Ezra 7-8

very much to our midweek Bible studies on Thursday night and teaching through the Old Testament especially here in the book of Ezra I am really excited about what the Lord has for us tonight in the two chapters that are before us we're making our way through the Bible book by book chapter by chapter verse by verse and tonight we're going to take two chapters chapters 7 & 8 we did chapters 5 & 6 last week and these are two chapters I think that kind of need to go together especially chapter 8 I'm really excited about something that I've actually been wanting to talk about in recent weeks and so I'm really looking forward to again what the Lord has for us why don't we pray and we'll ask God to bless our time together in His word tonight so if you would join with me Father in Heaven I I'm so thankful to you for those that are here tonight Lord thank You for their love for You and for Your word and Lord that's why we're here tonight we're here because we want to hear You speak into our lives in and through Your word Lord we love Your word we love You and so Lord would You just minister to us tonight and not allow anything to distract us or keep us Lord we don't want to miss anything that You have in store for us tonight so Lord speak Your servants are listening we pray in Jesus' name Amen all right so there's actually a 58 year gap between chapters 6 and 7 and so it's for that reason I think it would be good if we had a bit of the backstory so we have a better understanding of what is happening here we're going to be introduced to Ezra tonight we sort of turn a corner where the first six chapters in the book were about the first wave of Jews that had returned from captivity to Jerusalem with Zerubabbel I mean the book could have actually easily been titled the book of Zerubbabel because the first six chapters of the ten chapters in the book were chiefly focused on him and this first wave of Jews that had returned now we turn this corner and learn about this second return this second wave if you will of Jews that are going to now return to Jerusalem and this time the focus will be on Ezra now if you're anything like me you're going to really love Ezra this is an amazing guy we're going to see the focus be specifically for the purpose of teaching God's people both the Word of God and not only the Word of God but also the worship of God and he's going to do this vis a vis the newly rebuilt temple that has now been completed with Zerubabbel and it's been again about 58 60 years there's actually been about 70 years from front to finish there was remember of 15-year gap of time where unneccessarily they had ceased the work because of the opposition and then through the Prophet Haggai there was a prophecy against them that they had built their nice houses while the Temple of the Lord the house of God lay in ruin and so they heeded that to their credit and they began rebuilding the temple and so now again about 60 years has gone by and now Ezra is on the scene Zerubbabel is off the scene presumably at this point it is very possible some believe that he has died so now we have Ezraa and he's going to now teach God's people God's Word but he's going to do so in an entirely new context and by context I mean now the Jews that have returned and are now there in Jerusalem with the newly rebuilt temple are no longer under the rule of Israel's Kings as they had been in the past and even the prior generations this new context this new dynamic if you prefer is now instead of them being under the rule of Israel's Kings they're under the rule of Persia's kings and so now ezra is going to because of his love for God's Word and God's people he is going and that's his motivation that's what motivated Ezra was his love for God's Word and his love for God's people that so much so that he wanted them to know God's Word and not only know God's Word but to apply God's Word while under the rule of a Persian king now please bear with me here because this is something that we've been talking about as of late this was what we had actually talked about in our study through Galatians just this last Sunday and it's that of having the personal experience of seeing God by way of the personal and practical application of His word move in your life very specifically simply by applying the Word of God and what we're about to see is Ezra doing exactly that he's not just teaching them God's Word he's teaching them to apply God's Word very personally very applicable very practically and even very specifically and we're actually going to see a case of that which is very powerful when we get to chapter 8 which again is one of the reasons why I wanted to really get to the teaching I don't know if you've heard this said this way but for me it was kind of a game changer the saying goes like this knowledge is information but wisdom is the application of that information now let me kind of explain that a little bit you can have a knowledge of God's Word that's just information you can know a lot about God's Word but the wisdom comes in the applying of that information that's the application and that's the difference you know when the the gifts of the Spirit you have these companion gifts the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom and they go together and here's how that works you can have a word of knowledge and the word of knowledge is a very specific word a word specifically and fitly spoken prophetically spoken now what are you going to do with it are you going to leave it there right now it's just a word of knowledge are you going to now apply it and use that gift of the word of wisdom okay this is the word of knowledge now this is the wisdom the word of wisdom this is what you do about it this is what you do about that word of knowledge that's the word of wisdom knowledge is just information but wisdom is the application of that information and this is what we're going to see Ezra very practically and specifically do in the applying of God's word because of his love for God's people now think about this and it's we're