THE FOUNDATION RESET
PREACHING THROUGH THE BIBLE: EZRA
Ezra 3:8-13
I. INTRODUCTION
TITLE
NAME
Ezer = ‘help’
Probable meaning of title = ‘Jehovah helps’
HEBREW BIBLE
Ezra and Nehemiah—were one book
Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah—were one continuous story
First two verses of Ezra are identical to last two verses of II Chronicles
Ezra-Nehemiah precedes Chronicles
SEPTUAGINT
Ezra-Nehemiah—were called Esdras Dueteron—‘Second Esdras’
‘First Esdras’—was the apocryphal Book of Esdras
LATIN BIBLE
Divided Ezra and Nehemiah
Ezra = Liber Primus Esdrae—‘First Ezra’
Nehemiah = ‘Second Ezra’
PROTESTANT BIBLE
Maintained division of Latin Bible
Renamed books—‘Ezra’ and ‘Nehemiah’
AUTHOR
AUTHORSHIP—NOT STATED IN BOOK
EZRA—WAS THE OBVIOUS AUTHOR
Talmud attributes it to Ezra
Portion of book is in first person—Ezra implied—7:28-9:15
Priestly emphasis in book—and Ezra, himself was a priest—7:1-5
Ezra had access to Nehemiah’s library and documents—II Mac 2:13-15
Ezra probably used this library to write Ezra 1-6—and Chronicles
EZRA—THE PERSON
Priestly heritage
Descended from Aaron—through Eleazar, Phinehas, and Zadok—7:1-5
Studied, practiced, and taught the Law—as an educated Scribe—7:6, 10
Contemporary of Nehemiah—Neh 8:1-9 and 12:36
Went to Jerusalem in 457 BC
With support of King Artaxerxes—in 7th year of his reign—7:7-8
Artaxerxes—was 3rd king of Persia (465-424 BC)—3rd son of Xerxes I
Artaxerxes’s decree—for the return of exiles—7:12-26
According to Jewish tradition
Ezra helped to found the Great Synagogue
120 Jewish scholars—including several prophets
Received OT scripture—from the three post-exilic prophets
Haggai—Zechariah—Malachi
Formally identified and adopted the OT canon
Ezra collected the OT books into a unit
Ezra originated synagogue form of worship
BACKGROUND—SCOPE—SETTING
BACKGROUND—BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
70-year Babylonian Captivity—II Chr 36:20-21
Jeremiah prophesied—it would last 70 years—Jer 29:10
Confirmed in historical account—II Chr 36:21
Three waves of deportation into exile—607 BC—597 BC—587/6 BC
Calculating the 70 years—two possibilities
Political captivity
From initial defeat of Jerusalem—605 BC
To return of first Remnant—536 BC
Religious captivity
From destruction of first Temple—587
To completion of second Temple—516 BC
BACKGROUND—CYRUS’S DECREE—FOR EXILES TO RETURN
Background
Cyrus of Persia defeated Belshazzar of Babylonia—539 BC
Fulfilled prophesy of Daniel 5—mene mene tekel upharsin
The Decree—538 BC—II Chr 36:23
The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!
HISTORICAL SCOPE—OF EZRA AND NEHEMIAH
Ezra 1-6
Begins 538 BC—first return—under Zerubbabel
Ends 515 BC—completion of Temple-building
Followed by gap of 58 years
During interlude—Book of Esther—483-473 BC
Ezra 7-10
457 BC—second return—under Ezra—spiritual restoration of Israel
Nehemiah
444-425 BC—from Nehemiah’s arrival—to rebuilding of Jerusalem wall
HISTORICAL SETTING—CHRONOLOGY
607—First Deportation
605—Fall of Jerusalem
597—Second Deportation
587/6—Third—final—Deportation
538—First Return—Zerubbabel—made governor of Israel
536—beginning of Temple-building—foundation was laid
534—Temple-building discontinued
520—Temple-building resumed
520 and following—ministry of Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
515—Temple completed
483-473—Esther was queen—under Xerxes
458—Second Return—Ezra—under Artaxerxes
444—Third Return—Nehemiah—under Artaxerxes
COMPOSITION
AUTHORSHIP—EZRA
DATE OF WRITING
Between 458 BC (Ezra’s return)—and 444 BC (Nehemiah’s arrival)
PURPOSES
TELLS STORY OF—ISRAEL’S RETURN AND REBUILDING OF TEMPLE
TELLS STORY OF—SPIRITUAL RESTORATION OF JEWISH PEOPLE
THEMES
GOD’S SOVERIEGN RULE OVER HISTORY
Preserving and causing His people to prosper during the Captivity
Working through pagan kings to return His remnant to Israel
GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISE
He restored the Remnant
Jer 29:24—I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.
