A Blossom Bible Podcast
A Blossom Bible Podcast
Ezra 7:10---
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Study given Wednesday Night
All right, ezra. Chapter 7 is where Ezra comes into the story. We saw his I guess you could say his pedigree last time. He is a descendant of Aaron, a scribe, a student of the law of Moses, and in verse 10, chapter 7, really sums up Ezra's heart and all it says. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. So you know the story here. The temple has been built, the people that were in exile in Babylon have come back to Jerusalem and worship has started there, but Ezra here.
Speaker 1:Time has gone on and Ezra has a heart to minister to those people. I think what he really wants to see is revival. We're going to see that things had gotten a little sloppy there in Jerusalem and Ezra wants to come back and he wants to share the things that God's done in his heart, which is kind of the way it should go. We can teach, but we really ought to do and prepare our own hearts for the things that God wants to tell us. So it's a good process here in verse 10, to receiving the word in our heart, doing the word in our lives there and then passing it on to others. That's what Ezra wants to do, just kind of to set the scene. Time has gone on. We're looking about 60, 70 years after the people had been told they could go back to Jerusalem, and Ezra finally comes back. Nehemiah is going to follow him not too long after. So it's about the same time these two books, the second half here of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah, take place.
Speaker 1:We do know some about the time of Nehemiah, which says a little bit about this time. Here Nehemiah just kind of flip over to his life. You could turn to chapter one there. We didn't really say much in Ezra 7, but Nehemiah, chapter 1, it's the same basic time. He is cupbearer to the same king that is going to send Ezra, and Ezra or sorry, nehemiah he asks his brother in chapter 1, verse 2, concerning the Jews who had escaped the captivity and concerning Jerusalem. So he basically asks what's life like in Jerusalem? What's it like for the people that are there at this time that we're looking at Verse 3 in Nehemiah 1, he says the survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down and the gates are burned with fire.
Speaker 1:So the beginning of the book of Nehemiah tells us a lot about this time that Ezra is actually going to Jerusalem. The people are in great distress. There's a temple but the city is still in ruin. The wall is falling down, there's trash everywhere. The people are discouraged and in distress. As we read there In the book of Nehemiah, we find there's threats to kill the people who are going back to rebuild.
Speaker 1:So it's kind of good to have that understanding because they're at the same time here the Ezra goes in chapter 7. Well, he goes in chapter 7, 7 and we read there last week it took him about five months there in verse 9, back in Ezra, chapter 7. The first day of the first month Ezra began his journey from Babylon and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. So it took him a few months to get there. That's kind of the summary of what we're going to look at tonight, that passage there from Babylon to Jerusalem, from the king, you could say, to the temple there. So Ezra details, this time in verse 11, with a letter, copy of a letter that he sent with Notice. This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the prophet, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord and his statutes to Israel Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra, the priest, a scribe of the law of God of heaven.
Speaker 1:So Artaxerxes is the king there. He's a Persian king and he has a heart to see the temple kind of built up even more. The city even established more. Artaxerxes here that we read about is Nehemiah's boss. In the book of Nehemiah, nehemiah is cupbearer to the king, king Artaxerxes. He would taste the food that would come to the king to make sure nobody was trying to poison him. That's basically Nehemiah's job and Artaxerxes has this heart to see things rebuilt the wall in Jerusalem. As Nehemiah has moved to build the wall and see Jerusalem better, artaxerxes sends him as well. So Artaxerxes is a king with some godly influence in his life. He's got Nehemiah hanging out around him. He knows about Ezra. Is this guy saved? Artaxerxes? Probably not. Probably not.
Speaker 1:It was a real popular thing for kings, persian kings to be nice to the people that they were ruling over. He had a pretty vast empire and one of the best ways you could get your people to agree with you was to just support their religion, support their gods, right. And so it was very common for the kings to do things like this to send money to build up temples and offer sacrifices to the gods of the people. So does he really care about the God of Israel? Probably not, but God used him to get the wall rebuilt and to get the temple refurbished there and the people built up. And he sends quite a bit of supplies.
Speaker 1:We'll see as we read this letter. Just kind of look at the details as we'll just read through it. He sends about three tons of silver and gold. That is an enormous amount of silver and gold. I think it's like 600 gallons of oil he sends along with them. So this Persian king is, you know, really wanting to put a good name in there with the God of Israel. He sends along with the people. He's investing in the people and their peace. So let's just read the rest of this letter and see what he says to the people.
