Grace Institute: The Writings : Ezra-Nehemiah Part 3

Ezra-Nehemiah Survey of the Old Testament: The Writings Fall 2006

Rebuilding the Covenant

Remembering Worship (Ezra 3, 6, Nehemiah 9, 12)

Worship at the Laying of the Foundation (Ezra 3)

The returning exiles had the legal right to settle and be governed under the laws of God through the direction of the priests. However, it had been over 70 years since there had been an active priesthood. For decades the religious ceremonies had not been practiced. For those returning, the re-establishment of temple worshi p required a re-education of the people.

We see this education take place early under the priest Jeshua. After the temple foundation had been laid, Jeshua and the priests have a dedication service where they praise God for his faithfulness (Ezra 3:10 -11). The worship service is conducted by the sons of Asaph, who was the leader of the temple choir during the days of King David. They led the people in singing praise with cymbals and other musical instruments “according to the directions of King David of Israel .”

The people of exile were looking back to the days of David, when temple worship was in its glory days, for direction. Ezra and the other priests would refer to this time as a guide to how they would establish the temple practic es in the post exilic period. It explains why the book of Chronicles, which is written in the time of Ezra, devotes much of its pages to the detailed description of the temple worship during the days of David. It explains why the book of Psalms is compiled during this post-exilic period. This is all part of a re-education and re-establishment of the worship of God at the temple.

At the laying of the foundation, the temple musicians and singers lead the people in singing, “give thanks to the Lord for he is good, His love endures forever.” This refrain is a repeated theme throughout the Psalms (Psalm 106, 107, 118). Most notably this phrase is found in Psalm 136:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
who made the great lights—His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
 the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.
(Psalm 136:1-10 NIV)

This song was not chosen at random by the temple worship leaders. When King Solomon completes the building of the temple over six centuries earlier (2 Chronicles 5:13 ), the Levitical singers lead the people in an awesome worship concert, consisting of cymbals, harps, lyres, and 120 trumpets. They praised God, singing, “He is good, His love endures forever.” The post-exilic Levitical singers where harkening back to the dedication of the first temple.

Worship at the Completion of the Temple & Wall (Ezra 6, Nehemiah 12)

When the temple is completed, the Levites led the people in a dedication service which included sacrifices and celebration of the Passover. The priests were appointed to their duties according to the requirements laid out by the Law of Moses ( 6:18 )

At the completion of the wall, they celebrated with another worship service. Again, the Levites led songs of thanksgiving with cymbals, harps, lyres, and singers (Nehemiah 12:27 ). The singers were organized according to the orders of King David ( 12:24 , 45), for it was in the days of David and Asaph that temple singing was at its highest ( 12:46 ).

Remembering the Law (Ezra 7-8, Nehemiah 8)

In Ezra 7 & 8, we learn of a second return to Judea by the exiles. This time the return is led by Ezra under the authority of King Artaxerxes.

The Character of Ezra

Ezra is a priest who can trace his lineage down to Aaron (Ezra 7:1-5). He was also a scribe, responsible for the copying of the ancient scriptures. This also meant he knew the scriptures well and was an authority on them (7:6). But Ezra was more than just a scribe. He was a teacher who was driven to study, practice and then teach the Law of Moses to the people ( 7:10 ).

Ezra is the sometimes called the second Moses, responsible for re-teaching the people the law of God. The Jews had not been exposed to or practiced the Law of Moses for over a generation while in exile. These returning people were in ignorance. Ezra must educate and lead the people back to the re-establishment of the Jewish faith. As a result, Ezra is largely credited by scholars today with establishing Judaism as it is understood today.

The Sovereignty of God

While Ezra was a great teacher and good leader, like Nehemiah, he did not take credit for any of his leadership. Ezra believed it was God who led him and the people, and it was only due to the sovereignty of God that he was able to accomplish anything.

We do not know the circumstances under which King Artaxerxes provided Ezra with his charter. But Ezra acknowledged it as the work of God. The king responded because the hand of Yahweh was upon him (7:7). It was the Lord who “Put such a thing in the king's heart” ( 7:27 ).

But if indeed it was God and not the king who enabled Ezra to return, then it would need to be God and not the king who would protect Ezra and his followers on their return journey. So Ezra prays for God's protection to prove that God was greater than the king ( 8:21 -22). And, God comes through, giving them a safe and swift journey ( 8:31 )

Ezra's Cal l to Holiness

Ezra was very concerned about the purity in the worship of God. As a nation which had nearly disappeared into history, maintaining the national identity was forefront on Ezra's mind. He demonstrated his own identity by tracing his lineage back through the priestly line to Aaron himself (7:1-5). He enrolls his followers according tot heir ancestry (8:1). When looking for those who would carry the temple treasures, he searches for the Levites, as required by the Law ( 8:15 , 20). He then sets apart the Levites as “holy to the Lord” ( 8:28 ), uniquely dedicated to the service of the temple as they carry the precious utensils for temple activities.

Ezra's Ministry (Nehemiah 8)

After arriving in Judea , Ezra begins teaching the Law of Moses to all the people. According to Nehemiah 8:1-2, Ezra had the ability to explain the law so the people could understand it. The people gave him their full attention to Ezra for several hours (8:3). Ezra would stand at a podium and preach from the scriptures (8:4-5). Ezra had other teachers also instructing the people as well (8:7-8).

The people responded to Ezra's teaching (8:6), shouting “Amen” and worshipping the Lord in response. They people wept when realized that they had too long been ignoring the precepts of God for so long. Nehemiah encouraged the people not to weep, but to rejoice for this was a good and holy day (8:9). Rather than be discouraged, he called on them to let “the joy of the Lord be their strength” ( 8:10 ). The people respond by celebrating the festival of booths ( 8:13 -18) and entering into a time of national repentance, as led by the Levites in a song (Nehemiah 9).

