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)Writing them to encourage them to keep their hearts in step with the
Lord
1)Uses History of
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
D)Ezra is the author but he
is not the main Character infact he doesnt show up until Ch 7
The
Group is led by a man whos name is Zerrubbabel
A)Stranger in
B) Sheshbazzar
Chaldean name = Joy in Affliction
1)Great Witness
C)So much so he becomes
recognized as a leader and King Cyrus commissions him to lead the charge!
D)Last time we noted the
book could be divided this way!
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)
Tonight
Ch.2-3 The people reclaiming first Genealogy / Ch.3 Their theology
Now these are
the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had
been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to
Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.
2 Those who
came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, He is Notable
in this group for he was the high priest, He was an important part of the
leadership of the remnant and served at the side of Zerubbabel the governor.
Also Nehemiah,
Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai
How
many returned? Just under 50,000 out of how many? Close to 2 million.
A)They would be joined by an
even smaller # - the remnant left in
V.2-35
gives a listing of the families returning the family names!
A)We can look at this and
think why is this here why waste the ink why fill up a page.
B) 3 Reasons #1 Reminds us pp are important to God so much so that he
records names not #s
1)Not
multitudes/ but names/ families
C)Most important list of
names is the lambs book of life.
#2
Important for reclaiming their land they had to
be able to trace their lineage what family they belonged to. { Land by family or name
#3
Practical for re-gathering. Who was there?
A)Think of it is this way:
Suppose part of SD was hit by a Nuclear weapon
B)Part of down town was
wiped out but because of Radiation everyone living this side of
C)Some go east to
1)Northwest
D) All of
After
50 yrs those who want to can come back come relocate come back to what is
left of their homes
A)A list like this would be
important beneficial who came back
B) Salvatos came back
Hills came back
1)Eddie and Dawn are long
gone dead Rob and Denise are gone
C)But Amanda comes back she is now 62 yrs old
Look up Emma and Bella /
Ethan and Austin
1)See how they are doing
meet their families
D)That is the scene here
This list would be important for that reason as well
1)See who came back who
are the Pastors and leaders
E)Coming back to rebuild a
temple reestablish worship{ So who are the spiritual leaders
2-35 Family names
V.36-39 Priest
v.40-54 Levites
Divided
into Singers{ just traveled 900 miles
4mths no ipods need some singers in the group
Gatekeepers and Servants
V.43
Mentions the Nethinim theses were not Levites but servants of the Levites
A)The Nethinim were descendants
of the Gideonites tricked Joshua
recall came from far
B)Allowed to Dwell they
were servants
1)Seemed over time that a
group of them began to serve the Levites became known
as the Nethinim
C)Grace: They could Serve in
the things of the Lord!
V.55-60 Similar group The children of Solomons servants: Most believe that these
were those employed by Solomon who came from other people groups.
They
came into
RD V. 61-63
So here is a
group of men who claimed to be from the Priestly line/ problem no genealogy
record to support
A)Not going to let them serve as priest unless they can prove that
because they would be defiled
B)Zerub the Gov says hold tight
until we find the Urim and Thummin
C)Stones that were a part of the High Priest Breastplate change
colors
1)It was a way in the OT God honored the sincerity of their heart in
seeking him
D)So Zerub says lets wait: Imagine how disappointing that must have
been
These young men
who have grown up their whole lives being told from the Priestly line
A)hearing the stories of the Priest their duties in the temple in
B) Longing to be a part of that Signing up to take the Journey traveling 900 miles
1)4 months thinking now I am going to get to do what I was created to
do
C)Only to have this set back And we are never told what the outcome
was of this.
D)If any of them were allowed to serve or not!
Not only that but
the Priest had no inheritance in the land God was their inheritance
A)Didnt own land they lived in Priestly cities
B)They were taken care of thru the offerings
C) So not only were these men not being able to be priest but
essentially it would render them homeless unless they found the Genealogy
D)Commend Zerub / and others who
were willing to do what was right before the Lord even though it was a hard call RD
64-70
So
V.1 And when the seventh month had come, and the children
of
The seventh month would be
Tishri, our SeptemberOctober, a month very sacred to the Jews
It
opened with the Feast of Trumpets;
the Day of Atonement was on the tenth day;
and from the fifteenth to
the twenty-first, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles.
Gathered
at the temple site
A)They are in a proper place.... the temple site: Lying in ruins
stood there and looked
Gathered as one man!
B) They were unified Unity and power are related
1)Psalm 133:1 Behold how
good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell
. in unity.
C)Acts 2 Gathered as one in the Upper room HS fell!
D) God blesses Unity pours
out his spirit
1)Disunity quenches the Spirit of God.
E)So they were gathered as
one man!
RD V.2-4
Notice
the Phrase twice v.2 / V.4 As it is written
A)Getting back to basics
back to the Bible!
B)First thing they do is to
gather stones to build and altar.
1)Something is being reborn
in the hearts of the pp
C)Notice where is starts
it starts with Gods word and Gods Altar
Weather
it is a nation / a Church / an individual
A)When coming back to our
foundations back to beginnings always
Gods word / Gods altar
B)The
place of shedding of Blood for us it is the Cross back to our 1st
love
1)Back to the Cross where
the Blood of Jesus flowed for us.
C)Notice also that they
offered burnt offerings
1)Offering of Consecration
recommitment
D) Lord we do not want to be
carried away again
1)No more idolatry there
wasnt in their history
They were cured of that
E)There would be dead
Pharisees but never idolatry again
F)Burnt offerings
consecrating themselves hearts right
Celebrating
the feast of Tabernacles again going back remembering the Exodus
A)Tabernacled in the Wilderness
God blessed them God delivered them.
