And with the great anticipation now I invite you to turn with me
to Ezra chapter 10 as we meet together in God's holy and
precious word. Allow me to remind us tonight
that in the short book of Ezra, Ezra the author, the historian,
the theologian behind this account, places three large
lists of names in it. We've already examined the 1st
2:00. There is one in chapter 2 and
there's another one in chapter 8, and both of them have the
same purpose. They describe to us the people
and the families and those who represent certain towns who made
the courageous decision to leave behind the comforts and the
conveniences of Babylonia to go back and honor God in Jerusalem.
But there is 1/3 list, as I mentioned, and this is what we
are going to explore tonight. And unfortunately, this registry
is not as honorable as the former to if you look here at
verse 18 of chapter 10, there will be name after name after
name until the very last verse of this entire book.
It's how this book closes, and its purpose differs
significantly from Ezra's first two directories.
What you and I have before us in this list are the identities of
those who have committed the great sin of interfaith
marriage. That is plainly stated in the
beginning of this census, and we're going to see that in a
moment. But what may not be as clear is
the purpose of this list. We understand why it's your what
it's defining for us. But my question, and looking at
this over and over again, is why did the Holy Spirit feel and
sense and deem it necessary to publicly and permanently record
the names who are guilty of this grievous offense?
I understand the former lists. I understand inscribing the
names in a book that would last forever in order to honor those
who made the step of faith, of selfless sacrifice to worship
God and to build His house to the glory of His name.
But why also make known those who were involved in a national
scandal? And I believe there are at least
two reasons. The first one reminds us that
this is one of many examples in Holy Scripture that testified to
the transparency of Scripture, which lends weight to its
authenticity and its accuracy. You know, there are there are
people who claim that this book is a man made production.
You probably heard it. You probably believe that at one
point there are all these argumentations and thoughts
behind that. But that argument is weakened by
the fact that over and over again, the authors of these
books reveal the failures and the shortcomings of those who
belong to the community of faith in the one true God.
Now, if if these authors of these religious texts had a
personal agenda, then you would think that there would be much
more embellishment and a lot less embarrassing accounts.
But that's not what we find. Instead, we reminded, even in
this study in the Word of God, that this book called the Bible
is a remarkably objective and honest account of real people
throughout redemptive history. But there's a second reason for
this list at the end of Ezra, and it's much more practical.
This list of names is a sobering reminder to us that sin, even
when repented of, often carries unwanted consequences.
And the consequence that is before us tonight is how willful
disobedience can sometimes stain our names in the sight of men.
The book of Proverbs speaks to this reality, among other
passages, the reality of the importance of protecting our
reputation. One verse that comes to mind is
Proverbs 22 verse one where the author states a good name.
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches and
favor is better than silver or gold.
What a thought provoking statement.
Here's the Holy Spirit is saying in that verse, if you have the
choice between godly integrity and millions of dollars, choose
the former. And while it is possible to have
both, it is possible to have a good name with great riches.
The reason why this contrast is presented to us is because all
too often the pursuit of wealth comes at the expense of a good
name because of things and temptations like greed and
manipulation and pride, and the abandonment of godly ambition
often accompanies that pursuit. And we can say much more about
this. But the main reason why I bring
it up is to emphasize how the Lord highly values our
reputation of noble character and for exhibiting the fruit of
the Holy Spirit. A good name is to be chosen
rather than great riches. And when you and I are
intentional about that, when we're not careless with our
testimonies, when we don't just think that we can do whatever we
want, say whatever we want, act however we want, and instead are
protective over our names, then we secure for ourselves greater
joy, deeper peace, more glory for God, and even greater
opportunities for our lives. Then even, for example, those
who may have great riches but lack a good name.
Here's one example that comes to comes to mind.
When you look at the list of qualifications for a pastor in
the New Testament, you will never find anything close to the
requirement for somebody to be wealthy.
If that is in your Bible, you have the wrong translation.
But you know what you do find of the qualifications for an elder
being well thought of by outsiders?
Unfortunately, with this list of names in Ezra chapter 10, they
did not choose a good name. They chose their personal
preference and a wife. They chose perhaps security.
They chose perhaps to fulfill lust, and it polluted their
names. These are valuable lessons, but
this record contains even more for us to consider.
