Love Israel

Guest (Male): Shalom and welcome to Ve-ahavta Yisrael, a Hebrew phrase which means you shall love Israel. We hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher Dr. Baruch shares his expository teaching from the Bible.

Dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Zera Avraham Institute based in Israel. Although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the Institute, Dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English. To find out more about our work in Israel, please visit us on the web at loveisrael.org. That's one word, loveisrael.org. Now, here's Baruch with today's lesson.

Dr. Baruch Korman: Last week, we started the book of Ezra. We completed the first chapter, and now we're ready for chapter two. What are we going to encounter in this chapter? Again, the faithfulness of God. I cannot speak too much about God's faithfulness. He is forever faithful.

God's faithfulness is always related to His truth. What does that mean? It means that God is going to reveal truth and then He is going to act in light of His truth. If we want to experience God, we need to be people that are committed to the truth of God.

We saw this last week in chapter one: God brought about a fulfillment. According to the text, God brought an end to the word that was spoken through the mouth of Jeremiah. The exile was limited to 70 years. That number 70 is an important number because seven relates to the purpose of God. God did not allow His people to be carried off into exile simply for just any reason, but He did it for a specific purpose in order that they would learn from their sinfulness, specifically idolatry.

They did not want to be led by the word of God. In the book of Jeremiah, it says that God was willing to put them back on that road and lead them into His truth, but they rejected that. They were stubborn and they relied upon the strength of their heart rather than relying upon the truth of God.

When you are committed to your desires, you are doing what is evil in the eyes of God. We need to bring ourselves under His authority. That's what wisdom and spirituality are. We need to submit to Him. That's where we find joy and have access to His provision, His promises, and His blessings. Let's not be proud. Let's not be committed to our thoughts, our desires, and our wants, but let us listen to God, encounter His truth, and then submit to the truth of God.

Take out your Bible and look with me at the book of Ezra, chapter two. The people went into exile, specifically taken by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to Babylon. They were there for a limited amount of time—70 years. When that exile came to its conclusion, God was going to do what He always promised: bring the people back to the land of Judah.

The northern kingdom, called Israel, had gone into exile earlier into Assyria before their brothers who were dwelling in Judah. Then Judah went into exile to Babylon. Now God, who is forever faithful, is bringing the people back to the land because for God's work, His covenantal promises, and His obligations to the people of the old covenant, He needs the people to be back in the land.

It's part of His will. He doesn't need it because it's His problem; He needs it because it becomes our problem when we are not where God wants us to be. Let's begin looking at chapter two, verse one. These are the children—in Hebrew, the masculine word is inclusive of the feminine—the men and women of the country. *Medinah* is a country.

These people were taken into exile, but now, based on God's faithfulness, they are going up from captivity, which Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had exiled them into. They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each man to his city. God's restoration is full and complete. He didn't just bring them back to Judah in a general sense, but the people came back to their city from where they were taken into captivity.

Verse two says this group came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of men of the people of Israel is listed here. God remembered all those who went into exile, and He lists for us those who came back. Many people did not choose to come back; they wanted to remain in Babylon because they had a good life there. But if you're in exile, you cannot experience the best that God has for us. That's why there is this restoration.

Verse three: The sons of Parosh, 2,172. Verse four: The sons of Shephatiah, 372. Verse five: The sons of Arah, 775. Verse six: The sons of Pahath-moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812. Verse seven: The sons of Elam, 1,254. Verse eight: The sons of Zattu, 945. Verse nine: The sons of Zaccai, 760. Verse 10: The sons of Bani, 642. Verse 11: The sons of Bebai, 623. Verse 12: The sons of Azgad, 1,222. Verse 13: The sons of Adonikam, 666. Verse 14: The sons of Bigvai, 2,056. Verse 15: The sons of Adin, 454. Verse 16: The sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98. Verse 17: The sons of Bezai, 323. Verse 18: The sons of Jorah, 112. Verse 19: The sons of Hashum, 223. Verse 20: The sons of Gibbar, 95. Verse 21: The sons of Bethlehem, 123. Verse 22: The men of Netophah, 56. Verse 23: The men of Anathoth, 128. Verse 24: The sons of Azmaveth, 42. Verse 25: The sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. Verse 26: The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621. Verse 27: The men of Michmas, 122. Verse 28: The men of Bethel and Ai, 223. Verse 29: The sons of Nebo, 52. Verse 30: The sons of Magbish, 156. Verse 31: The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. Verse 32: The sons of Harim, 320. Verse 33: The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725. Verse 34: The sons of Jericho, 345. Verse 35: The sons of Senaah, 3,630.