going to see this as we jump in and we will here in just a moment just one more thing Ezra is going to embark on a treacherous four month long journey for about 900 miles you have to understand travel in that day was treacherous it was dangerous it was perilous and Ezra is going to leave the comfort of where he's at and step out in faith and venture for four long months 900 long miles why for the purpose of teaching God's Word to God's people because of his love for God's Word and his love for God's people so that's where we pick it up now verse 1 now after these things after the events of chapter 6 some fifty eight years prior now we're told it's in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia Ezra the son of Seraiah now please know that I'll try not to butcher these names as I try to pronounce them the son of Azariah the son of Hilkiah the son of Shallum the son of Zadok the son of Ahitub the son of Amariah the son of Azariah the son of Meraioth the son of Zerariah the son of Uzzi the son the son of Bukki that name either way either it's bookie or buki and buki is cute I don't know what I mean what else to say it's like buki come here buki buki buki anyway Bukki the son of Abishua the son of Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the chief priest this Ezra came up from Babylon and he was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses which the Lord God of Israel had given the King granted him all his requests and I want you to pay particular attention to what it says here in the last part of the verse according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him I love that don't you like that don't you want that the hand of the Lord your God to be upon you by the way this mention of the hand of the Lord his God being upon Ezra it's worthy of noting that this phrase will occur a total of six times in the remaining four chapters from chapter 7 through 10 and for good reason it seems that Ezra was a man who was recognized as having the hand of God on his life as the reason for the blessing of God in his life we're going to see actually those dots get connected in a very real way here shortly I point this out for this reason this is perhaps one of the most important truths in all of Scripture concerning God's hand of blessing on our lives the hand of God blessing our lives the hand of God protecting our lives the hand of God directing our lives and certainly this was the case with Ezra verse 7 some of the children of Israel the priests the Levites the singers the gatekeepers and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes and Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month which was in the seventh year of the king on the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem and here it is again according to the good hand of his God upon him for Ezra and I want you again to pay particular attention to verse 10 for Ezra had prepared his heart prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and and by the way this is a big and and to do it and here's another end and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel wow wow how's that one he prepared his heart he prepared his heart prior Oh would to God that verse 10 would be indelibly etched on every single one of our hearts especially those who are pastors and teachers this notion of preparing our heart prior to in anticipation of both hearing and perhaps more importantly doing the Word of God you know what I mean by doing don't you applying not just hearing the Word of God not just teaching the Word of God but doing the Word of God whether we're teaching it or taught it we want to be doers not just hearers in one ear out the other have you ever noticed I know this is kind of silly but think about this have you ever noticed that we have eyelids right we don't have ear lids I think about the seven letters to the churches in Revelation by the way all seven churches very different you can't take the letter to the Church in Laodicea or of the Laodiceans better said and apply it to the Church of Philadelphia or the Church of Smyrna that message was just for that church in other words God has a different message for every different church you can't have this cookie cutter approach but there's one uniformity and similarity with all seven letters they all end with this let him who hath an ear that's rhetorical you not only have an ear you have two let him who hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches you know what's interesting in the Old Testament replete throughout the Old Testament you'll you'll read this hear hear o Israel it comes in through the ear gate you hear the word of the Lord that's where it starts but that's not where it stops that's where it starts that's just the beginning but you are a hearer of the word and then you need to be a doer of God's Word and again please keep in mind this is what Ezra wanted more than anything for God's people and this is the heart of a true leader a true teacher they want so much for God's people to taste of the Lord and to see that He is good they want God's people to experience firsthand what it's like to have something very specific from God's Word applied to their lives and see the mighty hand of God move in their life in such a powerful way that they're never the same again it changes them like on Sunday we were talking about it ruins them you're ruined you're spoiled when you've tasted that you know what it's like it's like you taste lobster or a juicy steak I know it's going to make some people drool and hungry but you taste something so good you're just ruined I mean you can't eat anything else because you've tasted the real thing you've tasted of the Lord and you've seen that He is good you've seen Him do things that only He can do and He did it exactly as He said He would do it in His word and it came by way of being a doer of his word very practical very specific you know James and I know you're familiar with this passage in chapter 1 verses 22 through 25 James draws upon a very interesting analogy in describing