Remembering the Covenant (Nehemiah 10)

After this time of learning and confession, the people gath er together to re-establish their covenant with God. Approximately a millennium prior to this time, under the leadership of Moses the nation of Israel had established a covenant with Yahweh where He promised to protect and provide for Israel , and the nation Israel promised to obey God and His law. Israel would be God's chosen people, and Yahweh would be their God. Now, with the return to the land, the nation would once again enter a covenant where they would be God's people and He would be their God ( 9:38 ).

The signatories to the covenant are listed in Nehemiah 10:1-26. This is followed by a copy of the covenant itself. In this covenant, the people agree to:

•  Walk in God's Law as given to Moses ( 10:29 )

•  Not intermarry with people foreigners ( 10:30 )

•  Keep the Sabbath as holy ( 10:31 )

•  Provide for the financial upkeep of the temple ( 10:32 -39)

With the re-establishment of the covenant, the people settle into life in the land. They distributed the land amongst the families, with some agreeing to live within the city and others living in the countryside outside Jerusalem (Nehemiah 11).

Opposition to the Covenant

Confrontation by Ezra (Ezra 9-10)

The second provision of the Ezra-Nehemiah covenant was an agreement not to intermarry with those outside the Jewish nation. At issue are two factors: national identity, and idolatry.

First, the Jewish people ran the risk of being assimilated into the culture around them and loosing their distinction as a people. This had already happened to a great extent with those carried into captivity by the Assyria ns in 722 BC. Many other great nations had disappeared into history as they intermarried with those who had conquered them. Only through God's protection had the Jews maintained their identity while in exile in Babylon . Now they had a chance to reassert their national integrity in the land of th eir forefathers (Ezra 9:8). If, however, they began to dilute the nation by intermarrying with the people of the land, they ran the risk of loosing their Jewish identity.

Secondly, inter-marriage led the people towards idolatry. The people of the land had different gods and different religious practices. When they married into these, the religion of these others nations would be brought into the Jewish community. It was, in fact, King Solomon's marriage to foreigners which started the nation onto a path of idolatry which ultimately led to the exile.

These two factors are inter-related. Only by establishing a Jewish national identity, based upon the worship of God with purity and truth, could the nation avoid slipping back into idolatry. These issues may seem harsh in our modern day context, but it was a critical issue. At stake was nothing less than the on-going preservation of the Jewish people.

When Ezra returned, he discovered that the Levites and other civic leaders had ignored this important issue. They had not separated themselves, and had taken wives from these peoples (9:1-2), so that the “holy race has intermingled with the people of the lands.” Ind eed, the leaders of the people had been amongst the worst offenders of this practice.

This grieved Ezra greatly, and he tore his clothes and prayed a long and loud prayer of confession before the Lord in the temple (9:5ff). The people had sought peace and prosperity rather than holiness ( 9:12 ) and now they were risking loosing the nation to God's punishment ( 9:11 -12).

The people heard Ezra's loud, grief stricken prayer (10:1), and the people fell under conviction. Ezra had the leadership take an oath to rid themselves of their foreign families. They then called a meeting for all the people. There, in Jerusalem the people stood in the middle of a torrential downpour as Ezra convicted them of their sin. The people then repented, put away their foreign wives and children. The book then ends with a list of the offending leaders.

Confrontation by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 13)

After the wall was completed, Nehemiah returned to Persia for a time. He returned to Jerusalem after awhile, only to discover that the people were in violation of their covenant with God.

First, Eliashib the priest had converted a store room in the temple int o an apartment for Nehemiah's old nemesis, Tobiah (13:4-5). Upon his return, Nehemiah kicked Tobiah out of the temple, for the Law of Moses clearly stated that no foreigner should ever enter the assembly of God (13:1).

Second, the people had not been supporting the Levite ministry financially ( 13:10 ) as they had agreed to do in their covenant. Nehemiah reprimanded the leadership and restored the tithe. Third, Nehemiah discovered that people were conducting business on the Sabbath ( 13:15 -16). He again reprimanded the leadership and issued orders that the city gates would be closed on the Sabbath so that merchants could not enter on the holy day. Finally, like Ezra, Nehemiah had to confront the intermarriage issue.

Conclusion

The book of Ezra-Nehemiah is the basis of legal authority for the re-establishment of the Jewish nation. Ezra brings a charter from Artaxerxes which grants autonomy and authority to the priests. Nehemiah establishes a covenant between the people and God, renewing the covenant of Moses.

But more than that, Ezra and Nehemiah establish a model of leadership which applies not just to Israel , but to us. Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries who were instrumental in the renewal of the Jewish people. But they were very different people. Ezra was a scholar and a teacher. Nehemiah was a politician and a builder. Ezra led through education. Nehemiah led through vision and encouragement. Ezra laid the theological and biblical basis for their new community. Nehemiah was the practical builder of the community.

This is a reminder that we need, even today, in our church, a plurality of leadership who can bring different gifts and abilities to the community. We need Ezras who ground us in truth. We need Nehemiahs who cast vision and set us into practical application. Both approaches are needed and required to build a community.

But while Ezra and Nehemiah had different skills and gifts, they shared a single-minded devotion to God. Both were keenly aware of the sovereignty of God. Both trusted in the faithfulness of God. Both were men of deep prayer and close relationship with God. Both knew the importance of obedience to the precepts of God.

Regardless of our gifting, all of it is without value if it is not based on our devotion to God. All the leadership skills in the world mean nothing if we don't bathe our actions in prayer. Leadership begins and ends with our relationship with God, realizing it is He who causes things to happen, not us.

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