Teaching Notes

TH1071: EZRA

As we pick up our study in the book of Ezra this evening, we are in the second return to Jerusalem from Babylon under the leadership this time of Ezra. The first return, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, occurred around 538 BC, and a little under 50,000 made that 900 mile journey. And Zerubbabel's focus is to rebuild the temple. The place of worship had been destroyed by king Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in 586 BC, and now, some 21 years after the foundation for the temple was laid, (536 BC), the temple was completed, (515 BC).

The second return under the leadership of Ezra, who was a priest and a Scribe, occurred around 457 BC. And the primary focus of Ezra is to see the people get right with God. To see the people sanctify themselves before God, to be set apart for His use. And as we are going to see tonight, it is not going to be an easy job, but it was something that was needed.

As we begin our study in chapter 8 of the book of Ezra, they are preparing for this long journey back to Jerusalem. It was a 4 month 900 mile venture through some difficult and dangerous territory. And God has put upon the heart of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, to send Ezra and all who would go with him, much gold, silver and possessions for the work of God. And we saw last week, that as Ezra read this letter from Artaxerxes he was encouraged by what God was doing in orchestrating all the details. Ezra said "Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all theking's mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me." Ezra 7:27-28.

EZRA 8

VERSES 1-14

1. Here is a list of all the people that accompanied Ezra back to Jerusalem. And again, keep in mind that the focus of Ezra is to restore the spiritual condition of the people. And this occurred about 80 years after the first return under Zerubbabel.

VERSES 15-16

1. As Ezra and this group prepared to embark on this journey, Ezra recognized that absent from among them were Levites. Why was that a problem? Because Ezra was concerned about the spiritual condition of the people and the Levites were responsible for teaching the Law of God to the people, besides doing other things within the temple. In Deuteronomy 33:10 we read of the tribe of Levi that "They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, And Israel Your law..." And in Leviticus 10:11 we read that the tribe of Levi "...may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses."

2. Besides those that had the ministry of teaching, they were also missing those who would serve in the temple, the workers who would take care of the physical necessities that went along with the sacrificial system - getting wood for the altar of sacrifice, the water for purification, the bread for the table of showbread, the oil for the lamps, and-so-on.

3. Ezra, realizing that this might be a difficult situation, gets together some men who were wise, and has them go and gather together these men to come back to Jerusalem with them.

VERSES 17-20

1. God's hand was upon them and blessed them. For these men gathered together 38 Levites from 2 families plus another 220 men that worked in the temple. As we have said before, the Nethinim were probably the descendants of the Gibeonites that tricked Joshua into making a peace treaty with them. When Joshua found out that they were really the enemy and did not come from a distant land, he could not break the peace treaty that he made, so he put them into service as servants in the tabernacle. They gathered the wood and the water for the tabernacle. And now, many years later, their descendants are still serving in the temple.

VERSE 21

1. Ahava was still in Babylon, a couple of days journey from where they were located. And it is here, before they go any further, that Ezra is seeking guidance from God, in the direction that they should go. It was a long and tough journey, and what awaited them back in Jerusalem was just as difficult as we will see. The ministry that was going to be taking place needed prayer for guidance and direction, even before they got to Jerusalem.

2. I think that is a good principle for each of us to follow. Before you begin any ministry, lay it out before God, that He may guide you and direct you. There is a right way and a wrong way to do things and many times we do the wrong thing because we have not brought it before the Lord in prayer. It is as Isaiah 58:11 says "The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." The key is taking the time and seeking His direction in a situation.

VERSES 22-23

1. You have to love the honesty of Ezra. He is boasting to king Artaxerxes about how great the true and living God is. How the God of Israel protects those that are obedient to Him and curses those who are disobedient to Him. And as this king heard all about the true and living God, he gives Ezra millions of dollars worth of Gold, silver and possessions for the work back in Jerusalem. You would think that this is great, a perfect way to start a journey. But Ezra recognizes that all this wealth can be dangerous and he is concerned that this 900 mile journey might be jeopardized by this. You see, along the way were bandits who would be more than happy to lighten your load and take your possessions, and many times kill you. And now he is embarrassed to ask for an armed escort back to Jerusalem, and he brings these concerns, these fears, to the Lord. And God answered those prayers of Ezra. Remember what Paul said we should do in Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

2. Ezra, like us, have no problem honoring God with our lips. We can talk very boldly of our faith in God and what He can do in the lives of others. But then when we have to put into practice what we have said, it becomes a little more difficult, not for God, but for us. You see, it is one thing to honor God with our lips, and another thing to trust Him with our lives. The thing you have to remember is that when you do, you will find out that God is faithful, just as Ezra did. It is as Paul said in I Corinthians 9:15 "But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void." Paul put his faith totally in God, no matter what happened!

