Ezra 6 (Part 2) Bible Study (The Temple Finished and Dedicated) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Book of Ezra Series)

Ezra chapter 6 and plant your eyes there at verse 13.

Ezra 6 · chapter mention

Since our start in our study of the book of Ezra, we have

virtually every week heard something similar.

We've heard about the reconstruction, the rebuilding

of what is known as the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

Everything from the initial excitement of the rebuilding to

the mixed feelings about the rebuilding, to the opposition to

the rebuilding and the revival toward the rebuilding.

But after we complete this chapter, we will no longer hear

about the reconstruction of the Temple for one simple reason.

We are going to realize that it is going to be completed.

That is essentially what the rest of Ezra chapter 6 is about,

Ezra 6 · chapter mention

the celebration of the completion of the House of God

that for many, many decades lay destitute and destroyed.

This is a monumental moment here.

But before we read about the rejoicing of this historic

achievement, we're going to learn and be reminded of what it

took for it to be realized. The verses that we're going to

open up with are essentially a summary of this massive

accomplishment. But within these verses we are

going to see some insights that are going to feed a central

truth the necessary for steadfastness in whatever God

has called us to do. And so let's do this as we come

now to this text. We're going to read the first 2

verses, beginning of verse 13 down to verse 14.

It says here. Then, according to the word sent

by Darius the king, Tatanai, the governor of the province beyond

the river Shethar, Bazani and their associates did with all

diligence what Darius the king had ordered.

And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the

prophesying of Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son

of Edo. They finished their building by

decree of the God of Israel, by decree of Cyrus and Darius, and

Arctic Xerxes, king of Persia. Let's pause here for a moment.

Let's remind ourselves where we're at in this story.

There were certain governors during the Persian government

and empire that were ruling over the Judean province.

They saw these Jews who had returned from Babylon rebuilding

this great edifice and it concerned them.

So they sent message to Darius the king asking for

clarification if they have permission to do this.

Darius the king gives a letter promptly once he discovers the

historical precedence and the allowance for them to do this.

He tells Tatani and his associates, leave the Jews

alone, don't interrupt, don't interfere, don't get involved.

But additionally, he warns them and he says if anyone is to edit

my decree, they will be severely punished.

If anyone vandalizes this place of worship, they will be put to

death. And I call upon the God of

Israel to actually intervene. And So what we just read now is

the response of Tatani and the other governors to the letter

that they had received from Darius.

And here's what we discover. What's highlighted here is that

they did what Darius asked with what?

Look at the end there, verse 13, With all diligence.

With all diligence. Now that may not seem relevant,

but it is because whether Tatani and his associates wanted to or

not, they just became active participants in this project.

Go back to verse 8 of Ezra 6. This is just part of Darius's

letter to these men. In Ezra 6-8 it reads.

Moreover, I make a decree. This is Darius speaking

regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the

rebuilding of this House of God. The cost is to be paid to these

men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the

tribute of the province from beyond the river.

So the very same men who reported on the Jews have not

been recruited to help the Jews. It's a remarkable turn of

events, but to our surprise, the attitude of Tetani and his

friends is actually praiseworthy, because there is

no hint whatsoever that they were reluctant to obey the

orders of Darius. In fact, it's the opposite.

They did so with all diligence. You know what that word

diligence means? With careful attention, with

effort, without reservation, with energy.

And that seems quite interesting, because the more I

meditated on this, the more inspiring it became.

Think about a couple things with me #1 as I just mentioned, these

men did not resist or question Darius's decree towards them,

did they? Not at all.

All Darius had to do was what? Give the word.

And they complied completely. They unreservedly submitted.

And what we find here is that though we don't know all their

motives, one thing is undeniable, that all it took was

Darius's word to get them moving.

All it took was one order, and they obeyed.

And for this demonstration of obedience to come from Gentiles

at this point in history who are serving a human king in this way

is a clear challenge to God's people then and now.

