A Blossom Bible Podcast
A Blossom Bible Podcast
Ezra 1-2
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Discover the transformative power of rebuilding worship in your life as we venture through the Book of Ezra's narrative of hope and renewal. Our latest episode unveils a story that connects the ancient restoration of the temple with our modern quest to craft lives that glorify God. We navigate the historical backdrop shaped by prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah, and witness how Cyrus the Great's edict echoed their foretellings, setting the stage for a profound journey back to Jerusalem. With each word, find your heart aligning closer to the divine, as we reveal the temple's true essence — not merely a structure of stone but a living metaphor for our bodies, dedicated temples of the Holy Spirit.
Embark on a quest with Zerubbabel and Jeshua the high priest as they lead the exiles back to Jerusalem, their names etched both in ancient records and the lineage of Jesus. It's a trek through the past that reignites our present, challenging us to face the ebb and flow of spiritual devotion head-on. As we recount the 42,360 souls who sought to lay the foundations of a renewed life of worship, let their numbers inspire you to consider your own path. This episode isn't just history; it's a clarion call to rekindle the joy of salvation and intentionally seek a deeper communion with God, just as the apostle Paul longed to know Him more intimately. Tune in and be moved to find your own place in the ongoing story of worship and dedication.
All right, the book of Ezra, if you found it, and be chapter one. And let's, let's pray, and let's pray, god, thank you again for this time. And so we just consider this book of history. We know that there's plenty of things you want to work into our hearts. Pray that you give us understanding. We've fed our stomachs, god. We just pray that you'd feed our spirits, our souls, and just help us know you more, god, we just lift this time up. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen, amen, all right. Well, the book of Ezra makes a lot of sense, being that we finished up the book of Daniel not that long ago, because the book of Ezra deals with the rebuilding of the temple. You'll remember, there, at the beginning of the book of Daniel, nebuchadnezzar comes in and just levels the place and takes captive all the best from Israel and Judah to Babylon, and the city is destroyed and the temple is destroyed. There's exile for 70 years, as foretold by the prophet Jeremiah, 70 years. And as that time goes by, we see Daniel there in Babylon. He's learning to be a Babylonian, he's being used in government roles, god uses him in a lot of different ways. And then 70 years go by and in Daniel, chapter five, we see the fall of Babylon there as the writing on the wall comes to Nebuchadnezzar's grandson that that night the Medes and the Persians would conquer the Babylonians. And they do. And it fulfills what Jeremiah had said in Jeremiah 29, 10, that 70 years would be determined upon Babylon. And we read there in 2 Chronicles 36, 22,. We will be in Ezra, chapter one, but the history there in 2 Chronicles 36, 22. Now, 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 they made a proclamation throughout all the kingdom. And now that I read that, I think that's actually Ezra, chapter one, verse one. So we could have read it there, I guess. But that's what happens. God fulfills his word through Jeremiah. He fulfills his word through Isaiah, isaiah 44 and 45,. God gives Cyrus's name 150 years before Cyrus is born there in the book of Isaiah, 150 years before Cyrus is born there in the book of Isaiah, he calls him by name so that he would know that God was the one who did it. We'll look at that a little later. But it's Cyrus who sends the people back home to rebuild the temple. So the book of Ezra is going to give us the details on that rebuilding process of the temple. The book of Ezra takes about 80 to 100 years worth of history, so it doesn't seem that long. But we're looking at 80 to 100 years of history, the rebuilding of the temple in just a couple shifts, I guess you could say. First was Zerubbabel and then, through Ezra and Nehemiah, the work of the rebuilding of the temple happens. So that's what we're looking at.
Speaker 1:It's a history book, but it's interesting that it really has some good life application for another subject that we've been considering the last couple weeks this idea of worship. The temple was a place of worship. That makes sense and our lives are in comparison to that. They're lives of worship. We still haven't gotten into Ezra, chapter 1, but let's keep your place here and turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 3. 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, and verse 16. Paul says I'll just read it from here he says do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you? So Paul uses this idea of the temple and he compares it to our lives. Turn, since you're barely getting 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, turn over to chapter 6,. 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, and verse 19 says this Paul says rather clearly here as well Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and you are not your own, for you are bought at a price.
Speaker 1:Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's, which belong to God, is probably a better way to put that. So Paul here makes it pretty clear Our bodies are like the temple of the Holy Spirit. Notice again verse 20,. He says therefore, glorify God in your body. That word glorify, I think, is where we get our idea of a doxology and you're all thinking of that song again. But a doxology, it's a glorifying thing there to God, it's a worship there of God. So Paul kind of puts this idea together for us that, as our bodies are a place of worship, our lives, our lives of worship, and we ought to live them as worship to God because of all he's done for us. Romans 12, 1 would give us the same idea that offering our bodies as a living sacrifice is the kind of worship that makes sense. So it's kind of a neat perspective.
