Lesson for July 28, 2013: Giving Gifts for the Temple - Ezra 8:24-36

Ezra 8:24-36

King James Version (KJV)

²⁴ Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,

²⁵ And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:

²⁶ I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;

²⁷ Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.

²⁸ And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the Lord; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers.

²⁹ Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.
³⁰ So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.

³¹ Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.

³² And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
³³ Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;

³⁴ By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.

³⁵ Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord.

³⁶ And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.


By Sam E. Stone
Today’s lesson is the last of five studies in the life and ministry of the respected Old Testament leader Ezra. In the book that bears his name, he describes how the Jews came to return to Israel from their Babylonian captivity. Ezra includes seven official documents or letters, in addition to his own memoirs. Especially striking is the prominence of Levites and temple personnel.

When Ezra realized that no Levites were among those committed to return with him, he sent a delegation to a nearby area (Kasiphia) to recruit some. They were to “bring attendants to us for the house of our God” (8:17). Two Levitical families totaling 38 heads of households volunteered to go with them to Jerusalem, along with other temple servants.

Consigning Offerings
Ezra 8:24-27
James E. Smith notes that Ezra appointed a committee of 12 leading priests and 12 leading Levites to be responsible for the transportation of the gifts for the temple. The law required priests to handle the sacred objects and the Levites to carry them (see Numbers 3:8, 31; 4:5-15).

It is difficult for us to imagine the immense value of the gifts sent back for the temple. The Living Bible converts the gifts into American money: $1.3 million in silver, $200,000 in silver utensils, and $3 million in gold. Also included were 20 gold bowls and two objects of polished bronze whose purity and design made them as valuable as gold. The total weight would have been about 30 tons—no small feat for this band of travelers, as Ruben Ratzlaff observed.


Communicating Holiness
Ezra 8:28-30
Given the great monetary value of the gifts they were taking, it is all the more amazing that Ezra did not ask for a military escort to ensure their safety in travel. As we learned last week, Ezra did not request such protection since earlier he had assured the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him” (8:22). Instead, for their protection, the people fasted and prayed and God answered their prayer (v. 23).

Those put in charge of counting and carrying the generous offering took their duties seriously. By carefully transporting these gifts, they set an example for Christians today. Good stewardship requires both faithful giving and wise usage of the gifts. The apostle Paul used the Macedonian believers as an example of generosity and responsibility: “Their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. . . . They gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability” (2 Corinthians 8:2, 3).

Although we do not send our gifts to Jerusalem today, we are to be equally responsible with these funds. Paul gave this principle: “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Regular, proportionate giving remains the scriptural command.

Completing the Mission
Ezra 8:31-35
Ezra reviewed what had taken place. The group had traveled some 880 miles in this four-month period. Only the providential care of God could account for their safety as they brought this huge offering to the restored temple in Jerusalem. C. F. Keil writes, “After their arrival at Jerusalem, they remained, as Nehemiah subsequently did, quiet and inactive for three days, to recover from the fatigues and hardships of the journey (Nehemiah 2:11), before they undertook the arrangement of their affairs.” It may be that one of these days was a Sabbath. This would make their time of rest especially meaningful.

On the fourth day, the travelers went to the house of our God. The official transfer of the silver, gold, and sacred articles was made there. The priests and Levites had been given the responsibility of making a careful record of all of the gifts before they left Babylon. Now they were to be sure that each gift was personally presented to the priest and the Levites at this special moment in the temple. Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

This was followed by the offering of sacrifices in the temple. All of the people were included in this day of burnt offerings to the Lord. James E. Smith wrote, “The inhabitants of postexilic Judea considered themselves the survivors and representatives of all the tribes of Israel. They were the covenant people (Ezra 8:35).”

Lesson for July 14, 2013: Dedicating the Temple (Ezra 6)

Ezra 6:13-22

King James Version (KJV)

¹³ Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.

¹⁴ And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

¹⁵ And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

¹⁶ And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.

¹⁷ And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁸ And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.

¹⁹ And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.

²⁰ For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

²¹ And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat,

²² And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Decree Obeyed
Ezra 6:13-15
In the first half of the book, Ezra explains how Cyrus permitted the Jews to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Today’s text names the other rulers who participated by supporting the temple project. As James Smith explains, “In so doing the Jews were obeying the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes. The mention of Artaxerxes in 6:14 suggests that it was the author’s purpose to lump together here the three great Persian patrons of the Lord’s people.”