Should not your eagerness and mine match or even exceed that

of these men for our king, Our king, he's called a king of many

places in the Scriptures. Does he not deserve this exact

type of prompting and willingness and eagerness for

whatever he asks of us? If these men are willing to do

this for a human king named Darius, how much more us for our

King, Christ our Lord, our Master.

No hesitation, no arguments, no debate, all diligence the first

time. The secondly, notice how these

men obeyed Darius's order without any reward.

There is nothing promised to them.

All that letter shows is that Darius wanted something to be

done, and he warned them if they disobeyed, if they altered

anything that he had said. There is no indication that

there is any promise for promotion, any prize to be

granted, and yet, without anything in view, they still did

so with all diligence. Why?

Here's the only answer I can come up with for the King's

pleasure. That's why.

Because he asked for it, he desired it, and that's the only

thing that they're working with. What a thought.

It's possible to surrender to someone else's will simply

because you want to please them. And that's what Tatani and his

associates are demonstrating for their king.

But let me ask you something. That King Darius ever humble

himself to receive persecution or dishonor from others?

Did King Darius ever set aside His Royal Majesty to serve his

subjects? Has King Darius ever entertained

the thought of laying down his life for his enemies?

Of course not. And yet he still received such

fierce loyalty from those within his Kingdom.

And yet we have a King who exceeds all rulers, All Saints,

all prophets, and his beauty and his humility and his sacrifice

and his great love. What more do Christians need in

their motivation to obey this King other than the fact that it

pleases him, that it blesses him?

What other stimulation do we need?

Is there anything greater than the thought and knowing that

what he asks of me after all that he has done for me is

enough? Knowing the the thought crossing

my mind that this simply blesses the heart of my King should be

enough for us to do whatever he asks of us.

And so I look at Tat and I and I look at his associates and I

realized that their diligence for Darius should never outshine

what you and I are supposed to do for our king.

Moreover, the reason why this diligence is highlighted is

because it contributes to the completion of the temple that

we're about to read about. But this is not the only thing

that's highlighted. There's another thing that's

underscored in verse 14. Look at it again with me and the

elders of the Jews built and prospered through the

prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of

ID do don't you love that phrase?

They they prospered through the prophesying.

Now this is where we have to be clear.

This is not telling us that the Jews at this time, we're simply

riding on the momentum of the initial word that Haggai and

Zechariah gave when he tried to, when they tried to wake them up

from their years of complacency. Remember, God raised these two

men up to approach the same crowd who for many years

neglected the temple. And he said, hey, come on,

you're focusing too much on yourself.

You're ignoring God's house. This is the reason why He

brought you back to this land. This is not a commentary about

how they have been energized from that word, though it could

have played a part. Instead, what's being explained

here is the success of this group of people through the

regular, consistent messages of Zechariah and Haggai.

In other words, the reason why they were able to prosper

spiritually was because they were continually exposed to the

Word of God. And this reveals many things

about us. Let me just highlight one of

them. I believe it shows just how

easily we as God's people can become discouraged or

distracted. It's possible.

It's possible for you sitting here right now as you're hearing

this. It's possible for anybody.

Think about it. The first time that the Jews

stopped the building of the Temple was because initially

there was pushback from their neighbors.

There was threats, there was persecution.

And so they paused, and they paused too long because they

became caught up with other affairs.

But what's happening at this point?

Is there any opposition towards their efforts?

No, the opposite. Not only are there no obstacles

at this point, but you even have grants from the government,

allowance from kings to let you do whatever you need to do with

greater effect and speed. And even with this incredible

opportunity set before them, we learned that the real reason why

they prospered was because they were receiving the Word of God

regularly. In other words, even with this

open door before them, they still needed to be exhorted.

They still need to be reminded. They still need to be motivated.

What does that tell you about you and me?

That this flesh is remarkable at finding ways to drain our

enthusiasm for God, even if everything in your life is

cooperating? That's what's happening here.

Darius gave them the green light.

