Now I recognize that this chapter probably does not have a lot of highlights or underlining in your Bibles. There isn’t really anything here that’s overly touching to the soul, at least not on the surface of things. Certainly nothing that you might put on a greeting card or inspirational social media post. This chapter is pretty dry, and what you might put under the “skippable” material of Scripture.
But even though it doesn’t make for good public reading, it does provide some good sermonic material. There are some good lessons to be had in this passage. And when you examine some of its details, you actually come to find out that there are some pretty instructive things.
I. The grace that unites [3-20, 53, 59-63]
We mentioned last week that this transportation was a mark of God’s grace. This same thing is repeated here in chapter 2. This whole list is a demonstration of God’s grace to sinners. Here we have a definite list of names—actual people who the Lord restored to the land. God’s promise is being realized. God’s grace is being poured out.
But in the midst of all these names you see a real diversity of people. The first two verses tell us of the leaders, men who were the nobility, or probably of a more elite class. Then you have temple servants. These guys were the people who did most menial tasks. They were the grunt workers of Israel. So they would be of a more common class. So he passage tells us that some were rich, and others were poor. Some say that one guy’s name probably indicates that he was fat. So you have fat people and skinny people all united together. So you have all kinds of people listed here.
But what is more to the point is that not everyone that is mentioned here is Jewish. There are a couple of names that are likely foreign. For instance, in verse 6, we have the name Pahath-Moab. The name literally means “governor of Moab.” Moab was one of the adversaries of the Israelites. They were worshippers of the detestable god Chemosh to whom they sacrificed their children.
We also have a fellow by the name Barkos in verse 53. The name literally means “son of Kos.” Kos was an Edomite god. It’s likely that this guy was an Edomite idolater at one time.
So you have at least two pagans who have been grafted into the covenant people. There are some others of foreign descent that we’ll talk about in just a second. But all in all, we see God’s grace here. We see how the gospel is bringing people together. There is a sense in which we see people from every tribe tongue and nation embracing the promises of God and being enfolded into the flock.
This is a great testimony to the fact that no matter who you are, you can turn to God for pardon. He will not turn you away. Rather he will accept you as one of His own and give you a home in the midst of the covenant community.
There are a lot of churches today that say you have to have a common vision to unite the congregation. This is really big in church planting books. They say that you have to put your vision out there so that the people will be able to cohere around it.
The real fact of the matter is that the gospel is what unites people. It is the truth of God’s saving work and the free pardon of our sins that brings us together and creates the real cohesion.
You see this in the NT too. The Disciples were a real rag tag band. There was Simon the Zealot, a guy who despised Romans and Roman collaborators. And then there was Levi, someone who collected taxes for the Romans. Here you have two guys who, under normal circumstances, would never be found together. But under Christ, they find peace and fellowship one with another.
The same is true with us. No matter where we are from or what we’ve done, we can be united here in this room because of the infinite loving kindness of Christ.
That’s certainly what we see with this bunch. Grace is able to take a baby sacrificing, pagan family and any other kind of sinful people and link them together with the bonds of pardoning grace.
But not only do you see how grace has power to unite, but you also see how God’s word has power to captivate.
II. The word that captivates [55-58]
I just said a moment ago that there are likely other foreigners mentioned in this passage. They are spoken of in verses 43-58. They are part of that group which is denominated “temple servants” and the “servants of Solomon.”
Now, there were a number of people during Israel’s history who were forced into slavery. You can think of the Gibeonites at the time of Joshua and the conquest. In chapter 9 of the book of Joshua we read about how the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the other leaders of Israel. They were Canaanites who were supposed to be exterminated under Israel’s conquest of the land. But they tricked Joshua into making a treaty by making him think that they had come long distance in order to make peace. When Joshua realized this he knew he couldn’t break his covenant and kill them off. So he subjected them to forced labor. They became servants for the tabernacle (and, in later years, temple servants).
Solomon, during his reign, also put the captives he defeated into forced labor. That was almost 500 years before the exile. Now, what do you see? These same people are coming back with the Israelites from the captivity.