the difference between being merely a here and not a doer of God's Word he says this verse 22 but be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves what you know what that means right if you're only a hearer and not a doer of God's Word you're deceived you're self deceived into thinking that you only need to hear God's Word that's deception and that means that you and I have this propensity to believe our own deception to believe our own lies the lie that all I need to do is just read God's Word hear God's Word no you're deceived if you think that you only need to hear God's Word you're deceived if you're not a doer of God's Word and he says this verse 23 for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer this is what he's like listen to this he's like a man observing his natural face in a mirror for he observes himself goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was baut he who looks into the perfect law of Liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the Word this one will be blessed in what he does did you see that connection okay watch this so now I've applied God's Word and because I've applied God's Word as a doer of God's Word then I'll have the blessing the hand of God's blessing upon my life like it was on Ezra that's the why behind the what now check this out with the mirror this is perfect this is brilliant this is by the Holy Spirit right the law of God the Word of God is likened unto a mirror and here's how that works so you look into the mirror of God's Word and what do you see you see yourself as God sees you as you really are this is where that deception comes in right so you can look into the mirror and you always shed yourself in a favorable light but when you look in the perfect law of God's Word you can't get away with that because it shows you you in the mirror of God's Word and oh by the way spoiler alert I'm a sinner I'm a sinner I need a Savior I need a Savior I need a Savior I'm a dirty rotten stinking sinner I guess that's you know the Ten Commandments Exodus 20 whoa commandment number one okay I broke that one commandment number two I really broke that one commandment number three commandment number four there's even commandment that aren't in there that I broke them I've broken every single one of them and that's the point the law was not given for us to keep it the law was given for us to see that were lawbreakers and that we need the Savior the law the perfect law of God takes us by the hand as a schoolmaster takes us by the hand now that we've seen our true condition as we really are it shows us us in our true condition and now we're ready we're ready we want for the schoolmaster to take us by the hand to the Savior because now we realize I'm a sinner okay here's another just real quick I look at myself in the mirror and I see okay I got to do something about this first thing in the morning okay there's hair where there shouldn't be there's hair where there's no hair where there used to be can't do anything about that I need to brush this shave that comb this what's left of that anyway in other words I see myself in the mirror and I do something about what I see and that's what James is saying you see yourself in the mirror now you need to do something about it that's the applying the application of the information that you have just now seen I've got some information now ah it's not good we've got a problem I need to do something about that which I'm seeing here and that's when you become a doer of God's Word and when you're a doer of God's Word you are blessed in all that you do because of it verse 11 this is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest the scribe notice expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD and of His statutes to Israel he was very skilled we're going to see this again Artaxerxes verse 12 king of kings not capitalized don't worry to Ezra the priest a scribe of the law of the God of heaven perfect peace and so forth I issued a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and the Levites in my realm who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem may go up with you and whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the law of your God it's not not the Persian God your God which is in your hand and whereas verse 15 you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel whose dwelling is in Jerusalem and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon along with the free will offering of the people and the priests are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem how interesting is that now therefore be careful to buy with this money bulls rams and lambs with their grain offerings and their drink offerings and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem and verse 18 whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold do it according to the will of your God also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem and it gets better verse 20 whatever more may be needed for the house of your God which you may have occasion to provide pay for it from the king's treasury put it on my tab tell me how much it's going to cost consider it and I even I verse 21 Artaxerxes the King issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the river that whatever Ezra the priest the scribe of the law of the God of heaven may require of you let it be done diligently up to one hundred talents of silver that's a lot of silver I'm going to have to get with Tom afterwards but I'm thinking that that's like three tons of silver think about that three tons of silver one hundred kors of wheat one hundred baths of wine one hundred baths of oil and salt without prescribed limit whatever is commanded by the God of heaven let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven for why should this is interesting why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons in other words I don't want this coming back on me my hands are clean i'm issuing this decree for your God for your house the house of the God of heaven in Jerusalem and