Where God Guides, He Provides

Background on Ezra-Nehemiah

Author

In the opening of the Book of Ezra, there’s a “waw consecutive,” meaning this book tags on at the end of another book. That book is likely 2 Chronicles, as you’ll see direct linkage between the two.

It’s likely that the author of both Ezra and Nehemiah is the author of 1st and 2nd Chronicles as well, known as “The Chronicler.”

There are some places where the author writes in the first-person. This is likely a copy of Ezra’s own words that the Chronicler included in the book.

Historical Background

The “first year of Cyrus,” refers to 539BC, when Cyrus had taken over Babylon. He had been king over other areas prior to this, but this was his kingship over Israel and Babylon.

Israel had been exiled for 48 years. This means you have people who experienced the exile and return of Israel.

Jeremiah 29:10 ESV

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.

In Jeremiah 29:10, it’s said that Babylon would reign for 70 years. If you take that from the Rise of Nebuchadnezzar to the ascension of Cyrus, you have a 70 year period.

The Book of Ezra covers two of the three waves of Returning Exiles. What we’ll cover today is the first of the three waves. Ezra comes onto the scene in Chapter 7.

God’s Great Plan

Ezra 1:1–5 ESV

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.

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This kind of history is referred to as Religious Historical accounts. This is because the author ascribes History to the Hand of God.

So God has this big plan to return Israel back to their homeland.

The Israelites, having been held captive in Babylon for decades, were now being freed by a Pagan king!

God showed Israel that He could use any means He wished to accomplish His purposes.

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Believer, never lose sight of the fact that God can use anything He wants to accomplish anything He wants.

The way some of you react to this election, you’d think that God has stepped away from His throne for a few minutes.

Listen, it doesn’t matter who’s in the White House, God can do whatever He pleases, and He can use whoever He pleases.

Not only can He use both democrats and republicans, He sent His Son for both democrats and republicans.

Let’s bring it down to the personal level, shall we? You know, all things in your life are for God’s glory and out of His love for you.

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Maybe you’re struggling with a loss of employment.

Or perhaps you’re dealing with a diagnosis, or the loss of a relationship, or even the loss of a loved one.

Maybe you have a boss or a co-worker who’s just driving you up the wall.

Something you can know from this Scripture right here and the story of the Israelites is that God *will* use that for His purposes and for your spiritual nourishment.

The question is, are you going to glorify God no matter what? I’m not say you should ignore your pain or your loss. I’m saying that you can hope even in spite of that loss.

What are you resolved to do in the face of news that does not seem to be good news? I’m sure the Israelites felt all kinds of ways when they heard their king had been dethroned.

In the face of uncertainty, God made a way.

GOSPEL CONNECTION: Follow Christ, given Holy Spirit… More than we deserve and everything we need.

God’s Great Hand

Ezra 1:6–11 ESV

And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

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Not only did God make a way for the Israelites to return… He also made a way for them to rebuild the Temple!

Not only were they to be able to return, Cyrus gave them the supplies they would need to rebuild God’s temple.

The stores of what was stolen from the Babylonian’s plunder was made available to the Israelites.

Others were told to give gold and fine metals over to the Israelites.

Just as Israel had plundered Egypt on their way out, they were plundering Babylon.

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When God chooses to accomplish His Will through you, He will not only make a way, He will supply your every need.

Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

If you choose to follow God, this promise stands for you. Prioritize the Kingdom, and your needs will be taken care of.

God caring for your needs may not look lavish. Don’t be fooled by the prosperity preachers.

For Paul it looked like meager rations in prison. For David it was the Kingdom of Israel to steward. Some will live poor, others lavish, but it’s God who directs our paths.

There has never been a time in my life that I have prioritized God’s Kingdom and been left wanting for a need.

Our Humble Response

Ezra 2:68 ESV

Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site.

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All of the gold that Israel had plundered from Babylon was handed back over to God.

The supplies which God gave Israel were not for the people to do with whatever they wanted… It was to go back to God’s Temple!

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Believer, we are all blessed with many things.

God expects us to utilize those blessings for His Kingdom. Our salvation call is to utilize the blessings He gives us to give glory back to Him!

Revelation 4:10–11 ESV

the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

These 24 elders receive crowns for their obedience to the Lord in this life. But it’s clear what to do with those crowns once received. All the glory that is laid upon us ends not with us, but goes back to the Lord.

For some people, this may be a hard concept to grasp. If God gives us something, why should we give it back?

It is because nothing ever truly belongs to us anyway. When I begin to hoard up treasures for myself, I make myself the one who deserves the glory for what has happened in my life.

And maybe that works in a secular worldview, but it does not work for a Christian, because we know that God is the one who lays out our paths before us.

Conclusion

This, too, is the difference between knowing Christ and trying to be a Christian.

Both nations and individuals have tried Christianity and abandoned it, because it has been found too difficult; but no man has ever gone through the crisis of deliberately making Jesus Lord and found Him to be a failure. - Oswald Chambers