Ezra: The Right Man at the Right Time. Pt. 10 A joyous journey takes an unexpected turn.
Good morning to each Reader and I hope it is a joyous day for each one of you.
Please pray that our wonderful God and Savior Jesus Christ will continue to help this Bible study blog reach into the world carrying the light of His Truth to those who need it the most. I am grateful to each of you who share this blog with others or who are using it in your own circle of family and friends to understand what God is saying to us. May He be pleased with our response to His word.
Ezra discharges his duties with honesty and carefulness
Ezra faithfully completes his duties with scrupulous care. The trip was made and God protected them from robbers and murderers along the way. We see that special phrase "the hand of our God was upon us" as Ezra gives glory to Jehovah for their safety.
It took the group 3 days to settle in at Jerusalem and on the 4th day Ezra had all the silver, vessels and other items associated with the Temple transferred to the chief priests and elders at Jerusalem.
All the people in the group led by Ezra to Jerusalem, offered burnt offerings according to the law in honor to Jehovah. The last thing that needed to be done was to deliver the formal decree of Artaxerxes to the king's lieutenants and governors. Ezra did this and they immediately helped the Temple project go forward.
The text says "they furthered the people and the house of God." The word "furthered" means to lift or carry away, to give assistance or aid. The will of God was completed and He used a pagan king, hostile politicians, a dedicated remnant and a faithful priest and scribe name Ezra for His glory.
Ezra 8:31-36 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. 32 And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. 33 Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; 34 By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time. 35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD. 36 And they delivered the king’s commissions unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.
Sin in the camp must be deal with before we can move forward with Jehovah
Something is going to grab Ezra's attention because it is a sin issue.
I am reminded of Joshua's great victory at Jericho followed by a stunning defeat at Ai caused by sin in the camp. A man named Achan had taken gold, silver and some other items that Jehovah said should be destroyed.
Achan hid his plunder and God brought it to light so that his sin could be judged. This account is found in Joshua 7. Joshua confronted Achan about his sin and he confessed. However, God told Joshua to have Achan stoned to death for his sin.
Joshua 7:19-21 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
The Jews already at Jerusalem had defiled themselves.
After the flurry of activity had runs its course some of the princes approached Ezra. A prince could be a judge or an administrator in addition to being royalty. They identified a huge sin issue that Ezra would have to deal with or else they would incur Divine Wrath for their transgressions.
First, the princes said that the Jewish people had not separated themselves from many pagan people who used to possess Canaan prior to Israel taking it under Joshua. The Jews had intermarried with the pagan people around them and this was something that God specifically warned them not to do.
Second, the men who came to Ezra alerted him to the fact that the princes and rulers were leading the way in doing those sins. The princes and rulers should have led the people by setting a good example of obeying the scriptures. Instead, they fell into great immorality that threatened to ruin their fresh start with Jehovah.
Ezra 9:1-2 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
Ezra humbled himself before God because the people had sinned
I have remarked about the Godly character and integrity that Ezra had came from his constant study of God's word. He has been very thorough in leading people by example. He began this journey with prayer and fasting and his honesty was evident in how he handled those things of great value.
Era did not commit this sin but his reaction was one of great care for the Holiness of God and making sure His name is not blasphemed by what the people have done. Therefore Ezra tore his garments, plucked hair off his head and pulled out his beard.
Ezra sat down astonished. He was appalled, stunned and stupefied by their transgressions. He was angry for the sins against God, he was deeply afflicted for the people and full of heavy grief. Other men who trembled at the Word of God realized the gravity of the sins that had been committed and came to sit with Ezra.
Ezra 9:3-4 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.
A grief stricken prayer from a tenderhearted scribe
Ezra 9:5-15 contains the prayer of Ezra. This humble man fell down before the Lord of glory and spread out his hands toward heaven and confessed the people's sins to Jehovah and confessed that the nation had done wickedly in pursuing idolatry.
