More from Ezra chapter one

7/4/2011 8:59:28 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                                                    Focus:  The return of the remnant Part-1

                                                                                                                                                                (The Treasure)

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                                 Reference:  Ezra 1:5-11

                Message of the verses:  “5 ¶  Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. 6  All those about them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering. 7  Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods; 8  and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. 9  Now this was their number: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 duplicates; 10  30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind and 1,000 other articles. 11  All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.”

                This section of Scripture is not without some controversies of which I wish to begin with.  The first one is about who this man Sheshbazzar is.  In John MacArthur’s Study Bible he writes that there is no way that Sheshbazzar should be confused with Zerubbabel however Warren Wiersbe gives some pretty good evidence that they were the same person with two different names, something that was not uncommon during this time of history, especially since many Jewish people were given different names when they were exported to Babylon.  “Ezra 5:16 states that Sheshbazzar laid the foundation of the temple, while Ezra 3:8-13 attributes this to Zerubbabel and Zechariah 4:9 confirms it.”  I think that I will have to agree with what Warren Wiersbe writes about this.

                There is something else that needs to be discussed and that is something that both MacArthur and Wiersbe agree on and that is the total number of articles that were carried to Jerusalem from Babylon.  The total in verse eleven is 5400, while if you add up the number in the previous verses you come up with 2499.  This was probably not a mistake by the writer but some of the articles were not mentioned in the earlier verses thus the total was 5400.

                Now for the spiritual portion of this section and that is seen in the last part of verse five, the highlighted portion that shows that this entire goings on was part of the plan of God, and also part of his prophetic Word.  This was also part of the Abrahamic covenant form Genesis 12:1-3. 

                Now I would like to interject something from the MacArthur Study Bible that actually fits in with yesterday’s SD but I read it this morning and thought it necessary to add.  “The historian Josephus records an account of the day when Daniel read Isaiah’s prophecy to Cyrus, and in response he was moved to declare the proclamation of 1:2-4 (538 B.C.).”

                One more point to make and that has to do with how the word “Judah” is used in this section, for it is not spoken of concerning the people of Judah but rather a reference to a section or providence that was with the Persian Empire where all the Jewish exiles lived.

                Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I don’t think it would be stretching the portion of verse five where it refers to the Lord stirring up the hearts of the people to return to Jerusalem to say that God still does the stirring of people today including me.  I will make this brief, but any work that I do for the Lord has been ordained for me to do in eternity past by the Lord or for that matter for anyone’s works. (Eph. 2:10).  In order for me to complete this work that has been ordained for me to accomplish I am to abide (remain) in the Vine so that His power will work through me and so that He will receive the glory for the accomplishments.  Jesus told His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go away so that the Comforter would come and then the works that His Church would do would be greater (in number) than what He could do if He remained on earth.  I want to be one who is part of doing those works in order to bring glory to the Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.       Psalm 139:23-24

2.       Ephesians 6:10-18

3.       Proverbs 3:5-6

4.       Philippians 4:11-13

5.       Romans 12:1-2

6.       Ephesians 2:10

7.       John 15:4

7/4/2011 9:48:39 AM