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Ezra1-3

Thursday Evening Bible Study

May 9, 2013

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved?

In 605 BC, the prophet Daniel and his friends were taken captive to Babylon.

In 597 BC, 10,000 more captives were taken to Babylon, including King Jeconiah, and the prophet Ezekiel.

The city of Jerusalem would be completely wiped out in 586 BC and the rest of the nation would be taken to Babylon. The Temple is destroyed.

The Book of Ezra starts at the end of the Babylonian captivity, 538 BC.

The book was written by Ezra, a scribe and a priest.

1:1-4 Captivity Ends

:1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

:1 the first year of Cyrus

This is the king known in history as Cyrus the Great. He reigned over Persia from 559 BC to 530 BC.

He captured Babylon in in Oct. 538 (Dan. 5:30-31).

This “first year” is the first year of his reign over Babylon, 538 BC.

:1 by the mouth of Jeremiah

Jeremiah had told the people in Jerusalem that those taken captive into Babylon would be there for 70 years (Jer. 25:11-12).

When King Jeconiah was taken captive to Babylon, about ten years after Daniel had already been in Babylon, some prophets in Babylon were beginning to say that the captivity was almost over. People in Babylon were starting to pack their bags.

(Je 29:1–14 NKJV) —1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.

Jeremiah was telling the people to pray for the peace of Babylon since they were living in it.

8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. 10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.

The first captivity took place in 605 BC with Nebuchadnezzar taking the first group off to Babylon. The seventy years would be finished in 535 BC, only a few years from Ezra 1:1. When Jeremiah is writing, they still have 60 years to go.

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

Lesson

It may take longer

Sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that since we are going through such a bad time, that the quicker it’s over the better.

It will be over when God says it’s over.

And God’s decision when it will be over is based on His love and good plans for us, not our comfort.

We need to hang in there to the end.

(2 Co 4:16–18 NKJV) —16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

:1 he made a proclamation

The Cyrus Cylinder – In 1879 archaeologists found a clay cylinder with inscriptions on it by Cyrus. Here’s an excerpt from the text:

Here’s some of the translated text: “All the kings of the entire world from the Upper to the Lower Sea [i.e., from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf], those who are seated in throne rooms, those who live in other types of buildings as well as all the kings of the West land living in tents, brought their heavy tributes and kissed my feet in Babylon. As to the region from [lacuna] as far as Aššur and Susa, Agade, Eshnunna, the towns of Zamban, Me-Turnu, Der as well as the region of the Gutians, I returned to these sanctuaries on the other side of the Tigris, the sanctuaries of which had been ruins for a long time, the images which used to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I also gathered all their former inhabitants and returned to them their habitations. Furthermore, I resettled upon the command of Marduk, the great lord, all the gods of Sumer and Akkad whom Nabonidus had brought into Babylon to the anger of the lord of the gods, unharmed, in their former chapels, the places which make them happy.

“May all the gods whom I have resettled in their sacred cities ask daily Bêl and Nabu for a long life for me and may they recommend me to him; to Marduk, my lord, they may say this: 'Cyrus, the king who worships you, and Cambyses, his son [lacuna].' All gods I settled in a peaceful place, I sacrificed ducks and doves, I endeavored to repair their dwelling places...”

Note: Cyrus was not a believer. He is a pagan man who is being moved by the Lord.

:2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.

:2 He has commanded me to build Him a house

The Jewish historian Josephus records an account of how Cyrus knew what God had commanded him concerning Jerusalem.

This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies; for this prophet said that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision:

Josephus records:

for he stirred up the mind of Cyrus, and made him write this throughout all Asia:—“Thus saith Cyrus the King:—Since God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of the habitable earth, I believe that he is that God which the nation of the Israelites worship; (4) for indeed he foretold my name by the prophets; and that I should build him a house at Jerusalem, in the country of Judea.”

2. (5) This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies; for this prophet said that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision:—“My will is, that Cyrus , whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations, send back my people to their own land, and build my temple.” (6) This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly, when Cyrus read this, and admired the divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written; so he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, and the temple of God,

It has been suggested that perhaps the prophet Daniel had a hand in showing Cyrus the prophecies of Isaiah, which name Cyrus by name (Is. 44:28; 45:1). One prophecy is about the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

(Is 44:28 NKJV) Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

Isaiah even went into some detail as to how Cyrus would conquer Babylon (Is. 45:1-4)

Another prophecy is about how Babylon would be conquered by Cyrus.