And yet the Holy Spirit wants to bring to mind that the people of

God still needed the Word of God to redirect and keep them

aligned, keep them stable. And how much of this is a

temptation to us as Christians in America who have been granted

a level of liberty that this world has rarely known in all of

history? So then why is it that with so

much in our favor as the church, is it so common for many

Christians to be inconsistent? And their spiritual zeal and

their fervor and their commitment to whatever ministry

they signed up for week after week, month after month, year

after year? In no way is it God's will for

us to fluctuate in our faithfulness to to succumb to

whatever weakens our hands. But listen, He is incredibly

gracious. He knows that we have the

temptation to falter. He knows that we have the

tendency to quit even even if you're standing underneath a

shower of his blessing like they are.

Here you have the king of Assyria.

In this context, Darius was also the king of Persia, giving them

all that they want, and they still needed a supernatural

force to remain in the will of God, which is exactly the

answer. God is so gracious in knowing

our weaknesses that He supplies exactly what we need to know.

Sustainability. What is it?

The regular hearing and receiving of God's Word, that is

what's highlighted and explaining the reason for their

spiritual prosperity. You and I have no chance of

remaining steadfast if we distance ourselves from this

book, if we remove ourselves from a place like this that

faithfully points us to what God has said and is saying still

through His Word. And we actually have insight

here about what it was that was said on a continual basis to

keep this people energized. Because Haggai and Zechariah

have books with their names on it in our Bibles, and we won't

go into it. But if you read their content,

you'll learn that what they said to the same audience included

encouragement, included warning, included promises, included

faithful and wonderful hopeful insight into the future.

All these things combined is what helped this people navigate

each day. I mean, think about, here's one

that many of us know. What does it do to you to hear

something like Zechariah 46, the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel?

Not by might, nor by power, but by my what Spirit says the Lord

that'll move you. And so you get an idea of what

it was that these two prophets conveyed to flow fresh fuel into

their hearts, to remain anchored.

And that is why it is one of Satan's favorite strategies to

drive you away from engaging with this book, to lure you from

coming to a church that exalts God's Word, explains God's Word,

exhorts people through God's Word.

He understands that if he can cut you off from this, he cuts

off your life source. And it's just a matter of time

before you shrivel up and you give yourself to something

futile and fury even sinful. You will never be able, never be

able to point someone to me who claims to be a consistent

Christian and doesn't have a consistent and humble engagement

and relationship with the written Word of God.

You won't be able to find one impossible.

And that principle is so obvious here.

It was through the prophesying of the prophets of the word of

the Lord through them that help these remnant prosper

spiritually. So let's go on now.

We read these first 2 verses of this section, but let's continue

in verse 15. And this house was finished on

the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the

reign of Darius the king. So the end of verse 14, we

realized that they finished the building.

This is a remarkable thing. This is a huge milestone.

And so important was it that in verse 15, Ezra gives us the date

of its completion. Do we remember when, however,

the work of the temple resumed after it was ignored for so

long? Does anybody remember when?

If you don't, Oh good, who said it?

Say it out loud. What year of Darius's reign?

The second. If you need confirmation, look

at Ezra 424 for a moment. Ezra 424 Then the work on the

House of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased

until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

So the work began again in the second year of Darius the king,

and it was completed in the sixth year.

So how long did it take him to rebuild the temple?

Four years, Four years? Even with all the diligence that

they offered, even with the really miraculous support from

the Persian government, it still took this group of people four

years to resurrect this structure.

But I actually want to argue that it took longer than that.

When you zoom out, it actually took much more time because

we're only counting from when the work of the temple resumed

again to its completion. But we're not considering the

time that passed from the people laying the foundation of the

temple and them getting distracted until they started

again. So we learned that when these

Jews came back from Babylon to Jerusalem, they almost

immediately laid the foundation of this house.

Then persecution emerged. They were intimidated, they got

scared. They use it as an excuse, and

they start focusing on their own houses.

From that time of laying the foundation to the second year of

Darius where they began the house again, working on the

House again, many beliefs, 16 years had passed.

So when we consider that whole timeline, how many years did it

really take to rebuild the temple?