And a helpful place to begin is by trying to establish the
framework, the way Ezra organizes these names in this
census. And so let's just get a bird's
eye view of these verses. Look with me here in verse 18.
He begins with who. Now they were found some of the
sons of the priest who had married foreign women.
So he begins with the priest, but then he follows it with what
we find in verse 23. So between 18 and 22 he names
the priests. And verse 23, who we have of the
Levites. Who are the Levites?
They are the assistants to the priests.
And then in verse 24, very brief, but we have two other
categories of people. We have what of the singers and
right after of the gatekeepers, and lastly, verse 25 all the way
to the end of the book, we have and of Israel.
These are the common folk who do not hold any position, any
ministerial position, at least in Israel.
And so how we're going to go about this final study is to see
what we can learn from each of these groups.
We've done this with previous lists and we'll start by reading
Ezra 10/18 to 22, shall we? Now there were found some of the
sons of the priests who had married foreign woman Messiah,
Eliezer, Jereb and Gaddelaya, some of the sons of Joshua the
son of Josidac and his brothers. They pledged themselves to put
away their wives and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock
for their guilt of the sons of Imur, Hananiah and Zebediah, of
the sons of harem Messiah, Elijah, Shamaya, JAL and Uzziah,
of the sons of Pascher, Elionai, Messiah, Ishmael, Nethanel,
Josebad and Elisa. Let's pray.
Father, help us, please Lord, with these verses.
Make them come alive. Touch our hearts, move us, help
us, Lord, to ultimately choose a good name because our names and
our testimonies are attached to Christ's name.
This is why, Lord, we want to take these truths seriously,
because we are more concerned than anything else about
reflecting and representing our Master well.
May every truth, convicting, pressing, humbling be
accompanied with encouragement and hope.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
We're considering the first group tonight, and it may be
quite shocking to us to realize that among those who were
supposed to be the leading examples and the source of
guidance for the people and their holiness and their
godliness and their worship, we're guilty themselves of the
same crime. The priests, the priest married
idolaters. The priest married Pagan woman.
But it's even more staggering at that when you read carefully
because the first four names mentioned in verse 18 are no
ordinary priests. They are who some of the sons of
Joshua the son of Josidak. Does anybody remember who Joshua
the son of Josidak is? If you know, please answer.
Yes, very good. He's mentioned earlier in the
book of Ezra. We have studied him before.
If you need a reference for Joshua that is very important,
it's Haggai 11. Haggai was a prophet, alive and
ministering the time of Joshua, who worked alongside Zerubbabel,
who led the first wave of exiles 80 years before Ezra's time.
And Haggai 11 tells us that Joshua, also known as Joshua,
was the high priest at the time. Which tells us what, when we
come to this section of Scripture, that it wasn't just
the sons of priests who married for a woman, but the descendants
of the high priest himself. This is staggering.
This is sobering in many ways, but it's also very instructive.
Is it possible for the the children and the grandchildren
of a godly minister to walk in the opposite direction of their
spiritual heritage? A lot of heads are nodding, yes,
but we also have to remember that just because some may do so
does not indicate always that it's because of the poor example
of their guardians, of those who went before them.
Joshua, also known as Joshua, was not a compromiser.
Was he perfect? No, but he wasn't scandalous
either. In fact, Joshua was one of the
leaders who stood against the temptation and the invitation of
those who approached the first wave of exiles who returned to
Jerusalem that wanted to join them in building the House of
God. He was one of the voices that
said absolutely not. Do you remember this?
Go to Ezra 4. Let's look at these few verses
together to refresh our memories.
Ezra 4 Remember, we're looking now, we're rewinding 80 years
when Joshua the high priest, along with Zerubbel and other
leaders were ready to build the House of God.
But in that pursuit there was a great temptation in Ezra 4 verse
one. Now when the adversaries of
Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were
building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they
approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the father's houses and
said to them, let us build with you, for we worship your God as
you do, and we've been sacrificing to him ever since
the days of senior Haddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.
But Zerubabel, Joshua, and the rest of the heads of Father's
houses in Israel said to them, You have nothing to do with us
in building a house to our God, but we alone will build to the
Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the King of Persia, has
commanded us. Who would have imagined that the
direct descendants of this man would walk in the exact opposite
direction that he paid a great high price to make?
Remember, this would unleash great persecution.
