以斯拉记

Meditative Reflection
Instruments of God

“Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there.” (Ezr. 6:6)

In order to fulfill His promise to His people, God has moved the heart of a gentile king in Cyrus to enable His people to return to Jerusalem from exile (Ezr. 1:1). While out of their weaknesses and the reality of official opposition, the rebuilding effort was stalled for some 20 years (from 538 B.C. to 519 B.C.), the work was resumed through the preaching and prophesying of two faithful prophets, Haggai and Zechariah. It does not meant the opposition would cease automatically, but it does mean that when His people would trust Him and obey His commands, God will do His part to honor His promise. And so, while the opposition thought they had the king on their side, as it turned out, they were completely wrong. Scholars and historians, in general, considered the edict of Darius as nothing more than political expediency:

“These verses (i.e. Ezr. 6:8-10) picture Darius as a generous king. This is in conformity with what we know about him from other sources. He had a special interest in restoring specific cults in his empire and contributed to the restoration liberally. We know of these activities from the West among the Greeks, and even in Egypt (e.g. the cult of Neith). He had an interest in particulars about the cultic practices and prescribed minute detail, perhaps because of the ancient Near Eastern belief that the correct procedure had to be followed in order not to anger a specific god. In the light of this situation his generosity can be understood, as also the careful description of the sacrifices…probably informed by Jews close to his court…It is also notable that these prescriptions covered only the daily sacrifices, and not the special ones associated with great festivals. In exchange for his liberal supply of sacrificial material he asked for prayers for him and his sons…although Darius revered Ahuramazda especially, it is understandable that in a world of polytheism he would want to make sure that he was in the favor of every god in his empire.” (NICOT, Ezra & Nehemiah, 47-8)

Granted the above explanation by Charles Fensham is quite reasonable, it only serves to reaffirm to us that God can use anyone—even a polytheistic king like Darius to accomplish His plan for His people.

Meditative Reflection
True Worship (I)

“Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem...when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” (Jn. 4:21-23)

Some commentators opine that the offering of only 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 male lambs and in particular only 12 male goats for a sin offering signified the relative poverty of the exiles who returned to Jerusalem. Of course, these offerings could not compare to the 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats offered by Solomon at the dedication of the first temple (1 Ki. 8:63), but it does not necessarily mean that these exiles were poor. In the words of Haggai, some of them lived in “paneled houses” which was sign of relative affluence (Hag. 1:4).

But poor or not, it was not important to the worship of the Lord:

- As magnificent as the temple of Solomon was, it was still completely destroyed in 586/7 B.C., lasting some 365 years;

- This second temple which was completed in 516 B.C. would eventually be destroyed in 70 A.D., lasting 585 years;

- The first temple was dedicated with great pomp and circumstance, with unparalleled number of animals, with the joy of the spirit of wealth and military power and victory;

- The second temple was dedicated with far less fanfare, but with the joy of humbleness and contrition, hence the specification of 12 male goats as a sin offering;

- The first temple was dedicated with one of the most eloquent and longest prayers in the Bible, offered by Solomon who used far more time to build his own palace (a total of 13 years, almost double that of the 7 years he used to build the temple);

- There were no prayers recorded for the dedication of the second temple, but the Bible does remind us that the completion of the temple was a result of the preaching of the prophets.

In a way, I’d rather be present at the dedication of the second temple. It was a different kind of joy, or perhaps, a joy that was more pleasing to the Lord because it was a joy sprung from a spirit of total dependence, of contrition and of unworthiness—a spirit of true gratitude!

However, there was also a sense of “exclusivity” as they purposely excluded their neighboring Samaritans from their celebration, perhaps, rightfully so at the time. That rejection had led the Samaritans to develop their worship of Yahweh in their own mountain (Mount Gerizim) and to develop their own Pentateuch (likely around 432 B.C.) Such was the background to the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. At that time, the second temple desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes (around 167/8 B.C.) was being refurbished by Herod to its former glory. But Jesus foretold its destruction and wept for Jerusalem (Matt. 24:2; 23:37-39), because they had misplaced the focus of their worship—the temple in essence had become their idol, while “the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.” (Jn. 4:23)

Perhaps, there is a lesson for us today. We see that the restoration of temple worship had enabled those who had defiled themselves by following the unclean practices of their neighbors (notably the Samaritans) to separate themselves once again to the Lord; however, they eventually reduced their worship into mere observance of external cultic rituals and legalistic adherence to the “dos” and “don’ts” of the Law in arrogant discrimination against the Samaritans. Likewise, our worship with other believers within the church which God has graciously provided for us is of utmost importance to our identity and separation from the world as well, but it cannot become a fortress within which we shield ourselves without reaching out to others for whom Jesus has come and died, or it will become our idol as well.