The simple math, there's no trick question. 20 years, 20 to

21 years for the single building to be rebuilt.

Last night I just sat back and I thought to myself, in that same

amount of time they could have rebuilt five of these temples.

But instead, because of what? Idleness and worldly ambition.

They built one. I praise God that this part of

Ezra's story, really all of Ezra's story, is one of grace

and God's faithfulness and his mercy, undeniably.

But here I want to highlight that it offers a sobering

warning about the value of time and how if we're not careful,

even as God's children, we can forfeit a lot of it easily,

especially in this age. For some who are listening, as

you look back at years, you may have to admit that you barely,

barely invested anything in building your relationship with

God. No.

No reading plan, little time and prayer.

No investment in any kind of ministry.

Be careful because I don't want it to be said of anybody,

including for myself, that we lived our days in such a way

that years passed by and it can hit us where we wonder and think

to ourselves, where could I have been in the Lord if I did not

burn my time on useless things? That's totally possible.

Time is the most precious gift in many ways because you can't

get it back. You know this very well.

And it could be also that there's some sitting here who've

come to that painful realization and you can't seem to shake off

the guilt. But I want to comfort you that

it does no good for you to reflect on on years wasted,

whether that be because you were living outside of Christ or

because even in Christ you named his name, but you squandered

many of your years. It does no good.

Instead, if you are reminded of that, use that as as motivation

to guard the days ahead. We don't know how many God, how

many years God is going to give us or days or months or weeks.

We have no clue. But if you are among those who

feel, I wish I got saved earlier.

I wish I wasn't so foolish with the resources that were at my

disposal. I should have listened to my mom

and dad, to my older brother. I should have paid attention to

those sermons all those years. Now I'm getting older, I'm

getting more frail. Now I have more responsibility.

All the all the free time I had as a single man, Just listen.

When those things haunt you, recycle it and then use it to

say with whatever time I have left, I will live maximally for

God and listen for anybody, no matter where you are in light of

this, for anybody who chooses to from this moment on, live for

the will of God. Joy is promised for you joy

today and joy tomorrow. In fact, that's what we we find

next. Let's read now from verse 16

down to verse 18. And the people of Israel, the

priest and the Levites and the rest of the return exiles

celebrated the dedication of this House of God with joy, with

joy. Highlight those two words with

joy they offered at the dedication of this House of God.

100 bulls, 200 Rams, 400 lambs, and a sin offering for all

Israel, 12 male goats according to the number of the tribes of

Israel. And they set the priests and

their divisions and the Levites and their divisions for the

service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of

Moses. So the house is now done, and

they're putting it to use. But before they do anything,

they're almost putting together a grand opening.

But it's more sacred than that. They want to consecrate this

house to God's glory, and so they they put together some of

their resources and they offered at the dedication.

If you put all those animals together and their numbers,

you're talking about 700. If you include the sin offering

that 712 beasts of different kinds.

That detail may seem irrelevant or insignificant to you, but it

carries meaning when you do one thing.

Remember that this was not the only dedication that took place

in Israel's history towards and for the House of God.

This is the second temple. Before the 2nd temple, there was

Solomon's Temple. Was there a dedication service

for Solomon's Temple? Yes.

Do you remember how many beasts were offered then?

A lot. Can I remind you how much?

Turn to 1st Kings chapter 8 and look at verse 62.

First Kings chapter 8 verse 62. Then the king and all Israel

1 Kings 8:62

with him offered sacrifice before the Lord.

Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord 22,000

oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people

of Israel dedicated the House of the Lord.

So when it came to the celebration of the first temple,

you're talking about 142,000 animals.

Quite the difference, isn't it? In fact, 1 might be tempted to

think by comparison, the dedication of the second temple

feels a little embarrassing, maybe worthless. 712 in

comparison to 142,000. A very great difference in terms

of the size of the offering. But I want to convey to you that

there is something similar that these two generations shared.

One word, one word. It's a very simple word, Joy,

joy. There is joy in Solomon's day.