Ezra said God was right to judge them for their sins and that they deserved being sent into captivity. Ezra had planned to help the people be restored into their covenant relationship with Jehovah. Now he was deeply impacted by their sins.
Ezra 9:5-7 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God, And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
Ezra earnestly interceded with Jehovah for the people. He reviewed their present situation where all things regarding rebuilding the Temple and the Holy City are moving in the right direction. Ezra acknowledged the grace of God in preserving His people for 70 years and then arranging for their return from Babylonia.
Ezra speaks of the grace and mercy God gave the people to bring them home again
Ezra declared that the grace of God that liberated them was to "give them a nail in His holy place." Ezra begged the Lord to remember that they were excited and passionate about coming home to rebuild the Temple. He knew that Jehovah wanted to lighten their eyes. This is the idea of teaching them the Word of God because they were in great ignorance of its truths.
Ezra ends this part of his prayer with his heart grief stricken because they forsook His commandments. God gave them a nail in His holy place. God extended grace to the people. God revived them and helped them rebuild His Temple. But the people sinned.
Ezra 9:8-9 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
Ezra concludes his prayer by expressing his helplessness and dependency upon God for help
Ezra ends his prayer saying that Jehovah is justified to be angry with them and to utterly destroy them for their transgressions. He brings out their dilemma of standing before Him in sin and unable to do anything about it. We have read of the excellent moral character of Ezra but he is really laid low by the sins against a holy and gracious God.
Ezra 9:14-15 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.
Points to Ponder....
Please pray that our wonderful God and Savior Jesus Christ will continue to help this Bible study blog reach into the world carrying the light of His Truth to those who need it the most. I am grateful to each of you who share this blog with others or who are using it in your own circle of family and friends to understand what God is saying to us. May He be pleased with our response to His word.
Ezra discharges his duties with honesty and carefulness
Ezra faithfully completes his duties with scrupulous care. The trip was made and God protected them from robbers and murderers along the way. We see that special phrase "the hand of our God was upon us" as Ezra gives glory to Jehovah for their safety.
It took the group 3 days to settle in at Jerusalem and on the 4th day Ezra had all the silver, vessels and other items associated with the Temple transferred to the chief priests and elders at Jerusalem.
All the people in the group led by Ezra to Jerusalem, offered burnt offerings according to the law in honor to Jehovah. The last thing that needed to be done was to deliver the formal decree of Artaxerxes to the king's lieutenants and governors. Ezra did this and they immediately helped the Temple project go forward.
The text says "they furthered the people and the house of God." The word "furthered" means to lift or carry away, to give assistance or aid. The will of God was completed and He used a pagan king, hostile politicians, a dedicated remnant and a faithful priest and scribe name Ezra for His glory.
Ezra 8:31-36 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. 32 And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. 33 Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; 34 By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time. 35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD. 36 And they delivered the king’s commissions unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.
Sin in the camp must be deal with before we can move forward with Jehovah
Something is going to grab Ezra's attention because it is a sin issue.
I am reminded of Joshua's great victory at Jericho followed by a stunning defeat at Ai caused by sin in the camp. A man named Achan had taken gold, silver and some other items that Jehovah said should be destroyed.
Achan hid his plunder and God brought it to light so that his sin could be judged. This account is found in Joshua 7. Joshua confronted Achan about his sin and he confessed. However, God told Joshua to have Achan stoned to death for his sin.
Joshua 7:19-21 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
The Jews already at Jerusalem had defiled themselves.
After the flurry of activity had runs its course some of the princes approached Ezra. A prince could be a judge or an administrator in addition to being royalty. They identified a huge sin issue that Ezra would have to deal with or else they would incur Divine Wrath for their transgressions.
First, the princes said that the Jewish people had not separated themselves from many pagan people who used to possess Canaan prior to Israel taking it under Joshua. The Jews had intermarried with the pagan people around them and this was something that God specifically warned them not to do.
