November 07, 2024 | Be God's Light
Ezra Permitted to Return with 2nd Group of Exiles
Scripture: Ezra 7(NIV)
1 After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. 7 Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. 9 He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. 10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
11 This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord for Israel:
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings,
To Ezra the priest, teacher of the Law of the God of heaven:
Greetings.
13 Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who volunteer to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. 14 You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. 15 Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. 17 With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.
18 You and your fellow Israelites may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. 19 Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. 20 And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you are responsible to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.
21 Now I, King Artaxerxes, decree that all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates are to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you— 22 up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit. 23 Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should his wrath fall on the realm of the king and of his sons? 24 You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God.
25 And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them. 26 Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
27 Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way 28 and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.
Devotional
Let’s review once again the timeline of exile and return:
586 BC – Jerusalem is destroyed; Jews are exiled to Babylon.
538 BC – The first remnant returns under King Cyrus to begin reconstruction of the temple.
516 BC – The temple is completed during the reign of King Darius
458 BC – The second remnant returns to Jerusalem under King Artaxerxes to restore proper allegiance to the Lord.
It had been almost one hundred thirty years since the exiles were taken to Babylon, and nearly sixty years since the temple reconstruction was completed by the first remnant that returned to Jerusalem. Ezra was born and raised in Babylon but was brought up as a Jewish priest. He was well-versed and well-studied in the Law of the Lord. Plus, God gave him favor with Artaxerxes, the new Persian king.
Now it was Ezra’s time to return to Jerusalem. His mission: to re-establish the Law of God among the people of God. Even though the temple had been rebuilt decades earlier, the hearts of the people were still not fully devoted to God.
When King Solomon completed the construction of the first temple, he offered a lengthy prayer to the Lord. Then he blessed the people saying, “And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time” (1 Kings 8:61). As we have seen throughout this study, the hearts of the kings, priests and people were anything but fully committed to the Lord. Things were no different after the construction of the second temple.
Going to a church building does not make one a fully devoted follower of God. In the New Testament, Paul poured out his hope and concern for the Christians living in Corinth, saying, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough (2 Corinthians 11:2-4).
Do you go to a church building for worship every week? Good! Is your life different on Sunday morning than it is on other days of the week? Not so good! How is God calling you to a life of “sincere and pure devotion to Christ?”
Poem
Geneological Prayer
Helper, son of
The soldier of the LORD, son of
God is my Helper, son of
God is my Portion, son of
Bestower of all that is good, son of
The just and righteous one, son of
My brother is goodness, son of
God has given His promise, son of
God is my Helper, son of
Rebellion, son of
The brightness of the LORD is rising, son of
My strength, son of
Emptied and tested one, son of
My Father is rescue, son of
An oracle from God, son of
God has helped, son of
Strong and exalted mountain of strength
PRAYER
You, O LORD, are my Helper
The Soldier of my LORD who fights my battles when I find myself in exile. You are my Helper and my Portion, the Bestower of all that is good. You are the Just and Righteous One who is my only Brother who is Good, without sin. Through you, God has given His promise to Help all those once in Rebellion. You are like the Rising Sun, shedding your Brightness upon all the darkness in my life. In your strength, you emptied yourself and though tested and tempted, you remained faithful to God. My Father sent you to rescue me, to speak an oracle—the Word of God—which brings life and help. To you alone, do I run, strong and exalted mountain of strength, to find my refuge and peace.
Hallelujah!
