MPC 26th March 2006.March 26 - Ezra 7-8 - "Ezra's Mission"
Garnet Swann MPC 26th March 2006.
Problems and Solutions. It's the stuff of life, really. We all have problems and we're all, always trying to find solutions.
Yesterday, as a bit of an exercise, I counted the number of problems I personally came across in one day.
Problem no. 1 - woke up early because the kids were crying. That's pretty normal. But my problem is I would love to get more sleep.
Problem no. 2 - went to the shops - to buy a lamp - but they'd run out.
Problem no. 3 - while at the shops - my little boy Noah stuck his finger in a hole in a metal railing at the checkout counter. After crying and much squirming, I managed to pull it out.
Problem no. 4 - Noah put his finger back in the hole. Got it stuck again and we had to start all over again.
Problem no. 5 - get home, the computer's not working properly.
Problem no. 6 - and it just goes on.
Now in all of that - those problems are trivial to say the least. For some though, their problems will be really serious. For those that live in Innisfail, they've got some problems at the moment, haven't they?
And people here will have serious problems - work problems, family problems, financial problems, health problems. And naturally we always want to meet problems with solutions. It's the stuff of life.
Now we come to Ezra chapters 7-8. And we need to remember again, that Israel is in the midst of a major problem. And that is, in their history - they've failed God. They've rejected his Law. They've forgotten Him. They've gone after the gods of the nations around. Their hearts have totally turned away from the Lord. That's their problem. But their problem only gets worse. Because God said if you reject me, then I'll reject you and take you out of the promised land. And that's what's happened. Israel's in exile - in another country, under a foreign king. So they're far from God in their heart, and they're also far from their land as well. Israel has a major problem.
Problem and Solution. If that is their problem - what is the solution for Israel? Well, the book of Ezra helps us to work that out.
And first of all we see that the solution to the problem is in the form of the man Ezra who comes to bring the Law.
From v1-5 we get this list of names, Ezra son of Seriah, the son of Azariah and it goes on. Ezra's full of lists of names like this. You can try to make v1-5 as your memory verses for the week if you like. Very edifying! But have a look there in v6 - Ezra's well versed in the Law of Moses.
Now for Ezra to be well versed in the Law of Moses, it doesn't mean his ambition was to be Bible Trivia Champion. Who is Moses' Mother in Law - I know that! Who were the first 5 children of Jacob - I know that!
It's not that he just knows stuff. Look at v10. He's devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. See - not only does he study the Law. He does it. But he doesn't only do it, he teaches it.
This is talk the talk and walk the walk. There's no hypocrisy here. There's none of that feigning sincerity, but not living it out.
Unfortunately people see a fair dose of hypocrisy with leaders in the church. It's always worth praying for the church leaders - so that what we study, is what we do. And we teach because we're living it out ourselves.
Hypocrisy in leadership is such an awful, scandalous thing.
But with Ezra - what he says - he does. What he does, he says. He's a man devoted to the Law of the Lord - and it comes out in his words. And also in his actions.
Now as we think about Israel's problem - they've turned away from God - abandoned His Law. In fact if you scan through the bible, you'll see that their kings, their leaders set the model of rejecting God's law.
Now if that's their problem - rejecting God's law - wouldn't it seem right that the solution to the problem is to give them a leader who would bring them back to the Law? You know - counter disobedience, with obedience. This solution is what Ezra is on about.
And we see this in the different parts of Ezra's mission given by Artaxerxes the Persian king. In 7v14 - he's to go to Judah and Jerusalem to find out how the people are going at keeping the Law - you know he's going there to investigate and ask the question - 'guys - how ya goin' at obeying God?' In 7v25 he's to appoint magistrates and judges over the people who know the Law - Ezra wants godly leaders. In v26 he's to set up a punishment system for those who break the law - he wants people the take the law seriously.
If the problem was their disobedience to the law. The solution needs to come with their obedience to the Law. And Ezra is the man. He's on a mission. To bring people back to the law. To bring about a solution to their problem.
Now I've just put Ezra up on a pedestal. I've just elevated him in all our eyes. He's an impressive guy. We should be impressed. But before we rush to paint him as the great hero, I want us to see the one, the ultimate one - who's really at work to bring about a solution. And that is God himself.
Whenever we read the bible - we need to have our eyes open to see how God's at work to bring about what he wants. In the bible, it's so often that it's not the person who's the hero, but God himself who's the real hero - the solution giver. And it's the same here.
And there are three areas in which we really see that God's at work to bring about a solution.
Firstly we know that God's at work - because it's God who directs King Artaxerxes to give this mission to Ezra. We see it in v6. Ezra goes to the King asking to have this mission to Jerusalem. And what does it say at the end of v6? - The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.
Or look down in verses 27 & 28 of chapter 7, Ezra himself says, in v28:
...and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king's powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
Why does Artaxerxes grant Ezra's wish and send him to Jerusalem? It's not because of Ezra's persuasive abilities. It's because God's Hand was on him.
