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In the series that we are currently in, “REVIVAL,” we will be looking at the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah from a 30,000 foot view.  Our main goal for this particular study is to help us see the Big Picture of what GOD is doing in these two books, which means we won’t be teaching through every chapter and every verse when we gather on Sundays.  However, GOD has given us the entirety of the Bible because he desires to reveal himself through every written word.  We’ve decided to supplement the teachings on Sunday by filling in the gaps which we don’t cover with blogs/online teaching so as to give us not only the Big Picture of what GOD is doing, but also give us the complete understanding of the books.

This Sunday, we will be concentrating on Ezra 7, but before we venture there, its important for us to understand what has transpired in Ezra chapters 4-6.

If you’ll remember where we are in the story, the people of GOD had a door opened to leave exile in Babylon and to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1).  Upon returning, they see Jerusalem has been destroyed.  Their first undertaking is to rebuild the altar and then lay the foundation of the temple (Ezra 3).  The pursuit of GOD for his people, His desire to be in relationship once again and His stirring their hearts for more of Him have been the major themes we’ve seen so far in this story.

Ezra 4-6 (I would encourage you before reading any further, to stop and read these chapters.)  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra%204-6&version=TNIV

Summary and Brief Commentary

While the Jews continued to build on the foundation of the temple, they encountered many enemies along the way.  It may seem that their response was both harsh and unnecessary in 4:3,4, when their neighbors offered to help them rebuild.  It’s important to remember though, that they came with impure motives and not actually to help, for although they seemed kind, they were indeed enemies, not ultimately wishing to help, but to destroy.

The People of GOD encountered all kinds of opposition such as this and it eventually led to a standstill in rebuilding the temple.  (It needs to be noted that Chapter 4:6-23 does not flow in chronological order with the rest of the chapter.  Here are the Kings and the dates which they reigned in Persia: Cyrus (559-530) Cambyses II (530-522) Darius I (522–486) Xerxes (486–465) and Artaxerxes I (464–423)).  If you notice, in 4:6-23, the Kings: Xerses and Artaxerses are mentioned as the ones in power, while in 4:1-5 it is Cyrus and Darius that are mentioned.  Ezra, the author of the book, simply inserts this story that takes place 100 years further down the road to demonstrate the consistent opposition the people of GOD faced, not only when they first moved back to Jerusalem, but for a long time after settling back in the land.

The people of GOD, because of opposition, stopped building the temple and actually went 16 years without even picking up a hammer to work on it  (from 536-520 BC).  GOD spoke to and through two men, Haggai and Zechariah, to convince His people to start building again, despite opposition that still remained around them.  The exact words which GOD spoke are in Haggai 1-2:9  and Zechariah 8:9-23.

Moving along in Chapters 5 and 6, a couple of government officials came upon the temple being built and sent a letter to Darius seeking his counsel.  It was in fact their job to go throughout the land and make sure peace, order and devotion to the Persian King were all in effect.  Darius read the letter, consulted the history books and found that the Jews were only doing what King Cyrus, the former King, had commanded them to do.  Seeking to keep continuity with the previous king’s commands, Darius gave his full support to the rebuilding of the temple and even provided full funding as well as the offerings (animals, grain, salt, etc) to be made in the temple once it was completed so as to receive GOD’s favor.

The temple did eventually get rebuilt and the people celebrated well!  They even reinstated a key day of worship in their history, Passover.  They were well on their way to being a nation under GOD once again.

Implications

GOD is in absolute control and when GOD promises, he makes it happen, no matter what or who tries to stop him.  It was GOD who spoke that there would be a temple again in Jerusalem, a place where he would dwell and where the nations would come to him.  Though sinful enemies, powerful kings and fearful people were what stood in between GOD and His desire to be in His holy temple once again, nothing stopped him.  GOD alone and his words can be trusted.  Time and time again in scripture we see GOD staying true to his words, to his promises and never failing to keep them.  It is GOD that can be trusted.  We trust him with our future.  We trust him with our present.  We trust him with all of our hearts, knowing that he never fails.  And even when we can’t seem to see how GOD will come through for us, when literally everything is going against us, we refuse to be like the people in Ezra and stop believing and working towards the promises and the heart of GOD.