In verse 36, we're now speaking about the priests who went back. The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. Verse 37: The sons of Immer, 1,052. Verse 38: The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. Verse 39: The sons of Harim, 1,017. Verse 40: The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74.

In verse 41, many English Bibles translate this as "singers," but in actuality, these are poets, people who write *shir*. A *shir* can be a song or a poem. The poets, the sons of Asaph, 128. Verse 42: The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, all 139.

Verse 43 mentions the temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth. Verse 44: the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon. Verse 45: the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub. Verse 46: the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan. Verse 47: the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah. Verse 48: the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam. Verse 49: the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai. Verse 50: the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephusim. Verse 51: the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur. Verse 52: the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha. Verse 53: the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah. Verse 54: the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

Verse 55: The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Peruda. Verse 56: the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel. Verse 57: the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Ami. Verse 58: All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392.

Verse 59: These were those who went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they were not able to tell their father's house and their lineage, whether they were from Israel. Verse 60: The sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 652.

Verse 61: And of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took as a wife one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name. Verse 62: These sought their register among those who were enrolled by genealogy, but it was not found, so they were excluded from the priesthood.

Verse 63: The governor told them they should not eat from the holy of holies until a priest stood up with the Urim and the Thummim. We see here they were not able to serve in this way. The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. There were 200 male and female poets.

Their horses were 736, their mules 245, their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720. Verse 68: When they came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the fathers' houses gave freely for the house of God to erect it on its site. According to their ability, they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments.

In verse 70, the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the poets, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities. Again, God's faithfulness to bring about a restoration is being emphasized here.

Let me put this into the context of the end times. We see God bringing the people out of Babylon back to the land of Judah, specifically emphasizing the city of Jerusalem. God is going to do the same thing in the last days; we are living in the midst of it. God is bringing the people back to the land of Israel so Messiah can come a second time.

When He comes the second time, He's going to do three primary things: He's going to save that one-third remnant of Israel that we read about in the prophecy of Zechariah. He's going to destroy the enemies of Israel, and He's going to establish that millennial kingdom—a kingdom that is going to reflect the righteousness of God because Messiah will be the King.

The Torah is going to be the law. The Torah is not an instrument of salvation, but as Paul says in Romans 7, the Torah is good, it's holy, and it's righteous. When we study the commandments of God, we learn that we are sinful and in need of a redeemer, and that God has sent His only begotten Son into this world to be the redeemer. It's only through that hope that we're going to see the fulfillment of God's will.

Grace is important. By grace, you have been saved. But when you study the word grace properly in the Bible, we see that God's grace has a purpose: to bring us into the will of God. That's how the grace of God works in our life. God is bringing the people back to the land because that is His will. It is a requirement for the kingdom to be established. God is always faithful. He's always acting in light of the truth that He reveals in this book.

If we rely upon anything else, we're going to be deceived and not express victory. Trust in the truth of God found in the Holy Scriptures, in what we call the Bible. Be committed to the word of God. Until next time, when we enter into chapter three, may God bless you and shalom from Israel.

Guest (Male): We hope you'll benefit from today's message and share it with others. Please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of loveisrael.org. Again, to find out more about us, please visit our website loveisrael.org. There you will find articles and numerous other lectures by Baruch. These teachings are in video form. You may download them or watch them in streaming video. Until next time, may the Lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua, that is Jesus, as you walk with him. Shalom from Israel.