verse 24 also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax tribute or custom on any of the priests Levites are tax exempt how cool is that singers gatekeepers Nethinim or servants of this house of God okay that's quite something isn't it a couple thoughts most interesting decree and very generous right on the part of this Persian King King Artaxerxes but we do kind of have a problem here and the problem is is that Ezra and we're going to talk about this in a moment but he's going to be travelling with an enormous amount of wealth in the form of silver and gold and even money he's given him money as well in verse 23 the reason i mentioned that it's kind of interesting is because we get a glimpse into the motive of this Persian king it seems that he wants to appease this God of Israel as actually was the custom in the day but wisely so he does not want anything to come upon him because he readily admits and acknowledges that this is the God of heaven which is remarkable in and of itself the second thought and this what I want to actually kind of draw your attention to as we bring chapter 7 to a close it has to do with the peril that Ezra and all of those who are returning with him to Jerusalem face they are think about this they are prime targets for the many thieves and there are many thieves along the way in this treacherous 900 mile journey now I'm going to pose a question and we're going to get this question answered for us in a very profound way in chapter 8 but here's the question how did they safely complete this journey without being robbed nothing was taken we're going to see that at the end of chapter 8 they had an accounting of everything oh by the way these are not just the men that are travelling which we're going to see in chapter 8 as well the numbers of those men who they were ah but their wives and their children with them as well now think about that you're taking this journey as perilous and dangerous as it is and you've got that much wealth with you and these bandits are waiting just waiting for someone like this to make a journey like this well hang on to that and we'll come back to that verse 25 and you Ezra according to your God-given wisdom set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the river all such as know the laws of your God and teach those who do not know that you've got a Persian king telling Ezra you need to teach them the Word of God okay alright so teach those who do not know them whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king who had judgment be executed speedily on him whether it be death or banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment okay where I come from they call that a deterrent a deterrent verse 27 blessed be the Lord God of our fathers who has put such a thing as this in the Kings heart to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem and has extended mercy to me speaking of Ezra before the king and his counselors and before all the kings mighty princes so I Ezra speaking was encouraged and here it is again as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me and I gather leading men of Israel to go up with me this is amazing you know what Ezra does here he acknowledges and is thankful and grateful for the grace and the mercy of the king and how King Artaxerxes had issued this decree but it doesn't come at the expense of giving God the glory he's not in any way glorifying this king he's he's acknowledging the king's generosity the king's grace the king's mercy but all the glory goes to the Lord as it should be the glory belongs only to the Lord no flesh shall glory in His presence also notice in verse 28 where we're told that Ezra was encouraged why was he encouraged he was encouraged because God was blessing him the hand of God's blessing was upon his life now why again I'm asking why again was this man so blessed because he was a doer of God's Word the blessing of God in his life the hand of God upon his life was because of the love for and the application of the word of God in his life is that too simple sometimes I speak of myself it seems like it's so simple that it's too simple think about this God wants to bless us I imagine God looking for ways waiting on standby as it were for opportunities just anything at any time He wants to bless His people it's not that He won't its that sometimes He can't He can't bless His oh He wants to bless us even I believe sometimes more than we ourselves want to be blessed but He can't He's looking for ways to bless us and if we would but obey Him please Him be a doer of God's word then God's blessing will come that's just how it works now Ezra I believe knew that all the King had done for him and that's quite a bit wouldn't you agree that it came only which is why he gives all the glory to God it came only because the hand of the Lord had not only blessed him the hand of God was not only upon him but the hand of God was also upon the King the hand of God was directing and turning and moving the Kings heart in the direction that God pleased this is proverbs 21:1 the King's heart listen the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord oh well that explains it like the rivers of water he turns it wherever he wishes boy is this not apropos for today in the United States of America and the President of the United States of America president Trump God's hand directs presidents and kings and rulers Obama are you telling me that God's hand directed and turned the heart of an Obama a Clinton a Bush absolutely yeah but why would God do that Oh God will turn the hearts of any ruler any king any president because in the end it serves His purpose it fulfills and completes His perfect plan His ways are too high for our understanding His ways are not our ways His thoughts are not our thoughts Isaiah says all right it's going to get interesting here Ezra 8 verse 1 if you'll just bear with me on these head counts these are the heads of their fathers houses and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Ezra speaking