Speaker 1:As we look at the book of Ezra, we see a lot of parallels. Yeah, there's the history and we see through Ezra and Nehemiah those books that kind of go well together. We see the persecution of the people of God doing God's work. We see how they stand, even through that. But we'll also see how our lives can be worship to the Lord. We see a good parallel of that here in the book. Well, let's officially get into the book and that's what I meant to do, verse one Now, 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 the kingdom and also put it in writing, saying Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, all the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, god of heaven, has given me and he has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Speaker 1:Who is among you, of all his people, may his God be with him and let him go to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord, god of Israel. He is God which is in Jerusalem and whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver, gold goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. So, cyrus, here, the Persian king, his heart is stirred and he gives his proclamation to go rebuild the temple. Cyrus was really just trying to kind of bring his empire together. He wanted people to be happy. He wanted people to worship their gods. It was kind of a little bit of a, you know, a little bit of a ploy to get people to work together and be part of this. One thing they were supposed to be happy Was that, yeah, he was trying to make life perfect for them. You know that they wouldn't worry so much that they're under the Persian Empire that they would really appreciate it. And you know there was some practical reasons why he did that. The Babylonians had lost their kingdom because they didn't have the power to do that. But here we see that it was one to fulfill what Jeremiah had said. Jeremiah had said. But two, it was because the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia.
Speaker 1:There, in the middle of verse one, god stirred up Cyrus's spirit and we see kind of an interesting thing there. It was most definitely Cyrus's idea, you could say it was. You know, he had a reason why he sent the people back to rebuild their temple, but it was God who stirred up his spirit. You know, I don't know how that really works. That's one of those free will versus God's sovereignty kind of things.
Speaker 1:But we're told clearly here that God's the one who put it on his heart to do. It stirred up his heart. And that's why I think Paul says in 1 Timothy, chapter 2, says Therefore, I exert first that of all the supplications, prayers and intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. So check it out. Paul here takes this kind of idea and he says well, pray for those Romans in authority, those godless Roman kings and governors. Pray for them that we'd be able to live a quiet life. And so there's this idea there that even if they don't fear God, god works on their hearts. Kind of silly, but we haven't done as much lately.
Speaker 1:Maybe I'm getting more confident in my flesh, which is not a good thing, but when we go to return things, I get terrified. I am not a negotiator. I don't know if you know that about me, but if I were negotiating with someone I would probably end up giving them money. So you know we got to return something at a store. We would always pray before we'd go in. God, just give us favor with these people. I'd stress out about it. I didn't like that so much and you know I'd pray about it. God, just give us favor with them. You know, you know if it's a judge or you know a government official or a fine that you owe something on. God, just give us some favor with these people.
Speaker 1:And the idea is here that God can change the hearts of people who absolutely don't care about him. And so we see obviously free will there, as Cyrus is doing what he wants, but in some way God is stirring his spirit. I think it's good to practically look at things that way that God can work on even the hardest of hearts. And here God stirs his heart to send the people back, not verse five, the response then the heads of the father's houses of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirit God had moved, arose to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, 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. So the response we see here is that Benjamin and Judah, or Judah and Benjamin, they respond to go back to rebuild the temple.
Speaker 1:Now the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin are what we would call the southern kingdom of Judah. Judah was specifically Judah, benjamin was there because Jerusalem was in its territory. So they kind of had to be. But they make up that southern kingdom and they're the ones that go back along with the Levites. The Levites and the priests. They were kind of peppered into the people. They didn't have a territory of their own. They were put in there in cities of refuge and such. That land was given to the Levites and the priests and they were just there to lead the people in worship of God. So all those notice, all those in verse five whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord. And that's another thing we see.
Speaker 1:It's very common in these books that God is able to work in people's hearts. So God worked in the hearts of those that he wanted to go do the work in Jerusalem. I think that's kind of one reason why I don't ever really not for really any reason like to petition people to help with things in the church. I just feel like obviously it probably makes sense to let needs be known, but God's going to work in people's hearts how he wants to. The biggest thing. We don't need to try to push people to do things. Let God work in their hearts, and that's kind of the same thing with anyone, right that the reason why we follow God is because God works in our hearts. We pray for those things and God is able to change hearts.
Speaker 1:So, verse five there's those that went In. Verse six there's those that went in verse six, there's those that gave. Uh, they didn't necessarily go, but they gave funds. Now, what we find here in in chapter two um, we're not exactly in chapter two yet, but we find a list of those that went, and the people that stayed were a lot more than the people that went back to Jerusalem. More people said let's just stay in Babylon, it's home, it's comfortable, I'm fine here, and more people just stayed. But then there were those that went. And then verse six are those that gave.