He kept His covenant with David
Zerubbabel was a direct descendant of David
Grandson of Jeconiah [Jehoiachin]
See I Chr 3:17-19
See Mt 1:12-13
OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD
1:1—Cyrus’s decree fulfilled the Word of the Lord
3:2—Zerubbabel offered sacrifices following the Law of Moses
6:14—they completed the Temple in obedience to God’s command
6:18—they appointed priests according to the Law of Moses
7:6-14—Ezra studied, practiced, and taught the Law of Moses
9:4ff—purged foreign marriages, according to God’s commandments
10:5—they took an oath to obey God’s law
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL
Rebuilding of Temple
Reformation—spiritual—moral—social restoration of the Remnant
Spiritual leadership—raised up by God—Zerubbabel and Ezra
STORYLINE AND STRUCTURE
STORYLINE
Continues storyline from II Chronicles
Describes second ‘Exodus’—from Babylonia to Israel
First return—under Zerubbabel—to rebuild Temple (chapters 1-6)
Isaiah prophesied—Is 44:28-45:4
Named Cyrus—as the king who would publish the decree
Predicted—the rebuilding of the Temple
Distance—900 miles from Babylon to Jerusalem
49,897 people returned—chapter 2—[out of estimated 2-3 million population]
42,560 Israelites—plus 7337 slaves—2:64-65
Tribes that returned—Judah, Benjamin, Levi
Rebuilding the Temple
Restoration of Altar first—then foundation laid—chapter 3
Suspension after enemy opposition and decree by Artaxerxes—chapter 4
Haggai and Zechariah encouraged people to restart building—chapter 5
Work renewed under Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua—chapter 5
Persian Governor Tattenai—challenged existence of Cyrus-decree—chapter 5
Darius confirmed Cyrus’s decree—ordered Tattenai to assist—chapter 6
Completed on 3 Adar (March) 515 BC—6th year of Darius’s reign—6:15-18
[Interlude—58 years—while Esther was queen in Persia]
Second return—under Ezra—to reform Israel spiritually (chapters 7-10)
Ezra brought 1754 heads of families
1496 males [and families?]
258 Levites [and families?]
Date = 457 BC
5th month—of 7th year of Artaxerxes
81 years after arrival of Zerubbabel
58 years after completion of Temple
Artaxerxes’s decree—chapter 7
Supplied treasures, money and supplies for Temple and offerings
Granted priests, Levites, singers and doorkeepers tax exemption
Gave them authority to govern the people in their province
Allowed them to teach the Law—even to non-Jews
Reformation of the People—chapters 9-10
Ezra discovered many had intermarried with foreigners
Ezra offered prayer of confession
Repentance of people brought spiritual revival
People pledged to renounce marriages and live by God’s law
STRUCTURE
Part One—Rebuilding the Temple—Chapters 1-6
First Return of People—chapters 1-2
Cyrus’s Decree—1:1-4
Gifts from Israel and Cyrus—1:5-11
Census of Returning Remnant—2:1-67
Completion of Journey—2:68-70
Construction of Temple—chapters 3-6
Altar and Sacrifices Restored—3:1-7
Temple Foundation Laid—3:8-13
Temple Construction Interrupted—Chapter 4
Temple Construction Renewed—5:1-5
Opposition by Governor Tattenai—5:6-17
Darius’s Decree for Renewed Construction—6:1-12
Completion and Dedication of Temple—6:13-18
Celebration of Passover—6:19-22
Part Two—Reformation of the People—Chapters 7-10
Second Return of People—chapters 7-8
Artaxerxes’s Decree—chapter 7
Census of Returnees—8:1-14
Addition of Levites—8:15-20
The Return Journey under God’s Protection—8:21-36
Reformation of the People—chapter 9-10
The Sin of Israel’s Intermarriage—9:1-4
Ezra’s Prayer of Intercession—9:5-15
People Repent and Covenant to Obey God—10:1-5
People Take Action and Identify Offenders—10:6-44
II. BIBLICAL TEXT
Ezra 3:8-13—8 Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the temple of God. 10 Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord according to the directions of King David of Israel. 11 They sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.
