Ezra 8:16

Ezra 8:16 says, Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.  Ezra had the means to do the work on the Temple, but he lacked any Levites, the priesthood tribe to do the work, so he began to assemble the chief men of Israel together, and they were also known to be men of understanding.   He called eleven men to him, which I assume represented the tribes of Israel, minus the Levites.  As Christians, though we may come from different families, we need to be united in doing God’s work today.  We also need to be known as people of wisdom and understanding, which can only come from God.  God’s work is before us today, but the laborers are few.  Verse seventeen adds, And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.  Ezra sent these men to Iddo, who was the head of a school of Levites at Casiphia, according to Matthew Henry.  They were training but weren’t in any hurry to go and do the work evidently.  We need to put doing what God has called us to do ahead of training today.  This is not to say that training or education is unimportant, but if we train and are unwilling to go and do the work when called, it is of little value.  Verse eighteen continues, And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;  About forty Levites came back with them, specifically Mahli the son of Levi and Sherebiah with his sons and brethren, of which there were eighteen.  This made up half of the forty.  Ezra said that by God’s grace Mahli was a man of understanding.  True understanding, or wisdom must come from God, and we should expect church leaders to be filled with understanding from God.  Of course, as followers of Christ and a part of the priesthood of believers, we should also be filled with knowledge and understanding from God.  Verse nineteen states, And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;  Hashabiah and Jeshaiah also came and brought twenty men with them, making up the rest of the forty plus Levites.   Matthew Henry says they were willing to go but were reluctant to work.  Unfortunately, some people are still that way today, wanting the prestige of a position in the church more than they want to do the work,  Verse twenty adds, Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.  Of the Nethinims, who had been appointed by David to serve the Levites, there were two hundred and twenty who came to help.  This was over five times as many as there were Levites.  Matthew Henry says that although lowlier in the eyes of the world, they were much more ready to work, and sometimes today those who are viewed as lowly by the world are still more ready to do God's work.  Of course, they had to first respond to the call from God through Ezra, and we today in order to be a part of God’s kingdom and work must first respond to the call by the Holy Spirit to come to Him by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. 

Ezra 8:!

Ezra 8:1 says, These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.  We now have a list of the chief fathers of the people of Judah who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon.  Anytime we as followers of Christ stray away from Him, we need to willing return to Him as soon as we can.  Unlike the people of Judah did for many years, we in America have nothing preventing us from doing so publicly.  The next several verses simply list the various people who did return.  

Verse two adds, Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.  Matthew Henry points out that the first three seemed to have gone alone without anyone accompanying them.  He says maybe they were going to go and see how things were and then send for others.  We will always come to Jesus Christ alone, but we should then reach out to others and invite them to come also.  

Verse three continues, Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.  The rest of the sons of different men brought others with them, and as sons of God through our faith in Jesus Christ, we need to attempt to bring others with us.  

Verse four states, Of the sons of Pahathmoab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.  

Verse five adds, Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.  

Verse six continues, Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.  

Verse seven says, And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.  

Verse eight adds, And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.  

Verse nine continues, Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.  

Verse ten states, And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males. 

Verse eleven adds, And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males. 

Verse twelve adds, And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.  

Verse thirteen continues, And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.  

Verse fourteen says, Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.  We see that there were different numbers from different families, just as there are different numbers from different families today that accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, and it doesn’t matter how big or how small the family is physically.  

Verse fifteen adds, And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.  Ezra gathered all the people together and at the river that ran into Ahava, and they camped there for three days.  He also looked at the people and the priests, and he saw that here were no Levites, the tribe of priests.   We are called to be a priesthood of believers, and when God’s people gather, we need to be with them, individually and hopefully as families as well.  Of course, to be a part of the priesthood of believers, we must first accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, and if you haven’t, why not do so today?  We would love to welcome you to the family.  

Ezra 7:24

Ezra 7:24 says, Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.  All of the people involved in the ministry were exempt from paying taxes, from the greatest to the least.  We know that church property in America is exempt from taxes, but those involved in ministry are not, and sometimes they could use this exemption the most.  At this time, it was good for the king to provide this provision, which prohibited others from taxing them.  

Verse twenty-five adds, And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.   Ezra was empowered to appoint judges and magistrates under the guidance of His God.  Even though not claiming to believe in Ezra’s God, the king acknowledged His wisdom and authority.  We need people in government today who act under the wisdom and power of God.

Verse twenty-six continues, And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.  The king also gave Ezra power to punish those who would not obey God’s law, including the right to impose a sentence of death on them.  Those who call themselves God’s people but refuse to obey His commandments are a threat to all Christians because they may lead them astray as well and therefore must not be ignored.  We as followers of Christ have a responsibility to not allow any false teaching that comes into the church.   

