This morning’s passage is yet another list of names and numbers. It is the second such listing here in the book of Ezra. You may remember that we had a similar one in the first chapter. And, as we saw last time, this dry list of hard to pronounce names does have some grand truths to convey.
Remember that the names listed here is not just an inventory of people. The people to whom Ezra was writing were not interested in any kind of log of ancestors any more than you and I would be. We have to keep in mind that Ezra recorded this in order to teach the people of his day spiritual lessons; lessons they needed to take to heart. And when we inspect this passage, we actually find that there are quite a few important truths that we should take away.
I. The grace that is offered
We should begin with the simple fact that this is another return to Judea. This is yet another Exodus moment. It is interesting too that two of the men mentioned in verse 2 are said to be descendants of Phineas and Ithamar. These are Aaron’s sons. Aaron was of course the first high priest and he was Moses’ brother. So this passage kind of hearkens back to and connects us with the first Exodus.
But again, just the fact that there is another group of people going up out of Babylon, this is a testimony to the enduring value of God’s grace.
Is this not a reminder that the promises of God are continually held out to his people. The saving graces of God are never revoked, but rather they continually beckon for your response and the response of each generation that follows.
One of the commentators that I looked at summed it up this way. He said, “The prospect of new life is ever open, and it confronts each successive generation with its challenge for decision.” He then likens it to the repeated exhortations that you find in the book of Deuteronomy to “choose life!”
This is a lesson that needs to be repeated and remembered, even for us. We need to remember that God's grace never runs dry. He is a God who is ready to pardon and continually offers sinners the chance to return.
This is especially something for our young people though. You are the second generation and you might need this affirmation of grace. Perhaps you have strayed from your parent's faith and done things you ought not to have done. Or maybe someday down the line (Lord forbid!) you dishonor the faith of your father and mother--be it through a time of "sowing your wild oats" or simple straying. This is the lesson you need to take to heart. God still holds out his lovingkindness to you and you can return. Christ says, "Those who come to me I will by no means cast out."
Should you be in a position like this, know that God's grace is offered. You need only turn to Christ and recieve it in faith.
II. The promisese that are confirmed
Look again at verse 2. You’ll notice that along with the two priestly names we also have a son of David listed, Hattush. It is important to notice that one of the men marching along in this merry little band is of royal blood.
God had made a promise to Israel that a Savior would arise, a great King would forever rule on the throne of David. And you can imagine the impact this would have on this little group. Though their numbers were small, they had a Messianic figure walking in their midst. They had a flicker of Advent hope. They could see that God was still keeping his covenant and working towards the realization of his kingdom promises.
For them, Hattush was an indication of the Messiah who was to come. For us, it is a reminder that the Lord Jesus has come. It reminds us that we also have a future hope. Christ indeed has come, and our King now sits on his throne in heaven. But those promises are not fully realized. Christ has brought us salvation, but we still look to the future. We are akin to these pilgrims in that we still have hope for better things.
We have hope for a future kingdom; a greater kingdom. Just as the name Hattush would have bolstered the faith of the pilgrims and stirred their anticipation for the kingdom, the name of Christ is much sweeter. His name instills in us the confident expectation of a kingdom of peace and the consummation of all things.
III. The encouragement that is given to families
One of the things that we believe is that God works primarily through covenant families. God’s main means of growing and extending his church is through what the Dutch call "biological evangelism."
When we come to this passage we are reminded of how important the family is in God’s schema and we are encouraged to never give up when it comes to discipling our children in the faith.
One of the things that stands out in this passage is that most of the names that are mentioned here were also mentioned in the first genealogy that we encountered in chapter 2. As a matter of fact, 10 out of the twelve names found in verses 3-14 are names that appeared in chapter 2. Go back to chapter 2 and you will hear names like Parosh (v3), Pahath-Moab (v4), Adin (v6), Elam (v7), Shephatiah (v8), Joab (9), Bebai (11), Azgad (12), Adonikam (13), and Bigvai (14).
So what you find is that the people who came up in this second wave, were family members with those who came up 80 years earlier.
Now, you can ask yourself, “Why is there is such overlap? How is it that the second set of returnees springs from the same fountain?” There can be only one thing that explains this. It is the fact that these families were taking their responsibilities to teach their children and train them in the faith.
In the book of Joshua we read about how “there arose a generation that did not know the Lord.” Whether the parents fail to teach their children or the children just blew off their parent’s teaching, we don’t know. All we hear are those haunting words that the next generation did not know the Lord. But we need to recognize that this is not the norm.