Scroll down to verse 66 at First Kings 8.

What is said on the 8th day? He sent the people away and they

blessed the king and went to their homes, joyful and glad of

heart for all the goodness that the Lord had shown to David his

servant and to Israel his people.

Now go back to Ezra 6, Ezra 6 verse 16 says, and the people of

Ezra 6:16

Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the

return exiles celebrated the dedication of this House of God

with joy. So both experienced joy.

In fact, look what the Holy Spirit does in Ezra 616.

He's so specific. It says here that they

celebrated the dedication of this house, this house, as if to

emphasize from the human standpoint that what seems to be

inferior, the inferiority of this house and the far less

impressive dedication of this house did not determine their

joy. It didn't.

So how was it that with only 712, you're talking about a

meager offering? Was this crowd able to genuinely

rejoice in this moment? You know the answers in the same

chapter and it's glorious. Look at the last verse of Ezra

6. You heard this last week if you

were here. Ezra 622 And they kept the feast

of Unleavened bread 7 days with joy.

There it is again. For the Lord had made them

joyful. For the Lord had made them

joyful. And I turned the heart of the

king of Assyria to them so that he aided them in the work of the

House of God, the God of Israel. That's the answer.

God made them joyful. And there are a couple of things

we can learn from this that will change your life radically if

you actually choose to believe it #1 God can make us joyful

whether you have little or much. No matter what you possess, it

is possible to actually be happy, to know genuine

contentment. You know this could have been

another occasion for this generation of return exiles to

weep like they did when they laid the foundation of the

temple. You remember that some rejoice

when they laid the foundation and other wept.

Why did they weep? Because the older generation

remembered Solomon's temple and so they couldn't help but

compare and think, this is it. This is what we've been restored

to. But supposing that that older

generation is still alive because it could have been that

they died, so there's a little bit less weeping because they're

no longer alive. That's possible, but let's just

suppose that they're still alive.

God worked in their hearts in such a way that they can

recognize the good of the moment and give God glory and

experience a wave of genuine joy.

It's a work of God despite their lack.

And in this case, the people experience something unique and

they discerned it, right? We read it in the verse.

They discerned that God moved in the heart of Darius for their

favor, and he aided them to build this house.

That's a different testimony than Solomon, isn't it?

In Solomon's case, God just prospered him and his

administration and and the nation at that time to enable

them to build the temple at such a grand scale.

It's two different testimonies, but it says the same thing, that

God is still at work and they understood that God is still at

work doesn't look the same, but it doesn't dismiss the fact that

he is moving in our midst and we can rejoice because of that.

If your joy is in what you have or what you don't have, I

promise you a very fickle and flimsy contentment.

It won't last because possessions and materials come

and go. But if your joy is in God, if

your joy is in Christ, who's always working no matter what

you own, you will know happiness that will endure all

circumstances. And that's why Israel's past

success did not cloud their contentment here.

There's no comparison here like they did earlier, because it was

God who worked in their hearts. And the source of the joy was

what God was doing, the fingerprints that they were able

to recognize, ha ha, they were able to rejoice.

There's another thing to consider.

True joy isn't found in what you have, but in what you do with

what you have. You can't separate the theme of

joy with Solomon and an Ezra's story with the reality of

sacrifice and the worship of God.

Joy is found in those contexts. They rejoice in First Kings 8.

Why? Because they were able to

recognize the goodness of the Lord to David and his

descendants here. They recognize the goodness of

the Lord because He was moving the hearts of leaders of nations

on their behalf. But also they've come to

sacrifice and they've come to worship God, and they are living

at a point where they are prioritizing God's house.

See, knowing joy is not just recognizing that God is a

fountain of all your blessings. That's true.

If you really want to unlock it in your heart, you have to be

willing to come to a place of responding to that truth with

unreserved worship. So when you make the Kingdom of

God your priority, when you make Christ's pleasure your desire,

when your devotion to Him is all that you really want, that will

position you to receive and experience God's joy no matter

what your possessions look like. It will put everything in its

proper perspective. And that's what we find here.

