1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,040 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,040 –> 00:00:12,640 To contact us call us at 1-877-Open365. 3 00:00:12,640 –> 00:00:15,680 Or visit our website openthebible.org.uk. 4 00:00:15,680 –> 00:00:17,719 Let’s get to the message. 5 00:00:17,719 –> 00:00:19,139 Here is Pastor Colin. 6 00:00:19,139 –> 00:00:23,120 Well, please have your Bible open at Ezra and chapter 7. 7 00:00:23,120 –> 00:00:27,600 This is the last message in our series from this book. 8 00:00:27,680 –> 00:00:35,299 And we’ve been following the story of 50,000 people who left their homes, their work, and 9 00:00:35,299 –> 00:00:42,200 their loved ones in order to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and they did it because God had 10 00:00:42,200 –> 00:00:45,160 stirred their hearts. 11 00:00:45,160 –> 00:00:50,959 And we saw that when they returned, they made worship their first priority. 12 00:00:50,959 –> 00:00:52,180 They built the altar. 13 00:00:52,180 –> 00:00:57,360 They celebrated the feast, and they laid the foundation for the temple. 14 00:00:57,400 –> 00:01:03,459 And as soon as the foundation of the temple was laid, there was opposition. 15 00:01:03,459 –> 00:01:09,199 And we saw that for 16 long years, little or no progress was made. 16 00:01:09,199 –> 00:01:15,820 But then remarkably, through the ministry of the prophet Haggai, God turned everything 17 00:01:15,820 –> 00:01:16,820 around. 18 00:01:16,820 –> 00:01:21,099 Everything changed in a period of just 24 days. 19 00:01:21,099 –> 00:01:24,980 God’s purpose always prevails. 20 00:01:25,059 –> 00:01:31,900 And perhaps you have had an experience that you can identify like that in your own life. 21 00:01:31,900 –> 00:01:33,839 That there was something that you prayed for. 22 00:01:33,839 –> 00:01:37,620 You prayed for it a long time—years. 23 00:01:37,620 –> 00:01:42,120 And it seemed that nothing happened. 24 00:01:42,120 –> 00:01:44,220 And sometimes you were tempted to give up. 25 00:01:44,220 –> 00:01:46,940 Is there ever going to be an answer to this prayer? 26 00:01:46,940 –> 00:01:52,959 And then, after a long time, God, suddenly, very quickly moved in an unexpected way and 27 00:01:52,959 –> 00:01:55,199 everything was changed. 28 00:01:55,199 –> 00:02:00,900 That is actually often the pattern of Christian experience. 29 00:02:00,900 –> 00:02:05,480 And the encouragement of it is that, even if you have been praying for something for 30 00:02:05,480 –> 00:02:09,899 a long time, you never know what God is about to do. 31 00:02:09,899 –> 00:02:16,539 Let that hope sustain you when the answer to a prayer is long-delayed. 32 00:02:16,940 –> 00:02:23,479 Today we take up the story in chapter 7 where Ezra is introduced for the very first time, 33 00:02:23,479 –> 00:02:26,259 chapter 7 and verse 1. 34 00:02:26,259 –> 00:02:33,960 Now, after this in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra — and then his ancestors 35 00:02:33,960 –> 00:02:40,479 are all listed, I’m not going to repeat them — Ezra went up, verse 6, to Babylonia. 36 00:02:41,039 –> 00:02:49,820 Now, we saw last time that the story of Ezra, the return, really covers a period of the 37 00:02:49,820 –> 00:02:52,059 reign of five different kings. 38 00:02:52,059 –> 00:02:57,000 It’s a story that goes over 100 years. 39 00:02:57,000 –> 00:03:01,919 And the first six chapters of the book are all about the first return. 40 00:03:01,919 –> 00:03:08,240 And so, Ezra is really telling us the history of what happened in earlier years in the first 41 00:03:08,240 –> 00:03:09,240 return. 42 00:03:09,559 –> 00:03:15,160 Then in chapter seven, he gets to the second return, and he is introduced personally because 43 00:03:15,160 –> 00:03:21,619 this is the part of the story in which he becomes particularly and directly involved. 44 00:03:22,660 –> 00:03:25,259 Now, what do we know about this man Ezra? 45 00:03:25,279 –> 00:03:30,779 Well, first, we know that he was a priest and a scribe. 46 00:03:30,779 –> 00:03:38,179 He was a priest, and that is the significance of the names at the beginning of Ezra in chapter seven. 47 00:03:38,240 –> 00:03:45,679 What he’s doing is, he’s tracing his line of descent all the way back to Aaron who was 48 00:03:45,679 –> 00:03:50,500 the brother of Moses and was the first high priest. 49 00:03:50,500 –> 00:03:58,160 So, what he’s telling us is that this man really was of the line of descent from which 50 00:03:58,160 –> 00:04:00,059 the priest came. 51 00:04:00,059 –> 00:04:04,699 All of the priests were descended from the line of Aaron. 52 00:04:04,740 –> 00:04:11,380 And then in verse six we’re told that he was also a scribe, and scribes had the work of 53 00:04:11,380 –> 00:04:17,880 copying the scripture, interpreting the scripture, teaching the scripture, and we’re told that 54 00:04:17,880 –> 00:04:22,239 Ezra was particularly skilled in this work. 55 00:04:22,239 –> 00:04:29,640 Secondly, we know about Ezra that he had a very successful career. 56 00:04:29,640 –> 00:04:34,839 If you look at verse 12, you will see that that is the beginning of a letter from the 57 00:04:34,839 –> 00:04:40,140 king authorizing Ezra to return to Jerusalem. 