Here in Ezra 8 we find the norm. There arose a generation that did know the Lord. And there were at least two generations who had a lively faith and earnest yearning to walk in the ways of their parents and grandparents.
Let us take an encouragement from that as we disciple our children and grandchildren. Let’s remember that we are the channels through which the gospel passes to the next generation. And so we need to take seriously our call to train up a child in the way he should go.
Sure, we might not see a lot of fruit right now. It might even seem like a losing effort at times. I’m sure that’s how it felt when the first group of exiles left. There were probably parents who were saddened by the fact that their children did not return with them. But their children kept the faith and they passed it on to their children. And there arose out of them a band of believers who rose up to come to Jerusalem.
This genealogy reminds us of the importance of family discipleship and it should cheer us that God does show mercy to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
IV. The influence that is exercised by godly men
Now, look at the end of chapter 7. The last verse in chapter 7 tells us that Ezra, after receiving approval from king Artaxerxes to make his trip, went to speak with the heads of the families. Then here in chapter 8 it lists those heads of families and also the number of other men from that clan who also came. For instance, look at verse 3. It says that 150 other men accompanied Zechariah. Then in verse 4 it mentions Eliehoenai, and it says that there were 200 other men who accompanied him. You can continue to skim down and see that each head of clan had a pack of men who made the journey with him.
What I want you to see is the pyramid of persuasion. It doesn’t say that Ezra spoke with each and every one of these people. Ezra didn’t tweet out that he was going back to Judea and that he wanted to know who else wanted to go. From what it says here, what likely happened was that he spoke with a handful of men and they in turn went back to their neighborhoods and began to talk with their neighbors and relatives.
No doubt, that would not have been easy. They had to convince these other people to leave their homes and their comforts. They had to persuade them that it would be better to travel 1000 miles to a place where they had nothing and no hope of comfort. This is a pretty remarkable thing. They had to be pretty savvy men to convince their kinsmen to make that trek with them.
What does that mean for us? I think that it should remind us what kind of people we should aim to be. We should want to be cultural leaders and persuasive people. We want to be the kind of people who are able to commend the gospel and help others embrace lifestyles of obedience.
One of the things that I’ve sought to encourage is the “Each one – Reach one.” That’s kind of what is happening here in this passage. Ezra grabs 12 guys and they in turn grab a few others.
But what I really want to emphasize is the kind of person that we are talking about here. I am primarily about your character. A head of clan couldn’t strong arm someone into returning. He couldn’t bully them in or be the kind of guy to whom no one would listen. He had to be a winsome person; someone who was savvy and who had some spiritual eloquence. He had to pitch the vision of the kingdom. He likely had to be able to address objections in a way that won people over, rather than just shutting them down and making them feel dejected.
That’s is what I think we can glean from this: it is gaining a vision to be spiritually persuasive. Our goal is to advance the kingdom. That means we need to be men and women who are able to win friends and sway people through cheerful communication.
Let us all strive to be leaders in this realm and generate the kind of character that is needed so that we may be great communicators and influential people.
V. The identity that is instilled
Commentators point out that there are 12 heads of families that are listed in verses 3-14. Verse 2 gives us the nobility (the priests and the royalty), and then the rest of the passage lists out 12 heads. Now that is significant, of course, because there were originally 12 tribes of Israel. I think Ezra here is trying to make a statement. He’s trying to emphasize who they were. They were not just a band of returning exiles, they were the community of the Lord. They were God’s people. They were the New Israel.
Some of you know that I coach my daughter’s soccer team. This past season we had to recruit a few new players. We are a travel team, which means that our girls are one’s who have had quite a bit of skill. But we had to recruit the new girls out of the city league. So those first few practices were had for the new girls because they didn’t have the same amount of experience and they didn’t quite know what their role was on the team. But once they got to put on a new orange jersey, things changed quite a bit. It was like they figured out who they were. They gained some confidence because they recognized that they were part of the team. Most of all, they recognized that they had to play hard because they now identified themselves as Hurricane soccer players.
That’s what Ezra is trying to do here. He’s seeking to remind the people who they were and what they were called to be.
Even though we might not be a part of this crew, this is our identity. We are a part of this entity called the church. We are numbered among the New Israel of the New Testament. And that should shape who we are and how we act. We cannot be people who live a profane life or take up a licentious lifestyle. We are called out to be God’s people and must therefore take it upon ourselves to be obedient and holy people.
You’ve put on the jersey. You’re a part of this team. You need to identify yourself in these terms and work hard to live up to that denomination.
