Give Us A Nail
Notes
Transcript
Give Us A Nail
Give Us A Nail
70 years of Babylonian captivity has taken place...
There is some question whether the captivity began in 606 - when Daniel and the 3 Hebrew boys - along with many other Hebrew young men were taken into captivity - (they were in the 1st deportation)
There were 9 captivities in all - the first in 606 at the beginning of the 20 year seige -
In 586 Jerusalem was destroyed and in 539 Cyrus - King of Persia - who conquered Babylon made a decree in 538 bc for the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple.
You would think that everyone would jump at the opportunity to go back home, get back to their own country - away from the opposition, enslavement and persecution - away from the place that represented the judgment of God… but that was not the case...
It wasn’t until another 80 years pass - 10 years longer than the captivity that Ezra and his group returned...
120 day trip - 4 - 30 day calendar months…(Jewish calendar)
But now - in 458bc Ezra heads to Jerusalem… under the reign of Artaxerxes - King of Persia (ez.7.1)
When he gets there - imagine the emotional overload
1. Priest - Ezra -
1. Priest - Ezra -
5 The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:
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.
Ezra - a Levite - Priestly line of Aaron the High Priest -
Ready scribe...
knowing
willing
yielding to the Lord’s leading
2. People
2. People
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.
Notice here - that the people - the princes - the lay leadership addressed the issues of sin with Ezra...
They brought the problem to the one who could deal with it...
your best friend,
your gossip partner
your acquaintances are not the ones to bring another brothers sin issues to...
only share with the one who can do something about (besides spread it!)
Priest
People
What was the sin?
lack of:
3. PURITY -
3. PURITY -
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.
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.
Holiness
44 For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Persecution
Pressure
Problems are not a justification for disregarding the commands of God
Priest
People
Purity
4. POST -
4. POST -
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.
House of God
HIS holy place - vs. 8
Nail
secures
supports
seals
draws things together
Priest
People
Purity
Post
5. POSITION -
5. POSITION -
Help
Hope
1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
Heaven
We pray to the God of Heaven
He Extends Mercy
He Shows Grace
He Gives forgiveness
Help...
Hope...
Heaven...
Priest
People
Purity
Post
Position