from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes of the sons of Phineas Gershom of the sons of Ithamar Daniel of the sons of David Hattush the sons of Shecanaiah of the sons of Parosh Zechariah and registered with him were 150 males this is going to come into play here in a moment of the sons of Pahath-Moab Eliehoenai the son of Zechariah with him two hundred males and the sons verse five of Shechaniah Ben-Jahaziel and with him three hundred males of the sons of Adin Ebed the son of Jonathan and with him 50 males of the sons verse seven of Elam Jeshaiah of the son of Athaliah and with him seventy males of the sons of Shephatiah Zebadiah the son of Michael and we eighty males of the sons of Joab Obadiah the son of Jehiel and with him 218 males this is kind of specific yeah of the sons verse 10 of Shelomith Ben-Josiphiah and with him 160 males you're thinking to yourself are you going to keep reading all of these yeah just hang in there of the sons of Bebai Zechariah the son of Bebai the sons of Azgad Johanan the son of Hakkatan and with him 110 males of the last sons of Adonikam whose names are these Eliphelet Jeiel and Shemaiah and with them 60 males also of the sons of Bigvai Uthai and Zabbud and with them seventy males now verse 15 I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava and we camped there three days and I looked among the people and the priests and found none of the sons of Levi there wow then I sent for Eliezer Ariel Shemaiah Elnathan Jarib Elnathan Nathan Zechariah and Meshullam leaders also for Joiarib and Elnathan men of understanding verse 17 and I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia and I told them what they should say to Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim at the place Casiphia that they should bring us servants for the house of our God apparently we have no Levites so they have to bring some servants right then and here it is again by the good hand of our God upon us I'm starting to really like that they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mahli son of Levi the son of Israel namely Sherebiah with his sons and brothers 18 men and Hashabiah and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari this is the brother of Ferrari the luxury exotic car manufacturer you're still with me right so I just want to make sure his brothers and their sons 20 men also of the Nethinim whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites 220 Netinim all of them were designated by name wow okay why in the world do we have and this detail and need to know who came how many men there were there's no counting of the women and children these are the men the heads and if my math is right the total of the men not again including the women or the children was about 1,500 1,500 1,500 men returned with Ezra to Jerusalem which is less than the numbers of those who returned to Jerusalem in the first wave under Zerubbabel in fact its considerably less in fact there was about 50 five zero not 50 5-0 thousand 50 thousand men not just women and children men that returned from captivity under Zerubbabel in the first wave of Jews returning to Jerusalem and now there's only 1,500 what's up with that well you see it on the screen here's the thought all the Jews that remained there that didn't accept the invitation to take this step of faith and it was a step of faith I'll give them that they were too comfortable where they were at you go I'm gonna stay you know my roots are kind of I'm kind of established here I'm not going to go and only 1500 men said I'll go here am i Lord send me oh by the way I wonder in the end who regretted their decision do you think that those who returned to Jerusalem regretted no do you think that those who didn't regret it you better believe they did who were the ones that were blessed the ones who returned isn't it true that as the writer of Hebrews says that it's without faith it's impossible to please God you know I think about when we took the step of faith to come here start all over and start this church it was scary and I'm shared you know very candidly about how you know the first two years I thought oh my goodness Lord what have I done I thought I had made the worst decision of my life and now thirteen years later I can't even imagine not having taken that step of faith and being here and seeing the hand of God's blessing on this ministry because I was willing to leave and come and start all over take that step of faith I really believe that if without faith it's impossible to please God that with faith we are very pleasing to God He is so pleased when we step out in faith it's almost like He can't resist blessing us He is so pleased that He blesses those and such is the case here what's up with the Levites though we're told that the Levites when Ezra it's kind of detailed the narrative is detailed we're told that he's looking around he's got the there's 1500 men okay they're doing the count okay there's 180 from this man there's 150 here 200 and some here he's counting he's going wait a minute where the these are the priests man these are the pastors these are the servants where are they they're nowhere to be found why well they too it seems had become too comfortable and their roots had been dug down too deep in the soil of Babylon that's the only explanation that I can come up with I mean that's what you kind of can surmise from their conspicuous absence you know the reason I point this out is because this is one of the biggest problems that leaders face in the church today there is so much work to do there's so much of God's work in furthering God's kingdom and there's no men there's no men who are willing to do it on Sunday we talked about this in Matthew's Gospel chapter 9 verse 35 we're told that Jesus as He was going about all the cities and villages and He was teaching in their synagogues preaching the gospel of the kingdom healing every sickness and every disease among the people but like Ezra when he saw the multitudes like Ezra saw the men 1,500 men when Jesus saw the multitudes He was moved with compassion