58 00:04:40,140 –> 00:04:44,160 And it begins, the letter, with a formal address. 59 00:04:44,160 –> 00:04:50,839 Verse 12, Artaxerxes king of kings, at least that’s how he describes himself, there’s only 60 00:04:50,839 –> 00:04:56,320 one who is worthy of that title but this is how he thought of himself. 61 00:04:56,320 –> 00:05:04,119 And notice that he says, To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven. 62 00:05:04,119 –> 00:05:11,239 Now this is the introduction, or the addressing of a letter, and it seems that this was an 63 00:05:11,239 –> 00:05:13,260 official title. 64 00:05:13,260 –> 00:05:19,339 One Old Testament scholar suggests that this was the equivalent of what we might say today, 65 00:05:19,339 –> 00:05:23,799 the secretary of state for Jewish affairs. 66 00:05:23,799 –> 00:05:30,239 In other words, Ezra was a government official, a very successful one, a well-placed one, 67 00:05:30,239 –> 00:05:36,940 which of course is why he would have had access to the king. 68 00:05:36,940 –> 00:05:43,260 Now God often works through men and women in positions of influence. 69 00:05:43,260 –> 00:05:47,760 You see this early in the Bible story, for example, in the life of Joseph. 70 00:05:47,760 –> 00:05:50,839 You see it later in the Old Testament again and again. 71 00:05:50,899 –> 00:05:58,000 When we think about the influence of Daniel in the court of Nebuchadnezzar, or the influence 72 00:05:58,000 –> 00:06:05,799 of Esther in the palace of King Ahasuerus, here you’ve got Ezra, a highly placed government 73 00:06:05,799 –> 00:06:10,500 official, having influence in the time of Artak Xerxes. 74 00:06:10,500 –> 00:06:14,540 And then later, when we get to the story of Nehemiah, we find that he’s introduced as 75 00:06:14,540 –> 00:06:17,100 the cup-bearer to the king. 76 00:06:17,100 –> 00:06:21,459 Another very significant position that that man held. 77 00:06:21,459 –> 00:06:22,820 Now here’s the point. 78 00:06:22,820 –> 00:06:27,519 There are no accidents in God’s plan. 79 00:06:27,519 –> 00:06:35,239 Where you live, where you work, the position that you hold, the influence that you have, 80 00:06:35,239 –> 00:06:38,000 it is all part of the purpose of God. 81 00:06:38,359 –> 00:06:46,980 Where God puts you in a position of influence, it is always because he has a wider purpose. 82 00:06:46,980 –> 00:06:54,359 So we’re getting to know this man, a priest, a scribe, very successful career, put in a 83 00:06:54,359 –> 00:06:57,119 position of great influence. 84 00:06:57,119 –> 00:07:02,579 But the most important thing to know about Ezra, and we’re told it six times in this 85 00:07:02,579 –> 00:07:07,000 book, is that the hand of God was on him. 86 00:07:07,000 –> 00:07:15,320 Let me just point out in chapter seven and verse six, the king granted him, Ezra, all 87 00:07:15,320 –> 00:07:16,320 that he asked. 88 00:07:16,320 –> 00:07:19,559 You say, well, why was that? 89 00:07:19,559 –> 00:07:27,359 Well, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him, or chapter seven and verse nine, he 90 00:07:27,359 –> 00:07:30,660 came to Jerusalem, led this second return. 91 00:07:31,320 –> 00:07:35,279 And how was it that he arrived in Jerusalem for the good hand 92 00:07:35,279 –> 00:07:38,459 of his God was on him? 93 00:07:38,459 –> 00:07:45,839 On verse twenty eight of chapter seven, Ezra says, I took courage and say, well, where 94 00:07:45,839 –> 00:07:47,859 did he get that courage from? 95 00:07:47,859 –> 00:07:50,220 Answer for the hand of the Lord. 96 00:07:50,220 –> 00:07:53,059 My God was on me. 97 00:07:53,059 –> 00:07:57,160 You find the same phrase, the hand of God three times in chapter eight. 98 00:07:57,160 –> 00:08:01,880 You’ll see it in verse eighteen, verse twenty two, and verse thirty one. 99 00:08:01,880 –> 00:08:03,100 And here’s the point. 100 00:08:03,100 –> 00:08:09,799 Ezra wants us to know that this remarkable story of the return is not so much about all 101 00:08:09,799 –> 00:08:13,320 that he did, and he did a very great deal. 102 00:08:13,320 –> 00:08:16,679 It was about what God did in and through him. 103 00:08:16,679 –> 00:08:21,399 If you want to understand the story, Ezra says, understand this. 104 00:08:21,399 –> 00:08:25,679 The hand of God was on me. 105 00:08:25,720 –> 00:08:35,400 Now, I want to make three very simple observations about the hand of God’s beautiful phrase, 106 00:08:35,400 –> 00:08:40,679 and then to draw some conclusions with regards to the series as a whole. 107 00:08:40,679 –> 00:08:43,960 First then, the hand of God gives us courage. 108 00:08:43,960 –> 00:08:47,599 And we’ll begin at chapter seven and verse six. 109 00:08:47,599 –> 00:08:51,280 The King granted to Ezra all that he asked, why? 110 00:08:51,280 –> 00:08:57,260 For the hand of the Lord his God was on him. 111 00:08:57,260 –> 00:09:03,900 Now, we saw last time that at one point in his reign this King, Artaxerxes, had made 112 00:09:03,900 –> 00:09:11,659 a decree that all work on the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem was to cease. 