EZRA Lesson 13, Chapter 7 I’ve stated on more than one occasion during our study of the Book of Ezra that it feels as though we are traveling through a time warp and reliving the Book of Ezra in our day. As we found to begin chapter 7 last week, the issue of the Temple regarding Ezra’s role is not how it is often portrayed: that Ezra was the one who finally managed to bring about its reconstruction. Rather, when Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in 458 B.C., the Temple had been completed and set into operation years earlier in 515 B.C; that is, it had been built, furnished and was functioning for more than 50 years prior to Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem. So the first issue dealt with regarding the Temple (simply getting it rebuilt), was finally accomplished but it was only because the Lord sent two prophets (Haggai and Zechariah) to goad the reluctant Jews into ignoring the outside political pressures and threats from nearby nations and communities, and instead to trust in the Lord that building the Temple would bring forth a blessing and not more tribulation upon the Jewish people. And since this Temple would eventually be destroyed almost 6 centuries later (by the Romans), and to this day has never been replaced, we find the modern Jews right back in the same situation as those ancient Jews and responding in the same way. They WANT the Temple rebuilt; God demands that the Temple be rebuilt; but the political leaders of Israel won’t do it, and the wealthy are comfortable and ambivalent because they are fearful of the political opposition from friend and foe alike and of course because it could spark a regional conflict if not a world war. And thus as we meet together today in August of 2014, Israel has once again been attacked and so is once again at war (this time with the terrorist group Hamas, which the citizens of Gaza willingly elected to govern them). The unrest within Israel fomented by those who ought not be allowed to live in God’s Kingdom land in the first place (Muslims who bow down to a false god), the constant attacks from Israel’s nearby enemies, and the out and out hatred and anti-Semitism of Europe and most of the United Nations’ membership just emphasizes that disobedience and unfaithfulness by God’s people brings nothing but confusion and travail. Let us never forget that this dynamic of enemies (especially from Gaza) being a permanent thorn in Israel’s side was ordained by the Lord as a consequence and punishment for the people of Israel long ago not being obedient by ridding the Promised Land of all those who were in opposition to God’s people. Although I originally had planned to finish Ezra chapter 7 and get well into chapter 8, we won’t get quite that far as I cannot ignore the current war condition in Israel and the never ending threats and attacks by their neighbors, and the regular kisses of deception by their so-called friends. And so we need to be reminded of how, Biblically and spiritually speaking, this all came about so that we have the context for understanding what is happening in Ezra’s day, and today, and what to expect tomorrow. Open your Bibles to the Book of Judges. READ JUDGES 2:1 – 4, 20 – 23. JUDGES 3:1 – 5 What we read here is that because Joshua and the tribal leaders of Israel did not expel all the peoples and nations from the Promised Land that the Lord told them to (they only expelled some of them), the Lord determined to allow certain of these opposing nations to remain indefinitely in order to test Israel. And the nations called out are mainly the land occupied by the Philistines (the southernmost coastline of Canaan), and the land along the northernmost coastline of Canaan, and the inland area from Mt. Hermon to the hills of Lebanon. Today these areas are known as Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. Further, even the name of the enemy people (the Philistines) remains in our modern time. The Greek word for Philistines is Palestinians. God’s promises stand whether they are for punishment or for blessing. And as anyone who knows much about the history of modern Israel realizes, the people of the former Philistine territory (especially Gaza), and of that land towards Mt. Hermon (Syria) and for the last two or more decades Lebanon (now virtually controlled by the formidable terrorist group Hezbollah) has never quit attacking and harassing Israel and openly declares that their goal is Israel’s complete annihilation. Europe, the UN and of late the USA have made it clear that they are more interested in finding a peaceful arrangement of coexistence with the Muslim controlled nations than they are with standing with God’s people and nation, Israel. So Israel finds itself in the exact fix that the Lord said He would put them in on account of disobedience, as found in the Book of Judges. What, ideally, can change this terrible situation? The model for reform and return to God’s favor is at the heart of what we’ve been studying in the Book of Ezra. And specifically we read the reformation formula in the Prophets Zechariah and Haggai who prophesied during this time. Zechariah 1:1-6 CJB CJB Zechariah 1:1 In the eighth month of the second year of Daryavesh, the following message from ADONAI came to Z’kharyah the son of Berekhyah, the son of ‘Iddo, the prophet: 2 “ADONAI was extremely angry with your ancestors. 3 Therefore, tell them that ADONAI-Tzva’ot says this: ‘”Return to me,” says ADONAI- Tzva’ot, “and I will return to you,” says ADONAI-Tzva’ot. 4 “Don’t be like your ancestors. The earlier prophets proclaimed to them, ‘ADONAI- Tzva’ot says to turn back now from your evil ways and deeds’; but they didn’t listen or pay attention to me,” says ADONAI. 5 “Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But my words and my laws, which I ordered my servants the prophets, overtook your ancestors, didn’t they? Then they turned and said, ‘ADONAI has dealt with us according to our ways and deeds, just as he intended to do.'”‘” Haggai 2:15-22 CJB 15 Now, please, from this day on, keep this in mind: before you began laying stones on each other to rebuild the temple of ADONAI, 16 throughout that whole time, when someone approached a twenty-measure pile [of grain], he found only ten; and when he came to the winepress to draw out fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck you with blasting winds, mildew and hail on everything your hands produced; but you still wouldn’t return to me,’ says ADONAI. 18 ‘So please keep this in mind, from this day on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of ADONAI’s temple was laid, consider this: 19 there’s no longer any seed in the barn, is there? and the vine, fig tree, pomegranate tree and olive tree have produced nothing yet, right? However, from this day on, I will bless you.'” 20 The word of ADONAI came a second time to Hagai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, as follows: 21 “Tell Z’rubavel, governor of Y’hudah, ‘I will shake the heavens and the earth,