for them why because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no Shepherd now picture the scene He turns to His disciples and listen to what He tells them He said to his disciples the harvest truly is plentiful but here's the problem the laborers are few therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest this analogy example comparison of the harvest would have meant a lot to them in that day in that culture I grew up in a small farm town and at the time of the harvest the wheat harvest it was so urgent and they would hire us kids out of school and in order to get the crops in so they wouldn't lose the crops they would delay starting school that's how serious it was because if you didn't get that harvest in you lose the crops you see the connection it's so urgent the day in which we live we're going to lose people pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest while there's still time before it's too late the wheat when it was ready it was golden you would look out over those wheat fields and the waves of the wheat fields as they would move back and forth with the wind that's the grain that's the bread that's the livelihood and you could lose it all you could lose it all if you don't have laborers to bring in the harvest it's ready it's ready it's ready we need laborers well verse 21 and here's what I've really been looking forward to appreciate your patience Ezra speaking and this is what he says then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava that we might and I want you to pay particular attention to what he says here because it's going to be germane to our understanding of this he says that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions the little children for I was ashamed verse 22 to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road because we had spoken to the king saying the hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him in other words I already told the King God's got this God's hand is on us so verse 23 we fasted and entreated our God for this and these five words I love these five words I love these five words I love these five words and He answered our prayer okay this is the answer remember the question that was on the table that heretofore has remained unanswered the aforementioned question of how did they safely travel and make that 900 mile long treacherous journey without being robbed how did they do that Oh answer they humbled themselves in prayer and fasting prayer and fasting Ezra declared a public fast for God to grant them safe passage instead of trusting in the king to provide an escort now stay with me Nehemiah when we get to Nehemiah he had a military escort from the king no problem nothing wrong with that but Ezra had already told the king that God's hand was upon him now I want to recommend an outstanding book on the subject of prayer and fasting it's by Derek Prince who's now home with the Lord went home to be with the Lord in 2003 the title of it it's not going to be you know the title is uncomfortable because anytime you talk about prayer and fasting I mean I'd rather you know let's be honest and you're a lot like me I'm going to venture to say wouldn't you much rather get a book and buy a book that's titled seven keys to a happy life can we talk you know this you know this book is titled shaping history through prayer and fasting I think I've shared this and I maybe tonight's not the time but maybe a topic for another time I've shared how that God is bringing me to that place in my walk with Him where I'm learning anew the power of prayer and fasting do you how powerful prayer and fasting is I cannot even begin to tell you and you know one of the things that and I've heard men of God in fact Derek Prince there's a YouTube video of teaching of his that is just I mean wow just wow that's the only word I can come up with and here's a guy that would fast one day a week this isn't legalism please don't don't don't do that okay he would fast one day a week he said there was a season in his life where he got so busy and he couldn't fast and he said it was disastrous and he never stopped fasting again you know that's just what God had called him to do but because of what he was doing and the ministry that God had called him to he fasted and prayed one and by the way there's different kinds of fast and don't you have to be careful with this because medically you could actually you know could be dangerous and there are fasts where you just you know liquids only you fast from certain types of foods you fast you abstain from deny yourself of those you know foods that you really love you know you know what I'm talking about right sometimes it's just you know a vegetable fast no meat I mean there's different kinds of fasting when I fast I'll just do a liquid fast and no food oh it's so hard but you know you deny yourself you deny yourself and here's what happens when you fast you humble yourself and I want to talk about the connection between humility and fasting more in just a moment but I want to share with you a little bit about what he says because in it he refers to this passage in Ezra that we just read and listen to what he writes Ezra did something that you and I sometimes do by testifying to the king he put himself in a position where he had to live up to his own testimony you know have you ever done that where you said my God will provide oh God You're going to provide right that's kind of what happened here he says to the king our God will grant us safe passage oh God you're going to provide us safe passage right we don't want to get robbed he writes by testifying to the king he put himself in a position where he had to live up to his own testimony he had told the king we are the servants of the living God our God protects us and supplies our needs they had to make a long journey through country infested by savage tribes and by bandits in addition to their wives and children they had with them the sacred vessels of the temple what a prey for bandits the question arose how were they to be protected