113 00:09:11,659 –> 00:09:16,919 We’re not told when in Artaxerxes’ reign this happened, but I’m going to assume, and I think 114 00:09:16,919 –> 00:09:25,039 it’s reasonable to assume that this was at the early point of his reign, and since Ezra 115 00:09:25,039 –> 00:09:33,280 was a government official, he must have cringed when the King made this decree that all work 116 00:09:33,280 –> 00:09:36,059 on the rebuilding of Jerusalem was to cease. 117 00:09:36,059 –> 00:09:43,960 Here he is, the Secretary of State for Jewish Affairs, and all work in Jerusalem is to cease. 118 00:09:43,960 –> 00:09:45,960 What can Ezra do about it? 119 00:09:45,960 –> 00:09:53,020 Well, there must have been a growing pressure in Ezra’s mind and in his heart that one day 120 00:09:53,020 –> 00:09:59,159 he was going to have to ask the King for permission to lead a second return to Jerusalem, but 121 00:09:59,159 –> 00:10:05,619 how could he do this when the King had already decreed that all work on the rebuilding of 122 00:10:05,619 –> 00:10:07,500 the City was to cease? 123 00:10:08,440 –> 00:10:14,679 Well, no doubt the Spirit of God kept tugging at Ezra’s heart. 124 00:10:14,679 –> 00:10:19,539 And one day he was given an audience with the King. 125 00:10:19,539 –> 00:10:22,739 You have a description of it in Chap. 7, verse 28. 126 00:10:22,739 –> 00:10:34,700 We’re told that Ezra appeared before the King and his counselors and before all of the king’s 127 00:10:34,700 –> 00:10:36,380 mighty officers. 128 00:10:36,460 –> 00:10:38,979 Can you imagine what that was like? 129 00:10:38,979 –> 00:10:45,799 Here’s this man and he goes alone into the presence of the King, but it’s not only the 130 00:10:45,799 –> 00:10:46,799 king. 131 00:10:46,799 –> 00:10:48,840 I mean you’re able to get a one-on-one with the king. 132 00:10:48,840 –> 00:10:55,979 He’s always surrounded by his people, his entourage, and there around the King, as Ezra 133 00:10:55,979 –> 00:11:01,979 goes into the throne room of the palace and all the counselors, all the chief advisors 134 00:11:01,979 –> 00:11:09,219 and all of the military top brass no doubt in their distinctive uniforms must have been 135 00:11:09,219 –> 00:11:18,000 absolutely terrifying and he’s gone into this room to ask the king to reverse his previously 136 00:11:18,000 –> 00:11:20,039 decreed policy. 137 00:11:20,039 –> 00:11:24,340 How did Ezra do it? 138 00:11:25,239 –> 00:11:27,099 Well he says in verse 28. 139 00:11:27,099 –> 00:11:36,080 I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me. 140 00:11:36,080 –> 00:11:37,400 It’s beautiful. 141 00:11:37,400 –> 00:11:45,539 He says it’s as if when I went into that room, God himself was standing behind me with his 142 00:11:45,719 –> 00:11:55,840 hand on my shoulder, giving weight to my words, affirming what I said, giving me favor in 143 00:11:55,840 –> 00:12:01,460 the eyes of the king to whom I spoke. 144 00:12:01,460 –> 00:12:06,659 You know the apostle Paul speaks of the same kind of experience. 145 00:12:06,659 –> 00:12:12,739 He on one occasion was brought to trial and he tells us that at his first defense, in 146 00:12:12,739 –> 00:12:19,840 court there was no one there to support him, but he says the Lord stood by me and strengthened 147 00:12:19,840 –> 00:12:20,840 me. 148 00:12:20,840 –> 00:12:25,020 It was as if the Lord was standing right next to me and that’s what gave me strength in 149 00:12:25,020 –> 00:12:28,380 that very difficult moment of my life. 150 00:12:28,380 –> 00:12:30,900 David had the same testimony. 151 00:12:30,900 –> 00:12:35,820 He says in Psalm 16, I have set the Lord always before me. 152 00:12:35,820 –> 00:12:41,940 And because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 153 00:12:41,940 –> 00:12:48,000 Now where in your life then do you need courage? 154 00:12:48,000 –> 00:12:53,039 What is there in your life that you know in your mind and heart one day, I need to face 155 00:12:53,039 –> 00:12:54,039 up to this. 156 00:12:54,039 –> 00:12:58,159 But you think, I’m not sure I’ve ever got the strength to do it. 157 00:12:58,159 –> 00:13:05,799 And I’m saying to you today that if you could see the Lord himself, standing right beside 158 00:13:05,799 –> 00:13:11,559 you with his hand on your shoulder, you would have all the courage that you need. 159 00:13:11,559 –> 00:13:13,400 And that’s the promise that he gives to you. 160 00:13:13,400 –> 00:13:14,400 I am with you. 161 00:13:14,400 –> 00:13:15,979 I will never leave you. 162 00:13:15,979 –> 00:13:18,979 I will never forsake you. 163 00:13:18,979 –> 00:13:28,919 I took courage for the hand of the Lord my God was on me. 164 00:13:28,919 –> 00:13:29,919 That’s the first thing. 165 00:13:29,919 –> 00:13:31,179 It is very wonderful. 166 00:13:31,179 –> 00:13:34,960 The hand of God gives courage. 167 00:13:34,960 –> 00:13:40,039 Second, the hand of God moves us to serve. 168 00:13:40,400 –> 00:13:43,539 Now here I want us to move into chapter 8 of Ezra. 169 00:13:43,559 –> 00:13:49,039 The seventh chapter ends with Ezra having been given this permission by the king, gathering 170 00:13:49,039 –> 00:13:56,000 leading men from Israel, he says in verse 28 of chapter 7, to go up with me. 171 00:13:56,000 –> 00:13:59,760 And then you’ll see chapter eight begins with another list of names. 