Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Ezra 1-4 & Haggai
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas. Welcome to our journey through Scripture. All right, we have just finished the book of Job, kind of a wisdom literature that we ⁓ talked about during the time of the exile. So the people are have been in exile. Jerusalem has been destroyed, the city has been destroyed, the temple's been destroyed, the people were taken into exile into Babylon. And kind of Job kind of fits ⁓ the the theme. fits in that that time frame. So ⁓ we just finished the book of Job. Now we're getting back to more historical things that are the of that are happening with the the people of Israel. So now kind of entering into a to a a new section, if you will. So we're going to be looking at Ezra chapters one through four today and Haggai chapters one and two. So Ezra one through four and Haggai one and two. All right, so what's happening now? The people have been in in exile for probably over fifty years or so. that was under Babylon. ⁓ then you have a guy named Cyrus of Persia, and he comes in and he defeats Babylon ⁓ and actually begins to extend the Persian Empire. It became one of the more powerful empires ⁓ the world has ever seen. ⁓ if you remember, ⁓ you know, there's been lots of movies. ⁓ eventually there would be battles between the Persians and the Greeks, ⁓ and the Greeks would repel the Persian ⁓ Persians and ⁓ you know, so this is this is all going on, ⁓ this is kind of that time frame. Well, when Cyrus comes in, he has a different ⁓ philosophy. ⁓ he yeah, he was looking to expand and to conquer ⁓ but he didn't want to take and bring people into exile as Babylon did. You know, Babylon took the best and brightest and brought them ⁓ back to Babylon. ⁓ but Cyrus, he actually wanted people to stay where they were ⁓ and allowed them to continue to worship as they wanted to worship. They of course had to pay taxes and they had to be allegiant ⁓ to him, ⁓ but he gave more freedom in that sense. ⁓ and so he actually decreed that the people go back to Jerusalem. We see that in the book of Ezra, starting in ⁓ the first chapter, says, ⁓ now in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia, the word of the Lord came by the mouth of Jeremiah, ⁓ might be fulfilled. The Lord Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all the kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Sid Cyrus, King of Persia. All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me, and he has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah, who is among of all his people. May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, he is God, which i is in Jerusalem, and whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of this place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides a free will offering for the house of God Israel. which is in Jerusalem. Then you continue reading verse seven, King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem. Remember whenever Babylon ⁓ destroyed the temple, they had taken ⁓ so much of the gold and silver and things like that from the temple. Well ⁓ Cyrus returns a lot of that to be taken back to Jerusalem ⁓ so that the temple would be re rebuilt. And so this guy named Shesbazar took the people from Babylon back to Jerusalem. Chapter 2 kind of goes into a a list of all of those people and that that came back. ⁓ But but you have kind of a a problem that's that's beginning to ha to happen. Some of the people wanted to stay ⁓ there in Persia. So you had the Jews who decided to stay in Persia, then you had the Jews who had been in exile who now wanted to go back. Then you had Jews who had stayed and had not been carried into exile. And then you had ⁓ Jews who had kind of ⁓ mixed in and blended in with other people. This is where you you have the Samaritans. ⁓ so there's there's lots of animosity between these little different groups of Jewish people that they're gonna have to to work through. and it's it's not going to be a a simple task by any means. And ⁓ and so ⁓ this first guy, Shes Bazar, he does bring this first group back, but they don't really start doing anything. They don't really start rebuilding the temple or rebuilding the the city. ⁓ but they do move back into Jerusalem. But then in ⁓ chapter three, ⁓ Ezra continues and he introduces a another character, kind of ⁓ one of the the the main ⁓ architects, if you will, of rebuilding the temple is Zerubabel. And and that's gonna be a word that I just trip over all the time. It's it's too many bees, Zerubabbal, you know. So that's gonna be be fun saying that one. But chapter three, verse two says, then Jeshua the son of ⁓ Josedak and his brethren the priest. ⁓ so Jeshua is was the priest ⁓ and Zerubabel the son of Shelteel And his brethren arose and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings ⁓ on it, as is written in the law of the Moses, ⁓ in the law of Moses the man of God. Through fear had though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases and offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both morning and evening burnt offerings. They also kept the feast of the tabernacles. and ⁓ c ⁓ continues ⁓ from the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid. ⁓ so they they began the the process of of sacrificing, of beginning to worship God again back in Jerusalem. ⁓ but again at this point, ⁓ the temple isn't being made, but they they also began to give money to masons and carpenters and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre. ⁓ to bring cedar logs from ⁓ Lebanon. ⁓ all of this the ⁓ king of Persia ⁓ was okay with so they're beginning the process. ⁓ and then ⁓ verse eight gets to where ⁓ finally things start to happen. And as Reubbabel and the rest of the brethren and the ⁓ priests they began ⁓ work on the ⁓ foundation says ⁓ verse ten When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the son of Asaph, and the symbols to praise the Lord according to the ordinance of David, ⁓ King David of Israel. They sang responsibly, praising and giving thanks to God, for he is good, his mercy endures forever toward Israel. Then all the people shouted with a great shout, they praised God