on their way from Babylon to Jerusalem should Ezra go to the king and asked him for an escort of soldiers and horsemen no doubt that King would have granted this request but Ezra felt ashamed to make it because he had already testified to the king that their God the true and living God would protect those who served Him at this point Ezra and the returning exiles made a vital decision they would not rely on soldiers and horsemen for their protection but on the supernatural power of God there would not have been anything morally wrong in accepting an escort from the king but it would have been depending on carnal means instead by collective prayer and fasting they committed themselves to seeking their help and protection solely from the spiritual realm of God's power and God honored it God honored it he goes on to write and this is really interesting I didn't know about this the pilgrims used this very passage in Ezra that we just read where Ezra declared a public fast the pilgrims this very passage used that to declare a public fast prior to their safe passage to America which in and of itself was a treacherous journey as well Prince writes this very interesting listen one distinctive practice employed by the pilgrims to achieve their spiritual goals was that of united public prayer and fasting let me just say this parenthetically I and I speak of myself as a pastor pastor and church have yet to see the power of God in a public declaration of prayer and fasting I believe that we would just be so changed for life if we were ever to be a part of a public time of prayer and fasting we could see God do miracles and oh by the way God does miracles God does miracles he says of Ezra being ready to depart they had of the pilgrims being ready to depart they had a day of solemn humiliation taking this text from Ezra 8:21 Prince notes that the use of the word humiliation indicates that the pilgrims understood the spiritual connection the scriptural connection the scriptural connection to what fasting and humility when you fast you're humbling yourself before God what does God say about the humble He gives grace to the humble He exalts the humble He humbles the exalted He exalts the humble please know that there is this inseparable connection between humbly oneself when one fasts when you fast you humble yourself before God it's self humbling this connection between fasting and self humbling interesting to note God doesn't humble you there's nowhere in the Bible where you're going to say where you're going to read God will humble you no it always says humble yourself humble yourself in the sight of the Lord now as one set that's not to say that God may not deem it necessary to humiliate you when you're proud but God will not humble you you have to humble yourself how do you humble yourself fasting is not prayer does not prayer require humility oh effective prayer you know prayer that doesn't bounce off the ceiling you know we can pray with arrogance that doesn't hear those prayers He resists the proud He knows the proud from afar off He when there's pride God just says get away from Me I can't I won't hear that prayer if there's pride but when we humble ourselves in prayer and fasting and we humble ourselves it's like God okay what do you need oh I need safe passage I got my wife and my children and we got all of these men and their families we've got all of this gold and all of this silver and all of this money and I told the king that You'll protect us and so will You do that yes and that's what they did and that's what the pilgrims did they did it in Holland when they left England before they came to America based on Ezra chapter 8 they declared this public fast the choice of the text from Ezra is singularly appropriate both in motivation and an experience there is a close parallel between the pilgrims embarking on their journey to the New World and Ezra's company of exiles returning from Babylon to Jerusalem to help in the restoration of the temple one last thing on fasting and I want to quote G. Campbell Morgan and Adam Clarke on Ezra very good fasting does not convince God or talk God into doing what you want Him to do that's not fasting is fasting is saying okay Lord I humble myself before you and I remember when that the disciples tried to cast a demon out of a boy and the dad's like you guys stop you're killing me here so the dad takes the boy to Jesus and the disciples are going Jesus we couldn't cast this demon out of this boy makes you wonder what in the world did you do to this kid right and Jesus says something very interesting He says hey guys this only comes out by prayer and fasting prayer and fasting fasting is a humbling of oneself there's actually I want to talk about that one more time in Psalms G. Campbell Morgan said this about Ezra God never fails those who act in full dependence on himself and so in complete independence of all others and that's what happens when you fast you're saying to the Lord Lord I'm completely relying upon You I'm denying myself I'm humbling myself I'm crying out to You I'm looking to You I'm trusting in You Oh music to the ears of God that's exactly what He wants to hear not because He's God and I want you to come to that place where you have to trust Him no I want to bless you I want to bless you I want to protect you you think I want you to get robbed are you kidding me Adam Clarke had this to say thus we see that this good man speaking of Ezra had more anxiety for the glory of God than for his own personal safety wow how's that one he cared more about God getting all the glory we're trusting in our God for safe passage King he had more concern for the glory of God than he did for his own safety wow that's faith that's faith Psalm 35 verse 13 you might want to mark this down and then maybe take some time with it later this is the connection between fasting and humbling one's self Psalm 35 verse 13 yet when they were ill I put on sackcloth and humbled myself how with fasting how did you did you humble yourself with fasting that's how you humble yourself