VI. The worship that is sought
The last thing we see is that this genealogy includes a bunch of Levites. And that might not be a big deal if we had not read that a special expedition had to be made in order to round them up. Verse 16 tells us how he sent certain men to speak to Iddo to ask him to send some Levites and temple servants to go with them up to Judea.
Why is it that Ezra thinks it is necessary to include them? Why would he put his journey on pause and waste precious time waiting around for them? It’s because these guys job was to aid in the worship services. The Levites and the temple servants played a vital part in the daily sacrifices and keeping the temple worship moving along. And that, I can only assume, was this was their main concern.
Their main reason for going up to Jerusalem was not to make money or to find a better life. Their reason for going was worship. They were making this journey because they wanted to advance the glory of God.
What was their chief end? It was to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
And that’s to be what drives us too. The glory of God must be that which drives our lives. It is not our desire for a paycheck that we work. It is not for the admiration of our boss or our husband that we seek to do what we do. Our highest priority is the praise and honor of God alone.
VII. The numbers that are dismal
We need to recognize that this second wave of people is not all that significant in terms of the amount of people who returned. We’ve noted a lot of good things, but there is this looming problem: there weren’t many of them.
If you would add up all the men listed here your total tally would be around 1500 men. Add woman and children and you are somewhere between 5-7 thousand. This pales in comparison to the 50,000 men who returned the first time. And it is just a drop in the bucket to the +3 million people who are still remaining in Babylon.
Though there are many good lessons we can glean here, we still are faced with the problem of their being so incredibly tiny.
In this case we need to remember what Zechariah the prophet says in his book. The Lord said, “Do not despise the day of small beginnings.”
We are a culture just like any other. We like big business, big churches, and big names. But we must remember that the Lord does not always operate in this way.
From this little band of people there would rise a thriving nation. A nation that would give birth to the Messiah. Christ then would take 12 diciples and he would send them out into the world. Through them he would create a kingdom that spreads across the entire world.
200 years ago 12-14 families here in Ashland banded together. They simply wanted to fellowship and worship the Lord. They called themselves Hopewell Church. That little church, over time, would grow to over 600 members. Their beginnings were insignificant, but the Lord would use them. As parents trained their children and they sought to influence those who came to the area with the gospel, little by little they grew.
We might look around and not see much in terms of numerical significance, but let us not despise the day of small beginnings. Let us instead seek to be faithful and keep our eyes upon Christ. As we hold to His grace and walk in his ways, we shall prosper and see His kingdom advance.
Remember that the names listed here is not just an inventory of people. The people to whom Ezra was writing were not interested in any kind of log of ancestors any more than you and I would be. We have to keep in mind that Ezra recorded this in order to teach the people of his day spiritual lessons; lessons they needed to take to heart. And when we inspect this passage, we actually find that there are quite a few important truths that we should take away.
I. The grace that is offered
We should begin with the simple fact that this is another return to Judea. This is yet another Exodus moment. It is interesting too that two of the men mentioned in verse 2 are said to be descendants of Phineas and Ithamar. These are Aaron’s sons. Aaron was of course the first high priest and he was Moses’ brother. So this passage kind of hearkens back to and connects us with the first Exodus.
But again, just the fact that there is another group of people going up out of Babylon, this is a testimony to the enduring value of God’s grace.
Is this not a reminder that the promises of God are continually held out to his people. The saving graces of God are never revoked, but rather they continually beckon for your response and the response of each generation that follows.
One of the commentators that I looked at summed it up this way. He said, “The prospect of new life is ever open, and it confronts each successive generation with its challenge for decision.” He then likens it to the repeated exhortations that you find in the book of Deuteronomy to “choose life!”
This is a lesson that needs to be repeated and remembered, even for us. We need to remember that God's grace never runs dry. He is a God who is ready to pardon and continually offers sinners the chance to return.
This is especially something for our young people though. You are the second generation and you might need this affirmation of grace. Perhaps you have strayed from your parent's faith and done things you ought not to have done. Or maybe someday down the line (Lord forbid!) you dishonor the faith of your father and mother--be it through a time of "sowing your wild oats" or simple straying. This is the lesson you need to take to heart. God still holds out his lovingkindness to you and you can return. Christ says, "Those who come to me I will by no means cast out."
Should you be in a position like this, know that God's grace is offered. You need only turn to Christ and recieve it in faith.
II. The promisese that are confirmed
Look again at verse 2. You’ll notice that along with the two priestly names we also have a son of David listed, Hattush. It is important to notice that one of the men marching along in this merry little band is of royal blood.