3. We as Christians are called to walk by faith and not by sight. To trust our life totally to God. Remember the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where towards the end of the movie Indiana Jones had to cross from one side of a cliff to another. The only problem was that there was no bridge between the two and a very long drop down to your death if you stepped off that cliff. But Indiana Jones took a step of faith and as he did, he found he was standing on solid ground. He walked by faith and not by sight. God calls us to do the same. Sometimes things seem impossible by human standards, and yet God is saying for us to trust in Him, and take that step of faith, and in it you will find the faithfulness of God.

VERSES 24-27

1. Ezra divides these riches between 12 of the priestly leaders, to see to it that these treasures arrive safely in Jerusalem and again, they had millions of dollars worth of possessions with them on this journey.

VERSES 28-31

1. Ezra told these men that they were responsible for these treasures and when they arrived in Jerusalem, it would be counted before the leaders to make sure it is all there. It is a big responsibility to carry the treasures of God. Today we tend to water things down and handle God's Word so flippantly, and the reality is, we are not handling what God has entrusted to us correctly. We, as Christians need to present the Gospel correctly and not mishandle the truths of God.

2. Verse 31 says that God protected them from the ambush that was alongside the road. How did he do that? By keeping them walking down the middle of the road and not getting off on some side road where the ambush was set up. Paul admonishes us to do the same in Ephesians 5:15-16. He says "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Paul is saying that we need to be careful where we walk, that we should be wise and not fools. Stay on the road that God is leading you on and don't go down some side road where the enemy has set up an ambush for you. As Jesus said in Matthew 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." May we take heed to those words and apply them to our life.

VERSES 32-36

1. As they returned to Jerusalem, and all the wealth was counted, none was missing. Not only did God prevent the enemy from attacking them along the way, but these leaders resisted from putting their hands into these riches and taking some for themselves. That could have destroyed or hampered the work that Ezra had come to do. So far things look good. But as we are going to see, problems are quickly growing and something has to be done about it.

EZRA 9

VERSES 1-2

1. As Ezra gets settled in Jerusalem, he gets a report that some of the Jews were marrying foreign women, and even the leaders were involved in this activity. Yes the temple was built, the sacrifices were going on, and outwardly things looked okay. But inwardly they were moving away from the Word of God and as they did, it lead to ungodly activity. As God said in Hosea 6:6, "For I desire mercy (faithfulness) and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."

God told the children of Israel, way back in Deuteronomy 7:1-4, that they were not to take for themselves foreign wives. Listen to what the Lord said and I think you will understand why He said this. We read "When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly."

God wanted these Jews to be a separate people for it is through their seed that the Messiah would come. God did not want them to lose their national identity. Also, He knew that they would turn their hearts from God and towards other gods. And Solomon learned that lesson first hand back in I Kings 11:3-4. We read "And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David." How sad it is, after only some 81 years since their captivity had ended, a captivity that was due to their idolatry, they are once again heading in the same direction.

2. Now some pick up on this, and because of their bigotry and biased views, feel this is a condemnation towards interracial marriages. Not at all. We are all the same in His sight, and God is not a respecter of persons. One person is not better than another. This was only for the Jews to prevent their lineage from being contaminated as they would have embraced these other gods.

VERSES 3-4

1. I think you can get a good mental picture of what was going on, and Ezra was not a happy man to say the least. Not only were they violating the Word of God, but they were getting into the very thing that brought them into captivity in the first place - IDOLATRY!

2. Notice the people who gather around Ezra also are grieving as he is grieving. It is those who "trembled at the Words of God" those that had read and obeyed the Words of God. And by their actions, it showed that they loved the Lord. As Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep My commandments."

VERSES 5-6

1. Ezra falls to his knees and spreads out his arms before the Lord. And he does not say that the people did wrong, but associates himself with the transgressions that have taken place. He speaks of "our iniquities" and "our guilt" because he recognized that they stood together as a nation, and any breach of the covenant of God affected the entire nation.

2. We see daily how sin destroys lives, sexual sins, wars, murder and-so-on. And yet it seems that we don't learn those lessons or maybe we feel we are above others and it won't affect us. If that is the way you feel, you are dead wrong. Sin will destroy your life and no one is immune to its affects. That is why God tells us to flee from sin and not to let it overtake us and destroy us, for that is what sin will do!

