Outline
Return Under Zerubbabel
Temple Rebuilt, Ch. 1-6
Return Under Ezra
His Reformation, Ch. 7-10
Ezra 3:11 “With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: ‘He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.’ And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.”
Hello:
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 1 Ezra 1 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.
7 Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.[a] 8 Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
9 This was the inventory:
|
gold dishes |
30 |
|
silver dishes |
1,000 |
|
silver pans[b] |
29 |
|
10 gold bowls |
30 |
|
matching silver bowls |
410 |
|
other articles |
1,000 |
One of my childhood greatest memories was the expansion of our church in Cabaret, Haiti. The church as one united to build a place for the people of the Lord. Old and young would go to “La Riviere Torcelle” to get rocks for the building of the church. Big rocks, or little rocks, “bourettes of rocks, boquites of rocks carried on the head”, it did not matter, everyone contributed.
I did not understand much of what the grown-ups were doing, but I knew it was a lot of fun. A Kombit at the church, people singing “Batisssons le temple du Seigneur,” it was a great time, a time of great blessings for the people of the Lord. They experienced the joy to contribute that came from the Lord himself, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
We cannot force ourselves to do God’s work, but we can pray for the Lord to move our hearts to do his work. “Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem (v. 5).” “Baptissons le temple du Seigneur.”
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 2 Ezra 2 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
64 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers. 66 Their horses were 736, their mules were 245, 67 their camels were 435, and their donkeys were 6,720.
68 Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. 69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics[a] of gold, 5,000 minas[b] of silver, and 100 priests' garments.
70 Now the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel[c] in their towns. (Ezra 2:64-70)
Genealogies in the Bible, although boring and difficult to read, tell one fundamental truth about God, “God is a faithful God.” God keeps our present record, but also our records from generation to generation in order to bless us through a thousand generations. From that little group, [42,360] who returned from the Babylonian exile, God will eventually rebuild a nation of millions.
They had their priority in the right order, first to rebuild the house of the Lord. Although the temple was completed destroyed and burned down, they saw it as if it was there and they rebuilt it. “Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site (v. 68).”
We cannot avoid our responsibility. Whatever our means, we must contribute to the building of the house of the Lord.” According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work.. (v. 69).” The Lord loves when we give joyfully, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). We must seize the opportunity of a lifetime, “to build the house of the Lord.”
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 3 Ezra 3 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,
“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”
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 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:10-13)
Is your cup half full or half empty? Are you crying for joy, or are you crying because of sadness and bitterness? It depends on the way that you interpret your reality. Some people get blessed by the Lord become generous givers, and others get blessed the same way by the Lord become fearful hoarders. We have seen people in Haiti build beautiful churches and wonder how they did, with what resources?
Same reality but opposite reactions, “so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping (v. 13).” The Psalmist has an antidote for the problem of seeing the cup half empty, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1). And later on he added, “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you” (Psalms 116:7).
“Give thanks to the Lord and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalms 100:4-5). Batissons le temple du Seigneur.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 4 Ezra 4 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”
4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.[a] 5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4:10-13)
Every blessing comes with a challenge. The bigger the blessing the bigger the challenge. That is why many Christians forgo the blessing because they are afraid of the opposition. But it doesn’t have to be that way since the Lord has already given us the victory over opposition, “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you” (Isaiah 54:17).
First, the enemy will try to use flattery to distract us from our God’s given assignment, ““Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here (v. 3).” If he doesn’t succeed, he will use intimidation, “Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. (.v 4)”
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 5 Ezra 5 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
3 At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 4 They[a] also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” 5 But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received. (Ezra 5:1-5)
How we respond to the opposition determines our defeat or our victory. Do we respond in our names or in the name of the Lord! Do we see our inadequacies or do we the all sufficiency of the Lord? The opposition was astonished by the answer given by the people of the Lord. “This is the answer they gave us: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished (v. 11).”