God had made a promise to Israel that a Savior would arise, a great King would forever rule on the throne of David. And you can imagine the impact this would have on this little group. Though their numbers were small, they had a Messianic figure walking in their midst. They had a flicker of Advent hope. They could see that God was still keeping his covenant and working towards the realization of his kingdom promises.
For them, Hattush was an indication of the Messiah who was to come. For us, it is a reminder that the Lord Jesus has come. It reminds us that we also have a future hope. Christ indeed has come, and our King now sits on his throne in heaven. But those promises are not fully realized. Christ has brought us salvation, but we still look to the future. We are akin to these pilgrims in that we still have hope for better things.
We have hope for a future kingdom; a greater kingdom. Just as the name Hattush would have bolstered the faith of the pilgrims and stirred their anticipation for the kingdom, the name of Christ is much sweeter. His name instills in us the confident expectation of a kingdom of peace and the consummation of all things.
III. The encouragement that is given to families
One of the things that we believe is that God works primarily through covenant families. God’s main means of growing and extending his church is through what the Dutch call "biological evangelism."
When we come to this passage we are reminded of how important the family is in God’s schema and we are encouraged to never give up when it comes to discipling our children in the faith.
One of the things that stands out in this passage is that most of the names that are mentioned here were also mentioned in the first genealogy that we encountered in chapter 2. As a matter of fact, 10 out of the twelve names found in verses 3-14 are names that appeared in chapter 2. Go back to chapter 2 and you will hear names like Parosh (v3), Pahath-Moab (v4), Adin (v6), Elam (v7), Shephatiah (v8), Joab (9), Bebai (11), Azgad (12), Adonikam (13), and Bigvai (14).
So what you find is that the people who came up in this second wave, were family members with those who came up 80 years earlier.
Now, you can ask yourself, “Why is there is such overlap? How is it that the second set of returnees springs from the same fountain?” There can be only one thing that explains this. It is the fact that these families were taking their responsibilities to teach their children and train them in the faith.
In the book of Joshua we read about how “there arose a generation that did not know the Lord.” Whether the parents fail to teach their children or the children just blew off their parent’s teaching, we don’t know. All we hear are those haunting words that the next generation did not know the Lord. But we need to recognize that this is not the norm.
Here in Ezra 8 we find the norm. There arose a generation that did know the Lord. And there were at least two generations who had a lively faith and earnest yearning to walk in the ways of their parents and grandparents.
Let us take an encouragement from that as we disciple our children and grandchildren. Let’s remember that we are the channels through which the gospel passes to the next generation. And so we need to take seriously our call to train up a child in the way he should go.
Sure, we might not see a lot of fruit right now. It might even seem like a losing effort at times. I’m sure that’s how it felt when the first group of exiles left. There were probably parents who were saddened by the fact that their children did not return with them. But their children kept the faith and they passed it on to their children. And there arose out of them a band of believers who rose up to come to Jerusalem.
This genealogy reminds us of the importance of family discipleship and it should cheer us that God does show mercy to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
IV. The influence that is exercised by godly men
Now, look at the end of chapter 7. The last verse in chapter 7 tells us that Ezra, after receiving approval from king Artaxerxes to make his trip, went to speak with the heads of the families. Then here in chapter 8 it lists those heads of families and also the number of other men from that clan who also came. For instance, look at verse 3. It says that 150 other men accompanied Zechariah. Then in verse 4 it mentions Eliehoenai, and it says that there were 200 other men who accompanied him. You can continue to skim down and see that each head of clan had a pack of men who made the journey with him.
What I want you to see is the pyramid of persuasion. It doesn’t say that Ezra spoke with each and every one of these people. Ezra didn’t tweet out that he was going back to Judea and that he wanted to know who else wanted to go. From what it says here, what likely happened was that he spoke with a handful of men and they in turn went back to their neighborhoods and began to talk with their neighbors and relatives.
No doubt, that would not have been easy. They had to convince these other people to leave their homes and their comforts. They had to persuade them that it would be better to travel 1000 miles to a place where they had nothing and no hope of comfort. This is a pretty remarkable thing. They had to be pretty savvy men to convince their kinsmen to make that trek with them.
What does that mean for us? I think that it should remind us what kind of people we should aim to be. We should want to be cultural leaders and persuasive people. We want to be the kind of people who are able to commend the gospel and help others embrace lifestyles of obedience.
One of the things that I’ve sought to encourage is the “Each one – Reach one.” That’s kind of what is happening here in this passage. Ezra grabs 12 guys and they in turn grab a few others.