Meditative Reflection
True Worship (II)

“For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching the decrees and laws in Israel.” (Ezr. 7:10)

It is interesting to note that Ezra only appears on the scene some 58 years after the completion of the rebuilding of the temple, and 79 years after the decree by Cyrus calling upon the people of Israel to return to Jerusalem. In other words, he was more than likely not even born during those two monumental occasions. Yet the Book of Ezra, which is primarily about the two events, is named after him.

I do not think it was because he wrote the book that it bears his name, since according to Jewish traditions, even the books of Nehemiah and 1 and 2 Chronicles are believed to be penned by him as well. The importance of his appearance signifies an important truth in the Bible that the building of the temple of God is not an end in itself. The temple is meant not only as a place where God is worshipped, but where the Law of God is to be taught. Even in Old Testament times, the worship of Yahweh could not be done in a vacuum, but within the confines of the Law.

What a message to us today!

Certainly, the centrality of worship in the life of believers cannot be overstated. But still, its centrality is founded on the Word of God. No matter how emotional, how sensational, how exhilarating and how real a worship experience appears to be, if it is not in tune with the revealed Word of God or based on a proper understanding of the Word of God, it is to not a true worship.

Apparently, a lack of a competent teacher or a lack of emphasis on the teaching of the Law of Moses has caused the worship of Yahweh to deteriorate into a meaningless ritual, and especially one that did not affect the daily life of the worshippers who quickly integrated once again with the pagan neighbors. But in God’s foresight, He raised up Ezra from among the families of the priests who did not choose to return 79 years ago. He promoted him to prominence among the elites in the Persian Empire, and yet Ezra had not lost his bearing. As a priest and among the elites of the Persians, he not only devoted himself to the studying of the Law, but also to its observance, to the point that even the king took notice not only of his learning, but his character and trusted him enough to “grant him everything he asked for” (Ezr. 7:6).

God raised up Ezra to ensure that the restoration of the worship of Yahweh was not in name only, but in essence as well—one that brings transformation to the lives of the worshippers. But it has to begin with the teaching of the Word and for the teacher it begins with diligence in its study and its observance.

Meditative Reflection
Working with Human Government (I)

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way.” (Ezr. 7:27)

The use of government funding for the work of God is certainly not an easy issue to deal with. Apart from the pros and cons that are normally associated with government funding, it is the basic biblical principle that is of the greatest importance. So, the important question we tend to ask in the case of Ezra is whether his use of the king’s funding an example that we can follow.

I do not think that the action by Ezra can be used as an example to decide if we can use government funding or not because of the two unique aspects associated with this funding:

1. The granting of funding by any government normally carries with it its influence, if not outright control. One of the reasons why Ezra was receptive to the king’s provision was perhaps that it was entirely up to him to direct the use of the money, with no strings attached. In fact, to affirm that Ezra could really use the royal treasury’s funding as he wished, the king gave him power to form a local government that operated with its own law, the Law of Moses, obviously, up to the point that it did not contradict or overrule the law of Persia (Ezr. 7:25).

2. The other factor that must have influenced Ezra to use the funding from this secular king was the central mission of his journey: In his letter the king said, “You are sent by the king and his seven advisors to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand” (Ezr. 7:14). In other words, the mission of Ezra was to inspect and ensure that the people of Judah and Jerusalem lived by the Law of Moses. It was obvious that Ezra had the opportunity to teach the Law of Moses even among the ruling elites of the Persian Empire. Not that the king and his seven advisors necessarily believed in Yahweh as a result, at least they had come to believe that the Law of Moses would make good citizens out of the Jews and their strict adherence to the Law of Moses would even guarantee peace in the region—it would be one fewer headache for the king. Therefore, to Artaxerxes, Ezra’s mission had little to do with religion, but it was a political assignment; and as an officer of the court of Artaxerxes, Ezra was simply dispensing his duty which in his opinion, was a movement of the hands of God (Ezr. 7:27).

Perhaps, a better case study would be Nehemiah, and we shall ponder further upon this issue when we come to the book of Nehemiah.