B)Out in Booths out in
tents under stars talking to their kids
C)A time of going back
reclaiming what had been lost!
RD V.5-6
So
they are at that place where God had ordained for man to meet with Him!
A)It is not that the God
needed a place to meet with the Pp but the pp needed a place to meet w/ God
B)So God prescribed the
place and the means thru Sacrifice shedding of Blood
1)All a picture not pointing to a place where God would meet with man but to the Person Jesus
Gods son and his sacrifice!
C)The center of it all is
not the Building but it is the altar
1)The altar that makes it
all make sense having meaning and purpose
D)Blood shed Cross makes
it all make sense
1)God commands Jesus
fulfilled
Gods wrath Jesus Bore {
Gods grace He bestow
D)Not about Buildings it is about Jesus about
bringing pp to Jesus
1)About pp communing growing
in Jesus
7 They also gave money to
the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of
C)Another example of Biblical
Building project
1)Pp Giving supplying as
part of worship
D)Outside help Cyrus had
arranged with the Sidonians supply cedar logs
RD v.8 Now
in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at
Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the
rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come
out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from
twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the LORD.
So two yrs have
elapsed from the time where they have come back to actually building.
A)Delayed was probably
caused by the cleansing of the temple area / gathering of materials &
supplies
B)So now the work is
actually beginning!
RD V.9-10
This
is 535 BC exactly 70yrs from the time when the deportation began in 605 BC.
A)So it is exactly 70yrs
just like Jeremiah prophesied
70yrs later they are laying
the foundation stone of the temple again.
B)Encouraging because God
has declared certain thing that will take place in our day.
1)This
encourages us they will happen they will take place
C)God
is faithful to His word prophecy will be fulfilled
1)Jesus is coming
11 And they sang
responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD:
"For He is good, For His mercy
endures forever toward
Then all the
people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the
foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
Worship is a response to who
God is
He has done!
Think
about how many are standing here amazed because they have never dreamed that
they would be standing in
A)How many of those priest
and Levites grew up hearing about Aaron and the other priest
B)Hearing
about the temple the sacrifices the presence of God in that place
1)Never dreaming that they
would have the opportunity to officiate in that place that God had set apart
for His pp to worship Him
C)That place that was set
apart by God that place where fire came down from Heaven on Ornans threshing
floor God sanctifying that place as His own
D)The sanctified place where
His temple would be built and now they were there
1)Standing on that very spot
Altar is built
E)All they can say is God you are Good !
1)You are merciful Your
mercy endures forever!
Here they stand thinking
about David and he set all this up and rejoicing in Gods goodness and mercy!
12 But many of
the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen
the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was
laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people
could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping
of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was
heard afar off.
So
in the midst of the moment there are mixed emotions some shouting /
celebration others the older are weeping.
A)Why were they weeping
first they probably never dreamed this would happen
B)They had seen the first
temple and now it was just a memory tears of joy
1)I cant believe we are
back this is happening again
C)But I also suggest that there
is probably a hint of sorrow as well
The older men knew that his temple would never match up
to the glory of the first.
A)After all, King Solomon spent the modern equivalent of
$5 to $8 billion on building the first temple.
B)They also remembered the horrible end of the first
temple, and these combined with the joy of the restoration to make profound
mixed feelings in the old men.
C)In one way I can relate to
this: I came to Christ in 1973 and in 1974
started attending CCCM
1)That was about 5-6 yrs
into the Jesus people movement that started in 1968{A revival
D)It was still going strong
in 74 so much so that I remember attending CCCM and being blown away
I
was blown away by several things:
A)One how packed it was
how many pp were gathering for a Bible study
B)We had come from a Church
that had larger crowds but it was a circus wild
1) Charismain to the max
always a new twist
C)Going forward for prayer
and being pushed over
1)This is joke 11 yrs old
D)So
glad got to CCCM Pastor Chuck 12 yrs old loved listening to him
1)Those days midweek Thurs /
Youth on Wed
I went to both Parents
took me to youth
E)Thurs I went to the big
Church sat down on the floor pp were Hungry for
the word
1)Pastor Chuck would teach
for at least an hr and pp would eat it up!
Tons
of young pp on the floor with me I was one of the youngest but HS / College
/ Hippies
A)That was the other thing
that blew my mind
B)Hippies and the Suits as
one man ! Love
1)Unity
C)I felt proud to belong to
something so powerful so moving so simple yet
beautiful
1)And Pp were always getting
saved !
Now
I know that we are not supposed to live in the past but I will admit that it
is often hard to not compare
A)I know what a revival
looks like I was a part of it
B)I know what happens when
God is moving on a powerful way.
C)And it is not that I want
to go back but I want to experience that kind of move of God again
1)I long for that dream of
that pray for that!
When pp get excited about
things happening today I get excited too but
there is always a sense in my heart of this is nothing compared to what that
was
There
is a disappointment they is a longing
A)I want my kids to have
that kind of an experience with God { your kids our grand kids
B)I want to see God pour out
His spirit again
C)Even though there are many
wonderful experiences today I long for that
1)Not longing for the old
music the clothes hair styles none of that
D)Just that simple yet
powerful move of God!
1)Sometimes - talk about getting hipper
E)Lord do we really have to
do that I wrestle
So
I can relate to these old guys thinking this is wonderful but it pails in
comparison to what we remember!
A)Joy for the new work but
sorrow in realizing it probably will never be like the old.
So there is a time to
Reclaim
Genealogies
Theologies Back to basics
Consecrate around the altar
Back to the Word