(Is 45:1–4 NKJV) —1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: 2 ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.

These things were written over a hundred years before Cyrus was even born. I would imagine this might have just a little impact upon Cyrus.

Lesson

God’s plans

Cyrus isn’t the only one that God has plans for. He also has plans for us.

(Eph 2:10 NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you’re not important enough for God to use. He wants to use you. He has plans of what He wants to do through you.

Our job is to find out what those plans are, and to fulfill them.

How do we find out those plans?

God can use prophecy. He can use His Word. He can speak to your heart. He can use others around you to guide you. And sometimes it’s a lot of trial and error.

:3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem.

:4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

:3 let him go up to Jerusalem

Although 49,897 will choose to go, most of the Jews remained in Babylon. Many had gone from being farmers to being merchants. Many had become wealthy in Babylon.

Lesson

Comfortable in Babylon

Jesus said,

(Mt 13:22 NKJV) Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

There may be a time when God wants us to make a move closer to Him. I hope I’m not too comfortable in this present world to leave what I’m doing and follow Him.

Illustration

Barnyard Duck

A flock of wild ducks were flying in formation, heading south for the winter. They formed a beautiful V in the sky, and were admired by everyone who saw them from below. One day, Wally, one of the wild ducks in the formation, spotted something on the ground that caught his eye. It was a barnyard with a flock of tame ducks who lived on the farm. They were waddling around on the ground, quacking merrily and eating corn that was thrown on the ground for them every day. Wally liked what he saw. “It sure would be nice to have some of that corn,” he thought to himself. “And all this flying is very tiring. I’d like to just waddle around for a while.” So after thinking it over a while, Wally left the formation of wild ducks, made a sharp dive to the left, and headed for the barnyard. He landed among the tame ducks, and began to waddle around and quack merrily. He also started eating corn. The formation of wild ducks continued their journey south, but Wally didn’t care. “I’ll rejoin them when they come back north in a few months, he said to himself. Several months went by and sure enough, Wally looked up and spotted the flock of wild ducks in formation, heading north. They looked beautiful up there. And Wally was tired of the barnyard. It was muddy and everywhere he waddled, nothing but duck doo. “It’s time to leave,” said Wally. So Wally flapped his wings furiously and tried to get airborne. But he had gained some weight from all his corn-eating, and he hadn’t exercised his wings much either. He finally got off the ground, but he was flying too low and slammed into the side of the barn. He fell to the ground with a thud and said to himself, “Oh, well, I’ll just wait until they fly south in a few months. Then I’ll rejoin them and become a wild duck again.” But when the flock flew overhead once more, Wally again tried to lift himself out of the barnyard. He simply didn’t have the strength. Every winter and every spring, he saw his wild duck friends flying overhead, and they would call out to him. But his attempts to leave were all in vain. Eventually Wally no longer paid any attention to the wild ducks flying overhead. He hardly even noticed them. He had, after all, become a barnyard duck.

Edited from More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice. Copyright 1995 by Youth Specialties, Inc.

Don’t be a barnyard Christian. When it comes time for your Master to say, “Let’s go build something”, will you be able to go?

1:5-11 Packing for the journey

:5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.

:6 And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

:6 encouraged them with articles of silver and gold

When Israel finally left Egypt, the Egyptians gave them stuff on their way out.

(Ex 12:35–36 NKJV) —35 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

The same happens here.

:7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods;

:7 the articles of the house of the Lord

These were part of the treasures from Jerusalem that Nebuchadnezzar had hauled off to Babylon.

We’ll see in Daniel 6 that when Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson Belshazzar disrespects these same items by using them for his drunken party, God will bring the Babylonian empire to an end.

These Temple vessels survive. Belshazzar doesn’t.

:8 and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

:8 Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah

Sheshbazzar – Sheshbatstsar – “worshipper of fire”; the prince of Judah at the first return from exile in Babylon; usually identified as the Babylonian name for Zerubbabel

Ezra records that Sheshbazzar laid the foundation of the Temple (Ezr. 5:16)

(Ezr 5:16 NKJV) Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished.”

Zechariah records that Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the Temple (Zec. 4:9)

(Zec 4:9 NKJV) “The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.

:9 This is the number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver platters, twenty-nine knives,

:10 thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of a similar kind, and one thousand other articles.

:11 All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.