You know, in the mission that's laid out by Artaxerxes to Ezra in chapter 7, there's all sort of things Artaxerxes is giving him. Take my gold and silver, He says. Take it, it's yours. Buy offerings to use in your temple. Artaxerxes tells Ezra to make sure the people are following the Law of your God. He tells Ezra to appoint judges to rule the land according to your law. The King even instructs the Persian treasurers to not take any taxes from the temple workers, v24.
Gee - when does a government ever not want taxes!? Can you imagine Peter Costello even agreeing to that one?! Well, it's because the hand of the Lord was on Ezra.
Or we can go to other times to see how God's hand was at work.
In chapter 8v15 - we read how Ezra's about to leave for Jerusalem, but he hits a snag. It says,
I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there.
This is a problem for Ezra - he's about to go on the trip from Babylonia to Jerusalem and it's important that he has Levites with him. Doesn't quite connect with us. When we go on a trip - we don't go, "camera - check, passport - check, money - check, Levites, oh dang - forgot the Levites!" Doesn't really connect with us. But for Ezra it's important. He can't go off to the newly constructed temple in Jerusalem with out Levites, that tribe within the nation of Israel who work at the temple.
So he sends out a request for Levites to come with him. And there in 8v18 - Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli, son of Levi.
Why did a bunch of Levite people on the spot, decide to go along with Ezra? Because the hand of God was on them.
Or thirdly - Why did they even succeed in traveling from Babylonia to Jerusalem? There were bandits and various criminal sorts on the road. Carrying all of Artaxerxes' gold and silver would have made them a prime target.
In fact we get an interesting insight into Ezra's psychology in 8:22 & 23 - he's too ashamed to ask Artaxerxes for some protection - because he's already said very spiritually - The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who look to him. Now he's sort of unsure so he really prays that God would protect them.
But they do get through to Jerusalem - with all their gold and silver. And why is that - v31 - The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.
So there we have it - God's hand is upon them with Artarxerxes giving Ezra his mission to travel to Jerusalem. God's hand is upon them in acquiring Levites to join the travel party. And God's hand is upon them for protection throughout the journey.
To have the Hand of the Lord - is a picture of God's power and favor and love. There are other times in the bible when God's hand is mentioned.
In Deuteronomy 6, it says "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand." (v21)
Or Deuteronomy 7 - "But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery" (v8)
Or Psalm 10 - "Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do no forget the helpless". (v2)
To have the hand of God at work - was picture language to say - God's powerful. He's lovingly on your side. And He's at work.
There is a major problem suffered by Israel - far from God, and far from the land. But a solution is coming - Ezra is a man who's coming to Jerusalem to restore the Law. But even more so - God himself is at work to bring Ezra home - to protect and care for his people.
Problem and solution. It's the stuff of life. It's what's going on here with Israel.
But what we need to do now - is actually put the brakes on in terms of thinking that a solution fully comes with Ezra. In fact we need to see that though a solution is being offered to their problem, it's a solution that fails to take hold in the hearts of the Israelite people.
If we take a sticky beak into next week's passage - our last look at the book of Ezra - we see the reality for these Israelites. They end up marrying the people of the nations around and following after their gods. In chapter 9:6-7, Ezra says,
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.From the days of our forefathers until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.
It's one thing to bring change to the place where they live - out of exile, into the promised land. It's another to change their hearts. So they really are back to where they were before - rejecting God and rejecting God's law. If it wasn't so tragic is would be funny really.
Problem and solution. But though the solution doesn't 'take', though the solution doesn't have effect - because we know from Ezra that God's committed to bringing about a solution - it makes us look ahead.
Ezra serves as a sign midway along a walking track. The sign says - keeping going. The pinnacle is still to come.
And what it makes us look ahead to, and we've looked at it in this series before, is that time when God will change hearts inwardly and for real.
We've looked at this before. In the Old Testament it says that the people must turn to God with all their heart so that they may live. And in Hebrews 10 in the New Testament, it speaks of this reality of those who belong to Jesus. It says:
"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time," says the Lord. "I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." (v15)
Jesus died on a cross and rose again. And he's now given the Spirit to change us. Ezra, the teacher of the Law could never get the people to obey. But now the law has been laid on us internally. It's on our hearts. We're transformed to want to please God. Because of the Holy Spirit, sinfulness and selfishness no longer holds us in its grip.
The solution comes with Jesus and solution comes with the Holy Spirit that He sends to live within us.
Problems and solutions. We've all got problems. Many people have got serious problems. Family, financial, health or work. And they're real. They're emotionally draining. They're hard on relationships. There's no way anyone can diminish the reality of that.
Sometimes our problems can seem unsolvable. What hope is there. But for all those that belong to Jesus, are followers of him - we do have hope because our greatest problem has been solved.
There is no worse problem than being in rebellion against God, separated him from Him, our hearts against God. It's a terrible thing to stand opposed to God.
But God's brought the solution to our problem. Even though the Israelites at the time of Ezra didn't turn back to God, God throughout showed himself to the Israelites as kind, and gracious. His love for them was unrelenting. And his love has come to us.
In 1 John 3v1 it says, How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
Because of Jesus we are recipients of God's love. We are recipients of God's grace. God's gracious, good hand has come to us.
It does not make those other problems go away. But it makes us realise that God's committed to us. He loves us. He won't let us go. God's good and gracious hand is on us.