Verse twenty-seven states, Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem:  Ezra now offers thanks and praise to God, giving Him credit for Artaxerxes giving the people of Israel the right and the ability to rebuild the Temple.  When good things happen for us today from whatever source, we must give God the credit.  Everything is His to start with, so whatever we are blessed with comes from Him. 

Verse twenty-eight adds, And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.  Ezra then said that God had strengthened him and had His hand on him as he gathered the chief men of Israel to go with him to do the work.  If we are to be successful in reaching the lost with the gospel today, it must be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and we must always give God the credit for any success we have.  Of course, the first step is not to just acknowledge Him as a God, but as the only God, and to make Him your God by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord.  I know I say this quite often, but it really is the only way to salvation, and until we do accept His gift of salvation, all the studying of the Bible will not help us.   

Ezra 7:19

Ezra 7:19 says, The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.  The vessels to be used in the Temple were also given to Ezra to be given to the God of Israel.  Matthew Henry says that Cyrus had already returned the vessels of the Temple, and these were in addition to them.  One day, everything good will be returned to God, but it is never about the material things.  What God really wants is people to put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, and this is the only thing that we have power to keep from Him.  

Verse twenty adds, And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house.  Artaxerxes also said that anything else that Ezra needed for the house of God he could get from his treasury.  He did not tell Ezra to get anything he might personally want from the treasury, but only those things needed for the restoration of the house of God.  We should never expect God to make us rich but should only expect Him to provide what we need to do His work.  

Verse twenty-one continues, And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,  Artaxerxes said that he had decreed that all those in charge of the treasury anywhere had been given orders to do provide Ezra with whatever he needed to restore the Temple and to do so quickly.  It would be wonderful if we had that same ability today with the government providing us with everything we need to do God’s work, but we are called on to act out of faith even when we aren’t sure how God will provide.  To do otherwise would be to live by sight and not by faith.  Also, when we know what God has called us to do, we need to start as soon as possible.  If we know beyond a doubt that God has called us to a particular task, the Holy Spirit will guide and empower us to do it in God’s time.   

Verse twenty-two says, Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.  This seems to set a very generous limit on how much was to be given to Ezra. We should not expect God to continue to bless us once He has met our needs, but I don’t believe there is a limit on how much He will provide us with if we are doing His will in life.  

Verse twenty-three adds, Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?  Artaxerxes said that they were to provide everything Ezra needed so that God would not show His wrath to his sons and himself.  Of course, we should never serve God out of fear of His wrath, though I believe some people do, but out of love for Him because of His making salvation available by putting our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. 

Ezra 7:11

Ezra 7:11 says, Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of his statutes to Israel. We have a record of the letter that Artaxerxes gave to Ezra.  This would be an authorization to not only go to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple but also to raise the funds to do so as we will see.  It is good to have the authority to do something for God, but it is better to have the funding provided as well.  

Verse twelve adds, Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.  Artaxerxes started by acknowledging that Ezra served the God of heaven as a priest and wished him perfect peace, which he was not experiencing from those who opposed his rebuilding the Temple.  Artaxerxes did not say that God was his God, but he did acknowledge His power.  The earthly authorities may not always acknowledge God as their God, but it is nice when they want those who serve Him to be at peace in the world.  

Verse thirteen continues, I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.  Artaxerxes made a decree that all the people of Israel who wanted to go of their own free will go to Jerusalem with Ezra.  They were captives who were given permission to leave their captivity.  Before we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are captives of sin, but once we accept Him, we are set free from the power of sin.  As with the people of Israel then, we must do so by our own free-will.  

Verse fourteen states, Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;  Ezra was told he had the authority of Artaxerxes and his counselors behind him, and more importantly he was knowledgeable about the law of God and obedient to Him.  We may be authorized to act in the name of the government, but more importantly we need to act under God’s authorization and in accordance with His law.  

Verse fifteen adds, And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,  Ezra was also given silver and gold by Artaxerxes and his counselors to the God of Israel.  These were the people who had defeated the people of Israel, but they were willing to donate to the rebuilding of God’s Holy City.   We need to be as willing as Christians to give freely so that God’s work can be carried out.  

Verse sixteen continues, And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:  Artaxerxes added that Ezra was free to use all the gold and silver that he could find in Babylon as well as any free-will offerings from the people.  This was very generous of someone who didn’t have to give them anything.  We will likely never have the same offer today as we do God’s work.  

Verse seventeen says, That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.  Artaxerxes said Ezra was to use the funds to quickly buy all that he needed to make sacrifices to God.  We also need to be willing to quickly use everything at our disposal to carry out God’s purpose for us and to worship Him.  