because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. ⁓ so you have this Wonderful experience, right? Things are starting to happen. ⁓ you know, and you can imagine, I mean, it's been fifty years that they've been in exile, but ⁓ God has continued to be faithful to them. Now they are beginning to see ⁓ the the return ⁓ of the temple. But then it is interesting, so there's all of this going on. They're shouting and rejoicing and and things like that. It says but verse twelve. But many of the priests and Levites, head of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first tet temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the shout was shout was heard far off. And so what this is talking about, the people saw the the older people, they were reminded of the glory of the previous temple. and they they were saddened ⁓ by the the new temple that was coming up because it it was not going to be to this to the ⁓ same majesty as the first temple. And and and you can imagine the older people they're also remembering how th they had screwed it all up, right? How the people had ⁓ fallen away from God and had allowed the first temple to be destroyed in the first place. And so it's this mixture of praise that God is still working, and then mourning the fact that God had to rebuild the temple, right? ⁓ so it's a a mixture of emotions that are that are going on here. And then and then this is when you kind of run into some some problems from the the people of the land ⁓ that were already there, you know, the the Jews who hadn't left, ⁓ verse four. of chapter four, ⁓ then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purposes all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, King of Persia. ⁓ So they they tried to stall out this process and they did. They caused process, ⁓ caused a pause ⁓ mul for multiple years. ⁓ that you know the the foundation of the temple was laid There was an altar that was used to to worship God, ⁓ but basically the temple stopped being built for many years. Then that brings us to Haggai, Haggai chapters one and two. So Haggai is a prophet during this time, as well as Zachariah. So ⁓ Zerubabel is is kind of is there, ⁓ has overseen the start of this, but now things have been shut down because of the people. ⁓ in the land. Now Haggai and Zachariah come with with this message. ⁓ so chapter one of of Haggai ⁓ starting in verse two it says, Thus ⁓ speaks the Lord of hosts, saying, This people says, The time has not come, the time that the Lord's house shall be built. Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, It is ⁓ is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. You have sown much and bring in little, you eat, but you do not have enough, you drink, but are not filled with drink, you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages, earn wages is put to put in the bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways, go up to the mountains, bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, but indeed it came too little, and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why, says the Lord of hosts, because of my house that is in ruins, while every one ⁓ of you runs to his own house. therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew and the earth withholds its fruit. ⁓ so what is God saying here? He's saying, Okay, you've had plenty of time, you got back, you started, ⁓ you were thwarted by the people of the land and some prod political maneuvering that's going on. ⁓ but you've been able to build your own houses and do that, but you haven't ⁓ completed the the house of the Lord. So he's saying it's time. It's t it's it's time to ⁓ to quit procrastinating, quit making excuses. You've been able to take care of yourself. And and God isn't completely chastising for them for that. They needed to do all of that stuff, but then they were just kind of being complacent and they weren't continuing to build ⁓ the house of the Lord. So then verse twelve says, Then Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest, with the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord God had sent him, and the people feared the presence of the Lord. Then Haggai the Lord's messenger spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying, I am with you, says the Lord. So the L Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubabel ⁓ and ⁓ and Joshua and the spirit of the rem remnant of the people and they came and worked on the house of the Lord ⁓ their God on the twenty fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius. So ⁓ you're at a different king now, ⁓ but the people are now actually rebuilding the temple. ⁓ chapter two talks about ⁓ you know the the glory that's going to be returning to to God's ⁓ house. It says, Who is left among ⁓ among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now in comparison with it? Is this not your eyes as nothing? ⁓ yet now be strong, Zerubabel, says the Lord, and be strong, Joshua, ⁓ the high priest, and be strong, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the word that I coveted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my spirit remains you remains among you. Do not fear. ⁓ so they and and God says, I will be part of this, I will be with you, do not fear, continue on. He talks about ⁓ the how the people are have been defiled, that they that they are unclean, but now that they will be made ⁓ clean again. ⁓ that that God is is ⁓ returning things to the way that it should be. verse twenty it says, And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai. saying, Speak to Zerubabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake heaven and earth, I will overthrow throw the throne of kingdoms, I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms, I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them, the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubabel, my servant, the son of ⁓ Shilteel, and says the Lord, and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, says the Lord. of host. And so affirming that ⁓ he has chosen Zerubabel for this difficult task of rebuilding the temple. All right. So we're gonna stop there for today. Read Zechariah one through six. So Zechariah one through six. And we'll see you on