Dale Ralph Davies makes a good point here. These people initially were pagans. They were forced into slavery. Some of them were the ones who did the grunt work for the priests around the temple. But as they rubbed shoulders with the Israelites, overheard the levites as they were teaching, and saw the priests offering their sacrifices, they got it. They came to embrace the truth and became true servants of Yahweh.
Now, here in the exile, they are coming back to the land. Not as forced slaves, but as willing workers. They were not in bondage, but they were freely serving. You might say that they were not so much servants of Solomon, as they were slaves of Christ.
All in all, you see the power of God’s word working in them. They had been captivated by the gospel and its truth came to be what drew them back.
One of the things that most impressed me in my seminary career was the fact that a lot of my seminary professors were generational Christians. They could trace their family and spiritual linage back for centuries. They were 6th, 7th, and 8th generation Christians. It was amazing to think that there was a long line of believers in their family tree.
There’s another pastor I know who’s last name is Strong. Pastor Strong is another generational Christian. He said his family tree is filled with Presbyterian pastors and elders. As a matter of fact, a distant relative of his was the fellow who created “Strong’s Concordance.”
What is it that accounts for such a thing? Why can we have the assurance that God’s promise is for a thousand generations and that our children and grandchildren will likely be found walking with the Lord?
It is merely the power of God’s word and its ability to mesmerize each generation with the saving power of Christ.
Let’s remember that the promise of God isn’t something that burns out like a cheap lightbulb. God’s word tells us that the promise is for a thousand generations. And when our lives are centered about His word, we can be assured that our decedents will continue to be captivated by it too.
So far we’ve seen the grace that unites and the word that captivates. The next item of note involves verses 36-39 and the zeal that consumes.
III. The zeal that consumes [36-39]
In verses 36-39 we see the red hot passion that had welled up in among priests. When you count up the numbers, you find that there are over 4,000 priests who came back in this merry band. That means that 1 out of every 4 or 5 Israelites was a priest.
We recognize that if the priests were passionate for God in the first place, they probably would not have gone into exile. They were the ones who were supposed to be leading the pack when it came to the fear of God.
But what we find here is that that fire had been rekindled. The Lord had moved in them and now they were earnest to see the worship of God restored. They had a consuming zeal to stand in His courts, sing his praise, and encourage the people of God in their own walk with Christ.
All in all, the priests stand out as the leaders—the one with the biggest heart for renewal and worship. They were examples for Israel, and for even us today.
The question that stands out is “Why don’t others have the same zeal?” For us today, the question is, “Do we share this priestly passion?” Is it our longing to stand in the courts of God and is our chief end truly to glorify God and enjoy him forever?
It is always good to remember the conversation Jesus had with the woman at the well. He spoke of how important it is to worship God in spirit and in truth. The Samaritans were worshipping in the flesh and in falsehood. But right after that he said that the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. The priestly passion to worship in spirit and truth is something God wants.
Let’s look at verses 68-69. When you look at these verses you see something of the generosity that overflows.
IV. The generosity that overflows [68-69]
Verse 68 talks about how some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings.
Now it is evident that these guys were loaded. They had quite a bit more to give than anyone else, that’s why you don’t see the commoners being credited with giving. It isn’t that the others didn’t pitch in. It is just that the ability to give was much more evident with those who had a lot more expendable income.
And look at what was given. In verse 69 it says that they gave 61,000 drachmas of gold. That is over 1100 pounds of gold or what would be the equivalent of $22,000,000 today. Then there are 5,000 minas. A mina was about a month’s wages. So that would be somewhere between $75,000,000. So, altogether, you’re you are looking at close to a billion dollars here.
That is one nice Kickstarter campaign. When they got back to Israel, the first thing they do is start a Gofundme program to get their temple project going.
Being that you have just around 50,000 people total, and only a fraction of them are men who are heads of the families, that’s a pretty hefty stash of cash. Even if Cyrus chipped in a healthy sum from the royal pot, that’s a good hunk of change.