What gave the leaders such boldness in their answers? I believe it is because they had the word of the Lord. They knew without a doubt that they were at the center of the will of the Lord. “Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them (v. 1).”
When we engage in the work of the Lord we can rest assured of the victory. God’s protection is on those who are obedient to his commands, “But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews (v. 5).”
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 6 Ezra 6 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
3 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:
Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be sixty cubits[a] high and sixty cubits wide, 4 with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. 5 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.
6 Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. 7 Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site. (Ezra 6:3-7)
At the end of the story of Joseph, Prince of Egypt, Joseph said to his brothers who had sold him, years past into slavery, “ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20). God has a way to turn every wrong intention of the adversary into blessings for our lives. The enemies of the Jews had wanted to stop the building of the temple of the Lord, but God turned their schemes into blessings for his people.
King Darius wrote, “Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God: Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop (v. 8).” This was a beautiful turn of events. Indeed we can say with Paul, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 7 Ezra 7 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
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. (Ezra 7:25-28)
The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders, no matter how much we agree or disagree with them. In a time of great uncertainty in the United States and of the world in general because of the leadership in Washington, the obligation for Christians to pray for leaders is more pressing than ever. We pray for them to make the right decisions and most importantly for the will of the Lord to be done in their decisions.
Ezra recognized that God’s sovereignty overrides the power of any king. He wrote, “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 (v. 27)”. We need to concentrate all our energy on pleasing the Lord, not on pleasing people, “When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7).
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise (Psalm 111:10). Batissons le temple du Seigneur.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 8 Ezra 8 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. (Ezra 8:21-23)
Fasting and prayer are two keys to spiritual breakthrough. Ezra had two choices, ether ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect them from enemies on the road, or to rely completely on the Lord for protection. But he knew very well that the best plan of action was to bet everything on the Lord, "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes” (Psalms 118:8-9).
All of us should have the experience of receiving answers to our prayers after a period of fast and prayer. Besides, the Lord Jesus told us, that there are a category of problems that requires fasting and prayer to be solved (Mark 9:29). Ezra and his companions knew the secret of victory, “So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer (v. 23).” If we do what Ezra did (fasting and prayer), we will get the same result that Ezra got (answered prayer).
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 9 Ezra 9 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
“But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands 11 you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. 12 Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’
13 “What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this. 14 Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor? 15 Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.” (Ezra 9:10-15)
Every person of my generation who grew up in church in Haiti knows by heart the verse 1 John 2:15, “N'aimez pas le monde ni ce qui est dans le monde. Si quelqu'un aime le monde, l'amour du Père n'est pas en lui - Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” The verse was used mainly by our pastors and our youth leaders to warn us of the spiritual danger of falling in love and of marrying unsaved people. As young people and young Christians we resisted those warnings. The Israelites ignored the same warnings (v. 12), and it cost them dearly (v. 13). It cost them their lives and their freedom.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Book of Ezra Challenge – Day 10 Ezra 10 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
5 So Ezra rose up and put the leading priests and Levites and all Israel under oath to do what had been suggested. And they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
7 A proclamation was then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem. 8 Anyone who failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, in accordance with the decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.
9 Within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. 11 Now honor the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.” (Ezra 10:5-11)
Countless scholarly papers have been written on the event of Ezra 10. Why did Ezra decide to take the drastic measure of commanding the Jewish men “to send away their foreign women and their children (v. 3)”? Since the Law forbade marriages between Jewish men and foreign women only from seven nations listed in Deuteronomy 7, it seems that the precarious situation of the returned exiles demanded extreme measures.
The ethical requirements for God’s people go beyond “dos and don'ts”. The Bible tells us to "Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Christians should not only refrain from sins, but they also need to avoid the appearance of wrong doing. Ezra 10 shows that Christians must separate themselves from anything that could become a handicap to their consecration unto the Lord.
May the Lord richly bless you!