:11 All the articles of gold

The vessels totaled 5,400, of which the 2,499 listed in verses 9-10 were probably just the largest or most important.

2:1-70 The Exiles who return

:1 Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.

:1 returned to Jerusalem

Play Babylon to Jerusalem map clip.

If you travel by air from Babylon to Jerusalem, the trip is 520 miles. But in ancient days you had to follow the water, and that meant going north along the Euphrates River, a journey of 900 miles. It would have taken at least four months, as it did Ezra later (cf. 7:8-9).

:2 Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah…

:2 Those who came with …

These were all leaders of those who returned. Be careful when you look at names, they might not be who you think they are.

Zerubbabel – “sown in Babylon”. This is the governor, the grandson of king Jehoiachin and leader of the first group of returning exiles from Babylon.

Jeshua – he is also called Joshua in the books of Haggai and Zechariah. He is the high priest, a grandson of Seraiah, the priest who was killed by Nebuchadnezzar (2Ki. 26:18, 21; 1Chr. 6:14; Hag. 1:1).

Nehemiah – this is not the same man who will later rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He won’t be around for another 90 years.

Mordecai – this is not the man who is Esther’s cousin. He will show up in another 60 years in Persia.

Bigvai – he would start a chain of sports equipment stores (“Big Five”) J

:2 …The number of the men of the people of Israel:

2:3-20 Families

These are apparently names of families, some members of which returned with Zerubbabel in 536 B.C. and others later with Ezra (cf. Ezra 8, 10; Neh. 10).

A total of 15,604 people.

Lots of names … we won’t read them. You get extra credit if you read them tonight before you fall asleep…

:3 the people of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two;

:4 the people of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two;

:5 the people of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five;

:6 the people of Pahath-Moab, of the people of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve;

:7 the people of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;

:8 the people of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five;

:9 the people of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty;

:10 the people of Bani, six hundred and forty-two;

:11 the people of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three;

:12 the people of Azgad, one thousand two hundred and twenty-two;

:13 the people of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six;

:14 the people of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six;

:15 the people of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four;

:16 the people of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight;

:17 the people of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three;

:18 the people of Jorah, one hundred and twelve;

:19 the people of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three;

:20 the people of Gibbar, ninety-five;

2:21-35 Towns

There are a total of 8,540 people listed here.

See map. The next list is not by family genealogy but by towns. These people are returning to their family’s original hometowns.

:21 the people of Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three;

:22 the men of Netophah, fifty-six;

:23 the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight;

:23 the men of Anathoth

Anathoth was Jeremiah’s hometown.

Lesson

Nothing is impossible

Way back during the siege of Jerusalem, Jeremiah received an interesting set of instructions from God. Even though Jeremiah knew the Babylonians were going to win, God gave Jeremiah a command to purchase property in Anathoth.

(Je 32:6–7 NKJV) —6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 7 ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.” ’

Jeremiah does what God commands and buys his uncle’s property, even though it sounds like a worthless investment to you and I.

(Je 32:13–17 NKJV) —13 “Then I charged Baruch before them, saying, 14 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.” 15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.” ’ 16 “Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: 17 ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

For the people in Jeremiah’s day, all they could see was the coming destruction.

And yet God was reminding the people that destruction wasn’t the end of it. God would do what would seem impossible, and one day return the nation to the land. Jeremiah believed it. He even invested in it.

:24 the people of Azmaveth, forty-two;

:25 the people of Kirjath Arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three;

:26 the people of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one;

:27 the men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two;

:28 the men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three;

:29 the people of Nebo, fifty-two;

:30 the people of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six;

:31 the people of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;

:32 the people of Harim, three hundred and twenty;

:33 the people of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five;

:34 the people of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five;

:35 the people of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.

2:36-58 Temple Workers

The next list includes priests (vs. 36-39), Levites (vs. 40-42), and the various classes of servants (vs. 43-58) who worked in the Temple.

4,289 priests return.

341 Levites return.

392 Temple servants return.

:36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three;

:37 the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two;

:38 the sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven;

:38 the sons of Pashhur

There is a priest who lived during the time of Jeremiah in Jerusalem, I wonder if it’s the same guy:

(Je 20:1–6 NKJV) —1 Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 And it happened on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib. 4 For thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes shall see it. I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon and slay them with the sword. 5 Moreover I will deliver all the wealth of this city, all its produce, and all its precious things; all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give into the hand of their enemies, who will plunder them, seize them, and carry them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. You shall go to Babylon, and there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied lies.’ ”

This man certainly came to Babylon and died there. But some of his descendants came back to Jerusalem.