We're going to worship God. We're going to sacrifice what we

can give Him. We've prioritized His house.

And that's why you see this repeated truth.

Joy, joy, joy, joy. And that's why perhaps some of

you are miserable, because you've stuffed theological

statements and truths and doctrinal ideas in your head,

but you've never responded to it.

And other things take precedence in your life.

Other things have greater priority.

Other things are demanding your devotion, and so you don't

understand the numbness and you perhaps look at other Christians

and you criticize them because you, you, you think this is a

little bit too ecstatic. This is a little bit too much.

But what you find in these two instances when we compare it

with Solomon and Ezra, that the the experience of joy is within

the realm of sacrifice and worship and living for God's

house, God's name, God's glory. That was true for the churches

in Macedonia. Have you ever heard of them?

Do you remember how Paul described the churches in

Macedonia when he praised them for their financial partnership

when he was raising funds from the different churches to help

the poor Saints in Jerusalem? This will blow your mind.

Go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 8, Second Corinthians chapter 8 and

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

look at verse one with me. 2nd Corinthians 8 verse one Paul

says to the Corinthians, We want you to know brothers, about the

grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.

For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of

joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed and a wealth of

generosity on their part. How do those two descriptions

fit in the same statement? Abundance of joy right next to

what? Extreme?

Not just poverty, extreme poverty.

Now, poverty in America in 2026 looks different than poverty and

antiquity. And we're not talking even about

the poor. He's talking about extreme

poverty. And yet somehow the Macedonian

believers tapped into not even just not just joy, abundant joy.

It reinforces the truth that we're learning in Ezra, does it

not? That your joy is not in what you

have, it's in God himself. And your joy can heighten and

mature on what you do with what you have and in this context,

with the little that they have. They wanted to somehow play a

part in the relief of the Saints in Jerusalem.

You're saying, what's the secret?

How do I get to this point? Because brother, if I'm honest,

I'm a wreck. I'm numb.

I'm going through the motions. Let me offer a potential insight

to the reason why you can't figure out your own misery.

Do you know why the Macedonian believers were able to do what

they're doing here? Do you know why they were able

to know the spring of joy to the point that it almost just LED

them to this, to this decision to sacrifice in this way?

Look at verse 5, Second Corinthians 8, verse 5.

2 Corinthians 8:5

Paul's still talking about them and he says and this not as we

expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and

then by the will of God to us. The reason why these believers

were the way that they were, the reason why they knew this

abundant joy is because they made a decision.

I'm going to give myself first to the Lord.

He calls the shots of my life. I submit to him but my own

desires. But when you really taste of

this joy, your desires become His desires, and you live in

this genuine, awesome growth of joy as the days go by.

That doesn't mean that joy isn't challenge.

It doesn't mean that sometimes you ask, like what the psalmist

said, why are you cast down, O my soul?

But you will have a reference point in your soul where you

know what it's like to know God's joy, and you won't settle

for anything else. Let's look at the last parts of

Ezra 6, verse 19, down to verse 22.

Ezra 6:19

On the 14th day of the first month, the return exiles kept

the Passover for the priests and the Levites had purified

themselves together. All of them were clean.

Oh, I'd love to say so much about that.

All of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover

lamb for all the return exiles, for their fellow priests and for

themselves. It was eaten by the people of

Israel who had returned from exile, and also by everyone who

had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of

the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of

Israel. So apparently you had Gentiles

along this journey who realized that the God of Israel is the

true God, and they yoked themselves to the true God by

faith. These are proselytes.

These are converts. I'm not going to comment on that

too much either. Let's look at verse 22.

And they kept the Feast of Unleavened bread 7 days with

joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart

of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the

work of the House of God, the God of Israel.

So many things can be said here, as I already mentioned, but I

want to just focus on one simple thing, one observation from

these last verses. Three out of the four verses we

just read include this identity about the people of Israel, the

people of Judah. The Holy Spirit labels them as

the returned exiles 3 times in 4 verses, the return exile.