VERSES 7-12

1. Notice what Ezra is saying here. He is not saying that he feels the people are wrong in their actions, but points them back to the Word of God, which exposes their sin. Today many feel that God is nothing but a big kill joy, trying to stop us from having fun. For example, sex outside of marriage. The thought today is that we should be free to have sex whenever and with whomever we want, as long as both parties consent to it. Understand this, it is so important. God's laws are not meant to stop us from having fun, from enjoying ourselves. They are intended to prevent us from harming ourselves and others, and thus, God's laws are a benefit to us, a blessing. Look at all the destruction that is seen in the sexual revolution that continues today - it can kill you! God gave us sex to enjoy, and it is very enjoyable. That is the kind of God we serve, He wants what is best for us. But He also has stated that this intimate relationship is to be between a husband and his wife, and not outside of marriage.

VERSE 13

1. Ezra is saying that God's mercy was extended to them, for they deserved more of a punishment than they received.

VERSES 14-15

1. Ezra recognized his guilt and the guilt of the people before God. And Ezra is just pouring his heart out to God.

2. This prayer of Ezra is very similar to the one found in Daniel chapter 9, as Daniel is also pouring out his heart before the Lord for his sins and the sins of the nation.

EZRA 10

VERSE 1

1. As Ezra is praying, God is already working in the hearts of the people, convicting them of their sin. Ezra did not condemn the people, he did not beat the people, but did the only thing that would truly help, he fervently prayed for them and God exposed their sin to them and brought conviction upon their life, causing them to weep over their condition.

VERSE 2

1. We all make mistakes, we all sin, just as Israel did. The problem is this, if we could only recognize our sin and yet do nothing about it, what a hopeless situation that would be. But even when we fail, there is still hope. All God wants us to do is to recognize our sin, to confess it before Him so we become sensitive to our mistake. As John said in I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

VERSES 3-4

1. They recognized their sin and now Ezra is telling them what they need to do to get right with God. To put away all these foreign wives and the children that were born to them.

VERSES 5-8

1. This was not a voluntary decree. If anyone refused to obey what was said they would be cut off from Israel. Now what gave Ezra the right to be so judgmental and harsh? First of all he stood on the Word of God. And secondly, Artaxerxes gave Ezra the authority to punish all those who transgressed the Law of God. In Ezra 7:25-26 we read "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 of goods, or imprisonment."

VERSE 9

1. The ninth month corresponds to our December-January and it can get pretty cold and wet during this time of year.

VERSES 10-12

1. This is important here and I see many today try to by-pass this truth. What God has said to us is not open for negotiation. God did not give to us the 10 SUGGESTIONS but the 10 COMMANDMENTS! They broke or transgressed God's Law and now they needed to repent and get right with God. And if all would respond like that today, what a blessing that would be. Ezra told them what they needed to do and the people responded by saying "...'Yes! As you have said, so we must do.'" Ezra 10:12.

VERSES 13-14

1. They were not trying to get out of doing what was right, but because of the weather conditions and the multitude of people involved in this sin, they suggested that each city should come one at a time, until all was completed, and the situation was made right.

VERSES 15-17

1. There were so many people involved in this sin that it took them 2 months to hear all the cases and complete all the work.

VERSE 18

1. Notice that even the son of Joshua, also called Jeshua, was involved in this sin.

VERSES 19-43

1. We see here some 113 men that had transgressed the Law of God. And the names are not listed to condemn them. In some areas today, if you break the law, they will make you go and carry a sign around stating what you did wrong, hoping that public humiliation will keep you from doing this again. But this here was not a condemnation, but a commendation. You see, they turned from their sins, they repented from their sins and corrected their problem. And understand that this was not an easy task. They had to separate from their foreign wives and children. And for us, as it was for them, correcting our sins is not always easy but necessary.

VERSE 44

1. Now in saying all that, this is not some universal command to us as Christians, that if we are married to someone who is unsaved, that we should divorce them. Listen to what Paul says in his letter to the Corinthian church. In I Corinthians 7:12-16 we read "But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?"

Paul's point is this. We are not to divorce our unbelieving spouses because you don't know if they are going to get saved through you. You are a light in their life that is exposing them to Christ. If your unsaved spouse divorces you, then you are free to go, but you are not to initiate this process.

On the other hand, if you are saved and the person you are going out with is unsaved, God tells us not to stay together, not to marry an unbeliever. In II Corinthians 6:14-18 we read "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.' Therefore 'Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.' 'I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.'"

2. I think what God is saying in this portion of Scripture, in the book of Ezra, is that if you want to live a life that is completely surrendered to God, it will require some difficult decisions and actions on your part. Some things that may not be popular with the world. But God wants us to be a separate people, separated from the world, not united with them in fellowship because we will be dragged down into their sin with them, as we too will worship their gods. Remember what we read in Ezra 6:21 as the temple was completed during the first return under Zerubbabel. We read "Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the LORD God of Israel."