What accounts for this amazing outpouring of funds? It was people who are simply enamored with God and want to see his kingdom established. And they had one particular way they could see it done. It was by giving.
Your life will reveal what your true treasure really is. Your wallet will reveal it too. It is as Jesus said, where you heart is, there your treasure will be also. If you are in love with the things of earth, you will have spending sprees that reveal it. However, if you are enamored with the things of God, you are going to splurge on the kingdom of God, seeing to it that the name of God advanced and his worship is promoted.
As we look at this list, we cannot ignore the total tally. And that’s why I want to talk about the plan that unfolds.
V. The plan that unfolds [64-67]
I just said that there were about 50,000 people who ended up coming back in this Mesopotamian migration. Verse 64 gives you the exact numbers on it.
When you see this number, you should realize that this is only a fraction of those who had been scattered throughout the world through deportation. Jewish sources say that most of the Jews did not return to the land of Israel during this time. Most of them stayed scattered abroad.
Think of it like this, the Bible tells us that 10,000 men were taken (and that’s probably not including women and children). Let’s say that each of these men had three children while in exile (which is probably a conservative number for an average Jewish family). Then each of these children had 3 children. So if you multiply it out (men, women, and children, and the children and grandchildren born in exile) you have a ballpark number of 150,000 people. So you have around a third of the people coming back to the land. And the ratio of those returning to those staying could be even greater.
So, there is a sense in which this total tally of people is a bit of a drag.
But this is actually all a part of God’s plan. What ends up happening is that you have synagogues begin to spring up all over the world. And these Jewish communities become outposts for the gospel. You remember that when Paul begins his missionary journeys, his first stop is always in the synagogue.
Paul, you may know, went in the opposite direction. He went west and Babylon and Persia were in the east. But you can probably imagine that others went in that direction with the same missionary tactics.
So the gospel had something of a superhighway constructed for it through the network of Jewish synagogues.
Also, on the Day of Pentecost, you have Jews in Jerusalem from all over the world. Some of them were from Mesopotamia, Parthinia, and Media, which are areas that correspond to the area of Babylon and Persia. You can bet that those who heard the Apostles in their own language then took that gospel back with them and began to tell their families and friends. And we know that the gospel did advance in that direction over the course of the years.
So, all of this—even the lethargy and disobedience of those remaining in exile—all of this was a part of God’s unfolding plan to bring the gospel to the nations.
But there is one other item of note here. There is one other encouragement. And it is an encouragement that grows out of the discouragement.
VI. The future that awaits us [1-2, 64]
Not everything here is reason for rejoicing. There is a sense in which this passage is kind of discouraging, at least for the Jewish reader. First, as I just mentioned, not all the Jews return. And certainly there is no luster of the days of Solomon. They are not a nation and a kingdom; they are still under the dominion of Persia. They may have a leader who is of the Davidic line, but he is no king. He is an underling. At best, these people are a vassal state in the greater empire of Persia.
Some even go so far as to say that this list of names is not so much a list of returnees as it is a list for taxation purposes. They think that this census was taken so that Cyrus knew how much money he should be taking in when the IRS comes knocking.
So, when you look at this passage, there are some real downers. And I think the point is this: The exile is not completely over. Yes the Lord has promised and given some semblance of restoration, but the kingdom of God is certainly not at a place where it is truly established and complete.
So this passage pushes us forward. It pushes us on to the restoration that is found approximately 500 years later in the person and work of Jesus Christ. When Christ comes into the world, what is it he preaches? He says, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
More than that, when you turn to Revelation 7 you see another census of the people. In Revelation 7 it lists each of the tribes of Israel and the number from each is 12,000. 12,000 from Judah, 12,000 from Reuben, 12,000 from Gad, etc. 12 is the number of God’s people. 1,000 is merely a very large number (kind of like our gazillion). It stands for the complete number of God’s people. Then, right after that listing it says, “And I looked and there was a great multitude that no one could number.”
In Revelation 7 you have Christ’s full kingdom—all the redeemed of the Lord are standing before him as full partakers of the rule and reign of Christ.