Lesson

Restoration

This whole account is a reminder that God is not out to destroy us. He wants us to turn from our sin so He can restore us.

(Ga 6:1 NKJV) Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

:39 the sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

:40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, seventy-four.

:41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight.

:42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-nine in all.

:43 The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

:43 The Nethinim

These were the “given” ones, the Temple slaves.

Some feel they are the descendants of the Gibeonites, the Canaanites who had deceived Joshua (Josh. 9) and made a treaty with him.

Lesson

Servants survive

Rather than be wiped out by Joshua, these are the people that chose to serve the God of Israel. They became servants of the service of the Tabernacle and later the Temple.

You might have thought that these people would have disappeared long ago, but they keep popping up throughout the Old Testament.

And here their families are all mentioned by name.

God doesn’t forget His servants.

I think that I get into the most trouble in my life when my pride gets in the way and I start ordering others around instead of serving them.

Humility is much safer.

:44 the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon,

:45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,

:46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan,

:47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,

:48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,

:49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,

:50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephusim,

:51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

:52 the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

:53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah,

:54 the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.

:55 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Peruda,

:56 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

:57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim, and the sons of Ami.

:58 All the Nethinim and the children of Solomon’s servants were three hundred and ninety-two.

2:59-63 Undocumented Priests

:59 And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not identify their father’s house or their genealogy, whether they were of Israel:

:60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two;

:61 and of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Koz, and the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name.

:62 These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled.

:62 they were excluded from the priesthood

The Law of Moses makes is clear that priests all ought to be descendants of Aaron.

The importance of genealogy to Levitical priests

(Nu 3:10 NKJV) So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

(Nu 16:40 NKJV) to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the Lord, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the Lord had said to him through Moses.

If a candidate for “priest” could not prove their genealogical connection to Aaron, they could not participate in the work of the priesthood. They could not share in the payments made to the priesthood.

:63 And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim.

:63 Urim … Thummim – “lights and perfections”

This was some sort of “thing” connected to the breastplate that the high priest wore. (Ex. 28:30)

(Ex 28:30 NKJV) And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.

We really don’t know what they were.

It is thought that these were used in seeking God’s answer to a particular question a person might ask. Some think they were a black and a white stone, which were placed in the pouch. The priest would ask God a “yes or no” question, and then reach into the pouch. If the white stone was pulled out, the answer was “yes”, if the black stone was pulled out, the answer was “no”.

Today, some of the Jews at the Temple Institute think:

The High Priest stands facing the Ark of the Testimony, and the questioner stands behind him, facing the priest’s back. The questioner does not speak out loud, neither does he merely think the question in his heart; he poses his query quietly, to himself—like someone who prayers quietly before his Creator. For example, he will ask "Shall I go out to battle, or shall I not go out?"

The High Priest is immediately enveloped by the spirit of Divine inspiration. He gazes at the breastplate, and by meditating upon the holy names of G-d, the priest was able to receive the answer through a prophetic vision—the letters on the stones of the breastplate, which would shine forth in his eyes in a special manner, spelling out the answer to the question. The priest then informs the questioner of the answer.

Lesson

Letting God decide

Our goal should always be to find out what God wants. These people were unsure of what to do, so they asked God for answers.

Whatever the Urim and Thummin were, there were apparently a means of understanding God’s direction. They were going to wait until God said what to do about these folks.

Zerubbabel didn’t let these people push their way into the priesthood simply because they wanted in. He was willing to wait and find out what God thought.

He also didn’t automatically exclude them from the priesthood just because he didn’t have a good idea of what was right.

When the early church was faced with the question over what to do with the Gentiles that were becoming believers, they got together, talked it out, waited on the Lord, and came to a decision:

(Ac 15:28 NKJV) For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

God does have ways of letting us know His mind.

2:64-70 Summary

:64 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,

:65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred men and women singers.

:64 forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty

This number is almost twice what you get when you add the above groups together. That’s probably because this includes women and children.

:66 Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five,

:67 their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and their donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

:68 Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses, when they came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place:

:69 According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.

:69 gold drachmas

A drachma was a thick, gold Persian coins, each weighing 46 oz (130 gm). Thus the gifts amounted to 18,125 oz (1,133 lb, or 514 kg) of gold.