172 00:13:59,760 –> 00:14:06,780 This time the list of the families who joined Ezra for this second return. 173 00:14:06,780 –> 00:14:12,479 And those who joined with him, we’re told in verse 15 of chapter 8, they all gathered 174 00:14:12,479 –> 00:14:18,119 by a river that leads to a Havah. 175 00:14:18,119 –> 00:14:22,580 And Ezra records that when the people who had stepped forward for the second return they 176 00:14:22,580 –> 00:14:24,080 said, we’re with you. 177 00:14:24,080 –> 00:14:25,539 We’ll return. 178 00:14:25,539 –> 00:14:28,640 Ezra had a look at who had gathered. 179 00:14:28,640 –> 00:14:31,020 Here’s chapter eight in verse 15. 180 00:14:31,039 –> 00:14:43,159 As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi. 181 00:14:43,159 –> 00:14:45,380 None of them. 182 00:14:45,380 –> 00:14:49,460 Now, why is attention drawn to this? 183 00:14:49,460 –> 00:14:55,640 Well, Levi, of course, was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. 184 00:14:55,640 –> 00:15:03,679 His sons, the Levites, were all called to vocational ministry. 185 00:15:03,679 –> 00:15:09,700 They were supported by the tithes of God’s people, because they attended to the work 186 00:15:09,700 –> 00:15:11,859 of the temple. 187 00:15:11,859 –> 00:15:17,500 Some of the Levites were priests, if they were descended from the line of Aaron in particular. 188 00:15:17,500 –> 00:15:21,080 And if they were priests, then their calling was to lead worship. 189 00:15:21,080 –> 00:15:26,020 But for most of the Levites descended from other lines coming from Levi. 190 00:15:26,020 –> 00:15:31,219 Their work was more broadly to care for the tabernacle early in the Old Testament or the 191 00:15:31,219 –> 00:15:34,719 temple later in the Old Testament story. 192 00:15:34,719 –> 00:15:43,599 But here’s the point, all of the Levites were called by God to vocational ministry. 193 00:15:43,599 –> 00:15:49,479 So you would think that when the time came for the return, that the Levites would be 194 00:15:49,679 –> 00:15:51,080 absolutely at the front. 195 00:15:51,080 –> 00:15:54,840 They’d be the first to say, Oh, we’re going to rebuild the temple, our calling is particularly 196 00:15:54,840 –> 00:15:58,919 to give ourselves full time to serving in the temple, we’re going to lead the return 197 00:15:58,919 –> 00:16:01,380 and we want many, many others to come with us. 198 00:16:01,380 –> 00:16:09,760 But here’s the thing, the Levites were conspicuous by their absence, both from the first return 199 00:16:09,760 –> 00:16:13,559 and from the second return. 200 00:16:13,559 –> 00:16:18,559 We saw in chapter two when we added up all the numbers, that there was something like 201 00:16:18,559 –> 00:16:27,359 50,000 people came back to Jerusalem in the first return under Zerubbabel. 202 00:16:27,359 –> 00:16:33,400 How many of the 50,000 were Levites Well, the numbers are there. 203 00:16:33,400 –> 00:16:36,900 You can check them in chapter two and verses 40 to 42. 204 00:16:36,900 –> 00:16:37,900 There were 341. 205 00:16:37,900 –> 00:16:38,900 341 out of 50,000? 206 00:16:39,400 –> 00:16:48,140 And if you look just before you will see that the priests were much better represented. 207 00:16:48,140 –> 00:16:53,020 There were 4000 of them, but only 341 Levites. 208 00:16:53,020 –> 00:16:59,239 A pretty miserable showing. 209 00:16:59,239 –> 00:17:02,619 Now why were the numbers so low? 210 00:17:03,260 –> 00:17:11,959 Well, the answer is surely this that to be born into the tribe of Levi was a costly privilege. 211 00:17:11,959 –> 00:17:18,579 It was a privilege because you were called to serve in the Lord’s house. 212 00:17:18,579 –> 00:17:23,800 And you would be supported by the tithes of the Lord’s people. 213 00:17:23,800 –> 00:17:30,180 You were to give yourself wholly to this work and to be free to do so. 214 00:17:30,239 –> 00:17:38,699 But it was a costly privilege because if you were a Levite, you were not given a portion 215 00:17:38,699 –> 00:17:42,380 of the promised land as an inheritance. 216 00:17:42,380 –> 00:17:50,699 That’s in Deuteronomy 18 2, the Levites shall have no inheritance among their brothers. 217 00:17:50,699 –> 00:17:55,020 The Lord is their inheritance. 218 00:17:55,280 –> 00:17:59,319 Now, it seems that what happened then was something like this. 219 00:17:59,319 –> 00:18:04,260 That when the time of the exile came, the temple was destroyed, everyone’s deported 220 00:18:04,260 –> 00:18:06,380 and resettled in Babylon. 221 00:18:06,380 –> 00:18:13,060 The Levites like many others settled into comfortable lives. 222 00:18:13,060 –> 00:18:16,119 They would have had land in Babylon. 223 00:18:16,119 –> 00:18:20,300 They would have developed some farming, perhaps some business. 224 00:18:20,339 –> 00:18:24,900 They would have generated a steady income. 225 00:18:24,900 –> 00:18:32,619 And after 70 years of that, well, why would we leave all that we have here for a life 226 00:18:32,619 –> 00:18:41,619 of service in the temple and no earthly inheritance. 227 00:18:41,619 –> 00:18:50,900 And so 341 was all that showed up of those who were called to vocational ministry in 228 00:18:50,900 –> 00:18:52,739 the first return. 