So this man who stood on the integrity of God's Word, who
fought for his consecration and who was persecuted because of
it, after a few short decades had some of his own descendants
squander that and partner with these idolaters and one of the
worst ways possible by marrying their woman.
It's shocking, but it's realistic.
You know, I'm aware that there may be fathers here, there may
be mothers here, maybe even older siblings perhaps.
And you may, you may be wondering and trying to come to
terms with why it is that those closest to you, maybe you're
even your own children or grandchildren, are rejecting and
chasing after everything that you stood against according to
God's Word that you taught them about, that you warned them
about. And I know that some parents
even wrestle with guilt. Did I have a part to play in the
foolishness of my son and the brazen rebellion of my younger
sibling? And if you do have that haunting
thought, remember Joshua and let your conscience be free,
especially if you are a man like him who has clearly walked with
Christ. Not perfectly, yes, none of us
are perfect, but clearly and consistently to the best of your
ability, by the grace of God. This is one example among many
that even the most exceptional examples of righteousness are
not always imitated by those the closest to them.
And they're not at fault for that because in the end,
devotion to God is a personal choice.
You can only do so much to influence.
You can do only so much to point them in the right direction.
But in the end, every single one of us will stand before God for
our own lives. Now, thankfully, the same sons
of the high priest, along with the other priests, repented.
How do we know that? Because verse 19 it says that
they pledged to put away these wives.
And more than just promising, they made a humbling sacrifice.
They offered a guilt offering to admit their sin and to seek
atonement for it. Now here's what here's what
intrigued me. This is the only time an
offering according to the biblical code is mentioned in
this list of names of those who have repented.
That is not to say that others did not make an offering at the
temple, but it's Ezra's way of highlighting the severity of the
sin of the priest because of their leadership.
Spiritual leadership are held to a higher standard because their
decisions have a greater impact, for good or for worse.
And so Ezra strategically emphasizes and highlights how
they made a sacrifice because of the necessity for it by virtue
of their position and their influence.
Now here's what's very moving to us.
There are total names, total number of names here mentioned.
If we count them, that lead to 1717 priests.
And out of the 17 names, three of them share the same one.
It's the first one mentioned in verse 18.
Messiah. It shows up again in verse 21,
shows up again in verse 22. Why do I under score this?
Because you find this name repeated more than once in the
book of Nehemiah among another list of priests.
Now Nehemiah comes unto the scene 13 years after Ezra, and
where when you see how this, this name Messiah shows up in
Nehemiah, it should flood your heart with encouragement because
of what they're doing. So turn with me to Nehemiah
chapter 12. Notice what happens here.
Nehemiah in this chapter is organizing the dedication of the
wall. Remember, his purpose was to
rebuild the security of the city of Jerusalem through the
erection of these physical walls.
And here's the dedication service.
And like any good dedication service, you're going to have
some singing and you're going to have some choirs.
So there was choirs even back then.
Look at verse 40 of Nehemiah 12. So both choirs of those who gave
thanks stood in the House of God.
And I and half of the officials with me and the priest Eliakim,
Messiah, many a men, Mikaya, Elionai, Zachariah and Hananiah
with trumpets and Messiah, there's another one of them.
And Shamaya, Eliezer, Uzi, Johanannan, Melchiah, Elam and
Ezra. And the singer sang with Jezriah
as their leader. And they offered great
sacrifices that day and rejoiced.
They offered great sacrifices on that day and rejoiced.
Now, we can't say conclusively that the maicides of Nehemiah 12
are the same ones who sinned and repented back in Ezra 10.
But if they are, and it's very possible that they are, then
what we have before us is yet another reminder of something
that we have seen over and over in our studies in the Old
Testament, that God is a God of restoration.
Here's these men who sinned so grossly, who have stained their
names and have brought disgrace to their community, and yet, as
severe as the sin was, it did not cut off hope.
It did not delete forever God's future plans and desires for
them. The same priests, these are just
three of them that show up clearly in the next book, are
actually now not offering a guilt offering for their sin,
but are offering sacrifices to serve the nation and to glorify
God. God is rich in mercy.
God is incredibly kind, yes. So this list is not an honorable
one, but it it didn't mean that God did not restore them.
