God’s Construction Project

Ezra 1–6 – God’s Construction Project: Sermons from Ezra-Nehemiah – Oct 2, 2022

Introduction

Reading Ezra 1.

The Biltmore Estate is a beautiful and impressive home in Asheville, NC. Built by George Washington Vanderbilt II in late 1800s. He was one of the heirs of the Vanderbilt fortune, though he didn’t receive the largest share. Originally it was on 125,000 acres of land, but when he died much of that was solid off to create the “Pisgah National Forest.” But 8k acres are still a part of it. The house and its gardens and land are impressive. A vivid combination of human achievement and natural beauty.

The Biltmore is three times larger than the White House, which is no shack, being an impressive 55,000 square-feet. In the 1800 and 1900’s it expanded over time as the needs of the President changed.

These two houses are the result of massive construction projects that took place over many years. But the houses are not equal:

• One started as a summer home. Vanderbilt called it his “little mountain escape.” For a time, the family lived their full-time but no more. It’s now a tourist attraction and historical site.
• The other house is where the President of the United States lives with his family and where all of his business is centered.
• If the question is, which is larger or worth more, maybe the Biltmore Estate wins. But if the question is, which one is more important, the answer is clear: The White House. Why? Because of who lives there.

This morning we begin our series in Ezra-Nehemiah, the history of Israel immediately after their 70-year exile in Babylon.

• These books are also about a house. A house that stood for about 500 years. A house much, much smaller than the Biltmore or White House.
• The importance of this house is also connected to who lives there.
• It’s called “the house of the LORD,” the temple in Jerusalem.
• Its importance is in the fact that the LORD himself said he would make his presence and name dwell there.
• God is omnipresent, present everywhere. But he does allow us to experience his presence in special ways also.
• The temple in Jerusalem was one of those places where God’s people experienced him in special ways.

A few things about Ezra-Nehemiah as we begin our series:

• A single work, not two. In the Hebrew Bible they were treated as a single work—and they came at the end of the Hebrew Bible. It was in the Christian era, 200s AD, when they were divided.
• The history they cover begins when Israel returns from its captivity in Babylon. Because of generations of sin and rebellion, God removed them from Israel for 70 years.
• But once those 70 years were complete, he brought them back, just as he said he would do.
• Returning home wasn’t just about forwarding your mail.
• It involved rebuilding the whole religious establishment of Israel.
• Physical rebuilding—temple, walls, houses.
• Spiritual rebuilding—repentance, teaching God’s Law, prayer, worship.
• Rebuilding is a way to outline these two books:

Outline of Ezra-Nehemiah

1. Ezra 1–6 – Rebuilding of the Temple (Worship)
2. Ezra 7–10 – Rebuilding of the People 1.0
3. Neh 1–6 – Rebuilding of the Walls
4. Neh 7:1–13:3 – Rebuilding of the People 2.0
5. Neh 13:4–31 – Coda: Now and Not Yet

This series: God’s Construction Project. He’s rebuilding his people, rebuilding worship, rebuilding obedience.

• And…he’s still doing it!
• Theme in Ezra 1–6 is rebuilding the temple and temple worship.
• Follows on the heels of our Spiritual Growth series really well: Growth begins with God, but we also need to “make every effort.”

Three points:

• The Decree of Cyrus and the Beginning of the Work (Ezra 1–3)
• Opposition to the Work and God’s Response (Ezra 4–5)
• The Dedication of the Temple and the (Partial) Completion of the Work (Ezra 6)

Prayer

I. The Decree of Cyrus and the Beginning of the Work (Ezra 1–3)

A. The Decree of Cyrus (1:1–4) – In 1^st year of Cyrus (approx. 538 BC).

Note God’s hand in 1:1.

Why now? “That the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.”

How? “The LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation.”

The actual proclamation in 1:2–4.

Note his description of God (1:2).

Note his task assigned by God: “he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem” (v. 2).

Sends “his people” to “rebuilt the house of the LORD” (v. 3).

