Unit 3: Justice and Adversity
Key Verse:
Ezra 7:10 NLT
10 This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.
Ezra leaned into the law of the Lord. Should not we follow his example?
What you need to know
Ezra 6:14-16 NLT
14 So the Jewish elders continued their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. 15 The Temple was completed on March 12, (515 BC) during the sixth year of King Darius’s reign.16 The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile.
By the time Ezra appears, the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem has been complete for fifty-seven years from 515 BC to 458 BC. That was as long a period as the exile in Babylon had lasted. It is one thing to have to be apart from a place of worship due to captivity. It is quite another to have a place of worship standing in your midst and no qualified leadership prepared to do the hard work of building a ‘church’ in the church. Yes, there were men that God inspired to return from captivity to Israel in order to pave the way for the re-establishment of the nation of Israel. And yes, in the face of great opposition, these forerunners to Ezra had accomplished much. But everyone has a role to play in God’s opera. Ezra had next.
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The Lesson
Ezra 7:1a NLT
1a Many years later, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia,[a] there was a man named Ezra.
By now, Babylon is long gone, defeated and overrun by the Medo-Persian Empire to the north. Over the period of time, the conquering empire had seen four monarchs: Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, and finally, Artaxerxes. Three of these kings played a significant role in the restoration of Israel; Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes. Before we discount the role of Xerxes, a bit of investigation reveals that it was Xerxes who eventually made Esther his queen. So there’s that.
Ezra’s name means “Help”, or “Helper”. His name is appropriate considering that he is called into service to restore worship not just to the Temple at Jerusalem, but to the nation of Israel.
Ezra 7:1b-5 NLT
1b He was the son[b] of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son[c] of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the high priest.
Let’s step through these individually where possible. Ezra was the son or descendant of Seraiah. Seraiah, the High Priest, was carried away into captivity in Babylon prior to the fall of Judah (2 Kings 25:18). Thus, we establish that Ezra was not only a scribe, an expert in the Law of Moses but he was also tied to the high priesthood of Israel. A descendant of Azariah and Hilkiah establishes that he was the namesake of one of a couple of people named Azariah, with one being born before the Babylonian captivity and one being born during the Babylonian captivity. Next in his lineage was the high priest, Hilkiah, whose father was Shallum and whose mother was Huldah, the prophetess. Hilkiah played a key part in the great revival in Judah, under King Josiah.
From there, we go back several hundred years to Zadok, who served under King David late in his reign, and Ahitub, who served under King Saul. From Ahitub, draw a line to Amariah, to Azariah, to Meraioth, then Zerahiah. From Zerahiah, continue to Uzzi, then Bukki, then Abishua, which takes us back through the times of the Judges to Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron.
Of note, Phinehas turned the wrath of God away from Israel by extinguishing idolatry from the camp of Israel (Numbers 25:11). Eleazar, the father of Phinehas was the third son of Aaron. He inherited the mantle of the high priest after the death of his two older brothers, who were consumed for burning strange fire before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-6).
Finally, Ezra’s lineage rests at his progenitor, Aaron: the first high priest of Israel. Thus, Ezra, like his ancestor Aaron is tasked with restoring worship in Israel. By the law of Moses, God taught Aaron the particulars of corporate worship. With the law of Moses, Ezra would teach the nation of Israel to worship.
Ezra 7:6 NLT
6 This Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel. He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the Lord his God was on him.
A brief testimony here. A true story. Many years ago, I worked under a lady whose last name was Stephen (not Stephens). She was of Indian / Asian descent, so her name seemed incongruent to her heritage, … until I heard her story. I asked how she came by her surname and she relayed to me the following. Two thousand years ago, Stephen, one of the original six deacons chosen was martyred by stoning soon after his ordination as a deacon. Stephen was named the patron saint of Delhi, India by the Anglican Church because in 1857 the first Christian missionaries to Delhi were martyred in the same way Stephen was; by stoning. The village where my supervisor’s descendants were from took the last name ‘Stephen’ as evidence that they, the entire village had converted to Christianity. The entire village took Stephen as their surname. Remarkable!
