Sermon Tone Analysis
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Today we continue our series of messages from the book of Ezra.
Scholars believe this next part is from the personal writings of this man named Ezra.
So far the focus of this book has been the return of the exiles to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the temple.
The finished temple was documented in chapter six.
This is what we read last week:
This would seem to be a good end to this book.
Let’s wrap it up.
Role credits.
***Title slide back up***
All through this book so far, this has been the goal.
Rebuild the temple.
You’ll notice in the title of the message series, Rebuild is only act 2. There is yet a final act to come…that is Renew.
As we continue reading, we’ll see a later journey of another group of Jewish people back to Jerusalem, this time sponsored by yet another pagan king, Artaxerxes.
Let’s read:
This passage tells us about who Ezra was.
It establishes 2 things about Ezra.
As a direct descendant of Aaron and as a man well versed in the Law, Ezra had God given authority, and
The king granted Ezra an earthly authority in addition to his God given authority.
This was a journey of 800-900 miles during the heat of summer through parts of the world that were very dangerous as we’ll read about next week.
Ezra was leading between 8,000-10,000 men, women, children, livestock, household items as well as the gifts given by the king to the group.
With all of that, they still managed 10-12 miles a day on their journey back to Jerusalem.
It is easy to speed over verse 9 that tells us that this journey was possible because God’s hand was on them.
It was God grace that got them there…Ezra tells us this in the next chapter.
If the first 6 chapters of Ezra were about returning and rebuilding the temple, the next 4 chapters are focused on the hearts of God’s people.
They needed a leader who not only knew God’s law, but also observed it and was not ashamed to teach it.
The temple was important to the Lord and to His people, but the condition of His people’s hearts was more important.
God wanted to renew their relationship with Him.
Sometime it takes a bit of exile and a hard journey back in order to renew one’s love.
Ezra was God’s man for the job.
He had a heart to follow the Lord and His commands.
He had the gifting to teach and lead.
Not only that, but a king was prompted by the Lord to give Ezra the resources and authority he needed to establish order in the city of Jerusalem.
Not just any order, but God’s order...
A king conquers the nation of Israel, destroys Jerusalem, enslaves the people and brings them back to Babylon.
Fast forward a few kings and now these kings are not only releasing the people to go back, these kings are giving them all the resources they need to reestablish the nation of Israel starting with Jerusalem.
When I read things like this in God’s word, I am encouraged that no matter what is happening around me or in the world, God is always on the job, always on the move.
We never know when God might show up like this and change everything in just one instant.
Not only are the local governors to give resources as needed, they have no authority to tax.
Anyone else find that a bit amusing?
Ezra, not only am I sending you with resources and I am putting you in charge of establishing a government.
Not just any government, but a government by the laws of God.
You have the authority to punish anyone who goes against those laws.
Remember in the beginning when we read about Ezra…let me remind you of what it said:
This assignment, the authority given to him was based on a calling on His life and his willingness to study and observe the law.
In order to be spoken of like this, Ezra must have let God’s word form his beliefs, rather than letting his beliefs form God’s word.
There are times when I read God’s word and I have to wrestle with it.
I wrestle because sometimes God’s word tells me something I don’t like…Something that goes against my preference or what I like.
I might even try to look for ways that I am reading it wrong so that it doesn’t conflict with what I want.
Ultimately though, I must submit myself to what the Bible says.
To do otherwise is to go against the Lord.
I’ve read what happens to those who know and still choose to go against Him.
It’s not pretty.
Let’s read Ezra’s private response to the letter:
First, he offers praise that God would prompt the heart of the king to bring honor to the Lord.
All throughout scripture, this is the pattern.
God draws, God prompts, God does the work of changing hearts.
In many cases, God sends someone with a word to the person who needs a change, but it is God who does the work of changing hearts.
You can’t do it, I can’t do it.
What we can do is to go and say what God would have us to say and let Him have the responsibility of changing the heart.
It takes the pressure off us when we approach sharing God’s word this way.
Then...
The praise for God continues…good favor on Ezra before the king.
The favor he had wasn’t because Ezra was some great man, it was because God went ahead of him and made that happen.
Ezra kept his eyes on the Lord, on the word and did what he could to observe and teach what he learned and as a result, the hand of God was on him.
Without God’s hand on him, he would not have been able to do what he was asked to do.
Certainly, no one would have followed him.
Yet that is what happened and he answered the call to head back to Jerusalem.
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