Survivors sent and assisted by king’s treasury, for offerings “for the house of God that is in Jerusalem” (v. 4).

B. The people return

“Everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem” (1:5).

Cyrus gives temple vessels to “Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah” (also called the governor in 5:14).

Exiles listed in Ezra 2.

• The significance of lineage for the Jews.
• Mosaic covenant was uniquely for the Jews.
• A Jew needed to trace his physical lineage back through one of the 12 tribes.
• Especially for the Levites.
• And among the Levites, needed to trace lineage back to Aaron the high priest.
• Especially for the tribe of Judah.
• Not enough to be a physical Jew.

Remember that the Mosaic covenant made distinctions between Jews and non-Jews.

• See the importance in Ezra 2:59, 62.
• The new covenant doesn’t make these kinds of racial distinctions. Whether we’re in or out of the people of God depends on our response to Jesus Christ.
• Races and ethnicities exist, but this isn’t how the people of God are defined.

The number who returned: 42,360. Compared to hundreds of thousands just of men prior to exile (e.g., 2 Chr 27:13.

C. Work Begins on the Temple

3:2 – Under Jeshua and Zerubbabel.

3:4 – First step: the altar so they could celebrate “the Feast of Booths.”

3:6 – BUT—foundation not laid yet.

But in 2^nd year—of Cyrus, let’s call it 538 BC or so—work does begin.

3:8 – They “made a beginning”!!!

3:10–13 – Foundation being laid was a big deal.

• 3:10 – Note the references to the instruments and worship of David.
• 3:11 – Specific references to singing, even responsively.
• 3:12 – A day of sorrow and joy. Sorry for what was lost and what it used to be. Joy for the new beginning.
• 3:13 – “And the sound was heard far away.” That will happen again in Nehemiah 12:43 when “the joy in Jerusalem was heard far away.”

D. Application – Our work for God and our worship of God…begins with God. Remember Ezra 1:1! But it’s also a CORPORATE WORK. We don’t only work alone. It’s a ME thing and a WE thing.

II. Opposition to the Work and God’s Response (Ezra 4–5)

A. Opposition

Unidentified “adversaries of Judah and Benjamin” (4:1) and “the people of the land” (4:4).

4:4–5 – The result of their opposition is that work stops on the temple. The very reason they returned has stopped. Work stops in about 537 BC and won’t start again until 2^nd year of Darius, or about 520 BC. 17 years go by before God’s people begin again to work.

4:6 – “And in the reign of Ahaseurus, in the beginning of his reign” (4:6) [Ahaseurus=Xerxes, 486–465 BC]. Note that detail, “the beginning.” Eventually his queen would be Esther. Of course, we know from the book of Esther the opposition of Haman and the hardships he brought to the Jews.

4:7–23 – “In the days of Artaxerxes” (4:7) a letter written.

• Note the details: “letter was written in Aramaic and translated” (4:7).
• 4:12, 13 – Also references “finishing the walls” (4:12) and “the walls finished” (4:13), details that fit the time of Nehemiah and not this point in the narrative.
• This letter was persuasive and so Artaxerxes supported the work stoppage (4:17–23).

4:24 – After these snapshots of opposition, author gets back to his main story. See how 4:5 and 4:24 repeat “second year of Darius.” Clue that what he said between these was an aside, a parenthesis.

At the end of chapter 4, things don’t look good for God’s people.

• But that wasn’t the end of the story

B. God’s Response

“Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo” (5:1–2).

Prophecies like Haggai 2:4–9

4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. 6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’” (Hag 2:4–9)

And Zechariah 4:6–9:

6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” 8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. (Zech 4:6–9)

C. Once Israel begins to build again, the opposition starts up again.

“Tattenai the govern of the province Beyond the River and Shethar–bozenai and their associates” (5:3) come ask who gave the decree to build?

The Jews wouldn’t stop building until Darius sent a reply (5:5).

Letter to Darius (5:6–17) asking for verification on a decree that Cyrus supposedly wrote.

