Ezra 4
Ezra 4
Ezra chapter three left off with mixed reviews of the rebuilt temple foundation. Some people are shouting with joy and others are weeping bitterly because it wasn’t as glorious as the old temple. It was anti-climatic, to say the least. Chapter four brings us to another strange twist that leaves us dissatisfied - but the point of both of these chapters is to point us to something (someone) greater.
Chapter four picks up with the returned exiles, being led by Zerubbabel, rebuilding the temple of God. The people were given the freedom to travel back to Jerusalem and begin this process. Finally, we are seeing God’s promises to deliver his people from exile come true…sort of. When the Israelites were taken into exile there was a small portion that remained in the land. They continued to live and make sacrifices to the Lord. Those Israelites approached Zerubbabel and asked to help build the temple since they too worship God. Seems like a great thing - except Zerubbabel tell them “no” and drives them away.
Sort of a letdown. Why is this chapter here and what is it teaching us through this anticlimactic moment? God was leading his people back to their land, but he was not leading them to the end of the story. He allowed their hearts to be let down by the outcome because a rebuilt temple was not the answer to their problem. Exile wasn’t their problem. King Artaxerxes wasn’t their problem. It was their heart and the sin within it that was the problem and the answer was a savior, not a temple.
Today, our problem is the same. Lack of money, things, and happiness are not the problem - sin is the problem. The difference is we now have what they were longing for - Jesus, and the forgiveness that he gives. This chapter is meant to remind us that our heart’s true satisfaction and remedy is Christ Jesus.
Family Discussion
By: Joe Weaver
Ezra chapter three left off with mixed reviews of the rebuilt temple foundation. Some people are shouting with joy and others are weeping bitterly because it wasn’t as glorious as the old temple. It was anti-climatic, to say the least. Chapter four brings us to another strange twist that leaves us dissatisfied - but the point of both of these chapters is to point us to something (someone) greater.
Chapter four picks up with the returned exiles, being led by Zerubbabel, rebuilding the temple of God. The people were given the freedom to travel back to Jerusalem and begin this process. Finally, we are seeing God’s promises to deliver his people from exile come true…sort of. When the Israelites were taken into exile there was a small portion that remained in the land. They continued to live and make sacrifices to the Lord. Those Israelites approached Zerubbabel and asked to help build the temple since they too worship God. Seems like a great thing - except Zerubbabel tell them “no” and drives them away.
Sort of a letdown. Why is this chapter here and what is it teaching us through this anticlimactic moment? God was leading his people back to their land, but he was not leading them to the end of the story. He allowed their hearts to be let down by the outcome because a rebuilt temple was not the answer to their problem. Exile wasn’t their problem. King Artaxerxes wasn’t their problem. It was their heart and the sin within it that was the problem and the answer was a savior, not a temple.
Today, our problem is the same. Lack of money, things, and happiness are not the problem - sin is the problem. The difference is we now have what they were longing for - Jesus, and the forgiveness that he gives. This chapter is meant to remind us that our heart’s true satisfaction and remedy is Christ Jesus.
Family Discussion
- What movie/TV show has the worst ending? (My answer is “Lost”)
- Why is putting our hope in earthly things wrong? (Money, status, possessions)
- How can we trust God even when life lets us down?
By: Joe Weaver
No Comments