So let your heart be at rest that even though we may have
tarnished our testimony, that does not mean that God cannot do
something with our lives. In fact, all he asks of you is
what these men did, genuinely repent, because genuine
repentance is the key to a mercy so strong that it can restore
you in ways that you never knew would be possible and surely in
ways that we don't deserve. So this is what we see with the
priests. But let's move on now to the
Levites. Ezra 10 in verse 23 of the
Levites, Joseph Bad, Shemia, Kalaya, that is Kalita, Pythia,
Judah, Eliezer, and that's it. Now the brief mention of the
Levites here brings to mind their peculiar history in the
book of Ezra. Again, they show up in Ezra
chapter 2 when the first returnees came back from
Babylonia into the holy city. The number of them around 74
Levites and then with the second sense is in Ezra chapter 8.
No Levites come initially, at least until Ezra organizes a
focus effort to recruit the Levites and then about 38 of
them join. And when you look at this from a
bird's eye view, when you consider these lists and
totality, you get the sense that the testimony of the Levites is
that there is very little interest in them to actually
walk in the fullness of their calling by going back to the
House of God and serving God the way they were called to.
And, and, and the reasons for that is because of, I'm sure,
the enticing environment that they became accustomed to in
Babylonia. We've discussed this many times
before. So we should applaud those who
did go. While many of them stayed back,
we can safely say thousands of them remained in a foreign land.
So we celebrate them, yes. At the same time we come to this
final list and we get a very telling insight of a handful of
them who did come back. And it is this.
Some of the Levites who made the right steps to return to
Jerusalem still struggled with an attraction to the world.
So yes, they left a foreign land, they left a foreign
people, they abandoned the attractions and the conveniences
of a foreign place. But their hearts, at least those
who are listed here, we're not completely consecrated.
How do we know that? Because they turned their backs
on Babylon, but they still ended up marrying foreign women.
This is very, very important for us to consider because what it
shows us is that as important as physical relocation is, right
walking away from bad places and bad environments and bad
atmospheres, as important as that is, as important as
partnering and participating in a faithful fellowship and even
serving in a certain ministry, as important as all of that is,
it is not enough to transform us.
None of that can provide the inner renewal that can only come
by way of God's miraculous power in the human heart.
Practically speaking, these Levites made all the right
choices, but evidently their hearts needed work.
And there are so many examples of this throughout the Bible,
and I want to bring to mind one from the New Testament.
Have you heard the name Dimas? Dimas is notorious for
abandoning the Apostle Paul in his greatest time of need.
He deserted Paul when he was imprisoned for the last time
before he would be ultimately executed.
But Dimas doesn't only appear in Paul's final letter.
He appears a total of three times in a New Testament.
Did you know that? And when you look at the two
other instances of Demas being mentioned in Scripture, it only
makes his abandonment that much more frightening.
It's only three. Can we look at it?
Let's go to find Lehman. This is a prison epistle.
It's a personal one. Paul writes to his friend And
when he gives them his final greetings, he mentions somebody
and finally in verse 23, no chapters, verse 23 Epiphras, my
fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus sends greetings to you and so do
Mark Aristocratus Dimas and Luke, my fellow workers.
There's Dimas and he's mentioned as to a fellow worker.
He's, he's listed with Luke. Mark, you study Paul's life.
He didn't recruit just anybody into his ministry team.
He was very, very, very selective.
Dimas must have shown some kind of resolve, some kind of
faithfulness, some kind of seriousness.
And he stuck around for a bit, I'm sure, because look at
Colossians now, another prison epistle.
And look what happens in chapter 4, verse 14 of Colossians,
Colossians 4, verse 14. Luke, the beloved physician
greets you, as does Dimas. He's there again.
And the final time, as you know, is in Second Timothy 410.
Now as you turn there, many people make the mistake of
claiming that the reason why Dimas turned his back on Paul
and ultimately on Christ and the cause of Christ and the gospel
of Jesus Christ is because of the intense persecution.
Paul was willing to pay for it. Dimas wasn't.
But that's not what Paul brings to the forefront.
Why did Dimas walk away? He tells us clearly in verse 10
of chapter 4. Look at Second Timothy 410.
For Dimas in love with this present world, not for fear, but
because he had a different love. For Dimas in love with this
present world has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.
Demons had a heart problem. Now think about this.
What a privilege to serve alongside the great apostle
Paul. What kind of miracles did you
witness? What kind of example did you
have with you virtually 24/7? More than Paul.