:69 minas of silver

A mina was equivalent to 1.25 lb, making a total of 100,000 oz (6,250 lb), or about three tons (2.9 metric tons) of silver.

:70 So the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

The people settle in their ancestors’ towns and villages.

3:1-6 Sacrifice begins

:1 And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.

:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

:3 Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.

:3 fear had come upon them

The people of the neighboring countries didn’t want them building a temple or making their sacrifices.

Lesson

Handling fear

Jesus said,

(Mt 10:28 NKJV) And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Even though they were afraid of what the neighboring people would think about their sacrifices, they were more afraid of displeasing God. They responded by obeying God.

:4 They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day.

:4 kept the Feast of Tabernacles

This feast lasted from the fifteenth to the twenty-second of the seventh month (Sept.-Oct.).

:5 Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord.

:6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid.

:6 they began burnt offerings

The Temple had not yet been rebuilt, but they went ahead and started sacrifices.

This makes me wonder if the Jews today might at some time begin sacrifice again before a Temple is built. It may be that they feel they would need to have an altar on the Temple Mount.

The altar was erected on the first day of the seventh month (v. 6), which was the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets (Num. 29:1-6), and led to the Feast of Tabernacles.

3:7-13 Temple Building Starts

:7 They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

:7 permission …from Cyrus king of Persia

Just like Solomon’s Temple, cedar is brought in from Lebanon to build the Temple.

The actual decree of Cyrus is found in Ezra 6:3-5, and authorizes the Jews to build the Temple at the Persian government’s expense.

(Ezr 6:3–5 NKJV) —3 In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: “Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits, 4 with three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid from the king’s treasury. 5 Also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple which is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple which is in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God”—

:8 Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord.

:8 the second month

This is the same month that Solomon began (May-June) building his Temple (1Ki. 6:1).

:8 the second year

The foundation was laid in the spring of 535 B.C.. Daniel and his friends had been taken captive in 605 BC. This concludes the 70 years of captivity that Jeremiah predicted.

The prophets Zechariah and Haggai will be prophesying during this time of the Temple being rebuilt.

:8 from twenty years old and above

The original age of service for a Levite was thirty years old (Num. 4:3). David lowered the age to twenty years old, some suggest so that more Levites could serve (1Chr. 23:24).

:9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

:10 When the builders 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 ordinance of David king of Israel.

:10 trumpets … cymbals

David’s music before the Ark of the covenant included trumpets and cymbals (and harps and guitars). (1Chr. 16:5-6)

(1 Ch 16:5–6 NKJV) —5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.

When Solomon brought the Ark into the Temple, they used these same instruments and sang the same words (2Chr. 5:13-14).

(2 Ch 5:13–14 NKJV) — 13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

:11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

:11 For He is good

This text is known as the “Great Hallel” (Great Praise). It is found many times throughout the Bible, such as:

(Ps 136:1 NKJV) Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Our text was sung “responsively”, meaning that one group would sing the first line, “For He is good!” The second group would then respond with the phrase “For His mercy endures forever”.

:12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy,

:13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.

:12 wept … shouted

Even though parts of the nation (like Daniel) have been in exile for seventy years (605 BC) , the Temple itself has only been in ruins for fifty-one years (586 BC).

There were old men in the crowd who had seen the Temple before it had been destroyed.

The prophet Haggai clues us in to why some were weeping:

(Hag 2:3 NKJV) ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?

All these old fellows could think of was how small and shabby this foundation looked compared to the glorious Temple of old.

Lesson

Stuck in the past

We need to be careful of thinking that everything was better in the past. “Those were the days”.

Play “All In the Family Theme” clip

It’s not hard to fall into the trap of “despising the days of small things” (Zech. 4:10).

(Zec 4:10a NKJV) For who has despised the day of small things?

Zechariah wrote of these days when the Temple was being built.

Haggai will go on to say this about the Temple whose foundation was just being built.

(Hag 2:9 NKJV) ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

The newer Temple will initially look pretty shabby compared with Solomon’s Temple.

But King Herod will refurbish it, and it will be HUGE compared with Solomon’s Temple.

Even better still, this will be the Temple where a certain Jewish Rabbi will teach.

Jesus.

What if God wanted to do something new in your life? And yet you’re stuck on how much better things were in the “good old days”?

(Is 43:19 NKJV) Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.