministry!
Why were the pp carried away into
A)Idolatry: Saw in 2 Kings –
B)The pp were CONTINUALLY seduced into the worship of idols.
C)Note: DON’T think that these people were so stupid as to worship
little carved images.
1)These images represented life styles.
D)They kept on finding
themselves sucked into the lifestyle of intellectualism, sensual living,
materialism. 1)Each of these lifestyles were motivated by demonic entities –
appealed to the lust of the flesh/ eyes Pride…
E)The Pp of God kept getting
sucked into these idolatrous demonic life styles – living for the flesh
So what does God
do? He sends them for 70yrs Babylon which was the CENTER of all false
religions.
A)It was there that many of them got burned out on idols.
B)As a nation they would
NEVER again fall into idolatry after their time in captivity within the center
of false religions.
C)In
1)Throw him out – turn him
over to Satan for the destruction of His flesh that His soul might be saved.
D)Let
him live after those desires until he burns out on
that lifestyle.
1)Let Satan destroy his
flesh so that his spirit might be
saved.
Sometimes that NEEDS to happen. The Lord
allows
one of his people to be turned over to
Satan.
A)The flesh gets eaten up and destroyed.
B)NOTE: The purpose is not ex-communication. It is
restoration. It is to see them brought back to the Lord.
1)THAT is what is happening
here. After this 70 years in
C)They were cured of it in
The
SECOND reason for their captivity is that they had ignored the Sabbath year.
A)Every 7th year they were
to let the land rest.
B)But they thought that it
was a waste to not work the land for a year.
1)They
refused to let it rest for the purpose of more profit.
C)For 490 years they ignored the Sabbath year.
1)God
was keeping score. God said: You owe Me
70 years.
2)
So The land will get it’s 70 years rest while you are in
D)APPLICATION: “You NEVER cheat God. He will ALWAYS get what is His.”
So these were the TWO
reasons for their captivity
Ezra,
Nehemiah, and Esther. They complete the list of
the 17 historical books of the Old Testament.
A)They
belong together as they are the three books which record God’s dealings with
the Jews AFTER they went into captivity.
B)Ezra
and Nehemiah deal with the REMNANT which returned to
(Ezra
= Temple/Neh. = Walls)
C)While the book
of Esther deals with those who stayed on in the land of their captivity.
D)There
are three prophetic books that coincide with these three historical books -
Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, because these were the three prophets raised up
by God during the post-exile period.
NOTE:
Historic changes had also taken place during their captivity
A)
B)The Jews fared quite well
under the Persians. Prospered in
1)Not
allowed to own land – but they were not slaves – they owned houses – started
Business
C)God was going to use this King Cyrus
RD
V.1
The Lord stirred up the heart of Cyrus the King of
A)Daniel’s Role In The
Return
In
B)Daniel
confesses their sin.
C)Daniel
was a Godly man. he did NOT congratulate himself on his Godliness or criticize
others for their weakness.
1)He
confessed the sins of the people, and included himself.
D)He was a man who knew the
Scriptures. he has read the prophecies of Jeremiah.
E)It would seem that Daniel
informed Cyrus of the events foretold by the prophets.
See Isaiah Prophesied in
Thus says the
LORD, your Redeemer,
And He who
formed you from the womb:
"I am the LORD,
who makes all things,
Who stretches
out the heavens all alone,
Who spreads
abroad the earth by Myself;
25 Who
frustrates the signs of the babblers,
And drives
diviners mad;
Who turns wise
men backward,
And makes their
knowledge foolishness;
26 Who confirms
the word of His servant,
And performs
the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to
To the cities
of
And I will
raise up her waste places;
27 Who says to
the deep, 'Be dry!
And I will dry
up your rivers';
28 Who says of
Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd,
And he shall
perform all My pleasure,
Saying to
And to the
temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."'
This
is INCREDIBLE
A)Can
you picture Daniel going up to Cyrus and telling him: “Hey, did you know that
you’re in the Bible?
B)170
years ago one of our prophets spoke of you by name and how you would conquer
the Babylonians
1)and
how you would command them to go back into the land and rebuild the
C)The Lord says to Cyrus –
You may not Know me but I know you and have Chosen you.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you;
Before you were
born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
D)He
Knew Jeremiah – Prophet – Cyrus – He knew you
“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before Him in love,”
Chosen for a Particular Work
–
This
was the work God ordained for Cyrus – Vessel used to Fulfill
Cyrus
was going to be God’s vessel. God stirs Cyrus’s heart but He is not a puppet
A)He had to Choose to obey
and respond to that Calling – just like you and me.
3 Who 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 build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is
God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he
dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and
livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in
Now
there were about 2 Million Jews living at this time in Jerusalem – we are going
to see that a group of around 50,000 respond to this call from the King
Returned in two phases:
It
BEGAN under Zerubbabel in the first year of Cyrus (536 BC) and it was COMPLETED
80 years later under Ezra in the 7th
year of Artexerxes (456 BC)
This
provides for us the 2 main sections of the Book.
1.)
The return under Zerubbabel 1-6
2.)
The return under
We
need to bear in mind the fact that Ezra is NOT the principle character in the account
Ezra
is the leader of the the 2nd expedition, but the REAL leader of the remnant is
Zerubbabel, 80 years before.
A)It is Zerubbable who is
the chief administer of affairs when the remnant came to
B)We won’t even meet Ezra until
Ch.7
C) So the book divides into
two sections
1)The
first section deals with the RESTORATION of the
The second section deals with the REFORMATION of the PEOPLE E
The
first section deals with REBUILDING and CONSTRUCTION Z
The second section deals with REVIVAL and INSTRUCTION E.