Who are your comrades? Who are your associates?
Luke, the physician, Mark, other sold out believers, and yet with
with all of this fellowship, all of this opportunity, even this
accountability, because Dimas's heart, namely his affections
were not fixed and nurtured regularly for the Lord.
When the right opportunity arose, he took it because he was
in love with this world. This is a heart problem.
It's more than circumstance. It's more than environment.
It's going to, it's going to require much more than all of
that to transform us and to keep us where God wants us to be.
In fact, there's a contrast with Dimas's love.
Paul mentions another love 2 verses early.
Look at Second Timothy 48. Henceforth there is laid up for
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but
also to all who have loved his appearing.
So in this verse, Paul highlights a love that keeps you
faithful until the end. But the object of his love is
Christ, His appearing, not just His commands, not just His
instructions, not just His promises Himself.
Paul mentions a love that keeps you going until the end, and
then he mentions another love in verse 10 that will weaken your
faithfulness and draw you away from the one that you claim to
love. How do we respond to this truth?
You know how I respond to it. Lord, help my heart, help my
heart. And the question you may have is
can God do anything with my heart?
Is the responsibility solely on me?
Do I got to maneuver and make things happen?
Do I got to hype myself up every.
How does this whole thing work for my heart's love to be on
Christ with no rival. So I I opened the service in
second Corinthians day because that's where I found myself this
morning. And there were so many verses.
I didn't know which one to choose.
And I thought, you know what, let me tuck this one into the
study. Paul speaks about his friend
Titus, who also served in the ministry, and he says something
about what happened to his heart that that so energized me this
morning. It became my prayer all day in
2nd Corinthians 816. Listen to what Paul says.
But thanks be to God who put into the heart of Titus the same
earnest care I have for you. Isn't that blow your mind saying
what about it? God put it in the heart of Titus
to have the same concern and care and compassion for the
Corinthians as Paul did. God can put it in your heart.
God can put in your heart a love for him, a love for God's
people. I mean, if there is anybody who
is really, really difficult to love, it was the Corinthians.
You really need God to put a love in your heart for the
Corinthians, but He did it. He can do it in your heart and
mine too. Amazingly, like the priests in
Ezra 10, some of the names of the Levites reappear.
Nehemiah, but in a more redemptive light.
Nehemiah 95. Nehemiah 1010.
Nehemiah 11/16. They are found serving alongside
Nehemiah by doing their part to advance God's purposes in a
meaningful way. The Levites.
So again, it amplifies the truth of God's mercy.
God's restorative grace was not reserved for the priest.
It was also made available to the assistance of the priests.
So they repented in Ezra, attendees, Levites, and God did
a work in their hearts, so much so that they were reinstated in
service to the Lord. And that's good news for each of
us tonight, because you may come to this church regularly, but
recently your heart is not here. In fact, you're actually scared
about it. You may even serve here.
But because of an honesty on your part, you can admit
perhaps, that you are growing more and more infatuated with
the world and you don't know what to do.
Because the tide is pulling you and you find yourself emptier
and emptier and emptier as you go through the motions.
I want to give you a message of hope today.
God can change that. He can change that radically.
It comes back to what these Levites did, who did all the
right things. They left Babylonia, they
sacrificed so much to help restore the activity and the
service and the worship in the House of God.
But some of them, their hearts evidently were not totally to
the Lord. All we have to do is admit the
coldness of our heart and ask God to change it.
And He is willing to do that. This is what we learn from the
Levites. Let's come to verse 24 now of
Ezra 10. Two groups of people in one
verse of the singers, Elijah, Ship of the gatekeepers, Shalom,
Tellem, and Uri. Instead of focusing directly on
the singers and the gatekeepers, I want to note that up to this
point, Ezra is drawing attention to the same categories of people
that he recorded in Ezra chapter 2.
So in Ezra chapter 2, that's the first list of names that we
encounter in this book. And we know what happens in Ezra
2, right? He begins by mentioning the
leaders who oversaw this expedition.
And then he goes on to mention the men of Israel from different
households and hometowns. And then after mentioning that
long list of refugees, he goes on to describe the the priests,
the Levites, the singers, and the sons of the gatekeepers.