Speaker 1:Now also, we see in verse seven, king Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods. So here we're following, some articles from the temple, some bowls and pitchers and forks and things for worship. In Daniel, chapter one, we see this right, nebuchadnezzar takes all this stuff and he puts it in the storehouse of his God. That's what you did when you won a battle. In chapter five, we remember they're taken out for a party, right, belshazzar, nebuchadnezzar's grandson, takes out these cups from the temple and he starts to have a party with them and toasts the gods of silver and gold. And it's at that point that the hand comes and writes on the wall Well, here in chapter one, cyrus, now he's the owner of all these bowls and pitchers and cups and things from the temple and he sends them back to Jerusalem. So they've made a full circuit here.
Speaker 1:Now chapter two. We won't read all of it because it's a lot of names. It's a ton of names. I mean we'd have a great time with these names. We'd all laugh and I'd struggle and it would be terrifying. But chapter two, verse one. Let's just read a little bit of it Now. These are the people of the province who came back with the captivity of those who have 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. Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, nehemiah, sariah that guy Mordecai, bilshan, that person, bigvi. They're all there in verse two, right? But the names that we want to look at here are Zerubbabel.
Speaker 1:Zerubbabel was born in Babylon and he would end up being the governor back in Jerusalem. Now, something to know about Zerubbabel, aside from having a name that's just fun to say Zerubbabel. I mean, you could say that all day long, zerubbabel, you're going to be saying it. He was actually in line with the king. Jehoiachin, you'll remember, was a king and he was taken to Babylon and somewhere down the road there in Babylon, the king has pity on him. They become good friends, jehoiachin and he's released by the king of Babylon and he eats dinner with the king of Babylon right at his table. Jehoiachin has a child, sheltiel, and Sheltiel has a child, zerubbabel, which I think his name means born in Babylon, which is just a real creative name born in Babylon, and he would actually be if Judah was still in power and had their independence. Zerubbabel would have been the king.
Speaker 1:So he's the civil leader here, he's the governor now in Jerusalem and he's also, by the way, in the line of Jesus. In Matthew and in Luke we look at Jesus' family tree and Zerubbabel is right there. So he has a lot going for him and here he's got a job to do. He's going to take the captives back to Jerusalem. He's going to oversee the work of the temple along with. In verse two, we see here Jeshua, or Joshua, or Yeshua you could say they're all kind of the same variations on the same name. There he's the high priest and he's in the priestly family. In verse 36, we see his whole family there is with him. There's a lot of priests that come back to do this work.
Speaker 1:A bunch of other names. And you know, the great thing is, you know you get to these things of names in the Bible and they can kind of set you off. I don't know how to pronounce most of these names, but God knows every single one of them, how to pronounce them, but he knows everything about them. And here they are in this history book came back to rebuild the temple. Good stuff. Now, just in passing those in verse two, the names Nehemiah and Mordecai, passing those in verse two, the names Nehemiah and Mordecai, those names come into play later on Nehemiah, the book of Nehemiah, and Mordecai, esther's cousin, I think it is, who's raising her. That's not them, though. That's their names, but that's not them. They come around like 60 years later. So that's not them. But the name is popular, right, and we see it's used even here.
Speaker 1:Look at verse 43, though. You see we're moving right along Verse 43 in chapter 2. The Nethanim are there as well. Now. Nethanim is a group of people, not a person, and they come from Joshua, chapter 9. Just kind of interesting to see Joshua chapter nine, you'll remember, as they're going through the promised land, jericho has fallen. I think Ai has fallen by this point.
Speaker 1:The Gibeonites come to Joshua and they're tricky people, right, they know Joshua is coming to destroy them. With God's people they come to Joshua and, you remember, they kind of fake him out. They come with moldy bread and worn out shoes and rags for clothes. And they come and they say we've heard about you, we've come from a long distance, right, and we want to make peace with you because we believe this God that you're representing. So why don't you make a treaty with us? This bread is moldy, but when we left it was fresh out of the oven. Don't? You see, make a treaty with it.
Speaker 1:And it says there that Joshua didn't consult God at all, he didn't pray, he just said well, sure, that sounds like a great idea. Let's make a treaty. We won't hurt you, you don't hurt us. But what's the big deal? You're from a long ways away. Well, they get over the next hill and they find out the people are from right there. It was all a fake, it was all a story. And they realize well, we can't attack you, we just have to live with you. And the Gibeonites say that's fine by us. Right, we'll do whatever you want.