Ezra was born in Babylonian captivity, yet his lineage was so wrapped up in the history of Israel that it is no wonder that he held to the traditions of his ancestors. He was well versed in the law of Moses, which indicates that he was probably well educated in Israeli, Babylonian, and Persian history. Obviously, he had favor with King Artaxerxes, because the king gave him all that he desired, knowing full well that his intention was to return to Israel to restore worship to the One, True God of Heaven.
Ezra 7:7 NLT
7 Some of the people of Israel, as well as some of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants, traveled up to Jerusalem with him in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes’ reign.
As highly as he was regarded in Persia, his arrival in Jerusalem was just as highly regarded. Upon his arrival, Temple servants, priests, Levites, worshippers, and gatekeepers came from throughout Israel to join in the work of restoring worship to Israel. Help (Ezra) had arrived. Hope had arrived.
Ezra 7:8-9 NLT
8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in August[e] of that year (458 BC). 9 He had arranged to leave Babylon on April 8, the first day of the new year, (458 BC) and he arrived at Jerusalem on August 4,[g] for the gracious hand of his God was on him.
And so we see that after one hundred and twenty-eight years since the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, God is poised to show his graciousness to His people by the hand of Ezra, upon whom God has visited with great grace. God will not forget His people.
Ezra 7:10 NLT
10 This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.
Ezra lived his life on purpose. Purpose was written into his DNA. Purpose was preached to him by his parents down by the rivers in Babylon. Hope was birthed in Ezra as the adults around him recognized and nurtured the Spirit of God in him. As he grew, he took it upon himself to apply the lesson taught him by his mentors. In doing so, he found that God was with him. If God is with you, He’s more than the whole world against you. Ezra learned that nothing, nothing was too hard for God. Purpose.
Ezra 7:23-24 NLT
23 “Be careful to provide whatever the God of heaven demands for his Temple, for why should we risk bringing God’s anger against the realm of the king and his sons? 24 I also decree that no priest, Levite, singer, gatekeeper, Temple servant, or other worker in this Temple of God will be required to pay tribute, customs, or tolls of any kind.”
From the pen of the king came the decree above. Care was to be taken regarding the plans of Ezra. Nothing was to hinder his mission. King Artaxerxes dared not incur the wrath of God by dismissing the work of God in the person of Ezra. Like Joseph, the son of Israel, God’s favor was so evident in Ezra that his presence inspired the reverent fear of God in those that encountered him, including the king. Ezra had the ‘It Factor” at the highest level. He was highly favored by both God and men.
Ezra 7:25 NLT
25 “And you, Ezra, are to use the wisdom your God has given you to appoint magistrates and judges who know your God’s laws to govern all the people in the province west of the Euphrates River. Teach the law to anyone who does not know it.
Focus. Ezra’s authority was not limited to Israel. King Artaxerxes decreed that Ezra’s influence was to extend west from the Euphrates river to… at least as far as the Red Sea. That would have included Iraq, Syria, Damascus, Saudia Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Caanan. Everything west of the Euphrates. God fully intended to restore Israel to her former glory. There was no limit to what God wanted to do through Ezra. Are you paying attention? Do. Not. Place. Limits. On. God. Just don’t!
Ezra 7:26 NLT
26 Anyone who refuses to obey the law of your God and the law of the king will be punished immediately, either by death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.”
Fast forward to the present. You see, though the king decreed it, Israel did not return to that expansive kingdom envisioned by King Artaxerxes. That’s because Artaxerxes could only grasp a shadow of God’s full intent: the establishment of His everlasting Kingdom on the earth through the person of Jesus Christ, the heir to the everlasting Throne of David. It would have been hard to fathom and even harder to vocalize the majesty and the reach of the Kingdom that God intended. Honestly, it still is. And guess what? All who refuse to accept the gift of the Kingdom that God offers through His Son will incur the judgment and eternal wrath of God. Beloved, we have work to do. Like Ezra, let us be about our Father’s business, spreading the message of His great love for as long as we have breath.
Selah,
wb
Haggai 2:9 NLT
9 The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT
9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”[a]
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