Written by: Revd Emma Ineson
Ezra 1 v 1-4
In the first year Cyrus was king of Persia, the LORD caused Cyrus to send an
announcement to his whole kingdom and to put it in writing. This happened so
the LORD’s message spoken by Jeremiah would come true. He wrote:
This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
The LORD, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me, and
he has appointed me to build a Temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. May God
be with all of you who are his people. You are free to go to Jerusalem in Judah
and build the Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who is in Jerusalem. Those
who stay behind, wherever they live, should support those who want to go. Give
them silver and gold, supplies and cattle, and special gifts for the Temple of
God in Jerusalem.
Notes
Isn’t it great when we are given a new start – a chance to begin
again; to put the past behind us and move into a new future.
The people of God, the Israelites, had a new start in the book
of Ezra. They had been in exile for 70 years after the Babylonians had ransacked
Jerusalem and taken them captive. Now the Babylonians had been conquered by
the Persians, and the Persian King, Cyrus, was a man tolerant of religious
freedom. It was his idea that a new temple should be built in Jerusalem. The
people had been given a new freedom and a new opportunity after all those long,
hard years in captivity. They were going home.
The prophet Jeremiah predicted that this would happen long ago: “’Babylon
will be powerful for seventy years. After that time I will come to you, and
I will keep my promise to bring you back to Jerusalem. I say this because I
know what I am planning for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have good plans
for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future’” (Jeremiah
29 v 10-11). And it was coming true at last.
God longs for each of us to move into new places of freedom. He has good plans
for a hope and a future for each of us, but sometimes it takes a long time
for them to come about. We have to wait, be patient and trust him. This new
start for the Israelites in Jerusalem came about, not through a God-fearing
Israelite, but through a Persian king. God can use all sorts of unlikely ways
to bring about his plans for us – not always ”spiritual” ones,
and not always the ones we expect. But always in his time.
Prayer
Loving God, thank you that you have plans for a future and a hope for me. Help
me to trust you for my future and to rest in your timing. Amen
Ezra 1 v 5-11
Then the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and Levites got
ready to go to Jerusalem - everyone God had caused to want to go to Jerusalem
to build the Temple of the LORD. All their neighbours helped them, giving
them things made of silver and gold, along with supplies, cattle, valuable
gifts, and special gifts for the Temple. Also, King Cyrus brought out the
bowls and pans that belonged in the Temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar
had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his own god. Cyrus king
of Persia had Mithredath the treasurer bring them and count them out for
Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
He listed thirty gold dishes, one thousand silver dishes, twenty-nine pans,
thirty gold bowls, four hundred ten matching silver bowls, and one thousand
other pieces.
There was a total of fifty-four hundred pieces of gold and silver. Sheshbazzar
brought all these things along when the captives went from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Notes
“Thirty gold dishes, one thousand silver dishes, twenty-nine pans…” -
that’s a lot of tableware! All the stuff that had been used by the Israelites
in their Temple worship in Jerusalem had been taken with them into exile by
the nasty Nebuchadnezzar. It had been kept in storage in his own temple. And
now it was brought out by Cyrus, ready for its journey back home. Imagine it
all laid out – a bit tarnished and dusty maybe, but still as grand as
it once was. One day it would all take its place in the new Temple in Jerusalem.
The Israelites looked forward to that day with eager expectation.
In the next few days we will see how the Israelites brought new things for the Temple too – gold and silver and other items, in readiness for the great day when it would be rebuilt.
When God calls us to a new task or opportunity, he equips us with new gifts from him. You might have heard the phrase, “God does not call the equipped, he equips the called”. If God asks us to do something new for him, he will give us the gifts and tools we need. But some of those gifts might be things that he “gave” us long ago, things that have been “in storage” for some years. They might be experiences, conversations or training skills that we wondered about at the time. But God knows what we need, and when. Just as the plates and bowls of the Temple were brought out in readiness, so God will “bring out” in us all that we need to serve him at the right time. Maybe God calls us to be patient for his promises to come true, but to use the waiting time wisely, “storing up” his things.
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to know that no experience with you is wasted. Help me to
store up all that you are doing in my life at the moment and trust that you
will use it for your purposes in the future. Amen
Ezra 2 v 1-2 & 64-67
These are the people of the area who returned from captivity, whom Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon had taken away to Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and
Judah, each going back to his own town. These people returned with Zerubbabel,
Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum,
and Baanah.
The total number of those who returned was 42,360. This is not counting their 7,337 male and female servants and the 200 male and female singers they had with them. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Notes
“These are the people of the area who returned from captivity” in
Babylon to Jerusalem after 70 years in captivity. We have a few names listed
in today’s reading, but the section that hasn’t been included (verses
3-63) is a long list, detailing the names and numbers from each tribe and group.