yeah with fasting and listen to this when my prayers returned to me unanswered what you mean that the prayers heretofore without fasting weren't answered yeah so when my prayers returned to me unanswered that's when when I humbled myself with fasting that means that when he humbled himself with fasting those prayers no longer returned unanswered can I say it this way when you fast and pray when you humble yourself before God with fascinating He'll answer that prayer I can testify I can testify in my own personal life that when I have prayed and fasted God has answered that prayer because I fasted I fasted prayer and fasting well let's move on verse 24 we'll bring it to an end and I separated 12 of the leaders of the priests Sherebiah Hashabiah ten of their brethren with them and weighed out to them the silver the gold the article's the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes and all Israel who were present had offered I weighed into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver that's a lot of silver that might be tons too silver articles weighing 100 talents one hundred talents of gold wow twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas two vessels of fine polished bronze precious as gold and I said to them you are holy to the Lord the articles are holy also and the silver and the gold are a free will offering to the Lord God of your father's watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of the priests and the Levites and the heads of the fathers houses of Israel and Jerusalem in the chambers of the house of the Lord so verse 30 the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God what's going on here what's this about well this is and speaks to an important biblical principle having to do with financial accountability that's what's going on here I don't know if it's possible to overstate the importance of this especially when it comes to the ministry within the local church let me say and I hope you know this that we as a church have numerous checks and balances to ensure financial integrity here at Calvary Chapel Kaneohe no check over five hundred dollars can have only one signature on it has to have two signatures we have two or more people counting the tithes and offerings and there's a signature there we have all of these checks and balances and it's for their protection too and we are very careful when it comes to financial integrity by the way I think I've mentioned this before I don't know who gives how much I don't want to know I don't want to know that because that's you know that's between you and the Lord that's between you and the Lord right so we have all of those kinds of checks and balances in place for the purpose of financial accountability well verse 31 then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem and here it is again the hand of our God was upon us and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road so we came to Jerusalem and stayed there three days now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest and with him was Eleazar the son of Phineas with them were the Levites Josabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui with the number and weight of everything all the weight was written down at that time exactly as was needing to happen the children verse 35 of those who had been carried away captive who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings of the God of Israel twelve bulls for all Israel ninety-six Rams seventy seven lambs and twelve male goats as a sin offering all this was a burnt offering to the Lord and they delivered the King's orders to the King satraps and the governors in the region beyond the river so they gave support to the people and the house of God and that's how the chapter ends it ends with this accounting of all the silver all the gold as well as an accounting of all the burnt offerings that were made to God unless anyone think that this is just again nebulous information let me hasten to say it's here for a reason very good reason and that very good reason is and you'll notice this in when we read free will offering they gave freely can I say this they gave cheerfully and God loves a cheerful giver and to me that marks a profound change in the hearts of God's people those 1500 men and all their families who arrived safely after praying and fasting and seeing the hand of God protect them supernaturally I imagine they had the heavenly hosts encamped around about them flaming swords nobody dare mess with them God was protecting them and they arrived safely and they knew God got them soon safely because God answered their prayer and their fasting and they're praising God for all that He had done His hand upon them there His blessing upon them and they wanted to give to God joyfully cheerfully thank You God a free will offering You have been so good to us here we are back in Jerusalem the temple is rebuilt You have provided so much and so they give of these offerings you know giving changes the heart of the giver giving changes the heart of the giver and this is how we end the Bible study why don't you stand and we'll pray Father in Heaven I thank You so much for all that was here in these two chapters Lord I am particularly moved by this account of their prayer and fasting Lord I just would ask that as a church that we would really take this to heart just the power of praying and fasting even publicly as a church praying together and even fasting together to see what You would do as we humble ourselves before You Lord thank You in Jesus' name Amen

Channel: J.D. Farag

Views: 6,081

Rating: 4.7241378 out of 5

Keywords: Ezra, Prayer, Joy, Bible, Hope, Love, Help, Free, Depressed, Life, Strength, Peace, Truth, Happiness, Rest, Harmony, Light, Freedom, Happy, Old Testament, Salvation, Forgiveness, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Lord, Jesus, Pastor, Grace, Mercy, Ministry, Messiah, Heavenly Father, Hebrew, Preaching, Teaching

Id: VQoReUwBfEg

Length: 72min 36sec (4356 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 04 2017