Ezra 1:5-11 - Homiletics

The muster.

We have noted already that the great and primary feature in the restoration of Israel from captivity was the restoration of the house. With a view to this restoration, as we have seen, the whole edict of Cyrus was framed. In the passage now before us we shall see, in the next place, that the results of that edict were in accordance with this design. They secured, i.e; the two first requisites for carrying out this design, providing, as they did, on the one hand, the requisite men; and, on the other, the requisite means.

I. THE REQUISITE MEN .

1. The requisite laymen. "Then rose up …. Judah" ( Hebrews 7:14 ) "and Benjamin." The Church is before its ministers (comp. Philippians 1:1 ). Perhaps, also, the laymen in this case were the first to be stirred. Next, the requisite lay-leaders , the "chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin." Wherever any body of men moves towards an enterprise, there must be some to go first. In this case it pleased God so to arrange by his providence, and so to work by the edict of Cyrus, that some of those were ready to go first who naturally stood first as it were. This was particularly the case, as we afterwards find, with him who stood first of all amongst these "chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin," viz; "Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah," mentioned in Ezra 1:8 . This Sheshbazzar, better known as Zerubbabel (comp. Ezra 5:16 and Zechariah 4:9 ; see also Daniel 1:6 , Daniel 1:7 ), about whose exact descent and lineage it is difficult to make sure, seems, at any rate, to have been regarded both by Israelites and Gentiles as the representative of the house of David. As such, he was the natural leader of the movement for restoration; and as such a leader, in God's providence, he was found willing to act. In addition, next, to this sufficient lay element, we find also,

2. The requisite ecclesiastics. And that, as before, of all ranks. Both "the priests and the Levites," e.g; both the appointed ministers and their appointed assistants, are specified in Ezra 1:5 . Mention is also made afterwards of Jeshua, the legitimate high priest, or supreme ecclesiastical head ( Ezra 2:2 ; Ezra 3:2 , etc.); and of the Nethinims and children of Solomon's servants ( Ezra 2:43-58 ), the lowest grades of all those occupied in purely ecclesiastical work. This, therefore, completes the list. If the Church is before its ministers, it is not, therefore, without them. Neither Judah and Benjamin without Levi, nor Levi without Judah and Benjamin, could have restored the kind of house that God wished. It is to be admired, accordingly, that in this instance God caused the edict of Cyrus so to operate as to call forth sufficient of both. And something more than merely sufficient, so some have supposed. Besides men of Judah and Benjamin, and men belonging to or connected with the ecclesiastical tribe of Levi, some also belonging to other tribes of Israel are thought to be pointed to in the words "with all them whose spirits God had raised." The return of some such appears clearly implied in 1 Chronicles 9:3 , and was only natural, when we bear in mind how many men of other tribes at various times before the captivity had joined themselves to that of Judah. It is further evident that such a separate ten-tribes element amongst those returning from Babylon would be a fact of much weight, since it would serve so greatly to make the restored house, as originally intended ( Psalms 122:4 ), a house for the whole race, a centre of unity for all "the twelve tribes scattered abroad" ( James 1:1 ). And it would also aid us in understanding St. Paul's long-subsequent description of those "twelve tribes" as "instantly serving God day and night" throughout the world ( Acts 26:7 ). They did so in that common temple which they had all thus helped to restore.

II. THE REQUISITE MEANS . The men thus duly called were also duly equipped. Almighty God, by the edict of Cyrus, both "raised" their "spirit" and filled their hands (see Psalms 110:3 ; Philippians 2:13 ). For example, we find them provided with the requisite means of support. These men would have to live whilst on their journey, and whilst building the house. The "gold" and "goods" mentioned in 1 Chronicles 9:6 , added to what we may suppose them to have made by selling their possessions ( Jeremiah 29:4 , Jeremiah 29:5 ), may have been meant for this end. So also the "beasts" in the same verse (comp. Ezra 2:66 , Ezra 2:67 , where none but beasts of burden are mentioned) may have supplied them with another requisite, viz; means of transport. Next, if we are right in referring the last words of 1 Chronicles 9:6 to the grant made by Cyrus himself, as afterwards defined in Ezra 6:3 , Ezra 6:4 , we see that they had, further, at their disposal the requisite materials for building. This point will perhaps appear more plainly if we compare the last-quoted passage with what is said in 1 Kings 6:36 . Not only, i.e; were the necessary materials for building the temple granted, but they were granted, it would appear, of the precise shape and size required for erecting one most important part of the new temple, viz; its inner court. Further yet, another most important point, we find that the requisite temple vessels were supplied in this case ( 1 Kings 6:7-10 ). God's providence had so ordered it that a sufficient number of these—sufficient, at any rate, to make a beginning; sufficient also, it may be, to serve as a pattern for others (a point of great importance according to Exodus 25:9 , Exodus 25:40 ; 1 Chronicles 28:11 ); and sufficient, in this way, to keep up the identity of the old worship and the new, and make it a true restoration—were placed at their service. This is a point to be marked. Taken away by Nebuchadnezzar principally at his first capture of Jerusalem ( 2 Chronicles 36:7 , as contrasted with 2 Kings 24:13 ; 2 Chronicles 36:19 ), placed by him in the house of his "god" ( Daniel 1:2 ), brought out thence at the great feast of Belshazzar on the same night that Babylon was captured ( Daniel 5:3 , Daniel 5:23 , Daniel 5:30 ), they were preserved by God through all these vicissitudes as something destined for further use. Exactly corresponding with this is the careful way in which we find them handled by the Persian treasurer Mithredath, taking.them in his "hand," according to Lunge, so as to inspect and recognize them as Jerusalem temple vessels; and afterwards "numbered" or catalogued by him in the way that follows ( 1 Kings 6:9 , 1 Kings 6:10 ) before giving them to Zerubbabel. What these vessels exactly were it is impossible for us now to make out; but it is evident that they were considered most important by all concerned at the time, and also evident that they leave little else in the way of "requisites" to be named. We may, perhaps, conjecture, however, that under the "precious things" of 1 Kings 6:6 may be included those priestly "garments" of which we read in Ezra 2:69 , and those musical instruments , no longer now to be hung on the willows, of which Josephus informs us. Also (one other point yet), that other vessels besides these preserved ones were now offered for temple use, in such numbers as almost to double the whole number at the disposal of the priests (comp. the total of the numbers in Ezra 2:9 and Ezra 2:10 with the total given in Ezra 2:11 ). In fact, certain other "vessels of silver," for which no other use is specified, are mentioned by name in Ezra 2:6 . But, whether with or without these conjectures, we have much here to admire.