Speaker 1:So Joshua and the guys make an agreement with them because they lied, which made sense. It made sense that they would do that. Because they lied, they were going to become woodcutters and servants to the priests and the Levites in the tabernacle. They would carry the water and cut the wood and they said that's fine, it sure beats being killed, right, and and and. So that's what they do throughout the time of the tabernacle and then into the temple time, these Nethanim the Gibeonites they would serve in in that place of worship. Well, I just think it's interesting that hundreds of years later verse 43, they're still there. You never know how God's going to use a situation in your life Trickery. Who could blame them? But here they are still worshiping, and a lot of people didn't go back to Jerusalem, but this group of Nethanim the Gibeonites they did.
Speaker 1:Now, verse 56, in this list of names, verse 56, we see a section there and on, I think oh no, it's not 56. What did I do that area? Let's just read verse 59. These were the ones that came up from Telmela and that place, but they could not identify their father's house yeah, 59 is what I meant or their genealogy, whether they were of Israel. So I see a group of people that here they couldn't prove what their family background was and they had to go about. Notice verse 63. And the governor said to them that they should not eat the most holy things till the priest could consult with the Urim and the Thummim. Right, ok, so they've got a problem. They can't prove their family background and they're going to consult this Urim and Thummim.
Speaker 1:Now there's no real indication of what this actually was. It means like lights and perfection. It was some way that the priests would pray about things and then perhaps cast lots. Some would say that it's a white stone or a black stone. One meant yes, one meant no, and you would pray and you'd cast lots. That's a biblical thing. Not ideal all the time, but it's a biblical thing right. In some way. They would kind of find leading from God. Now we have God's word. God tells us about a lot of different issues in life. We don't necessarily have to go. I wonder what God wants me to do. We just see what his word says. But this casting of lots was a thing. Now the Mormons to speak of the Mormons do use this.
Speaker 1:I believe the Urim and the Thummim were the glasses that, as far as I understand it, the glasses that Joseph Smith used to interpret the tablets of the Book of Mormon. Not that it's not that we just know. It's not that. Here again, somehow casting lots to see what God says about these with the mixed genealogy. But they'll figure it out. Now, notice in verse 64, and this is about where we'll. Well, there's a count here. Yeah, 64. Why am I looking at 65? Thanks, brian, you always set me straight.
Speaker 1:The whole assembly together was 42,360. So that's our final count of how many people head back to Jerusalem at this point. At this time was Zerubbabel and Joshua 42,360. And you go. Well, that's a big number, but it's not much compared to how many people there were. Right, there were a lot more than that of the people of Judah that could have gone back, but they didn't. And I think it's just interesting to notice here that some of them just decided you know what? I'm happy where I'm at in captivity. I'm happy in Babylon. I've gotten used to it. I'm fine with the way things are. I'm just going to stay here Now.
Speaker 1:A big chunk of the people most of the people we find did not go back, but some 42,360, felt there was a need. They saw a need for this to be back in Jerusalem, to be back in that place of worship. And I think to get our picture here of this life of worship that's really where a life of worship starts is to see a need, to see a need in our lives that, you know, maybe we could be closer to the Lord. You know, I just kind of think about my own life and there's like dips and mountains and you know, in my walk with the Lord there are times where I'm like totally just want to serve him and reading the Bible is just comes alive, and then there's other times where I just don't think about it. Maybe there's just a lot going on in my life and I'm distracted and I just really don't see any need to do anything to. You know, feed that relationship with God and I think it could happen to any one of us and at different times in our life where we go, I really need to take some time to get away and be with the Lord. I really need to think about these things in my life that are absorbing me and give them over to God. I think that's where it all starts.
Speaker 1:And I look at people like Paul, who were at it for a long time there in Philippians. He says, well, what do I want in chapter three? What do I want? I just want to know him. And you go. Well, paul, don't you know him by now? Don't you know God? And he's like I just want to know him more. And you see that need to just stop and go. God, things are good, I'm not in sin. I'm not, you know, doing anything wrong, but I just want to turn my attention back to you. I really want to, you know, deepen that place of worship in my life, and you know, it's always a good time to just reevaluate where you're at and set a focus right. So we see that some decided to do that not all, but some decided they wanted to be a part of this rebuilding of the life of worship, and I think that's the intent.
Speaker 1:So, god, our weeks are kind of it can get away with us, and with so many different things happening in our lives, we can get distracted and, god, we can get dry and I just pray that you would as David, I think, prayed restore unto me the joy of my salvation. God, help us to just see how wonderful it could be just to be walking with you, how good it can be to just slow down and put our attention on you, god, that we would cast our cares on you, because you really do care for us. And, god, you would help us to put you first in all that we have going on. So, god, it's a thing of the heart and I pray that, just like you stirred so many hearts in this book. God, you would stir our hearts to just seek you more. God, I pray again for my friends. You would encourage them and strengthen them this week. All the practical things that they have to do, god, give them what they need. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen, thank you.