When the people neglected their work on the temple, two prophets—Haggai and Zechariah—called them back to their task. Haggai brought a dramatic message from the Lord: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (Haggai 1:4). The elders of the Jews were responsible to see that the temple was completed. Most scholars date this event in 515 BC.

Temple Dedicated
Ezra 6:16-18
Everyone rejoiced at the dedication time: the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles. There were no tears shed this time (as in 3:12), only joy. In the past, dedications after extensive repairs had also been conducted by Josiah and Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:17; 35:11).

Male goats were sacrificed as a sin offering covering all the 12 tribes (Numbers 7). In addition, 100 bulls, 200 rams, and 400 male lambs were given as fellowship (or peace) offerings (Leviticus 3:1ff; 7:11-14). Reuben Ratzlaff adds, “It was an appropriate gesture, for this was the first time in almost four centuries, since the division of the nation under Rehoboam and Jeroboam, that all Israel had been able to worship together in one temple.”
Some emphasize the great contrast in the number of animals offered at this time when compared to the total of 120,000 at the original dedication of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:63). The bulk of the sacrifices on these occasions was eaten by the worshippers during the celebrations, and the community at this time was very small.

At the same time, the priests and Levites were appointed, according to their classes and divisions for service in the temple (see 2 Chronicles 23:4; 2 Kings 11:9). The Scripture specifies that this was done according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

Passover Kept
Ezra 6:19-22
The Passover date is commonly understood to be April 21, 515 BC. Several weeks have passed since the dedication. Passover was observed by the Jews to remember the night that the Israelites left Egyptian bondage many years before. For this observance, the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. Ezra adds that the Passover lamb was slaughtered for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves.

This event marked the people’s commitment to follow God completely once more. Even though they are back near Gentile neighbors whose evil influence had corrupted them in the past, now they will seek the Lord, the God of Israel. J. Stafford Wright points out that this includes “those Jews and Israelites who had not been in captivity, and who were prepared to make a clean break with the idolatry and semi-Jehovah-worship of the Samaritans and surrounding peoples.”

This rededication time included a seven-day celebration of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Ezra notes that they did this because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria. Rather than the king’s being their enemy and captor, God used him to assist them in the work on the house of God!

Lesson for July 7, 2013: Restoring the Temple: Ezra 3

Ezra 3

King James Version (KJV)

1 And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

² Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

³ And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening.

⁴ They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;

⁵ And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord.

⁶ From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.

⁷ They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

⁸ Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord.

⁹ Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

¹⁰ And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

¹¹ And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

¹² But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

¹³ So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

By Sam E. Stone
This is the second week of studies from the book of Ezra. It describes the time when God’s people were able to worship in Jerusalem once again. Being released from Babylonian captivity was not enough. Now they needed not only to rebuild the altar but also to restore the entire temple, following God’s directions for worship.

The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther contain the inspired record of what took place at this time period.

Laying the Foundation
Ezra 3:8, 9
In last week’s lesson we studied the construction of a new altar of burnt offerings in Jerusalem. It was used on the first day of the seventh month. In today’s lesson seven months have passed since then. During this time the people gathered the necessary supplies to rebuild the temple itself.

The two leaders mentioned last week—Zerubbabel and Joshua—directed the project. Zerubbabel represented the Davidic line and Joshua the priestly line.

 At their side were other priests and Levites. Responsibility was given to even the younger Levites (age 20 and older) to supervise the work. Ruben Ratzlaff points out that previously such responsibilities did not begin until a person reached the age of 30 (Numbers 4:46, 47) or 25 (Numbers 8:24). “They are the only group for whom the age requirement is made; perhaps this is to tell us their care in conforming to the sacred ordinances.”

The Levites could be counted on to make sure everything was ritually correct.

Celebrating Completion
Ezra 3:10, 11
Once the foundation was completed, the people were ready to celebrate! The importance of the occasion is seen both by the special vestments the priests wore and the music that was included. Cymbals are mentioned (compare 1 Chronicles 16:4, 5; 25:1) as well as trumpets (compare Numbers 10:8). Some suggest there were two choirs singing antiphonally as well (see Psalm 136:1; Jeremiah 33:11). C. F. Keil suggests, however, that since there is no definite allusion to responsive singing, it may simply refer to their use of Psalms like 106 and 107, both of which encourage praising the Lord for his goodness.

Regardless, surely they made the heavens ring with their hosannas. Those who like a high-decibel level in their worship music would have felt right at home in Jerusalem that day!

For more, visit this link:

http://christianstandard.com/2013/07/lesson-for-july-7-2013-restoring-the-temple-ezra-38-13/