It doesn’t make very exciting reading. I’m not surprised they’ve
been missed out of the reading for today. They are about as interesting as reading
the telephone directory!
But each of the names represents someone who was loved by God; someone whom God delighted in; someone whom God was really pleased to see coming home to the Promised Land. The fact is that God knew every one of the 42,360 people who travelled back to Jerusalem that day. He even cared about the donkeys (all 6,720 of them). He knew what the Israelites had been through during their difficult years in captivity in Babylon. He knew what the lack of freedom, the ill treatment, the restriction of religious rights had meant for each of them. He had caught each one of the tears they had cried. Although the Israelites were “a people”, they were also individuals, with individual stories known by their loving God.
What, to us, might seem like boring lists or meaningless numbers, represents the care and love of a God who knows the number of hairs on our heads and is concerned with the details of each one of our lives.
Prayer
Loving God, thank you for each one of the people represented in the Bible,
even those we know very little about. Thank you for their place in your plans.
Help me to see each person I meet today as precious in your sight. Amen
Ezra 2 v 68-70
When they arrived at the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the leaders
of families gave offerings to rebuild the Temple of God on the same site
as before. They gave as much as they could to the treasury to rebuild the
Temple—about 1,100 pounds of gold, about 6,000 pounds of silver, and
100 pieces of clothing for the priests.
All the Israelites settled in their hometowns. The priests, Levites, singers,
gatekeepers, and Temple servants, along with some of the other people, settled
in their own towns as well.
Notes
The Israelite people had returned to Jerusalem from years of captivity in Babylon
and now began to prepare for the rebuilding of the Temple there. Some of
the people gave lavish gifts to help in the restoration work – gold,
silver and clothing for the priests. I like that bit. Being a minister in
the church myself, I wonder what kind of clothes they gave for the priests
to wear. You can imagine all the priests trying on their new gear, fussing
and admiring each other’s new outfits (“Here, Jedaiah, does my
bum look big in this?”). Sorry. Back to the point.
Many people gave gifts towards the Temple rebuilding. Why? Because they believed in what was happening. They desperately wanted to see the Temple restored to its former glory and gave as much as they could to achieve it. What do you believe in? What would you give lavishly to see achieved? The end of poverty? Revival in your church? World peace?
When God places a desire in our hearts, we are moved to offer ourselves, our wealth and our gifts to achieve it. But the Israelite people didn’t offer only material goods; they offered themselves too. The people mentioned in this reading are priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, servants – really practical roles requiring the ”giving” of practical gifts and skills.
Listen to the passion God has put in your heart. What would you love to see happen? What does God call you to give towards the effort?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I would love to see… (fill in the gap). Help me to know what
I can do to help achieve it. In your name, Amen
Ezra 3 v 1-6
In the seventh month, after the Israelites were settled in their hometowns,
they met together in Jerusalem. Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow
priests joined Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and began to build the altar of
the God of Israel where they could offer burnt offerings, just as it is written
in the Teachings of Moses, the man of God. Even though they were afraid of
the people living around them, they built the altar where it had been before.
And they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD morning and evening. Then,
to obey what was written, they celebrated the Feast of Shelters. They offered
the right number of sacrifices for each day of the festival. After the Feast
of Shelters, they had regular sacrifices every day, as well as sacrifices
for the New Moon and all the festivals commanded by the LORD. Also there
were special offerings brought as gifts to the LORD. On the first day of
the seventh month they began to bring burnt offerings to the LORD, but the
foundation of the LORD’s Temple had not yet been laid.
Notes
There was no Temple in Jerusalem. In the meantime the people must have somewhere
to offer their sacrifices – an altar for burnt offerings to God. Even
though the foundation stone of the Temple had not even been laid, the people
of God didn’t hang around waiting or putting off their worship until
everything was “ready”. They got on with their acts of worship
anyway, because that was important to them.
Sometimes, I wonder if we are tempted to wait until everything is perfect before we worship or serve the Lord. Have you ever said anything like this: “I’ll only worship when we sing songs I like”; “I’ll read my Bible when I have time”; “I’ll pray more when I have my life a bit more sorted”?
The fact is that our God calls us to daily time with him and regular worship with others. We don’t have to wait until everything is perfect. God is ready and willing to accept our rough and ready sacrifice of praise from the word “go”. Right here, right now.
We don’t have to make burnt offerings to God through Temple priests. The death and resurrection of Jesus has opened a direct route to God for every one of us.
The amazing thing is that worship was so important to the Israelites that they got on with it anyway, even in the face of suspicion and aggression from local tribes. They were afraid of these people, but they went ahead anyway and built an altar and offered burnt sacrifices on it. They had courage to stand up for what they believed was right, even in the face of adversity. It’s a challenge to me to get on with my devotion to my God, no matter what those around me might be thinking.