229 00:18:52,739 –> 00:18:57,199 And now back to chapter 8, when we get to the second return, and they’re all gathered 230 00:18:57,199 –> 00:19:01,739 by the river, and Ezra assesses, now who have we got who step forward. 231 00:19:01,739 –> 00:19:05,420 He finds that there are no Levites at all. 232 00:19:05,420 –> 00:19:07,959 Not a single one. 233 00:19:07,959 –> 00:19:10,599 No one showed up. 234 00:19:10,599 –> 00:19:15,280 Now Ezra was not prepared to accept that. 235 00:19:15,280 –> 00:19:20,800 And so very significantly he took an initiative. 236 00:19:20,800 –> 00:19:24,760 How can you run the Temple without Levites? 237 00:19:24,760 –> 00:19:32,640 So Ezra sends a delegation of his leading men to place called Cathaphia where apparently 238 00:19:32,640 –> 00:19:36,880 there were a large number of Levites who had settled. 239 00:19:36,880 –> 00:19:44,699 And in chapter 8, in verse 17 we’re told the message that they took to this Levitical community. 240 00:19:44,699 –> 00:19:52,000 Send us ministers for the house of our God. 241 00:19:52,180 –> 00:19:59,079 Can you imagine this delegation arriving, we come to speak to the Levites? 242 00:19:59,079 –> 00:20:04,500 We come to speak to those who know that they are called to vocational ministry and here’s 243 00:20:04,500 –> 00:20:14,660 our message, send us ministers for the house of our God. 244 00:20:14,660 –> 00:20:21,780 And chapter 8 then tells us that out of this Ezra got two men, the name of the first was 245 00:20:21,780 –> 00:20:26,739 sherebiah, the name of the second was hashebiah. 246 00:20:26,739 –> 00:20:32,380 They were Levites and they were leading priests chapter 8 and verse 24. 247 00:20:32,380 –> 00:20:38,599 One of them known especially for is wisdom or discretion, and with these two came other 248 00:20:38,599 –> 00:20:46,859 members of their families, 36 others altogether, so a total group of 38 Levites who changed 249 00:20:46,939 –> 00:20:52,239 their mind, had a change of heart, and joined the second return. 250 00:20:52,239 –> 00:20:56,859 Now you’ll notice by the way in verse 20 that there were also a larger group of 251 00:20:56,859 –> 00:21:00,979 temple servants who came as a result of this initiative. 252 00:21:00,979 –> 00:21:07,979 They were not levites, but were probably gentiles who had joined god’s people and assisted 253 00:21:08,380 –> 00:21:15,040 the Levites with some very basic tasks like cutting wood and carrying water and so forth. 254 00:21:16,040 –> 00:21:17,920 Here’s the focus of the story. 255 00:21:17,920 –> 00:21:24,920 Thirty-eight Levites changed their minds and became willing to give themselves to the vocational 256 00:21:25,420 –> 00:21:28,719 service to which they were called. 257 00:21:28,719 –> 00:21:33,040 Ezra is quite clear about why this happened. 258 00:21:33,040 –> 00:21:40,040 Send ministers for the house of our God and by the good hand of God on us they brought 259 00:21:41,040 –> 00:21:48,040 us Shat elite and Hashem and with them 36 others who changed their minds and became 260 00:21:53,060 –> 00:21:59,060 willing to give themselves without reservation to the service of God, to which they knew 261 00:21:59,060 –> 00:22:03,000 they were called. 262 00:22:03,000 –> 00:22:10,000 When godly leaders presented the challenges of religious life, they knew what they were 263 00:22:10,260 –> 00:22:17,260 doing. The hand of God changed the hearts of 38 Levites, and they became willing to 264 00:22:19,000 –> 00:22:26,000 serve. There is a real principle here. You see, God works through faithful people. It 265 00:22:26,540 –> 00:22:33,540 was when Ezra had the courage to go and ask the King that God then put it into the heart 266 00:22:33,560 –> 00:22:40,420 of the King to not only allow, but in fact to sponsor the second return. The hand of 267 00:22:40,420 –> 00:22:47,420 God moved as Ezra had courage to act. And here it is as he takes the initiative and 268 00:22:48,560 –> 00:22:52,500 he sends the delegation to Cassaffia and he lays out the challenge. 269 00:22:52,500 –> 00:22:59,500 Now, we need servants for the Temple of God. We need people who are going to step forward 270 00:23:00,140 –> 00:23:06,439 for the work of God and give themselves to it fully. Well, when that initiative was taken, 271 00:23:06,439 –> 00:23:13,439 the hand of God moved again. And some people who’d said I’m not doing that had a 272 00:23:14,439 –> 00:23:26,739 complete change of mind and of heart. I suspect that some of the Levites would have given 273 00:23:27,359 –> 00:23:37,859 a testimony like this if they were able to speak to us today. At one time, I said 274 00:23:37,859 –> 00:23:43,599 returning to Jerusalem to serve in the temple was something I would never do. 275 00:23:43,599 –> 00:23:54,660 But then Ezra’s men said, send us ministers for the house of our God. And when I heard them say 276 00:23:54,859 –> 00:24:03,819 it I knew it was as if God himself was speaking to me. My heart began to change. What I said I’d 277 00:24:03,819 –> 00:24:14,260 never do, I began to feel, was something I wanted to do and so I returned. And friends, 278 00:24:14,260 –> 00:24:20,739 let me