Second, the men who came to Ezra alerted him to the fact that the princes and rulers were leading the way in doing those sins. The princes and rulers should have led the people by setting a good example of obeying the scriptures. Instead, they fell into great immorality that threatened to ruin their fresh start with Jehovah.
Ezra 9:1-2 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
Ezra humbled himself before God because the people had sinned
I have remarked about the Godly character and integrity that Ezra had came from his constant study of God's word. He has been very thorough in leading people by example. He began this journey with prayer and fasting and his honesty was evident in how he handled those things of great value.
Era did not commit this sin but his reaction was one of great care for the Holiness of God and making sure His name is not blasphemed by what the people have done. Therefore Ezra tore his garments, plucked hair off his head and pulled out his beard.
Ezra sat down astonished. He was appalled, stunned and stupefied by their transgressions. He was angry for the sins against God, he was deeply afflicted for the people and full of heavy grief. Other men who trembled at the Word of God realized the gravity of the sins that had been committed and came to sit with Ezra.
Ezra 9:3-4 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.
A grief stricken prayer from a tenderhearted scribe
Ezra 9:5-15 contains the prayer of Ezra. This humble man fell down before the Lord of glory and spread out his hands toward heaven and confessed the people's sins to Jehovah and confessed that the nation had done wickedly in pursuing idolatry.
Ezra said God was right to judge them for their sins and that they deserved being sent into captivity. Ezra had planned to help the people be restored into their covenant relationship with Jehovah. Now he was deeply impacted by their sins.
Ezra 9:5-7 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God, And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
Ezra earnestly interceded with Jehovah for the people. He reviewed their present situation where all things regarding rebuilding the Temple and the Holy City are moving in the right direction. Ezra acknowledged the grace of God in preserving His people for 70 years and then arranging for their return from Babylonia.
Ezra speaks of the grace and mercy God gave the people to bring them home again
Ezra declared that the grace of God that liberated them was to "give them a nail in His holy place." Ezra begged the Lord to remember that they were excited and passionate about coming home to rebuild the Temple. He knew that Jehovah wanted to lighten their eyes. This is the idea of teaching them the Word of God because they were in great ignorance of its truths.
Ezra ends this part of his prayer with his heart grief stricken because they forsook His commandments. God gave them a nail in His holy place. God extended grace to the people. God revived them and helped them rebuild His Temple. But the people sinned.
Ezra 9:8-9 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
Ezra concludes his prayer by expressing his helplessness and dependency upon God for help
Ezra ends his prayer saying that Jehovah is justified to be angry with them and to utterly destroy them for their transgressions. He brings out their dilemma of standing before Him in sin and unable to do anything about it. We have read of the excellent moral character of Ezra but he is really laid low by the sins against a holy and gracious God.
Ezra 9:14-15 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.
Points to Ponder....
- Even when we personally do things well, trials or troubles may enter our lives.
- It seems Ezra's calling to teach the people God's truth was in jeopardy and he was caught up in troubles that he was not directly involved in.
- Sin in the camp of our church or in our homes must be dealt with before God.
- We must seek to understand the situation and lay it out before Jehovah.
- We can speak God's truth back to Him while we pray as Ezra did.
- We can trust our Lord to show us what needs to be done. we are depending upon the God of Grace and Mercy to help us because we cannot fix the sin problem.
- In all of the Ezra sought to honor the Lord and obey His word. This is a good pattern for us to follow.
The book of Ezra only has one more chapter. Ezra was a good man whose steps were ordered by the Lord. He did all things heartily as unto the Lord and he was a ready scribe always willing to help others enter into the salvation God provided.
Sometimes our plans may be disrupted or redirected by events or people that we are powerless to do anything about. In the next chapter we are going to see how God begins to work this out for their good and His glory.
May our Gracious Lord grant us faith enough to follow Him no matter what problems arise or what hardships come our way or whether someone else's actions impact us. Not one thing ever catches Jehovah off guard. He already knows what the source of our troubles are and what must be done before we cry out to Him.
May we follow Ezra's example and live for the glory of God even when adversity strikes.
Bob
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