Ezra 5-10, Mal 2

Introduction

Left off last week with The temple being finished and the people rejoicing over it. Artaxerses had help pay for the completion of it and things were moving forward in Jerusalem.

Now we are going to fast forward about 60 years where we meet the man who this book is named after, Ezra.

He’s a leader among the exiled Israelites in Babylon. He is commissioned by Artaxerses to go back to Jerusalem and take others with him to teach the torah and rebuild the community.

So we are going to really being finishing the book of Ezra tonight and looking at what Malachai wrote about some of the events we will be covering. So let’s jump in.

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Ezra 7:1 KJV 1900

1 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,

Ezra 7:6–10 KJV 1900

6 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. 7 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. 8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 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. 10 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.

I. The Prophet’s Purpose

Ezra had the desire to know the law of God, the Torah, to teach it, and to do it.

That’s great and I think admirable for any person to have a desire to know and obey God while trying to lead others to do the same.

This chapter goes on to show that Ezra recieved support from Artaxerxes who wrote a letter telling others to give him what he needs to go back up to certain amounts.

The way has been paved for Ezra and many Israelites to go back and continue reestablishing Jerusalem.

The temple is complete there is an active focus on God and now Ezra will be returning to teach the specifics of the law to the people.

II. The Prophet’s Pilgrimage

Ezra 8:21–23 KJV 1900

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

On the way back to Jerusalem Ezra stopped and proclaimed a fast among his people. Why?

He didn’t ask the king for protection so he turned to God for it. We see the prophet has a heart for the Lord here and seems to have a faith that he acts on to prove it.

At the end of verse 23 the author lets us know that God heard them and protected them.

The rest of Chapter 8 highlights the return to Jerusalem and the offerings given to rejoice over them making it back.

Then in verse 9 we see Ezra encounter a problem

III. The Prophet’s Problem

Ezra 9:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. 3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.

Ezra had returned to a nation that had become unpure by intermarriage with surrounding cultures.

This went against the law of God that he had come to teach.

Ezra goes on to call out to God…let’s read his lamentation

Ezra 9:4–15 KJV 1900

4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. 5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God, 6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, 11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. 13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; 14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? 15 O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.

He was devestated by what his people had done. He was burdened for their sin.

Then in chapter 10 we see there is a group of people gathering around him and inform him that in order to remain right with God they should send away their foreign wives.

He then follows through with this by sending out a proclamation throughout the land and has them sent away.

Now, here is the real problem.

Yes, they sinned by intermarrying because God had told them not to.

Yet now Ezra is calling for them to divorce.

That goes against God’s law as well.

In fact, Malachi, a contemporary to Ezra wrote about the importance of purity and the evil of divorce

Malachi 2:13–16 KJV 1900

13 And this have ye done again, Covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, Insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, Or receiveth it with good will at your hand. 14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, Against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: Yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: For one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: Therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

So now Ezra has come back to teach the torah, the law, and is giving instruction to break the law. The book of Ezra ends by naming those who had intermarried ands thats it…it’s very anti-climatic.

What do we learn from these events though? What application can we find in Ezra’s actions?

I believe there are a few.

First, we saw Ezra’s love for the torah and his desire to teach it. As Christians in the 21st century we should have a love for the Word of God and a desire to teach others about Him and it.

Second, We saw Ezra’s faith in God and his actions took because of it. He showed his faith and lived his faith. He had a focus on the Lord and lead others to do the same. By his example others were challenged to have that faith. As 21st century Christians, we should see to have a faith that is acted upon and challenges those around us to act on theirs.

Third, When Ezra got back to Israel he was met by something that caused him great grief and pain. The people he had come to teach the Torah to were living in opposition to it. yet because of His desire of following the law so greatly he lead the people to commit another sin. Why did this happen?

I believe it is the same thing that can happen to us as 21st century Christians if we are not careful. We can get so focused on the law, on the Word of God and the list of do’s and don’ts, that are important and have their place, but we forget about the grace and love of God that we are also supposed to exemplify.

God’s grace isn’t an excuse to sin and should never be treated that way. However, it was Jesus himself that is described by the Apostle John in as being full of grace and truth.

Yes we know sin and understand we shouldn’t do it. Yes we will see others living in sin yet we must remember the grace of God and how it is extended to us as well.

Ezra was so focused on the truth that he forgot the grace. This resulted in leading people to sin and will result in other sins in our lives. Some I ahve witness succumb to this same type of thinking have fallen prey to Pride, anger, resentment, etc.

So let’s be a people that are desiring to be like Christ. Full of Grace…and truth.