It is there that our exile will end and our participation in the kingdom of grace will be brought to its full and final completion.
But even though it doesn’t make for good public reading, it does provide some good sermonic material. There are some good lessons to be had in this passage. And when you examine some of its details, you actually come to find out that there are some pretty instructive things.
I. The grace that unites [3-20, 53, 59-63]
We mentioned last week that this transportation was a mark of God’s grace. This same thing is repeated here in chapter 2. This whole list is a demonstration of God’s grace to sinners. Here we have a definite list of names—actual people who the Lord restored to the land. God’s promise is being realized. God’s grace is being poured out.
But in the midst of all these names you see a real diversity of people. The first two verses tell us of the leaders, men who were the nobility, or probably of a more elite class. Then you have temple servants. These guys were the people who did most menial tasks. They were the grunt workers of Israel. So they would be of a more common class. So he passage tells us that some were rich, and others were poor. Some say that one guy’s name probably indicates that he was fat. So you have fat people and skinny people all united together. So you have all kinds of people listed here.
But what is more to the point is that not everyone that is mentioned here is Jewish. There are a couple of names that are likely foreign. For instance, in verse 6, we have the name Pahath-Moab. The name literally means “governor of Moab.” Moab was one of the adversaries of the Israelites. They were worshippers of the detestable god Chemosh to whom they sacrificed their children.
We also have a fellow by the name Barkos in verse 53. The name literally means “son of Kos.” Kos was an Edomite god. It’s likely that this guy was an Edomite idolater at one time.
So you have at least two pagans who have been grafted into the covenant people. There are some others of foreign descent that we’ll talk about in just a second. But all in all, we see God’s grace here. We see how the gospel is bringing people together. There is a sense in which we see people from every tribe tongue and nation embracing the promises of God and being enfolded into the flock.
This is a great testimony to the fact that no matter who you are, you can turn to God for pardon. He will not turn you away. Rather he will accept you as one of His own and give you a home in the midst of the covenant community.
There are a lot of churches today that say you have to have a common vision to unite the congregation. This is really big in church planting books. They say that you have to put your vision out there so that the people will be able to cohere around it.
The real fact of the matter is that the gospel is what unites people. It is the truth of God’s saving work and the free pardon of our sins that brings us together and creates the real cohesion.
You see this in the NT too. The Disciples were a real rag tag band. There was Simon the Zealot, a guy who despised Romans and Roman collaborators. And then there was Levi, someone who collected taxes for the Romans. Here you have two guys who, under normal circumstances, would never be found together. But under Christ, they find peace and fellowship one with another.
The same is true with us. No matter where we are from or what we’ve done, we can be united here in this room because of the infinite loving kindness of Christ.
That’s certainly what we see with this bunch. Grace is able to take a baby sacrificing, pagan family and any other kind of sinful people and link them together with the bonds of pardoning grace.
But not only do you see how grace has power to unite, but you also see how God’s word has power to captivate.
II. The word that captivates [55-58]
I just said a moment ago that there are likely other foreigners mentioned in this passage. They are spoken of in verses 43-58. They are part of that group which is denominated “temple servants” and the “servants of Solomon.”
Now, there were a number of people during Israel’s history who were forced into slavery. You can think of the Gibeonites at the time of Joshua and the conquest. In chapter 9 of the book of Joshua we read about how the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the other leaders of Israel. They were Canaanites who were supposed to be exterminated under Israel’s conquest of the land. But they tricked Joshua into making a treaty by making him think that they had come long distance in order to make peace. When Joshua realized this he knew he couldn’t break his covenant and kill them off. So he subjected them to forced labor. They became servants for the tabernacle (and, in later years, temple servants).
Solomon, during his reign, also put the captives he defeated into forced labor. That was almost 500 years before the exile. Now, what do you see? These same people are coming back with the Israelites from the captivity.