But Ezra doesn't mention one group that is in Ezra 2IN Ezra
10. Does anybody know who I'm
referring to? We spent quite a bit of time
diving into who this particular group were.
The temple servants, remember? We spent time looking into the
potential history of the Temple servants.
Why were they so intriguing? Because evidence seems to
indicate that the Temple servants were not of Jewish
descent. They were more likely
Gibeonites, a group of people that Joshua failed to destroy
upon entering into the Promised Land and instead made a covenant
with. And because of that covenant,
they were forever vowed and bound to serving in the House of
God with the most menial of tasks, and they became the
official group known as the temple servants who operated
this way generationally. Ezra actually hints to this.
Look at chapter 8 verse 20. In Ezra 820, he mentions the
temple servants in his second census and notice what he says
about them. Besides 220 of the temple
servants whom David and his officials had set apart to
attend the Levites, these were all mentioned by name.
So you notice the hierarchy here in the ministry positions within
the temple, you have the priests.
Then you had the Levites who were assigned to assist the
priest, but with the Levites, you had the temple servants who
served them. Here's my question.
The temple servants, they appear in Ezra chapter 2.
They show up in Ezra chapter 8, the second list.
Why are they not found in Ezra chapter 10?
Because after the gatekeepers, we're going to go to the men of
Israel. So you skip over a category that
we've become familiar with. Some will say perhaps, well, it
wasn't necessary for Ezra to include them in this list
because of their origins. They were Gentiles, and what's
concerning to Ezra is those who are descendants of the holy race
they excluded from that. Sure, they have an oath with the
people of God to God Himself, but would it really matter as
much for them to marry outsiders?
If that's the case, then their omission from this list would
mean that Ezra did not hold them responsible to the same
covenantal framework that the Levites and the priests and
other Israelites were held accountable to, right?
The the Gibeonites, the temple servants, they didn't have any
tribal inheritance. They were not representing
Israel in the same genealogical way.
So it's not important really what they do in this regard.
So I'm wrestling with this because the easy thing to do is
say that just move on. But I realized something about
the temple servants, they show up again, Nehemiah, and they
show up at a very critical point in Israel's history that says
something about them and how they relate to the people of
Israel, ultimately to the law of God, which helps us understand
perhaps why they are not mentioned in Ezra chapter 10.
We're getting a workout here. Yes, Nehemiah in chapter 10,
this is when they make a renewed covenant with God.
Nehemiah with the other spiritual leaders want to
solidify their commitment to the God of Israel.
So there's this whole ceremony. Notice who shows up to the
ceremony and not just show up. I'll just read it.
Nehemiah 10, verse 28, The rest of the people, the priest, the
Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, we've seen all these
people before. Who else?
The temple servants, the temple servants, and all who have
separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law
of God. Their wives, their sons, their
daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding,
join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse
and an oath to walk in God's law that was given by Moses the
servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of
the Lord, our Lord and His rules and His statutes.
We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or
take their daughters for our sons.
I understand the priest doing this.
I understand the Levites, I understand the singers and the
gatekeepers, the temple servants submitting themselves to the law
of God, including the prohibition of having their
descendants marry foreign woman or men.
And they are welcome to do so. Saying that's that's a good
observation, but why does it matter?
Because they're not of Jewish lineage.
They don't share the same blood necessarily.
And yet, when you rewind and come back to Ezra chapter 10
with what we just read in Nehemiah chapter 10, then the
most logical conclusion of why they are not included in this
indictment is because they were not guilty.
They took God's law seriously for themselves.
And why this is so amazing to me is because they have proven to
be more steadfast and committed to God's demands than the Jews,
who are the direct inheritors of the law and God's commands.
Moreover, think about their position and their function.
The deal was between Joshua and them.
You make a covenant with us. We can't kill you anymore.
But that doesn't mean that you just get to do whatever you
want. You will forever and ever and
ever become servants in the House of God.
And Joshua 927 tells us exactly what their day-to-day look like.
They were cutters of wood and drawers of water.
It's not very glamorous, the priest.
Very elaborate, very attractive. The Levites, Same thing, temple
servants. But who in Ezra 10 has shown to
break God's heart? It wasn't a temple servants, it
was the priest. It was the Levites and humanly
speaking, the lowest of the low in terms of work.
Those who had no public platform, those who did not have
prominence, those who did The Dirty work.
