Ezra 2
The closing verse of Ezra 1 speaks of “exiles” who were “brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem” (1:11). Chapter 2 provides a record of which Jewish families and towns were represented among the exiles who returned to repopulate the land and rebuild the Temple.
The group that returned was led by Zerubbabel and ten other key leaders (2:2). The fact Zerubbabel is named immediately after Sheshbazzar (1:11; 2:2) would seem to indicate Ezra is writing about two different leaders (not one leader with two different names—one Babylonian [Sheshbazzar] and one Jewish [Zerubabbel]). Notable among these eleven leaders is “Jeshua” (listed second, right after Zerubbabel). Zerubabbel and Jeshua (or Joshua) are key players in the reconstruction of the Temple. They are referenced by the prophets Haggai (1:12; 2:2) and Zechariah (3:1-10; 4:6-10). The Nehemiah and Mordecai listed in verse 2 are different individuals from their namesakes in the books of Nehemiah or Esther.
The roll call of names in verses 3-35 (repeated in Nehemiah 7:6-73), chronicle the family lines and towns of those making the journey back to Jerusalem. Family lines are indicated by the phrase “The sons of …”; towns are denoted by the phrase “The men of . . . .” The precision of the roll call is evidenced by the specific number given for each family line or town: “The sons of Shephatiah, 372” (2:4); “The men of Michmas, 122” (2:25).
Among the returnees are “the men of Anathoth, 128” (2:23). Anathoth was Jeremiah’s hometown, the place where he bought a tract of land while still in prison in the besieged city of Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 32). The Lord had Jeremiah buy the property as an act of faith in God’s promise to bring exiles home to repopulate the land (Jeremiah 32:14-15). Perhaps some of these returnees where relatives of Jeremiah who would have been able to settle on the property Jeremiah purchased.
Ezra highlights the fact that among the exiles returning to Jerusalem and Judea were a number of priests (2:36-39), Levites (2:40-42), temple servants (2:43-54) and descendants of Solomon’s servants (2:55-57). The priests (4,289) outnumbered the Levites (341) and the servants (392). Evidently, rebuilding the restoring the Temple stirred the spirits of the priests most of all.
Verses 59-63 contain the curious case of individuals (including some who claimed to be in the line of priests) who cannot prove their ancestry or tribal lineage. The genealogical records are checked but their names are absent. The governor (perhaps Zerubbabel) decides that they can join the group of returnees; however, those who claim priestly descent are forbidden to eat the “most holy food” until “there should be a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim” (2:63)—the two small stones used by the priests to determine God’s will in special cases.
In addition to the 42,360 people who decided to make the trip back to Jerusalem, the group of returnees includes 7,337 male and female servants (2:65), 200 male and female singers (2:65), and over 8,000 horses, mules, camels and donkeys (2:66-67).
Surprisingly, Ezra gives no details about the arduous trip back to Jerusalem. Verse 68 picks up the story with the exiles back home. Back in Jerusalem, some of the travelers choose to make freewill offerings to support the rebuilding project. “According to their ability,” they gave gold (61,000 darics), silver (5,000 minas) and one hundred garments for the priests (2:69). Then they all settle into their hometowns (2:70).
Knowing God: understanding His person and ways
God keeps His promise of a “future and a hope” for His exiled people. Jeremiah had given God’s promise to the exiles when he had written: “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:10-11). While there must have been times when the exiles could not see a way for this prophecy to be fulfilled, God worked in history to fulfill His Word. God’s promise of a future and hope is also given to Christians who are “strangers and exiles” on earth (1 Peter 1:1); God will one day bring us to our eternal Home (John 14:1-6).
God gets His people to the place He moves them to go. Ezra omits any discussion of the details of the journey to Jerusalem, though it would have been an epic trip for all involved. The trip was evidently uneventful or, perhaps, unimportant to the Ezra’s emphasis in writing. His concern revolves around who made the trip and what they did to accomplish the mission. Here is a reminder that God gets His people where He moves them to go. A New Testament example would be Jesus’ statement to His disciples about going to the other side of the lake (Mark 4:35). In spite of the storms along the way, they arrived at His appointed destination. We can rest that God will get us where He moves us to go in life and ministry. Our part is to trust and move out in faith.
Joining God: moving with God on mission
Coming out of captivity requires faith and involves risk. Those who joined the exiles headed for Jerusalem had to uproot their lives in Babylon and risk their lives on a challenging journey Home. Some of the exiles had evidently become fairly well-off, as indicated by the number of animals they bring on the trip and the amount of gold and silver they willingly contribute (2:64-69). Still, the vision of rebuilding God’s Temple captivated them, moving them out of captivity in Babylon. The mission was so compelling that the upheaval and risk involved in the trip are not even mentioned in Ezra 2.
Coming out of captivity puts us among those remembered in God’s sight. Not all the exiles in Babylon “came up out of the captivity” in Babylon. Those who stayed in captivity are largely unknown and forgotten. However, those who trusted God and joined the exiles headed towards Home were recorded and remembered in God’s honour roll. Be one of them!
Willingness to serve must be accompanied by meeting God’s qualifications for service. Some who claimed to be priests could not demonstrate the necessary qualifications (lineage) and were excluded until it was clear they should be serving. So today, a willingness to serve in ministry leadership must be matched with clear evidence of being spiritually qualified to serve. God’s standards matter and must be upheld, even when it creates awkward situations.
Giving to God’s work should be done willingly, according to our ability to give. Some of the exiles gave freewill offerings for the Temple project “according to their ability” (2:69). They had already given their time, energy and effort. Now they willingly offer their finances according to their ability to do so. The principle still holds for Christian giving today: “For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have” (2 Cor. 8:12).
Rick and Linda Reed 