Speaker 1:I issue a decree verse 13, that all those people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem may go with you and whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the law of your God, which is in your hand, and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in the province of Babylon, along with freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem. Now, therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, lambs and their grain offerings and their drink offerings and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem, and whatever seems good to you and your brethren, do what the rest of the silver and gold do, according to the will of your God. Also, the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver them, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem, and whatever more may be needed for the house of your God which you have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king's treasury. And I even I Artaxerxes, the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the river. And whatever Ezra, the priest ascribed, the law of God of heaven may require of you, let it be done diligently Up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cores of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil and salt, without prescribed limit. Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of God of heaven, for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? Also, we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute or custom on any of the priests, levites, singers and gatekeepers, nethanim or servants of the house of God. And you, ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the river, all such as know the laws of your God and teach those who do not know them. Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death or banishment or confiscation. So the letter that's sent there, lots of different things are given to Ezra, lots of provision. He's given freedom to set up judges and magistrates in the area to kind of govern the area and again, the whole purpose here is that the king really wants the place to be safe and peaceful, and all these things Interesting, I got it in my head to start looking at some archaeology of the area.
Speaker 1:What have they found? Because, you know, in Israel they find all sorts of stuff, I mean from the Bible in those times and in 2020, check this out In 2020, they were going to build a parking lot, right Parking lot, big deal. Well, every time you go to build something in Israel, you got to call the archaeologists, have to come out and check it out before you just build a parking lot in Jerusalem. And what they found? They found a lot of things that hopefully, I remember to share next week too. But they found some signet rings uh little, you know, when they put wax on a document or something, they push the ring in it, kind of a signature there for for something to be done. They found some signet rings around the same time as Ezra little little rings and presses and stuff to make documents official. That's kind of interesting, right? Because Artaxerxes says well, you set the judges and magistrates in order for the area. That's your job, ezra, and it's interesting in this layer of time that Ezra would have been around. They found some of these rings kind of in a Babylonian, persian style there, but a little different. And so we see some of these things you know from the Bible. We see some of these things found in a parking lot, right. So interesting, I think.
Speaker 1:But Ezra does that. He's got lots of provision here. He's got lots of power from the king. And notice there in chapter 7, verse 27, blessed be the Lord, god of our fathers, who has put such a thing in the king's heart to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem and to extend mercy to me before the king and his counselors and before all the, and the wine and the oil, and all these things are provided by the king and just the authority to rule and govern. And he goes that's the hand of God upon us. That's a great way to look at it when good things happen, because good things happen in our life. But to remember again James 1, 17, that every good and perfect thing comes from above. Anything good in our life that comes about it it's because of God. And he looks at that and he goes this is God's hand in our life. This isn't just luck, this isn't just wow. The king was nice to me, this is God's hand. And notice he says there in the end of 28,.
Speaker 1:So I was encouraged. And that's, I think, what, having that mindset, that the good things in our life, the fact that we can put food on the table or that we have a house to live in, that's because God's good hand upon us. God, you've been faithful to me in the past. You'll be faithful to me in the future, whatever that looks like, god is going to be faithful, and to remember his faithfulness in the present helps us when the future comes around. And so he was encouraged and he begins to put a group together in chapter 8.
Speaker 1:These are the heads of the father's houses and this is a genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes. In the reign of King Artaxerxes. So from verse 1 to 14, it's the people who came up and some numbers of how many came with Ezra. We could read that and it would be a lot of fun to watch me struggle with all these names and we'd all have a great time. But we're not gonna. That's verse 1 through 14. It's a list of names. How many people came from. All these different families Ends up being 1,772 men came up to Jerusalem with Ezra, so almost 2,000 came with Ezra to Jerusalem at this point With their families. We're probably looking at 4,000 to 5,000 people came up and you go. That's a lot of people. But the first time they went up, at the beginning of the book, there was about 50,000 people that went to Jerusalem. Now we're looking at about 5,000 people. So it's not as popular at this point to go to Jerusalem. Not too many people are excited.
Speaker 1:Well, verse 15, now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava and we camped there three days and I looked among the people and the priests and found none of the sons of Levi there. So Ezra has a problem. He wants to go up and encourage the people and teach the people and instruct the people in the law and, you know, really build the people up. And he looks around and he goes. There's no Levites here Now. You remember the sons of Levi, the descendants of Aaron, were the ones that were supposed to take care of the spiritual well-being of Israel. And Ezra looks around and he goes. I the only one. There's nobody else that's going up with that in mind to like teach the word and instruct the people. And. And so he realized that's a problem.