We're not guilty. You know, pleasing God is not
dependent upon your position. Bringing glory to God is not
dependent on who knows you or the accolades that you
accumulate for yourself. It's very simple to please God.
Just do what He says, live for Him, no matter what Providence
has put before you, no matter what limitations you feel are on
you. The temple servants outshined
the priests and the Levites because God is not impressed by
all these things. He simply wants faithfulness and
it came from the most unlikely group of people.
I was already impressed with the temple servants because when
they were removed from Jerusalem to go to Babylonia, that's a
clean slate. You can say we're free.
We never have to cut wood again. We don't have to wash anything.
Let's just start fresh here in Babylonia.
But when Cyrus made the call, so many of them said, let's go
back. We made a promise to the God of
Israel. And that covenant goes deeper
than this. We come now to Ezra 10.
We realize that they were not found guilty, though the others
were. It's amazing how you can be
moved by such details in the Word of God.
Let's come to the final group of people.
We are going to attempt to read these names together because
every part of God's word matters.
Verse 25 and of Israel, the sons of Perosh, Ramaya, Zia, Malkaja,
Mejamin, Eliezer, Hashabaya and Binaya of the sons of Elam,
Matanaya, Zechariah, JEL, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah of the sons
of Zatu, Elionai, Elisha, Matanaya, Jeremoth, Zabad and
Aziza of the sons of Babai were Johananan, Hananiah, Zabaya.
Athlea of the sons of Bani were Mushalam, Malukh, Adaya, Jashub,
Sheal and Jeremiah of the sons of Pahad, Moab, Adna, Khalal,
Binaya, Mehsaya, Matanaya, Bazelal, Binuyai and Manasa of
the sons of Harem, Eliezer, Ishiya, Malchiya, Shamaya,
Shimmyon, Benjamin, Maluk and Jeremiah of the sons of Hashem,
Matanaya, Matata, Zabid, Eliphelid, Jeremiah, Manasa and
Shamaya of the sons of Bani. Mehdi, amram Uel, Binaya,
Bedaya, Heluai, Vinaya, Miramoth, Eliyashev, Matanaya,
Matanaya, Jayasu of the sons of Binuai, Shamaya, Shalamaya,
Nathan, Adiya, Makhna, Dabai, Shashi, Shirai, Azarel,
Shilamaya, Sheremaya, Shalom, Amariah and Joseph of the sons
of Nebo GL, Mithya, Zabad, Zebanai, Jedai, Joel and Binaya.
All these had married foreign woman and some of the women had
even born children. So how do we approach this final
section of names listed without attempting to examine every
family brought to our attention? I think one way we can do so
effectively in a way that edifies us is to consider the
first family that is at the top of the list, which seems to
indicate that they are of great prominence.
And we can infer this because the same family shows up in Ezra
chapter 2 at the top of the list.
So clearly they are important. Who am I Speaking of?
Verse 25 and of Israel of the sons Pirosh.
Ezra 2 verse 3 reads The Sons of Pirosh 2172.
They are highlighted among the largest clans who chose to leave
Babylon. Nearly 2200 members of their own
clan. That speaks to the faith of this
family. That speaks to the convictions
that they shared as one unit for for all of them to make this
choice. We are going to turn our backs
on Babylon and go back and rebuild the ruins.
This is impressive. You can imagine then, how
shocking it would be, especially for the original readers to
discover this about the family Parash.
I'm sure they knew of their history to some degree, only to
realize that they are mentioned first among those who are guilty
of this great sin. The same family that inspired
and showed how God's Spirit can stir the hearts of members of
one household, one clan, also show up in a place of being
among those who put the nation at an existential risk.
What? What are we supposed to do with
this connection? Here's a lesson.
None of us are spiritually untouchable.
None of us. We must never become
overconfident because of our moral history, past testimonies,
or present stability even. Instead, you and I have to
remain vigilant always and depend on God day by day by day.
I've had people ask me, brother, I'm scared.
I don't know who I'm going to be a year from now.
I don't know if I'm going to be faithful to Christ five years
from now, and my answer remains the same.
Just take it day by day. Stop worrying about who you'll
be decades from now, and just worry who you are tomorrow
morning. His burden is light.
His yoke is easy. Don't add weight to it.