Dale Ralph Davies makes a good point here. These people initially were pagans. They were forced into slavery. Some of them were the ones who did the grunt work for the priests around the temple. But as they rubbed shoulders with the Israelites, overheard the levites as they were teaching, and saw the priests offering their sacrifices, they got it. They came to embrace the truth and became true servants of Yahweh.
Now, here in the exile, they are coming back to the land. Not as forced slaves, but as willing workers. They were not in bondage, but they were freely serving. You might say that they were not so much servants of Solomon, as they were slaves of Christ.
All in all, you see the power of God’s word working in them. They had been captivated by the gospel and its truth came to be what drew them back.
One of the things that most impressed me in my seminary career was the fact that a lot of my seminary professors were generational Christians. They could trace their family and spiritual linage back for centuries. They were 6th, 7th, and 8th generation Christians. It was amazing to think that there was a long line of believers in their family tree.
There’s another pastor I know who’s last name is Strong. Pastor Strong is another generational Christian. He said his family tree is filled with Presbyterian pastors and elders. As a matter of fact, a distant relative of his was the fellow who created “Strong’s Concordance.”
What is it that accounts for such a thing? Why can we have the assurance that God’s promise is for a thousand generations and that our children and grandchildren will likely be found walking with the Lord?
It is merely the power of God’s word and its ability to mesmerize each generation with the saving power of Christ.
Let’s remember that the promise of God isn’t something that burns out like a cheap lightbulb. God’s word tells us that the promise is for a thousand generations. And when our lives are centered about His word, we can be assured that our decedents will continue to be captivated by it too.
So far we’ve seen the grace that unites and the word that captivates. The next item of note involves verses 36-39 and the zeal that consumes.
III. The zeal that consumes [36-39]
In verses 36-39 we see the red hot passion that had welled up in among priests. When you count up the numbers, you find that there are over 4,000 priests who came back in this merry band. That means that 1 out of every 4 or 5 Israelites was a priest.
We recognize that if the priests were passionate for God in the first place, they probably would not have gone into exile. They were the ones who were supposed to be leading the pack when it came to the fear of God.
But what we find here is that that fire had been rekindled. The Lord had moved in them and now they were earnest to see the worship of God restored. They had a consuming zeal to stand in His courts, sing his praise, and encourage the people of God in their own walk with Christ.
All in all, the priests stand out as the leaders—the one with the biggest heart for renewal and worship. They were examples for Israel, and for even us today.
The question that stands out is “Why don’t others have the same zeal?” For us today, the question is, “Do we share this priestly passion?” Is it our longing to stand in the courts of God and is our chief end truly to glorify God and enjoy him forever?
It is always good to remember the conversation Jesus had with the woman at the well. He spoke of how important it is to worship God in spirit and in truth. The Samaritans were worshipping in the flesh and in falsehood. But right after that he said that the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. The priestly passion to worship in spirit and truth is something God wants.
Let’s look at verses 68-69. When you look at these verses you see something of the generosity that overflows.
IV. The generosity that overflows [68-69]
Verse 68 talks about how some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings.
Now it is evident that these guys were loaded. They had quite a bit more to give than anyone else, that’s why you don’t see the commoners being credited with giving. It isn’t that the others didn’t pitch in. It is just that the ability to give was much more evident with those who had a lot more expendable income.
And look at what was given. In verse 69 it says that they gave 61,000 drachmas of gold. That is over 1100 pounds of gold or what would be the equivalent of $22,000,000 today. Then there are 5,000 minas. A mina was about a month’s wages. So that would be somewhere between $75,000,000. So, altogether, you’re you are looking at close to a billion dollars here.
That is one nice Kickstarter campaign. When they got back to Israel, the first thing they do is start a Gofundme program to get their temple project going.
Being that you have just around 50,000 people total, and only a fraction of them are men who are heads of the families, that’s a pretty hefty stash of cash. Even if Cyrus chipped in a healthy sum from the royal pot, that’s a good hunk of change.
What accounts for this amazing outpouring of funds? It was people who are simply enamored with God and want to see his kingdom established. And they had one particular way they could see it done. It was by giving.