then lift this verse of Scripture and just state it for us today. Send us ministers 279 00:24:21,300 –> 00:24:31,140 for the house of our God. Is there someone in the congregation who God would move to take 280 00:24:31,140 –> 00:24:40,020 up some new form of service for him, perhaps invocational ministry that will involve you 281 00:24:40,020 –> 00:24:45,540 giving up the stability of the life that you have? Moving to another part of the world as 282 00:24:45,540 –> 00:24:51,180 these Levites did, and you’ve had all kinds of reasons as to why you can’t do that, you won’t 283 00:24:51,180 –> 00:24:57,060 do that. And yet somehow you know that God is calling you to do precisely that. And as you hear 284 00:24:57,060 –> 00:25:06,939 the call, the hand of God begins to work in your heart and something begins to change. What will 285 00:25:07,420 –> 00:25:19,339 move your heart to do in service for him? Well, the hand of God moves us to serve and may the 286 00:25:19,339 –> 00:25:31,000 hand of God move among us to that end, even today. Now, the hand of God is what gives us 287 00:25:31,000 –> 00:25:41,640 courage. The hand of God is what moves us to serve. I hope you’re saying with me today, 288 00:25:41,640 –> 00:25:51,040 that’s what I want. I want to know more and more of the hand of God upon me. I want the 289 00:25:51,040 –> 00:26:00,260 hand of God to give me courage. I need the hand of god to move me to serve. Now here’s 290 00:26:00,300 –> 00:26:08,500 the obvious question at this point, how then can I know more of the hand of God in my life? 291 00:26:08,500 –> 00:26:18,900 How can ministry be more than me doing my best? How can I know more of the help of God? 292 00:26:18,979 –> 00:26:26,020 How can I know more of the spirit of God? How can I know more of the anointing of God 293 00:26:26,020 –> 00:26:32,339 in what I seek to do for Him? How can I know more of as it were the hand of God being on my 294 00:26:32,339 –> 00:26:36,260 shoulder as I seek to serve Him? Isn’t that something that you would want and desire? 295 00:26:39,219 –> 00:26:47,780 And Ezra tells us how it was that the hand of God was on him. Look at chapter seven in verse nine 296 00:26:48,420 –> 00:26:59,300 and ten. The good hand of his God was on him for Ezra had set his heart to study the law 297 00:26:59,300 –> 00:27:08,260 of the Lord and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Now notice 298 00:27:08,260 –> 00:27:12,500 that word for. It’s of huge importance because it’s giving us an explanation 299 00:27:13,459 –> 00:27:20,739 as to why it was that the hand of God was on this man in such a remarkable way the good hand 300 00:27:20,739 –> 00:27:30,979 of God was on Ezra for because he had set his heart to study the law of God and to do it 301 00:27:32,339 –> 00:27:41,380 and to teach it. Study, do, teach in other words Ezra was not interested in learning for learning’s 302 00:27:41,380 –> 00:27:48,420 sake some people love to study and this can be one of the dangers of study that we can become 303 00:27:48,420 –> 00:27:54,660 absorbed in learning about the bible simply for learning and study’s sake. It becomes an end in 304 00:27:54,660 –> 00:28:01,540 itself and Ezra is making it very very clear here. Now that’s not how it was for this man 305 00:28:02,339 –> 00:28:08,660 the reason he immersed himself in the scriptures is that he wanted his own life to be shaped by 306 00:28:08,660 –> 00:28:15,300 them and as his own life was shaped by them he wanted to be equipped in order to bring 307 00:28:15,300 –> 00:28:24,099 the blessing of the word of god into the lives of others. Friends the hand of god will be on us 308 00:28:25,380 –> 00:28:36,020 as the word of god is in us. Immerse yourself in the scripture, not simply as an academic 309 00:28:36,020 –> 00:28:41,540 exercise about learning its content but in order that your own life may be shaped by it 310 00:28:41,540 –> 00:28:47,859 and your own ministry fueled through it. Immerse yourself in the scripture 311 00:28:48,819 –> 00:28:55,859 and the hand of god will be on you. 312 00:28:55,859 –> 00:29:04,579 now let me try and draw some simple conclusions from the big picture of the sweeping story that 313 00:29:04,900 –> 00:29:13,380 spans 100 years that we’ve been looking at from the book of ezra. My heart has been stirred by 314 00:29:13,380 –> 00:29:21,219 the story. I hope yours has too and i want to end with three very simple encouragements. 315 00:29:21,219 –> 00:29:30,180 Here’s the first. God is good to those who seek him. God is good to those who 316 00:29:30,500 –> 00:29:36,579 seek him. Chapter eight and verse twenty-two. Ezra tells us the message he brought to the king. 317 00:29:37,540 –> 00:29:42,819 Remember he goes into the room with the king and all of his councillors and the military all there. 