Some other translations say the descendants of captivity or the

children of captivity. Here's my question.

Why I emphasize that here. Aren't we far enough into the

story of Ezra to know that we are reading about the captives

who had returned from Babylon to Jerusalem?

Why do I need to hear it over and over in this closing

section? It's the return exiles.

It's the return exiles is the return exiles.

I know it's the return exiles. Here's what I believe the answer

is. There's something about the

enjoyment and the celebration of the Passover and the unleavened

bread. That connects with the truth of

the return exiles. In other words, the people of

Israel have not experienced these holy feast in the fullest

sense like what we're seeing here since the days before their

exile. This is huge.

This is massive, and the Holy Spirit wants us to know that it

was the return exiles who enjoyed it.

Think about it this way. The book of Ezra opens with a

decree. Cyrus, who was the king of

Persia at that time, extended an invitation to the Jews in

Babylon. You can go back home if you

want. Now, did he extend that

invitation to all of the Jews or some of the Jews?

All of them? All of them.

Did all of them go? No, some of them.

And we've discussed in the past perhaps some of the reasons why

many of these Jews decide to stay back in Babylon.

But now we come to this point in Ezra's story, and here's the

question we have to ask. Who are the ones who are

experiencing the Holy Feasts and in the proper way?

Who are the ones who are now relishing in the presence of God

in the House of God once again? Who are the ones who are being

renewed in their understanding of the revelation of God's mercy

and might in His temple? Who are the ones, the ones who

decided to pay a price to go back?

Those are the ones. This is why, in part, this

repetition is made to emphasize this reality that the ones who

chose to go back were the ones who relished in this revival and

entered into a new level in the relationship with the living

God. Here's what that means for you

and I. There are certain spiritual

advantages and there are certain experiences that can only come

to those who are willing to walk away from what God asked them to

walk away from to truly know them.

Sometimes the things that we have to separate ourselves from

are sinful. Other times they're just

temporal. They're shallow, they're

foolish, they're vain, they're pointless.

But whatever the nature of our hindrances may be, one thing is

for certain, sacrifice of various kinds is often the path

to spiritual reward. The returned exiles were the

ones who got to taste the miracle before them.

But they first had to make a very difficult decision to walk

away from familiarity, to walk away potentially from family and

friends, a new way of life, to go back to a land of

destitution, to a lot of hard work, to to enemies that are

ready to devour you at your most vulnerable point.

But because they understood that life is ultimately about the

glory of God, they took that step of faith and now they are

enjoying something that others are not.

So here I am reading this, studying this, ruminating over

it, and I'm thinking to myself, there's got to be so many other

examples of this principle, even in the New Testament.

And for whatever reason, the one example, and potentially because

it deals with an individual, and perhaps because I preached about

a many, many, many years ago, even before Maranatha Bible

Church existed, I thought maybe this is a good way to illustrate

it in a personal way. Have you ever considered how the

Bible introduces us to the person, the character, the

minister named Timothy? Go to Acts 16.

Here's where we'll land because I just want to solidify this

truth in our hearts. The sacrifice of various kinds

is often the path to spiritual reward.

Acts 16. This is where we're introduced

to Timothy and Acts 16 verse one.

Paul came also to Deer Bee and to Lystra.

A disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish

woman who was a believer, but his father was Greek.

He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.

Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him.

Pause there. What an honor, this remarkable

man of God by the name of Paul, who was once a terrorist who

terrorized the church, who is now the leading apostle in many

ways, comes into town to check on the the Saints.

And he, he discovers about this man named Timothy, a young man,

and all the brethren, all the believers there speak well of

him. Now we know Timothy's a young

man even when Paul writes to him after he becomes a pastor.

So if he was young when he was a pastor of the Church of Ephesus,

how young was he here? It's really a reminder for young

people to to not wait to take your faith seriously.

Don't delay in your seriousness because Timothy didn't all of a

sudden become genuine in his faith.