Notice the zeal of the Jews and their honesty in 5:11–13.

D. But this time the letter to the king wouldn’t be successful at all. Total opposite.

E. Application: Our work for God and our worship of God will be opposed— by sin in our hearts, world around us, the devil.

III. The Dedication of the Temple and the (Partial) Completion of the Work (Ezra 6)

A. The Decree of Darius

Powerful display of God conforming the whims of rulers according to his own purposes.

There’s also the picture here of good government.

Notice that the Persian kings cared about the decisions made in the past.

Kept diligent records.

It allowed for accountability.

And when Darius realized the decree of Cyrus, even though years prior, he not only endorsed it, but he did so energetically.

Listen to the letter he writes.

B. A glorious picture of the synergistic nature of God’s Providence—God controlling what happens but with the willing involvement of human agents.

Ezra 6:13–15.

• “The elders of the Jews built” (v. 14).
• “Through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo” (v. 14).
• “They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel” (v. 14).
• “And by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia” (v. 14).

Temple finished “3^rd day of the month of Adar, in 6^th year” of Darius. Adar is the 12^th month, which is equivalent to Feb-Mar.

• This is known as the “Second Temple.” It’s the one that stood until AD 70.
• Herod would make improvements to it, but this is the one that stood when Jesus ministered in the temple.
• Scholars sometimes talk about “Second-Temple Judaism.”
• It means the writings and leaders during the period when “the second temple” stood.

C. Dedication of the Temple

They all “celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy” (6:16).

Offerings (6:17).

“They set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses” (6:18).

D. “The returned exiles kept the Passover.”

Another Exodus!!!!!!!

Delivered from Babylon, the worship of Moses (and David) instituted, brought to the place God designated.

And so which feast would be most appropriate? “Passover.”

On the 14^th day of 1^st month (Nisan), they celebrate the Passover.

“They slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves” (Ezra 6:20).

Note who gets to participate. Ezra 6:21: “It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the LORD, the God of Israel.”

Note the JOY! Ezra 6:22. Kept the feast “with joy, for the LORD had made them joyful…”

E. Application: Our work for God and our worship of God is about his glory, but there’s great joy in it!

Joy is one of the great themes of Ezra-Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 8:10:

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Neh 8:10)

F. Observation: But we can only call this a PARTIAL COMPLETION of the work.

As one author said, our work has a “NOW AND NOT YET”[1] quality to it.

We can obey NOW and experience God NOW. But these are always imperfect, because we’re always getting distracted. Giving in to sin and temptation.

This building project we’re on will continue throughout the church age. Only in the new heavens and new earth will it be finished.

Remember, part of the new heavens and new earth is God’s people described as “New Jerusalem.”

No temple, because God himself is the temple.

When that happens. Then the work will be finished.

Conclusion

When we get to the end we see that THE WORK we’re doing has to do with being worshipers.

• This thing we’re building is a WORSHIPING COMMUNITY.
• A community of worshipers who worship God in the ways that he commands.
• Involves the way we live our lives and not just our songs and patterns of worship.
• Individual AND corporate calling to worship. It’s a ME thing and a WE thing.
• This work BEGINS WITH GOD—God is the one who takes exiles and makes them into worshipers.
• This work WILL BE OPPOSED—by sin in our hearts, world around us, the devil.
• This work WILL HAPPEN NOW but is NOT YET complete till Christ returns.

What should you do?

• Read Ezra-Nehemiah.
• Time to catch up because Craig Cabaniss is next week.
• Get involved in a ministry team—to build yourself up, to build the church up. GO TO: Cornestoneapex.org/serve.
• A focus for us this year—two-sided. One side is the leaders sharpening. Second side is members getting involved in the right ministries.

Ezra 3:10–12 as we close. A picture of what it looks as God’s people are united and enjoying God’s blessing. May it be so!

Prayer

[1] Dean Ulrich, Now and Not Yet: Theology and Mission in Ezra-Nehemiah (IVP, 2021).