GOD uses people to accomplish his dreams, his plans, his desires.  Cyrus and Darius are two  of these people we see GOD using in a magnificent way.  I bet their attendants and their families thought they were absolutely crazy for not only supporting the Jews in their desire to return and rebuild Jerusalem, but also for footing the bill.  GOD was using them to do something great: to rebuild not only the city and temple which GOD would dwell in, but also to help in rebuilding the people.  Wouldn’t it be great to not only know that GOD is using us, but to tangibly see how GOD is using us to accomplish his great plans?  Don’t you want your life to count for more than just getting married and having kids and buying a house and retiring?  Don’t you want to USE YOUR LIFE for something great?  For something eternal?  Don’t you want to be one of the people GOD uses to build his church?  Wouldn’t that be an awesome way to live?  Wouldn’t that be an awesome story for your grandchildren to hear about you?

Jesus

One of the most beautiful things about the Bible is that it points us to Jesus.  While the New Testament (Matthew-Revelation) explicitly names Jesus and shows us his love, his divine nature, his sovereignty and all of the other wonderful aspects about him, the Old Testament (Genesis-Malachi) makes references to, helps us anticipate and foreshadows Him.  Since Jesus is the one that we want, we need and that we are made for, its particularly important that we understand that the entire Bible is about Jesus.

In John 2, Jesus correctly proclaimed that his body was the temple, that after three days he would raise it again from the dead.  The irony in his statement is that he was standing in the temple while making this claim.  The Jews who were in conversation with him thought Jesus was talking about the physical temple, where they believed the presence of GOD was.  But, what Jesus was teaching them was that the presence of GOD was no longer going to be in the temple, now that he had come to earth.   Because the fullness of the presence of GOD rested in him (Colossians 1:19), there was no longer a need for a temple.

Our story in Ezra 4-6 has a lot to say about the temple in Jerusalem, in fact, it seems almost as if the temple is the point of the story.  Notice all of the times it is referenced.  And what we know about the temple is that it wasn’t the temple itself that was special, what made it so central, so wonderful was that GOD chose to be there.  It was the presence of Almighty, Sovereign, Faithful, Holy, Just, Compassionate GOD that made it special.  GOD was helping his people see, he was conditioning them so that when they wanted to go and be with GOD, when they wanted to get right with GOD, when they needed forgiveness or strength or wisdom or an answer, whenever they wanted to be with GOD, the place they would go was the temple.  And there wasn’t a temple in every city or in every country, there was one temple in Jerusalem, where all of the people of GOD would go.  This was a foreshadow to Jesus.  The only way to GOD, the only way to be right with GOD, the only way to obtain forgiveness and mercy and strength and grace and wisdom and discernment was through the new temple, Jesus.  There aren’t one hundred ways to GOD.  There aren’t prophets or temples or teachings or behavior modification that make you right with GOD, Jesus is the only way.

The Passover was also something significant that took place at the end of Ezra 6.  The Passover was a night when the people of GOD would sacrifice a lamb, eat the meat and celebrate by remembering when GOD brought their ancestors out of slavery in Egypt.  On the first Passover, GOD commanded all of the Israelites to take some of the lamb’s blood and put it on their doorposts, so when GOD passed through, the ones that were marked with blood would be passed over, while the ones that weren’t would be dealt with for not aligning themselves in the commands of GOD, which lead to life.  Jesus is our passover lamb.  The ones that accept the words of GOD chose Jesus and allow his blood to mark their lives.  They participate in what GOD has commanded by aligning themselves with Jesus.  And his blood is what saves.

Sending

I do hope and pray that we come to see the greatness of GOD in this story and that it leads us to action.  I hope that we see the presence of Jesus and our desperate condition without him.  And I hope that we, as people made in his very image, allow him to use us to accomplish his great work.

Might we have the courage to be the people of GOD.

Jesus, you are with us always and we are grateful and satisfied in you.  Amen.