Meditative Reflection
The Comfortable Levites in Captivity

“When I checked among the people, and the priests, I found no Levites there.” (Ezr. 8:15)

As Ezra gathered together the group of Israelites who voluntarily returned to Jerusalem with the blessing of the king, he was surprised to find no Levites among them, and he had to use his clout to influence Iddo, probably the leader of the local Levites, to send some of them to go with him. We cannot help but ask: “Why were there no Levites who would jump at the opportunity to return to serve at the temple in Jerusalem?”

As we know, Levites serve as assistants to the priests in the service of the temple of God, and like the priests, they have no entitlement to any land in Israel because the Lord makes it clear that “the Levites have no share or inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as the Lord your God told them” (Deut. 10:9).

Now that they were in exile, away from their homeland, it appears that they were free to pursue whatever career they desired as there was no temple in which they could serve. It is true that it was during this particular time of exile that a “synagogue” was established, almost as a substitute for the temple. I said “almost” because there were no sacrifices possible away from the temple.

We also learn that, since they did not have to play their ritualistic role and could pursue their own career, they were also able to accumulate not only wealth and but properties just as other Jews did. In the New Testament, we learn that Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus who owned land (Acts 4:37).

In other words, by returning to Jerusalem, they would once again be subjected to the observance of the Law of Moses which would mean that they would have to return to serve as assistants to the priests of the temple as their full-time calling, and there would not be any inheritance (meaning land) for them to share. No wonder no Levites were willing to return to Jerusalem with Ezra. Just as the first group of returnees were only those “whose heart God had moved” (Ezr. 1:5), this second group of returnees too, comprised only of people whose heart God had moved.

Meditative Reflection
For All Israel (I)

“Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs, and as a sin offering, twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.” (Ezr. 8:35)

As I mentioned before, the first groups of returnees under Zerubbabel were mainly from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, apart from the priests and Levites. This second group was much smaller in number, hardly representative of all Israel. However, as they made their sacrifices before the Lord in this second temple, in both occasions, they made it very clear that they were making it on behalf of all Israel:

- As the first group of returnees made offerings at the dedication of the temple, it is said, “(A)s a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel” (Ezr. 6:17).

- Then as the second group of returnees offered their sacrifices, apart from the same sin offering, made with twelve male goats, the rest were also made on behalf of the whole people of God, “twelve bulls for all Israel” (Ezr. 8:35).

There were indeed many weaknesses and sins that the Israelites had committed that should serve as “examples” and “warnings” for us (1 Co. 10:11). However here is one example, repeated throughout the entire Old Testament, that we need to learn from them, and that is the fact that they understood that they were a faith community, one people under God. Except in the period of the Judges, their norm was not to privatize their faith. They understood that they were accountable to God and to one another.

In this age of individualism, we have allowed this secular notion to permeate into the life of the church. Each denomination cares only about their own territory, each church operates for their own well-being, and each believer pursues their own spirituality and relationship with God. True, we all come into the family of God by individual birth through faith in Jesus Christ, but let’s not forget that we are all born into the same “family” of God, or as the Apostle Paul puts it, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Co. 12:27). No surgery can separate us apart from any part of this body.

Meditative Reflection
For All Israel (II)

“O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.” (Ezr. 9:6)

Yesterday, we considered how the exiles who returned to Jerusalem, whether it was the first group or the second group, presented their sacrifices, especially the sin offering, on behalf of all the twelve tribes of Israel.

However, to present the sin sacrifice is one thing, to truly feel contrite and even abhorrence of their sins is quite another. The latter is found in the prayer of Ezra.

The prayer by Ezra in 9:6-15 was such a great prayer that is worth emulating by all of us for these reasons:

- He was genuinely horrified by the sins of the people: This is the problem with Christians today. We lack the same sense of horror toward sin. We take sins too lightly, ours and the society’s. How much we need that sense of horror and shame expressed by Ezra. His is a reflection of true contrition, not just a general sense of remorse.

- He not only interceded for his people, but he totally identified himself with them. “The iniquities which have mounted up since ancient times, but especially, since the last days of the kings of Judah, which have caused the Exile, are also the responsibility of the later generations. It is as if Ezra has realized that immediately in front of them are all the cumulative iniquities which have heaped up through history. What an extraordinary view of sin!” (Fensham, Ezra & Nehemiah, 128).

We always long for revival. Perhaps, we should first pray for the restoration of a true sense of shame and horror toward our sins, and the total identification with the sins of our generation, if not that of past generations.