Verse eighteen adds, And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.  Ezra was basically told that the rest of the silver and gold were his to use however he saw fit in order to do God’s will.  We need to use whatever God blesses us with to do the work God calls us to and to bring honor and glory to Him. 

Ezra 7:1

Ezra 7:1 says, Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,  These next few verses trace Ezra’s ancestry back to Aaron, the brother of Moses and the chief priest in his day.  We really don’t have to trace our ancestry to any particular person to be a part of the priesthood of believers.  We simply have to be reborn through putting our faith in Jesus Christ, and this is the only relationship that will ever matter.  The next four verses will simply be listed, as they are a list of Ezra’s ancestors.  

Verse two adds, The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,  

Verse three continues, The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,  

Verse four continues, The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 

Verse five concludes. The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:  As already stated, these verses just trace Ezra back to Aaron.  

Verse six says, This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.   When Ezra went back to Israel from Babylon, he was already a scribe of the law of Moses, or the law which was given to him by God.  Even in captivity, Ezra had studied and followed God’s law.  As followers of Christ, wherever we may be, we must follow God’s law.  He had requested permission to return from the king and had been granted permission to do so.  We must never allow fear of those in power to intimidate us.  

Verse seven adds, And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.  Several other people of Israel, including priests, Levites, singers and porters went with Ezra.  If we do what God has called us to do, we may inspire others to do the same.   

Verse eight continues, And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.  Ezra got to Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.  He had to wait some time before he was allowed to return, but he used the time still serving God.  It may take us awhile to get to where God wants us, but in the meantime, we need to simply keep serving God where we are.  

Verse nine states, For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.  It took Ezra four months to get back to Jerusalem, and we are told that the good hand of His God was upon him.  As Christians, no matter where we are if we are obedient to God, His good hand is going to be on us. 

Verse ten adds, For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.  Ezra set his heart on seeking, keeping, and teaching the Law of God.  This should be our goal as Christians today.  Still, the first thing we must do is accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.   

Ezra 6:16

Ezra 6:16 says, And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.  When the Temple was completed, all the people of Israel dedicated it with joy, even if they were still under the authority of foreign rulers and not under their own king.  We should rejoice in the Lord always, even if we find ourselves under the authority of a government that opposes God.  At least they had received permission to rebuild the Temple.  No matter what happens in the world today, we have God’s authority to build His kingdom by sharing the gospel.  

Verse seventeen adds, And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.  They offered an abundant sacrifice to God when thy dedicated the Temple, though it was nothing compared to what Solomon had offered in sacrifice when he had dedicated the first Temple.  Still, Matthew Henry says what they offered really cost them more in terms of what they had than what Solomon had offered cost him in terms of what he had.   God is going to look more at what we give in respect to what He has blessed us with than in terms of just the amount given. 

Verse eighteen continues, And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.  The priests and Levites began to serve in accordance with the responsibilities that God had assigned them.  They did this in accordance with the scriptures, or the Book of Moses, which is really the first five books of the Bible, that they had as God's written word then.  We need to serve where God calls us to serve in the church and we need to be guided by the scripture, the Bible, when we do.  

Verse nineteen states, And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.  They were still referred to as the children of the captivity because that is what they had been.  Still, now they were back in the Promised Land with the Temple rebuilt and they kept the Passover as they should have.  They had recently been delivered from their captivity in Babylon, and it was very appropriate to celebrate the deliverance of their ancestors out of Egypt.  We should celebrate even more our deliverance out of the bondage of sin by our putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  

Verse twenty adds, For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.  The priests and Levites were purified before they offered the Passover sacrifice for all the people, including all the priests and themselves.  We cannot purify ourselves, but if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, He can and will purify us before God, and when we do accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord, we become a part of the priesthood of believers.  

Verse twenty-one continues, And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat,  Not only were the Israelites who returned from captivity celebrating the Passover, but those from other nations who had come with them were as well.  God was never just the God of the people of Israel Who condemned all other nations, but He was and is the God Who calls all people to Him.  The people of Israel were not chosen to be superior to other people but to reach out to other people with God’s love.  This is our calling today as Christians as well.  We will always be but sinners saved by grace.  

Verse twenty-two concludes, And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.  God blessed them and made them joyful.  As followers of Christ, if we are not joyful, there is something wrong.  We should never allow the problems of the world to keep us from being a joyous people, but it seems to me that we too often do.  We are told that God turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them to allow them to return and rebuild the Temple.  We can be certain that all good things come from God.  Of course, we must first accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord in order to be freed from the captivity of sin.