So the sons of Prash remind us that though we may think we
stand, take heed lest we fall. That's not to promote hysteria
or paranoia, but just this awesome awareness that I need
thee, Oh, I need thee. Not just day by day, not just
hour by hour, but moment by moment, I need thee.
Did you notice how the book ends?
Look at the last first. All these had married foreign
women, and some of the women had even born children.
Full stop. Book is done.
So it's a summary. But more than a summary, it's a
strategic way Ezra chooses to end his account.
And if we're honest, it seems a little abrupt, doesn't it?
It's not as polished as we would expect.
It's not accidental. He didn't run out of parchment.
He's led by the Holy Spirit and he deliberately mentions,
briefly but deliberately, the consequence at least a
significant one of these men's choices by bringing to surface
the fact that some of these women had children.
And then he puts a veil over this reality so quickly.
He doesn't give us too many details because the ambiguity
itself is intentional. It's meant to cause the reader
to ask and wonder. Oh, wait, wait, wait.
What? What now?
Hold on, there's children involved in this.
Where are they going to go? What's going to happen to these
families? How are they going to be
provided for? What's the emotional toll of
this reform? And So what Ezra does by the
Spirit ending, the way he ends, as he invites us into the
tension of this whole scenario and he lets us sit there.
He doesn't want us to gloss over it.
He doesn't put makeup on the whole situation to try to clean
it up. He provides silence for us to
have to deal with something that we often don't think about when
it comes to our sinful choices, The ramifications of it being
much more painful than we had planned, impacting factors that
we never hoped or thought or desired.
And some of the women even born children, period.
So yes, there there is repentance in this final section
of this book and that provides a note of hope.
But Ezra, the great teacher that he is, is honest and he wants to
let the reader know repentance does not always erase the
painful and lasting consequences of sin and this abrupt ending
also the Ezra and Nehemiah are two separate books prepares us
for the next major account that is connected to Ezra's story.
You know, sometimes when it comes to texts like what we had
before, us preachers feel the need to try to change the tone
of it so that we can end on a more happy thought.
We have to honor the way the Holy Spirit penned His Word.
And what we find here is that Ezra wants us to wrestle and not
just look at these names and these people, but then to look
at our own lives and ask Lord to to help us prevent walking or
making decisions that might create tension that we can avoid
if we just trust him and take him at his word.
So I invite you to do that with me as we end our study in the
book of Ezra. Let's take a few moments to sit
here, reflect, and ask the Lord to help us before we sing
another song. Bow your hearts with me.
When we think about all the the studies in this book, the amount
of times we have witnessed your Providence and your power over
kings and governments and officials, and we also encounter
how despite your goodness and your steadfastness, we blow it.
And we're reminded of that again at the end of this book.
Thank you, Lord, that with the priest, the Levites, and even
some of the men of Israel, they show up again in Nehemiah and
they are serving and they are standing with leaders and they
are helping the people of God. Thank You that you can rewrite
our stories even though we have tarnished our names.
But Lord, we also thank you for the honesty of Your word when it
comes to our choices. And we think about these
families that were torn apart, even though these marriages were
illegitimate to begin with, the children involved, and what
those conversations must have been like and what those tears
and the cries look like and sounded like and reminds us of
the brokenness that we often bring into our own lives.
Help us, Lord, be agents of good and holiness and love and faith.
Thank you that you're willing to forgive us.
But Lord, we're praying for more than forgiveness.
We want strength. We need power.
You have not given us these studies in your word just to
learn, but to be prepared. And so prepare us.
Prepare us to face temptation. Lead us not into it, but should
it come. Lord, give us the wisdom that
we've accumulated over these past few weeks in this book to
fight it well. Help us choose a good name more
than great riches. Help us choose that that we will
maintain and hold on to our integrity and our holiness and
our trustworthiness, because ultimately we bear your name.
And that is more important to us than anything else.
More important to us than money, more important to us than woman,
more important to us than men, more important to us than having
children. Living according to Your Word is
more important to us than any of that.
Remind us of that when it becomes hard to believe it.
Thank you Father, for guiding us so patiently, so insightfully in
Ezra. Bring us again to Your Word
wherever you take us next, with a great illumination and
inspiration. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen. Another book down, a long way to
go, but for now, let's celebrate progress and thank God for this
chapter, for this church. Let's stand and worship the
Lord.