The book of Ezra
Two or three weeks ago I was waiting for people to arrive for the coffee morning. So, I sat with a cup of coffee and picked up my Bible. I was just flicking through and came to the book of Ezra, which I was prompted to read. I didn't know much about Ezra, and so read it.
The book of Ezra records two great journeys towards recovery from the Babylonian exile. The first journey took place immediately after the proclamation of Cyrus, and was led by Zerubbabel, one of King David's descendants.
Under his direction the Temple was rebuilt over a twenty year period. The priest Joshua and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah encouraged the people in this task.
The second journey was led by Ezra almost sixty years after the Temple's completion.
Ezra was one of the great men of the Old Testament. He was a scribe, a teacher and a priest. Ezra shows us what it means to turn one's life over to God. His desire to know God better motivated him to read God's word, to believe it and obey it. Incidentally his name means HELP.
First we have to learn what God's will is, then we need to take action, following the programme He lays out for us. But, Ezra didn't stop with seeking spiritual growth in his own life, he turned to Jerusalem and led the returning Jews in rebuilding their lives as well. Ezra provides a model of love, we are to carry the message of hope to those still living in bondage.
God shows His mercy to everyone of us. In His love He desires our restoration and recovery, not only from our sins, but from the consequences of those sins. When we are in captivity to our sins, wether they are addictions or compulsive behaviours, whatever, we are never far from God's love and mercy. God is waiting to help us. All we need to do is admit our hopeless situation and come to Him for strength and forgiveness. When we know we are helpless, we are closest to His powerful arm.
In the book of Ezra we see various examples of how God empowered His people to do what they could never have done without Him. All they had to do was give themselves over to His plan.
All of us need something we can count on. The Jews in exile counted on Jeremiah's prophesy, that their captivity would only last seventy years, and that's how it worked out. It was seventy years from the Temple being destroyed to the completion of the new Temple. You can find this story in Kings and Chronicles. God had promised. He delivered!
God has promises for us, too, and He always delivers!
Their problems must have seemed overwhelming, and though our problems, like theirs, sometimes seem overwhelming, God has provided a way through Christ's death and resurrection. When we need to recover and be restored we need to respond to the opportunities that arise to do this.
The Jews had been living in exile for many years. King Cyrus, prompted by the Holy Spirit, gave them an open invitation to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their nation and their lives. Well over 40,000 brave people made the journey home, others remained behind in exile.
God, through the work of Christ has given each of us an open invitation to leave our personal exile of sinfulness. God is greater than Cyrus, and He is inviting US to rebuild.
Will we respond to the opportunity? Both personally and at Sion Baptist Church?
During the time of returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the Temple, the people were met by some opposition. They were not only hindered, but had to stop the rebuilding process. The opposition were none Jewish inhabitants of the land. The builders were discouraged because of the enemy's mocking, but, God raised up Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to continue the task. This encouragement proved successful.
The same things happen to us, people can mock and discourage us by various means. We then begin to feel like everything we have done is to no avail.
The work of rebuilding the Temple was stopped for ten years. That could have been devastating. When, like the Jews we get that feeling of hopelessness, it can be very damaging. But we can be encouraged, starting over is always part of God's plan for us. He is patient and long suffering, and He comes to the aid of those who seek Him.
As we look at the history of the Jewish people, we see it as a history of new beginnings. God is also the God of new beginnings.
On this journey of new beginnings it is important to have people who will encourage and enable us. The Jews returning to Jerusalem were encouraged and enabled by the others. If they hadn't been they might have lost their motivation and strength to rebuild, to see the mission through, and that's the same with us.
The main characters in the book of Ezra are all people of action, they didn't sit around and keep discussing the project. They organised themselves and started work. The task must have seemed overwhelming at first. The first step is always the most difficult, with the next step almost as hard. Sometimes each step is difficult, but we have to focus on today's task and take action, trusting that God will empower us along each step of the way.
Two major messages emerge from Ezra: God's faithfulness and mans unfaithfulness.
In spite of their return and divine promises, they allow their enemies to discourage them and they temporarily give up. Then, having completed their task so they can worship in their own Temple, the people become faithless to the commandments of God; an entire generation is raised up whose iniquities have risen higher than our heads. That verse is in Ch9 v6. However, God's faithfulness triumphs in each situation.
The messages of Ezra are a constant reminder of how easily God's people can lose heart and their distinctiveness. God is fulfilling His promises!
In spite of this we, His people, easily forget His promises and the moral distinctiveness of His people. When this happens God's plans are delayed. Erring people,. can't thwart God's plans, but they can delay or frustrate them. God is greater than we are, and He does have ways of transcending our short comings. However, He wants us to walk in obedience so that His plans can be fulfilled. He has plans for us, personally and collectively.
In the story of Ezra the working of the Holy Spirit is clearly seen in the moving of God to fulfil His promises. Let's allow Him to fulfil His plans for us here at Sion by inviting the Holy Spirit to have full reign in our lives, so that His Kingdom will grow in this place. Amen.
Holy Spirit we welcome you.