But what I really want to emphasize is the kind of person that we are talking about here. I am primarily about your character. A head of clan couldn’t strong arm someone into returning. He couldn’t bully them in or be the kind of guy to whom no one would listen. He had to be a winsome person; someone who was savvy and who had some spiritual eloquence. He had to pitch the vision of the kingdom. He likely had to be able to address objections in a way that won people over, rather than just shutting them down and making them feel dejected.
That’s is what I think we can glean from this: it is gaining a vision to be spiritually persuasive. Our goal is to advance the kingdom. That means we need to be men and women who are able to win friends and sway people through cheerful communication.
Let us all strive to be leaders in this realm and generate the kind of character that is needed so that we may be great communicators and influential people.
V. The identity that is instilled
Commentators point out that there are 12 heads of families that are listed in verses 3-14. Verse 2 gives us the nobility (the priests and the royalty), and then the rest of the passage lists out 12 heads. Now that is significant, of course, because there were originally 12 tribes of Israel. I think Ezra here is trying to make a statement. He’s trying to emphasize who they were. They were not just a band of returning exiles, they were the community of the Lord. They were God’s people. They were the New Israel.
Some of you know that I coach my daughter’s soccer team. This past season we had to recruit a few new players. We are a travel team, which means that our girls are one’s who have had quite a bit of skill. But we had to recruit the new girls out of the city league. So those first few practices were had for the new girls because they didn’t have the same amount of experience and they didn’t quite know what their role was on the team. But once they got to put on a new orange jersey, things changed quite a bit. It was like they figured out who they were. They gained some confidence because they recognized that they were part of the team. Most of all, they recognized that they had to play hard because they now identified themselves as Hurricane soccer players.
That’s what Ezra is trying to do here. He’s seeking to remind the people who they were and what they were called to be.
Even though we might not be a part of this crew, this is our identity. We are a part of this entity called the church. We are numbered among the New Israel of the New Testament. And that should shape who we are and how we act. We cannot be people who live a profane life or take up a licentious lifestyle. We are called out to be God’s people and must therefore take it upon ourselves to be obedient and holy people.
You’ve put on the jersey. You’re a part of this team. You need to identify yourself in these terms and work hard to live up to that denomination.
VI. The worship that is sought
The last thing we see is that this genealogy includes a bunch of Levites. And that might not be a big deal if we had not read that a special expedition had to be made in order to round them up. Verse 16 tells us how he sent certain men to speak to Iddo to ask him to send some Levites and temple servants to go with them up to Judea.
Why is it that Ezra thinks it is necessary to include them? Why would he put his journey on pause and waste precious time waiting around for them? It’s because these guys job was to aid in the worship services. The Levites and the temple servants played a vital part in the daily sacrifices and keeping the temple worship moving along. And that, I can only assume, was this was their main concern.
Their main reason for going up to Jerusalem was not to make money or to find a better life. Their reason for going was worship. They were making this journey because they wanted to advance the glory of God.
What was their chief end? It was to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
And that’s to be what drives us too. The glory of God must be that which drives our lives. It is not our desire for a paycheck that we work. It is not for the admiration of our boss or our husband that we seek to do what we do. Our highest priority is the praise and honor of God alone.
VII. The numbers that are dismal
We need to recognize that this second wave of people is not all that significant in terms of the amount of people who returned. We’ve noted a lot of good things, but there is this looming problem: there weren’t many of them.
If you would add up all the men listed here your total tally would be around 1500 men. Add woman and children and you are somewhere between 5-7 thousand. This pales in comparison to the 50,000 men who returned the first time. And it is just a drop in the bucket to the +3 million people who are still remaining in Babylon.
Though there are many good lessons we can glean here, we still are faced with the problem of their being so incredibly tiny.
In this case we need to remember what Zechariah the prophet says in his book. The Lord said, “Do not despise the day of small beginnings.”
We are a culture just like any other. We like big business, big churches, and big names. But we must remember that the Lord does not always operate in this way.
From this little band of people there would rise a thriving nation. A nation that would give birth to the Messiah. Christ then would take 12 diciples and he would send them out into the world. Through them he would create a kingdom that spreads across the entire world.
200 years ago 12-14 families here in Ashland banded together. They simply wanted to fellowship and worship the Lord. They called themselves Hopewell Church. That little church, over time, would grow to over 600 members. Their beginnings were insignificant, but the Lord would use them. As parents trained their children and they sought to influence those who came to the area with the gospel, little by little they grew.
We might look around and not see much in terms of numerical significance, but let us not despise the day of small beginnings. Let us instead seek to be faithful and keep our eyes upon Christ. As we hold to His grace and walk in his ways, we shall prosper and see His kingdom advance.