Ch.1-6
Zerubb. These Chapters of the book also deal with specific subject matter.
I.
The return under Zerubbabel (1-6)
Ch.1
- The king proclaiming
Ch.2-3
- The people reclaiming
(Ch.2
Their genealogy / Ch.3 their theology.)
Ch.4
- The enemy defaming
Ch.5-6
- The Lord sustaining
(ch.5
Prophetically, ch.6 politically)
So
Verses 1-4 we see the proclamation of the King – Next we see who responded. Rd
v.5
“Then the heads of the fathers' houses of
Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God
had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the LORD which is in
Jerusalem.”
Ch.2:64-65 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred
and sixty, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven
thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred men and women
singers.
So
the final # of males/ females and servants were 49,697
A)Out of national total of 2
million that is a remnant.
So the call
goes to all out and the Lord is moving on hearts of all
A)But Out of 2 million only
about 50,000 respond.
B)What was the problem? 3 things
One
was age:
A)During the 70 yrs of
Captivity most of the older generation had died off.
1)Those
who didn’t were too old to make the Journey.
B)Think about if a young
person was 10 yrs old before the captivity
1)Old enough to remember the
old
E)Talking a 900
mile journey thru barren desert
#2
Detachment: A whole 2nd generation had grown up in
A)That was the place of
their fore fathers – heard stories
B)The faith of their fathers
wasn’t as real to them
C)Problem with young pp – 2nd
generation believers
1)Pray – faith would become
real –
D)Grown up in the Church –
pray for our youth Pastors – Home groups
Notice
verse 5 this group of priest and Levites who respond – Kept their lineage
A)Even though they have
never sacrificed a sacrifice in their lives
B)Never slit the throat of a
lamb – but they are priest
1)They have Levi genes
C)Pp who have maintained
their identity and their calling even though they had yet to function in the calling
that God had ordained for them
D) Jesus started at 30
#3
Comfort
A)They were doing well in
What
was waiting for them was a 900 mile journey thru barren desert that would take
4 months
A)What is waiting for them
in
So there was no great pull
on their hearts
B)Relate – Children’s
ministry – Prayer meeting
B) We can relate - Except
God was moving on their hearts –
1)Problem most were too
comfortable to respond.
C)This is they way that God
still works – He moves on our hearts – do something –
1)Respond to a call
D) My life was Baseball –
God moved on my heart to quit – Ministry
1)But what if I hadn’t
responded – Listen God wasn’t going to force me to be a Pastor.
E)Even though I don’t feel qualified
– I am grateful
1) But I had to respond.
Reason
some don’t see God move in their lives they never respond – Play it safe.
A) I wander what the Church
would be and do if Christians were responding to God’s call
A)Share
their faith with …….
B)Give to His work
1)Go on the mission field
/ V.6 interesting
6
And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and
gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly
offered.
A)Those who didn’t go
willingly supplied the ones who did.
B)Missions happens – can’t
all go –
C)Notice what happens
next: RD v.7,8
Now
this was another name for Zerrubbabel
A)Chaldean name – both names
are interesting I think tell us something of his Character.
B)Tremendous insight for how
we are to live in this world as believers
Shesshbazzar = Joy in
affliction
Zerrubbabel= a Stranger in
So
here is this Kid born in
A)Zerrubbabel – they no
doubt were godly pp who wanted him to grow up knowing – this is not your home
B)Stranger in
Wiersbe: A Vagabond is someone who doesn’t have a
home - A pilgrim is someone who has left his home - sojourner someone who is
going home .
This world not our Home - pilgrims & sojourners who are Just
Passing through !
So
his Parents name him Zerrubbabel – Stranger in
A)But he is the kind of
person who is making the most of life – enjoying life
B)Pleasant to be around – so
the Babylonians name him Shesshbazzar – Joy in affliction
1)The guy isn’t complaining
– not a pain
C)Kid to a donkey – you must
be a Christian you look just like my grandpa
D)Complain about
the election candidates –
Complain about the economy –
Complain about the Schools –
E)Waiting for Jesus – camp
out – Lord come quickly
F)In the meantime – Do
business –
1)In everything rejoice –
RD V.9-11
This
is interesting to me the Lord keeps track of the vessels of the temple –
vessels used for Sacrifice.
A)If there is going to be a
Restoration – the first step back is always going to be back to
B)First step is always back
to the altar where the blood flowed
C)This is a remarkable
process as we follow it thru the OT there is always a push back to the altar
Jacob going back
to
A)Elijah calling the nation
on MT
B) Fire comes down –
C)Josiah take the throne and
institutes the greatest Passover celebration the nation had ever known.
1)Back to the altar – 41,500
sacrifices - these 29 knives were
probably used to slit throats
D)Always a going back to the
altar – we will see the same thing here in Ezra –
I
think that if there is going to be a Revival in my heart / your heart/ this
Church /
A)It will initially involve
getting back to the altar
B)Back
to Christ Crucified and risen from the dead.
1)Back to a place in our
hearts where they are moved by the reality of the cross
C)Not just something we know
as good theology –
1)Or we know academically
But
that which moves us – deeply when we think on and realize how tremendous our
sin was that Christ died for.
A)So great that God would
have to send His son to die in our place
B)How tremendous the loss
was that He would give up His son
1)To watch His only begotten
son suffer and restrain Himself
C)I think there is a need
for the message of the cross to capture our hearts again
1) Back to our first love
D) 1st step to
revival