318 00:29:43,780 –> 00:29:51,219 What did he say? Well he tells us what he said. In chapter eight and verse twenty-two we had 319 00:29:51,219 –> 00:30:03,300 told the king the hand of our God is for good on all who seek him and the power of his wrath 320 00:30:03,300 –> 00:30:10,739 is against those who forsake him. I went in to the presence of the king and I said the hand of God is 321 00:30:10,739 –> 00:30:20,180 for good on all who seek him and his wrath is against those who forsake him. And God gave 322 00:30:20,180 –> 00:30:25,939 weight to these words of Ezra and we know that from chapter 7 and verse 23 where we find out 323 00:30:25,939 –> 00:30:32,260 how the king responded. He said whatever is decreed by the God of heaven let it be done 324 00:30:32,260 –> 00:30:38,579 lest his wrath be against the king. Ezra you just told me 325 00:30:40,339 –> 00:30:47,140 that the wrath of God is against those who forsake him and I believe you 326 00:30:48,260 –> 00:30:55,859 and I don’t want that to be me. Therefore let whatever God has decreed be done. 327 00:30:55,859 –> 00:31:09,439 The hand of God is for good on all who seek him. Now could there possibly be a greater encouragement 328 00:31:09,439 –> 00:31:17,560 for us to seek the Lord today? The whole message of Ezra is returned. That’s the words that sums 329 00:31:17,560 –> 00:31:24,119 it up and the prophets put it this way. Return to me says the Lord, and I will return to you. 330 00:31:24,119 –> 00:31:38,400 Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his 331 00:31:38,400 –> 00:31:45,839 way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord and God will have compassion. 332 00:31:46,380 –> 00:31:57,140 He will abundantly pardon. God is good to all who seek him. If you will return to him, 333 00:31:57,140 –> 00:32:02,520 if you will draw near to him, if you will really seek him from the heart, if you will come to him 334 00:32:02,520 –> 00:32:09,020 in faith in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be sure of two things. One, his hand is on 335 00:32:09,020 –> 00:32:15,099 you because it’s his hand that’s brought you to that place, and number two, his hand is on you 336 00:32:15,099 –> 00:32:25,339 for good, and he will always always always work for your everlasting good. Second encouragement, 337 00:32:25,339 –> 00:32:38,380 don’t ever despise the day of small things. Don’t ever despise the day of small things. 338 00:32:38,780 –> 00:32:45,819 The whole of the story of the return is the beginning of an era that was less grand than 339 00:32:45,819 –> 00:32:51,680 what had gone before. Remember, the new temple that was built was much smaller than the magnificent 340 00:32:51,680 –> 00:32:59,500 old one, and you have Zechariah the prophet saying, do you despise the day of small things? 341 00:32:59,500 –> 00:33:05,699 The numbers that returned, we’ve seen were relatively few. The first return fifty thousand 342 00:33:05,719 –> 00:33:12,619 people, but remember we said that that was probably only about one in six of the people 343 00:33:12,619 –> 00:33:18,119 who could have returned if they had chosen to do so. And if you add up in chapter eight 344 00:33:18,119 –> 00:33:23,459 all of the numbers of those who came in the second return, you’ll see that it’s much smaller, 345 00:33:23,459 –> 00:33:32,359 nowhere near 50,000. In fact, it’s less than 2,000. It’s numbered in hundreds, not thousands. 346 00:33:32,359 –> 00:33:38,680 Those who returned under Ezra were few in number. But here’s what Ezra wants us to note. 347 00:33:38,680 –> 00:33:44,719 Yes, this was a relatively small group, but the hand of God was on them. And that’s the 348 00:33:44,719 –> 00:33:54,839 thing that really matters. We hear a great deal today about people leaving churches. 349 00:33:54,839 –> 00:34:01,000 What is the percentage of Americans that attend church? Oh, it’s declining. And that should 350 00:34:01,319 –> 00:34:06,599 concern us. And we want to do everything that we possibly can to help people that are moving 351 00:34:06,599 –> 00:34:16,840 away to turn around, think again, and return. But I want to say this to you. Don’t be unduly 352 00:34:16,840 –> 00:34:23,120 discouraged by statistics. That is a major lesson of the return from exile because what 353 00:34:23,120 –> 00:34:29,919 matters most in this story is not how many people returned but what God accomplished 354 00:34:29,919 –> 00:34:37,439 through them when they did and it was into this community, sometimes called the remnant, 355 00:34:37,439 –> 00:34:43,520 this relatively small returning community, it was into this community that the saviour 356 00:34:43,520 –> 00:34:53,479 of the world was born. Never despise the day of small things. 357 00:34:53,479 –> 00:35:03,439 Here, I want us just to 358 00:35:03,439 –> 00:35:09,800 remember the overarching story that runs over a hundred years as we’ve tried to follow 359 00:35:09,800 –> 00:35:19,580 it through these weeks. Sometimes God hides blessings in strange places and I want to 360 00:35:19,580 –> 00:35:23,439 end really with what to me has been a delightful discovery this week, something I’d never 361 00:35:23,439 –> 00:35:29,600 known or noticed before and again, it’s back to the names. It’s easy to pass over lists 362 00:35:29,600 –> 00:35:36,840 of names in the bible but it was one remark from a commentator that I read that caused 363 00:35:36,840 –> 00:35:44,219 me to look more closely at the names of those in the second return that are listed at the 364 00:35:44,219 –> 00:35:50,159 beginning of Ezra and chapter eight. And it’s very clear if you look through the list of 365 00:35:50,879 –> 00:35:56,679 compare them with the names of the families that returned in the first return in chapter 366 00:35:56,679 –> 00:36:05,540 two that most of the people in the second return were relatives of those who had participated 367 00:36:05,540 –> 00:36:14,600 in the first return. So to take just one specific example if you look at chapter 8 and verse 368 00:36:14,739 –> 00:36:23,379 10, we read about 160 members of the Banny family who joined Ezra for the second return. 