Your life will reveal what your true treasure really is. Your wallet will reveal it too. It is as Jesus said, where you heart is, there your treasure will be also. If you are in love with the things of earth, you will have spending sprees that reveal it. However, if you are enamored with the things of God, you are going to splurge on the kingdom of God, seeing to it that the name of God advanced and his worship is promoted.
As we look at this list, we cannot ignore the total tally. And that’s why I want to talk about the plan that unfolds.
V. The plan that unfolds [64-67]
I just said that there were about 50,000 people who ended up coming back in this Mesopotamian migration. Verse 64 gives you the exact numbers on it.
When you see this number, you should realize that this is only a fraction of those who had been scattered throughout the world through deportation. Jewish sources say that most of the Jews did not return to the land of Israel during this time. Most of them stayed scattered abroad.
Think of it like this, the Bible tells us that 10,000 men were taken (and that’s probably not including women and children). Let’s say that each of these men had three children while in exile (which is probably a conservative number for an average Jewish family). Then each of these children had 3 children. So if you multiply it out (men, women, and children, and the children and grandchildren born in exile) you have a ballpark number of 150,000 people. So you have around a third of the people coming back to the land. And the ratio of those returning to those staying could be even greater.
So, there is a sense in which this total tally of people is a bit of a drag.
But this is actually all a part of God’s plan. What ends up happening is that you have synagogues begin to spring up all over the world. And these Jewish communities become outposts for the gospel. You remember that when Paul begins his missionary journeys, his first stop is always in the synagogue.
Paul, you may know, went in the opposite direction. He went west and Babylon and Persia were in the east. But you can probably imagine that others went in that direction with the same missionary tactics.
So the gospel had something of a superhighway constructed for it through the network of Jewish synagogues.
Also, on the Day of Pentecost, you have Jews in Jerusalem from all over the world. Some of them were from Mesopotamia, Parthinia, and Media, which are areas that correspond to the area of Babylon and Persia. You can bet that those who heard the Apostles in their own language then took that gospel back with them and began to tell their families and friends. And we know that the gospel did advance in that direction over the course of the years.
So, all of this—even the lethargy and disobedience of those remaining in exile—all of this was a part of God’s unfolding plan to bring the gospel to the nations.
But there is one other item of note here. There is one other encouragement. And it is an encouragement that grows out of the discouragement.
VI. The future that awaits us [1-2, 64]
Not everything here is reason for rejoicing. There is a sense in which this passage is kind of discouraging, at least for the Jewish reader. First, as I just mentioned, not all the Jews return. And certainly there is no luster of the days of Solomon. They are not a nation and a kingdom; they are still under the dominion of Persia. They may have a leader who is of the Davidic line, but he is no king. He is an underling. At best, these people are a vassal state in the greater empire of Persia.
Some even go so far as to say that this list of names is not so much a list of returnees as it is a list for taxation purposes. They think that this census was taken so that Cyrus knew how much money he should be taking in when the IRS comes knocking.
So, when you look at this passage, there are some real downers. And I think the point is this: The exile is not completely over. Yes the Lord has promised and given some semblance of restoration, but the kingdom of God is certainly not at a place where it is truly established and complete.
So this passage pushes us forward. It pushes us on to the restoration that is found approximately 500 years later in the person and work of Jesus Christ. When Christ comes into the world, what is it he preaches? He says, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
More than that, when you turn to Revelation 7 you see another census of the people. In Revelation 7 it lists each of the tribes of Israel and the number from each is 12,000. 12,000 from Judah, 12,000 from Reuben, 12,000 from Gad, etc. 12 is the number of God’s people. 1,000 is merely a very large number (kind of like our gazillion). It stands for the complete number of God’s people. Then, right after that listing it says, “And I looked and there was a great multitude that no one could number.”
In Revelation 7 you have Christ’s full kingdom—all the redeemed of the Lord are standing before him as full partakers of the rule and reign of Christ.
It is there that our exile will end and our participation in the kingdom of grace will be brought to its full and final completion.