III. EXPOSITION
BACKGROUND
TIMING
Similar to building of First Temple
Solomon began building First Temple also in second month—I Kgs 6:1
Two reasons
During dry season—ideal time to build
First—they observed the Passover—[implied]
Celebrated God’s deliverance—in second Exodus
Paralleled what Israel did under Joshua—before taking Jericho—Joshua 5
CONTINUITY
Sons of Asaph—David assigned to worship with musical instruments—I Chr 16:5 and 25:1
Verse 11—paraphrases Psalm 100:5
For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.
In David’s thanksgiving prayer—for the return of the Ark—I Chr 16:34
The people sang this at the dedication of the First Temple—II Chr 5:13
PROPHECY FULFILLED
Jer 33:11—after Jerusalem was destroyed—this Psalm would be sung again with joy
PRIORITY OF WORSHIP
WORSHIP COMES FIRST—TO HONOR GOD
They built the altar and sacrificed first—before building the Temple—3:2-6
The occasion and place—for sacrifice—repentance—rededication—acceptance by God
Examples—people who built altars first
Noah—Gen 8:20—immediately after exiting the ark
Abraham—Gen 12:7—upon entering Canaan
Elijah—I Kgs 18:30—repaired the altar on Mt. Carmel—before calling on God
GOD’S PRESENCE—IS UNCONFINED
Not in a building
They came to—the house of God—but the Temple was gone!
This was the holy place without walls—appointed by God—to meet Him
Like Bethel—though this term is not used here—vv 8,9,11 [bayith Elohim/Jehovah]
Where Abram first sacrificed—Gen 12
Where Jacob had his ladder-dream—Gen 28
Not in an object
The Ark of the Covenant was not present—lost after destruction of Jerusalem
WORSHIP INSTILLS CONFIDENCE
Feast of Tabernacles—celebrated God’s provision in wilderness—v4
Feast of Passover—celebrated God’s deliverance from bondage—implied v8
WORSHIP UNIFIES GOD’S PEOPLE
Worship—at the center of community life—they stood ‘united’—v9
United in joy and sorrow mingled together—to produce a ‘loud shout’—vv12-13
WHY THE WEEPING
ABSENCE OF PREVIOUS HOLY THINGS
No Ark of the Covenant—no Shekinah—nor Urim and Thummim
SPLENDOR NOT AS GREAT AS BEFORE
Evidence from prophets
Hag 2:3—who of you remembers the Temple in its former glory?
Zech 4:10—who has despised the day of small things?
Foundation stones
Costly jewels—were used in the foundation of the First Temple—I Kgs 7:9-10
Splendor of worship music
David’s orders outlined in 1 Chr 15:16-21
Musical service in Ezra fell short of this
No psalteries or harps—essential parts of David’s system
Perhaps—musical skills of Levites had declined during captivity
Ps. 137:1-2,4—By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it we hung our harps. . . . How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
SIZE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE
Cyrus’s decree—laid out he plan for this Second Temple
It was intended to be larger than the First Temple
I Kgs 6:2—length 60 cubits—height 30 cubits—width 20 cubits
Ez 6:3—height 60 cubits—width 60 cubits
SETTING AND CONDITIONS
Israel was extremely prosperous and powerful under Solomon’s rule
The Remnant had very little in comparison
WEEPING FOR PAST SINS—WHAT HAD BROUGHT THEM TO THIS POINT
REASONS FOR JOY—THE ‘LOUD SHOUT’
OBVIOUS REASONS
Restored relationship favor of God—evidenced by their delivery
Freedom to worship God—reason for first Exodus
Freedom from Captivity—and joy of homecoming
Restoration of national identity
Renewed hope for the future
HIDDEN REASONS—EMBEDDED IN MEESIANIC PROPHECY
This Temple—would be even more glorious than Solomon’s!
It would witness the coming of the Messiah
Hag 2:9—The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the Lord of Hosts, and in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.
This Temple—would be instrumental in blessing all nations
The renewal of God’s covenant with Israel
A promise given to the ‘dispersed of Israel’ who would gather there
The ‘House of Prayer’—that Jesus would cleanse and prepare for all nations
Is 56:6-8—[Jesus quoted in Mk 11:17]—6 Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, everyone who keeps from profaning the sabbath and holds fast My covenant; 7 Even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. 8 The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.