369 00:36:23,379 –> 00:36:29,020 That’s chapter 8 and verse 10. Then if you flick back to chapter 2 and also verse 10 370 00:36:29,020 –> 00:36:35,979 you’ll see that there were 642 members of this same Banny family that had joined in 371 00:36:35,979 –> 00:36:43,080 the first return. So what does that tell us? That those who went back to Jerusalem in the 372 00:36:43,080 –> 00:36:54,560 first return had others in their families who followed later. Follow Jesus Christ and 373 00:36:54,560 –> 00:36:59,300 others will come after you. 374 00:36:59,300 –> 00:37:09,899 And I want you then to imagine with me a young boy in Babylon just 10 years old. I’m going 375 00:37:09,899 –> 00:37:19,219 to call him Young Master Banny. And his parents are returning to Jerusalem and as a 10 year 376 00:37:19,219 –> 00:37:26,899 old he comes with them. But he has an older brother, a teenager, and he refuses to come. 377 00:37:26,899 –> 00:37:31,800 Young Master Banny pleads with his older brother. Oh please come with us. I don’t want to be 378 00:37:31,919 –> 00:37:41,879 without you. I want you to be with us in the city of God. But his older brother is resolute. 379 00:37:41,879 –> 00:37:50,639 He refuses to return. You go if you want to. I’m staying here in Babylon. So Young Master 380 00:37:50,639 –> 00:37:58,879 Banny, ten years old, returns with his father and with his mother. He’s ten when they build 381 00:37:58,879 –> 00:38:06,280 the altar. He’s ten when they build the booths to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. He 382 00:38:06,280 –> 00:38:12,560 really enjoys that. He’s twelve when they lay the foundation of the temple. And then 383 00:38:12,560 –> 00:38:21,219 for the next sixteen years the whole work grinds to a halt. So he’s twentyeight when 384 00:38:21,219 –> 00:38:28,320 he hears the word of God spoken by the prophet Haggai. His heart is stirred and he gives 385 00:38:28,379 –> 00:38:35,120 himself to rebuilding the temple of God. It takes four years and when it is finished he 386 00:38:35,120 –> 00:38:45,280 is thirty-two years old. As years pass and as he moves into midlife, Mr. Bannie often 387 00:38:45,280 –> 00:38:55,379 wonders what came of his brother. He often grieves of what he has missed because his 388 00:38:55,379 –> 00:39:08,840 brother was so determined not to come. Years pass. Then at the age of ninety, old Mr. 389 00:39:08,840 –> 00:39:16,159 Bannie hears news of a second return. After all these years, there are some hundreds of 390 00:39:16,159 –> 00:39:24,300 people who are now returning to join the city of God. The old man goes out with many others 391 00:39:24,379 –> 00:39:32,060 to welcome these new arrivals. He gets talking to a man in his 50s, and with him are his adult 392 00:39:32,060 –> 00:39:38,399 children and their children, who are running around with excitement after this long journey. 393 00:39:38,399 –> 00:39:53,159 What family are you from? The old man asks. I’m from the Bannie family. The old man asks 394 00:39:53,919 –> 00:40:04,120 questions and then with tears welling up in his eyes, he says, Your grandfather was my 395 00:40:04,120 –> 00:40:21,659 brother and I have wept over his refusal to return but now all of you are here 396 00:40:22,300 –> 00:40:30,560 God has some delightful surprises in store for those who love him and who 397 00:40:30,659 –> 00:40:37,840 knows what God may yet do in future generations of your extended family 398 00:40:37,840 –> 00:40:44,419 one of the joys of the last day will surely be to meet family members from 399 00:40:44,419 –> 00:40:49,580 different generations who we have never known and who we have never met and yet 400 00:40:49,580 –> 00:41:00,620 they were gathered just as we were by the gracious hand of God let’s pray 401 00:41:00,620 –> 00:41:02,699 together 402 00:41:02,719 –> 00:41:14,459 dear father may your hand be upon us granting us favour in all our service 403 00:41:14,459 –> 00:41:19,939 for you may your hand on us give us courage 404 00:41:19,939 –> 00:41:30,280 may your hand on us move us to serve and grandfather that we may serve you 405 00:41:30,280 –> 00:41:39,080 faithfully until the day when faith is turned to sight and the full measure of 406 00:41:39,080 –> 00:41:44,439 all that you have done in through and among your people is revealed to us all 407 00:41:45,040 –> 00:41:53,139 that we may rejoice in it forever through Jesus Christ our Lord 408 00:41:53,360 –> 00:41:58,080 you’ve been listening to a sermon with pastor Colin Smith of open the Bible to 409 00:41:58,080 –> 00:42:08,479 contact us call us at 1-877 open 365 or visit our website open the Bible org