Speaker 1:Um, verse 7 or 16. Uh, so I sent for Eliezer, ariel, shemaiah, those guys, oh, look at all those names um, and I gave the command for Edo, the chief man of the place of Caspia, and I told them that they should say to Edo and his brethren, the Nethanim at the place Caspia, that they should bring us servants for the house of our God. So he starts to ask around and these people that he knows, he says you guys, you need to come to Jerusalem with me, you need to help me instruct the people Verse 18,. Then, by the good hand of our God upon us. I love that he always puts that in. This is God's grace in our life. They brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Molly, the sons of levi, the son of israel, namely share abaya with his sons and brothers, 18 men, and hash, hash abaya, and with him josh, yeah, those guys. The son of murari, uh, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men. Also, the Nethanim, or the temple servants, right, whom David had. David and the leaders had appointed, for the service of the Levites, 220 temple servants. All of them were designated by name. So he had a problem. He obviously prays about it and there God provides the right people to come up and help him in the work.
Speaker 1:But now we see the detail of Ezra traveling to Jerusalem. Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava that we might humble ourselves before God and seek him for the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions, and seek him for the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road. Because we had spoken to the king saying the hand of our God is upon us, all those for good who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against those who forsake him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this and he answered our prayer.
Speaker 1:So Ezra's kind of got a little bit of a problem here. He's about ready to take off and he goes. It's a long way. It's a five-month journey there to Jerusalem. We've got about 5,000 people. They're not all going to travel together necessarily, but these are families and kids. This could be dangerous. We're taking a whole heap of gold and silver along with us. We got provisions. There's robbers on the road, it's a dangerous thing to travel in those days.
Speaker 1:But he has a problem because he told the king well, I don't need any soldiers. No, no, no, we're good, god takes care of us. Right? And it was a great idea, you know. I mean, he was boasting about God and God's faithfulness. God's gonna take care of us, he takes care of his people. We don't need soldiers. And then he thought about it but how are we gonna get there? And how are we going to get there? And how are we going to get there safely? What should we do? Right?
Speaker 1:And he starts there by fasting and praying. Praying is seeking God and kind of putting your spirit out first, right. Fasting, denying yourself of a basic need of food, is putting your flesh last, right. So he's like I'm going to put my flesh last, I'm going to put the spirit first, we're going to pray, we're going to fast. And he comes up with an idea. It's some wisdom there given by the Lord, and he's seeking it.
Speaker 1:And notice, god answered our prayer, verse 24, and I separated 12 of the leaders of the priests, those guys and their brethren with them and weighed out to them the silver and gold, the articles and the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors, the princes and all Israel who were present had offered. I weighed into their hands 650 talents of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold, 20 gold basins worth 1,000 drachmas it's apparently a lot and two vessels of fine, polished bronze precious as gold. And I said to them you are holy to the Lord, the articles are holy also, and the silver and gold are freewill offerings to the Lord, god of your fathers. Watch and keep them until we weigh them before the leaders and priests and the Levites and the heads of the fathers' houses in Israel and Jerusalem in the chambers of the house of the Lord. So the priests and Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.
Speaker 1:So he splits up all this provision amongst the people and says you know, when we get to Jerusalem we'll count it. We'll count it all when we get there. So there's a few good things here, right? God gave him some wisdom. It's very practical. How are we going to not get robbed? We're going to split all this up, right, so we don't have this big train of gold behind us. We're going to split it all up and God gave them some wisdom there. It made good sense. And he travels there. When they get there they're going to have some accountability. We'll see, we're going to count it when we get there. Practical stuff. Let's just read about his travels and we'll probably be done.
Speaker 1:Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from the ambush along the road. So we came to Jerusalem and stayed there three days and on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Merimoth, the son of Uriah, the priest, and with him Eleazar, the son of Phinehas. With them were the Levites, those guys with the number of weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time and so they do their traveling and they get there safely and they make an account for it, and none of it is missing. The children of those who had been carried away captive verse 35, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs and 12 male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord and they delivered the king's orders to the king's satraps and the governors of the region beyond the river. So they gave support to the people and the house of God. So he gets there and offerings right.
Speaker 1:We can just say he put some feet to this idea that the hand of God was upon him. All these things, you know, is a good hand of God upon him. He realizes it, recognizes it. They worship God and give back to him. And Ezra is on the road to his ministry there. But I just love that, you know, looking at it, because of the good hand of God upon us.
Speaker 1:I think it's verse 31. He kind of reiterates that it was the good hand of the Lord, our God, upon us, that it was the good hand of the Lord, our God, upon us. You know it's the same God then as we serve now in our lives. God is faithful then and he'll be faithful now and whatever he calls us to as well. Good to realize him as that and trust him as that. So, god, some real, practical things here. Life can be difficult and the way can be dangerous, but, god, you'll be faithful, as Paul said that you, who began a good work, are faithful to complete it in us. God, we can trust you in all these things to take care of us, to provide for us Through sickness and in health. God, you are there and you're faithful. God, we want to trust you, no matter what life looks like. We want to trust you. Help us to trust you too. In Jesus' name we pray amen.