He always was to the point when Paul walked into town, the

believer says you got to meet this young man, this exceptional

St. named Timothy. Paul meets him.

I wonder what the conversation was like.

But it was enough for this man, and Paul was picky with who he

worked with. You know that, right?

I want you to come with me. I want you to be a partner in my

missionary endeavors. The thrill.

But it came at a price. Look at verse 3 again.

Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him and he took him and

circumcised him because of the Jews who are in those places,

for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Many, many people will come to this text to debate.

I've heard it, I've read about it.

What's the debate about? Was Paul right in circumcising

Timothy, the Paul go against his convictions?

Or is Paul being strategic? There's the clashes, and there's

the blog post and there's the commentaries.

That's fine. I think it's an important

conversation to have. But you want, you know what?

I've never stumbled upon somebody coming to this text to

speak about Timothy. This is the first time Timothy's

mentioned in the Bible. What does this say about this

young man? He says something about the

price he was willing to pay to follow the call of God.

You can debate if Paul was writing this or not, but just

focus in and look at it from Timothy's perspective.

He was not 8 days old when he was circumcised in this part of

the story, you know that, right? He was a young man, very

conscious, very aware, but very willing.

And what I thought to myself was what if Timothy had denied such

a thing? What if he had rejected it?

What if he thought this is a no thank you?

I appreciate the invitation, but I think I'll just go on with my

life the way it always has been. He would have missed out on the

adventure of a lifetime. You get the impression from the

Bible that Timothy had a stronger relationship with his

mom and his grandmother. The implication is that his

father, yes, was a Gentile, but also an unbelieving Gentile.

So how how present was Timothy's dad in his life?

We don't know. But you know, because of this

moment in his life, he gained a spiritual father.

And more than that, Paul entrusted him with one of the

most thriving churches in the region.

Timothy became the teaching elder in Ephesus.

And what about all the other adventures in the stories of

these trips and the miracles that he beheld and the

conference that he saw? I bring all this up to say that

it all hinged upon a personal sacrifice.

Difficult decision to walk away from comfort in a very real way.

And yet there are many people professing Christians who are

not willing to walk away from some things.

You will not know the fullness of God's will until you fully

give yourself over to Him. How much time has passed in your

life where you consciously know that you're holding something

back? Let it change for 2026.

I've yet to be convinced that somebody has more joy, more

peace, more excitement in their life living for themselves and

living for God. You know, somebody show me

after, show me after. And don't show me an Instagram

profile or a TikTok account. Some of those people are the

most miserable of them all. Always need to live for people's

applause and recognition. Somebody, somebody who's rock

solid content, immovable, and doesn't have a relationship with

the living God because they have surrendered everything.

I can go and show you example after example after example of

how the Bible presents this constant theme.

A sacrifice is the path for spiritual reward.

In Timothy's case, I mean, his life was never the same.

In the case of these returned exiles, they had to make a

decision many, many years ago. We will go back and they got to

stand in the courts of the Second Temple, while some, for

selfish reasons, stayed back in Babylon.

Why? Because they had a business that

they started or because they had a new home.

And some Levites surely wanted to stay back because they got

land. And when you went back to

Israel, you have to give up your land.

You have to live by faith. But what do we find at the end

of Ezra 6? Joy, joy, joy, joy, joy for the

return to exiles. Lord, we thank you for this

Bible study. How amazing it is to even look

at a corner of your word that is so historical, so specific, so

obscure, and yet it can be so packed with power.

We confess gladly that we believe this is the Word of God.

It's so sharp. You never fail to show us just

how precise the sword of the Spirit is.

Lord. Many things were said and we

pray that the same way. The prophesying of Haggai and

Zechariah kept the people focused and energized.

May this Bible study and the ones to come provide that same

grace. Help us believe that this book

in our hands is our lifeline. Lord, we pause to rejoice, to

give you thanks for how you've spoken to us.

Be glorified in all things in Jesus name, Amen.

Why don't we stand and let's worship God?