Prayer
Dear God, help me to offer my “sacrifice of praise” to you today,
no matter what those around me might think of me. Thank you that you accept
me just as I am. Amen
Ezra 3 v 7-9
Then they gave money to the bricklayers and carpenters. They also gave food,
wine, and oil to the cities of Sidon and Tyre so they would float cedar logs
from Lebanon to the seacoast town of Joppa. Cyrus king of Persia had given
permission for this.
In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the Temple of
God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, their
fellow priests and Levites, and all who had returned from captivity to Jerusalem
began to work. They chose Levites twenty years old and older to be in charge
of the building of the Temple of the LORD. These men were in charge of the
work of building the Temple of God: Jeshua and his sons and brothers; Kadmiel
and his sons who were the descendants of Hodaviah; and the sons of Henadad
and their sons and brothers. They were all Levites.
Notes
What a responsibility! Imagine being Jeshua, Kadmiel and the sons and brothers
of Henadad. These men were given the task of supervising the rebuilding of
the Temple in Jerusalem that had been destroyed by the Babylonians. What
an awesome task! This was a major event in the lives of the Israelites; something
they had awaited for 70 years, ever since they had been taken into exile.
And these men were put in charge of it all. I wonder how that made them feel?
Inadequate? A bit nervous? Scared they might get it wrong? Well, they had
two important facts on their side. Firstly, they were chosen by their fellow
Israelites to do this job and, secondly, they had the support of God, whose
idea the rebuilding of the Temple was in the first place. With backing like
that, you can’t go far wrong!
If God is calling you to an area of responsibility or leadership, make sure you have the backing of fellow Christians around you – and rely on God to help you fulfil his task.
It takes all sorts to do the work of God. It wasn’t just the leaders of the rebuilding task that were important. We are not told the names of any of the bricklayers or carpenters, but they were also vital to the effort. Where would the Temple have been without them? What would be the point of having supervisors if they had no one to supervise?
If you are involved with a task in your church that some might consider small - perhaps a duty that goes largely unnoticed - take encouragement from the brickies and chippies of the book of Ezra; the Temple wouldn’t have been built without them. And the kingdom of God is built wherever you are - because of you.
Prayer
Lord, please help me to fulfil the particular task you have given me to do
today. Please give the support and backing I need, both from you and from
others around me. Thank you, Lord. Amen
Ezra 3 v 10-13
The builders finished laying the foundation of the Temple of the LORD. Then
the priests, dressed in their robes, stood with their trumpets, and the Levites,
the sons of Asaph, stood with their cymbals. They all took their places and
praised the LORD just as David king of Israel had said to do. With praise
and thanksgiving, they sang to the LORD:
“He is good; his love for Israel continues for ever.”
And then all the people shouted loudly, “Praise the LORD! The foundation
of his Temple has been laid.” But many of the older priests, Levites,
and family leaders who had seen the first Temple cried when they saw the foundation
of this Temple. Most of the other people were shouting with joy. The people
made so much noise it could be heard far away, and no one could tell the difference
between the joyful shouting and the sad crying.
Notes
At last, the moment had come when the foundation of the new Temple was laid.
It was a momentous event – the culmination of years of waiting, longing
and yearning to see God worshipped once again in his rightful Promised Land.
The people gathered to watch the great occasion. And to celebrate, they had
one enormous praise party! There was singing and music, dancing and shouting.
The sound of worship filled the air: “God is good! Praise the Lord!”
In the midst of it all, some were overcome with emotion. It was a happy day, but for those who were there when the first Temple was destroyed, it brought back awful memories. Amidst the tears of happiness and shouts of praise, there were tears of sadness and cries of mourning. The people of Israel were used to being open and free with their emotions, and the noise could be heard for miles; joy at the building of the new temple, coupled with weeping in lament for the old one. The same God who had allowed the first Temple to be destroyed, had now allowed a new one to be started, and he would see it through. A Babylonian cornerstone reads: “I started the work weeping, I finished it rejoicing.”
It’s like that for us sometimes. Think of weddings, where tears of joy are mixed with tears of sadness, perhaps for a relative who has died and isn’t there to witness the happy event. Or a graduation ceremony, where the cries of delight of those who have done well are mingled with the quiet tears of those who didn’t make the grade they wanted. Life is like that. Joy and sadness; achievement and disappointment; happiness and grief. All is seen and heard by God, who holds both together in his heart.
Prayer
Thank you, dear God, that I can come to you no matter how I feel. Thank you
that joy and grief both find a place in your heart and nothing can separate
me from your love in Jesus. In his precious name, Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text
taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright
1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes