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Ezra4-6

Thursday Evening Bible Study

May 16, 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?

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

The nation has begun to return to the land of Israel from Babylon. They began by setting up an altar and starting sacrifices. They have laid the foundation of the Temple.

4:1-5 Temple Opposition

:1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel,

:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

:1 the adversaries of Judah

Lesson

Opposition

As we try to follow God, we will find that there will be opposition.

The most dangerous enemy we face is a spiritual one.

(Eph 6:11–12 NKJV) —11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Spiritual opposition requires that we use spiritual weapons, things like prayer.

Sometimes the opposition comes from humans.

We may expect it from non-believers, but we’re surprised when we find Christians who will decide to be an enemy for some reason. Jesus said,

(Mt 5:44 NKJV) But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

The real question we face is, “what does it mean to love your enemy”? It doesn’t mean you always give in to them and give them what they want.

:2 we seek your God as you do

These adversaries are the pagan people that were brought into the land of Israel when the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom in 722BC.

The way the Assyrians formed their empire was to conquer one nation, move the population to another location, and replace them with a different conquered people.

Eventually these pagan peoples began to intermarry with the few Israelites left in the land, and they began the race of Samaritans.

When the repopulated land began to have trouble with wild animals, they thought it was because Yahweh was no longer being worshipped, so they created a twisted form of Yahweh worship to stop the trouble with the wild lions in the land. But it wasn’t a true worship of Yahweh, they worshipped other gods as well.

The “adversaries” are the Samaritans of the New Testament.

:3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

:3 You may do nothing with us

Lesson

Avoiding compromise

You might look at this and think that it was an innocent type of request that the Samaritans were making.

Yet these people had twisted ideas about who God was and how He was to be worshipped.

Zerubbabel and Jeshua want to keep the worship pure.

It’s good to be drawing unsaved people into the church. It’s what we’re supposed to do. But at the same time, we need to be careful that the core or foundation of what this place is all about is Jesus and we don’t compromise with worldly ideas.

(2 Co 6:14 NKJV) Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

:4 Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building,

:5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

:5 hired counselors against them

This was something like hiring professional lobbyists to deal with the kings.

Ezra is talking about the opposition that would be given to the rebuilding of the Temple.

The Temple will be finished by the sixth year of the reign of Darius (6:15), in 515BC.

4:6-24 Jerusalem Opposition

Ezra is going to mess with our heads a bit chronologically. To be able to see what he’s doing, you need to know the history of those days.

Persian Kings	Chapters in Ezra	Other OT Books
Cyrus (559-530) Cambyses (530-522) Smerdis (522) Darius (521-486)	Chapters 1-6	Haggai (520) Zechariah (520-518)
Xerxes I (Ahasuerus) (486-465)	4:6	Esther (465)
Artaxerxes I (464-424)	4:7-23; chs. 7-10	Malachi (450-400)
Darius II (423-404)		Nehemiah (445-425)

:6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

:6 In the reign of Ahasuerus

Ahasuerus – he is also known as Xerxes I (486-465 BC). This is the king that married Esther.

We’ve skipped from Cyrus to Ahasuerus.

This particular letter (which we don’t have) would have been written before Esther became queen, written somewhere around 486 BC.

This is going to go a little out of order chronologically – Ezra 4:6-23 actually take place after the construction of the Temple (which we haven’t read about yet). Ezra’s point is to give you an overall picture of the opposition that the Jews faced from the building of the temple all the way to the completion of the walls.

Why does Ezra do this? It fits logically to show the kinds of things the Jews had to face in rebuilding. Someone familiar with the history of these times wouldn’t be bothered by it, they would understand the time jumps.

:7 In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language.

:7 In the days of Artaxerxes

Artaxerxes I (464-424 BC)

This is king during the time of Nehemiah. Nehemiah started in the 20^th year of Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:1). The opposition letters would have been written prior to Nehemiah.

This is a second letter being written to a Persian king to slow down the work in Jerusalem.

:7 into the Aramaic language

The text from 4:8 to 6:18 is in Aramaic instead of Hebrew.

:8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:

:9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites,

:10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River— and so forth.

:10 Osnapper

Also known as Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria (668-626), who completed the transplanting of the people begun by Esarhaddon.

:11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him) To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, and so forth:

:12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations.

:12 building the rebellious and evil city

This is a progress report on the rebuilding of the entire city, not just the Temple (because the Temple has already been finished in 515 BC, while this is 460 BC).

The book of Nehemiah is about the finishing of the walls around Jerusalem. Nehemiah starts in 444 BC.

:13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished.

The suggestion is that once the city is completed, they will revolt and stop paying taxes.

:14 Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king,

:15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.

:15 this city is a rebellious city

This is true. The Jews had been a very independent people. They had rebelled against the Assyrians in 701 BC and against the Babylonians in 600 BC and 589 BC.

:16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.

They predict the king will lose control of everything west of the Euphrates if he lets Jerusalem be built.

:17 The king sent an answer: To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River: Peace, and so forth.

:18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me.

:19 And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.

:20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the region beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them.

:20 mighty kings over Jerusalem

Such as David and Solomon.

Lesson

Twisting the truth

They’ve searched the historical records and yes, Jerusalem has had some pretty stubborn, rebellious people living in it.

But later they’ll search the records again and find that Cyrus had indeed made a decree to rebuild the Temple.

I think we need to be careful about how we form our opinions on things.

People can tend to only tell you what they want you to know to make you lean in their direction.

:21 Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.

:22 Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?

:23 Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease.

:23 by force of arms made them cease

This letter that was sent to Artaxerxes it worked. It made the people stop building the city of Jerusalem.

This ends Ezra’s little historical addition, simply trying to show the overall opposition that the Jews had in rebuilding anything.

Now we go back to the era when the focus was on first building the Temple.

:24 Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

:24 the work of the house of God …ceased

Now we pick up where we left off at verse 5, when the opposition to Temple building began.

The work had begun in 535 BC and was stopped until 520 BC, a period of fifteen years.

Lesson

Stop the work

The enemy wants you to stop building.

He will try and confuse you through compromise (4:2).

He will try and stop through outright attack.

5:1-17 Temple Building Resumes

:1 Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.

:1 Haggai and Zechariah

These two prophets started their ministries around 520 BC. Here’s a sample:

Haggai –he is the first prophet to prophecy after the captivity. Haggai prophesied from August to December 520 BC

Zechariah – he prophesied for two years beginning in October 520 BC

Lesson

Self-centeredness

One of the issues at the heart of rebuilding the Temple was that the people were more concerned about their own comfort than the building of God’s Temple.

(Hag 1:1–6 NKJV) —1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ” 3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”

The people were spending all their time at Home Depot buying stuff for their own houses while the work on the Temple had stopped for fifteen years.

5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 6 “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

The people were in an economic recession. Things were tough. God is hinting that things were tough because they were putting their own priorities ahead of God’s priorities.

God’s kingdom is not built when I put my own desires, agenda, goals, wants, in front of God’s.

Illustration

Monkey Treats

Monkey trappers in North Africa have a clever method of catching their prey. A number of gourds are filled with nuts (monkey treats) and firmly fastened to a branch of a tree. Each has a hole just large enough for the unwary monkey to stick his forepaw into it. When the hungry animal discovers this, he quickly grasps a handful of nuts, but the hole is too small for him to withdraw his clenched fist. And he doesn't have enough sense to open up his hand and let go in order to escape, so he is easily taken captive.

In our lives, we can get too focused on the things that we want to reach out and grab hold of. Yet those can be the very things that keep trapped and keep us from finishing what God wants us to do.

:2 So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

:2 Zerubbabel

He is the governor, and a descendant of King David.

:2 Jeshua

He is the high priest.

:2 the prophets of God were with them, helping them

You can read some of their words in the books of Haggai and Zechariah.

In Zechariah 4 – the issue is the rebuilding of the Temple.

(Zec 4:1–7 NKJV) —1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.

This is a vision of the menorah.

3 Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.”

These two olive trees are providing a constant supply of olive oil straight into the menorah.

4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

This picture was to show Zerubbabel that God would accomplish the building of the Temple through the power of His Spirit, not through Zerubbabel’s efforts.

7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ”

With God’s help, the mountain of problems would be leveled. Zerubbabel had started the project and he would finish it by putting the last piece in place, the headstone. When it was all over, everyone would see that it was a work of God’s grace.

:2 began to build

Lesson

Prophecy builds up

(1 Co 14:3 NKJV) But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

“Edification” means to “build up”. Here we see a literal picture of the Temple being “built up” as the prophets are encouraging the people.

:3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: “Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?”

:3 Tatnai the governor

He is the Persian governor in charge of the lands west of the Euphrates.

:4 Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.

:5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter.

:6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent: The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king.

:7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus) To Darius the king: All peace.

:8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

:8 heavy stones – g@lal (Aramaic) – rolling

So, these “great stones” were “Rolling Stones”! Actually, they were so large that they had to be moved on rollers.

:9 Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: “Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?”

:10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.

:11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.

:11 We are the servants of the God of heaven

The governor wanted to know who had commanded them to build the Temple.

The implied answer is that God commanded them. They are God’s servants.

Lesson

Lord

A Christian is a follower of God. He is our “Lord”. He is our “Master”. We are simply His servants.

That means that we obey what He commands.

When the Sanhedrin first arrested Peter, they commanded him to stop talking about Jesus. When an angel released Peter from prison, he went straight to the Temple and began preaching again. When Peter was brought again before the Sanhedrin, they reminded him that they had ordered him to stop talking about Jesus.

(Ac 5:29 NKJV) But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.

:12 But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon.

:13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.

:14 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

:15 And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’

:16 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.”

:17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.

:17 let a search be made

Another search is made through the royal records. They think they ought to look in the libraries at Babylon, but that’s not where the record of this decree was kept.

Why are they bothering to search?

Because the laws of the Medes and Persians were considered unchangeable (Dan. 6:12).

If the Persian King Cyrus did indeed command that the Temple be built, then it must happen.

I find it fascinating that the Jews in Jerusalem were smart enough to mention the decree of Cyrus. They had done their homework. They knew how to answer their accusers.

6:1-12 Darius Makes It Right

:1 Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon.

:2 And at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus:

:2 Achmetha

The specific scroll wasn’t found in the city of Babylon, but in Achmetha.

Play Ecbatana map clip.

Also called Ecbatana, the ancient capital of Media. One of the oldest existing cities of in the world. It is a city at 6,000 foot elevation, and was the summer residence of the Persian kings. Today it is known as the city of Hamedan in modern Iran. It had a climate perfect for the preservation of scrolls. The efficient Persian government kept its records on scrolls of papyrus or leather.

The scroll was in Ecbatana, because that is where Cyrus had spent the summer of 538, when he issued the decree.

: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.

:3 its height sixty cubits

This is the specific decree of Cyrus that even gave the size of the Temple. These details weren’t given in the general decree (Ezr. 1:2-4).

:4 Let the expenses be paid from the king’s treasury

Cyrus had promised to foot the bill for building the temple.

: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”—

This is the end of Cyrus’ decree.

:6 Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and your companions the Persians who are beyond the River, keep yourselves far from there.

:6 keep yourselves far from there

One of my commentaries said this was a common Aramaic legal statement.

:7 Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.

:8 Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king’s expense from taxes on the region beyond the River; this is to be given immediately to these men, so that they are not hindered.

:8 Let the cost be paid at the king’s expense

Lesson

Things turned to good

Joseph had been sold as a slave by his brothers. Yet in the end, he ended up saving the world, along with his family.

When his brothers came to him to beg for forgiveness, Joseph replied,

(Ge 50:20 NKJV) But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Paul wrote,

(Ro 8:28 NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

It wasn’t anything that Zerubbabel or Joshua did. God did it.

Just like the prophets had prophesied.

What was meant for evil gets turned around and now these people who had brought the complaints are even going to be charged with paying for the construction of the Temple through their taxes.

I wonder what Tatnai thought of that.

:9 And whatever they need—young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem—let it be given them day by day without fail,

:10 that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

:10 pray for the life of the king

Pagan king Darius wants them praying for him.

Note: This is not “Darius the Mede” whom we will meet in Daniel 6. That’s a different man, different time.

:11 Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this.

:12 And may the God who causes His name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.

:11 let him be hanged on it

(Ezra 6:11 ICB) Also, I give this order: If anyone changes this order, a wood beam is to be pulled from his house. Drive one end of the beam through his body. And because he did this crime, make his house a pile of ruins.

Execution by impaling was practiced in the Assyrian and Persian Empires.

:12 destroy any king or people

Some have suggested that this is some sort of a “curse” on anyone who tries to destroy the Temple.

Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple in 167 BC, died insane three years later.

The Romans destroyed the temple in AD 70, and later had their empire was destroyed. Much later.

6:13-18 Temple Completion

:13 Then Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent.

:14 So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

:14 Artaxerxes

Even though Artaxerxes came long after the Temple was built, he is mentioned because he was responsible for the completion of the city walls during the time of Nehemiah.

:15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

:15 the temple was finished

The Temple was completed on March 12, 515 BC.

The temple was completed in Adar (February-March) of 515—21 years after the work started in 536, and 4 ½ years after Haggai began his prophesying. This was 70 ½ years after the temple had been destroyed on August 12, 586 BC.

It took twenty years to complete the Temple, of which most of that time things had simply stopped.

Haggai and Zechariah’s ministries were from the 2^nd year to the 4^th year of Darius. The Temple was completed by the 6^th year, on March 12, 515 B.C. It was their ministry that got things going and kept them going.

Lesson

Finish what was started

God had promised Zerubbabel through Zechariah:

(Zec 4:6–7 NKJV) —6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. 7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ”

The idea is that Zerubbabel had laid the foundation, and he would also put the final stone in place. All the problems that had seen like mountains would be leveled before him through the work of the Holy Spirit.

It’s much easier to start a project than it is to finish it.

Everyone loves the sound of the gunshot as a race is started.

Not many like to do the actual running, especially if it’s a long race.

God likes to finish what He starts:

(Php 1:6 NKJV) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

We too have our part. We are not to quit but to finish:

(Col 4:17 NKJV) And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

Maybe we can learn from Zerubbabel – it’s not by our might or power, but by His Spirit.

:16 Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

:17 And they offered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

:18 They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

:17 a sin offering for all Israel

Even though the people returning from Babylon were mostly from Judah and Benjamin, they saw themselves as representing the entire twelve tribes.

Compare this sacrifice to the one Solomon made when the first temple was dedicated:

(1 Ki 8:63 NKJV) And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord.

Don’t just look at the numbers, notice that Solomon didn’t offer a “sin offering”.

Lesson

Go forward, not backward

The nation had gone through a time of rebuke for their sin. Now they’re back in the land, but not like it was before.

Sometimes we can fall into a trap of thinking that we can just go ahead and give in to a temptation because we can just confess our sin, receive God’s forgiveness, and be back at the same place we were before giving in.

Sin carries a pricetag. Yes you will be forgiven, but don’t forget the cost involved.

In the Old Testament, a goat died in your place.

For us, Jesus has died in our place.

Shouldn’t His death for us make us want to stay away from sin, and not go further into it?

In addition, the people are learning about having to rebuild after the devastation that came from sin. Don’t go backward. Every time you resist temptation, you go forward.

6:19-22 Passover Celebrated

The text from 4:8 to 6:18 was in Aramaic. The text now switches to Hebrew. Ask yourself, “why?”

:19 And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

:19 the fourteenth day of the first month

April, 515 BC.

:20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

:21 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.

:22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the Lord made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

:21 the children of Israel

Two types of people participated in the Passover.

Those who had come from Babylon.

Those who had actually remained in the land, but had not gotten mixed up with the heathen like the Samaritans.

Why does the text switch back to Hebrew starting in verse 19?

Because the Jews are now back to where they ought to be, celebrating the most Jewish of holidays, the Passover.

Communion for the Christian is like Passover is to the Jews.

It’s when we come to remember how we got here.

For the Jews – Passover was when God brought them out of slavery in Egypt and made them a nation, His nation.

For us – Communion reminds us of how Jesus brought us out of slavery by dying on a cross, and coincidentally doing it on the Passover.