2 Chronicles 32 - Nehemiah 3

Name some heroes of your lifetime.

Name some biblical heroes.

Would your list include Ezra?

Ezra

Was a priest, scribe, and a great leader.

His name means “help.”

He dedicated his life to serving God and God’s people.

Wrote most of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Psalm 119.

He led a council of 120 who formed the Old Testament canon.

What are some lessons we can learn from the book of Ezra?

God always fulfills His promises.

Ezra 1:1–4 NKJV

1 Now 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, saying, 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who 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 build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

God had promised the Jews that He would deliver them out of captivity after 70 years and restore them to their land (Isaiah 44:28-45:5; Jeremiah 25:8-13; Jeremiah 29:10-14)

He even specifically called out the king who would be instrumental in allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem.

Isaiah 44:28 NKJV

28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

We can be confident that God will stop at nothing to fulfill His promises to us.

What are some promises that God has fulfilled in your life?

What are some promises that God has yet to fulfill in your life?

God always restores those that return to Him.

Ezra 1:5–6 NKJV

5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

By returning to Jerusalem, the Jews showed tremendous faith in God to deliver them from captivity and restore them as a nation.

God compassionately restores His people.

We are never too far from His love and mercy.

He restores us when we return to Him.

The Jews rededicated themselves to God.

Zerubbabel led the people in rebuilding the altar and repairing the foundation of the temple.

Ezra 3:1–2 NKJV

1 And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

Ezra 3:8–11 NKJV

8 Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites. 10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

In order for us to continue to grow spiritually, we’ve got to check our commitment to God.

Sometimes, we may need to rededicate ourselves to Him.

As we rededicate ourselves to God, we become living sacrifices to Him.

There will always be opposition to God’s work.

Ezra 4:1–5 NKJV

1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Those who opposed the work to rebuild Jerusalem sent letters to the king during the reigns of Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes.

There will always be adversaries that oppose God’s work.

But God has the final say.

He can stop any opposition against His work.

We must remain faithful and stay focused.

Reliance on and Obedience to God’s Word is absolutely necessary for spiritual survival.

Ezra 7:10 NKJV

10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

When Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, the first thing he did was return the people back to the Word of God.

Not only did Ezra know God’s Word, but he believed it, and he obeyed it.

It is not enough just to believe what God’s Word says, we must do what God’s Word says.

Standing on the principles of God’s Word sometimes takes bold action.

Ezra 10:1–5 NKJV

1 Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. 2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. 3 Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.” 5 Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath.

Ezra led the Jews to end the marriages that were in direct opposition to God’s commandment and that had led them into idolatry.

This was a bold move.

We would lose a lot of church members today with that kind of boldness.

But the lesson for us is that it is not enough to simply believe God’s Word, we must be willing to make the changes to our lives that it requires.