The Jews Return Home
When Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, in 606 BCE, the people were taken away captives. When the first of them returned to Jerusalem, in 538, they returned as captives. They were still subject to the king of Persia and they were escorted by the Persian army. The total number of people who returned in the first expedition is 42,360; 30,143 of those could prove their lineage.
In the Book of Esther, we learn that Persia had 127 satrapies (provinces). Esther 1:1. The words, these are the sons of the province, Ezra 2:1, tell us that, in a political sense, Judah was a province just like any other country that Persia ruled.
In the seventh month of the year of their return, the people started rebuilding the altar on which to worship Jehovah. In the second month of the second year they started rebuilding the temple, Ezra 3:8.
The ancient men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. It just did not measure up to their expectations or to the grandeur of Solomon's temple. And many of the younger people shouted aloud for joy because they had a place to worship so that the people could not tell the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people. 3:12-13.
The ancient men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. It just did not measure up to their expectations or to the grandeur of Solomon's temple. And many of the younger people shouted aloud for joy because they had a place to worship so that the people could not tell the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people. 3:12-13.
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity built the temple to Jehovah, the God of Israel, ... they came to Zerubbabel ... and said, ... let us build with you, for we seek your God, even as you. But Zerubbabel, ... said to them, You have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God. But we ourselves together will build to Jehovah, the God of Israel. Later Christ warned his disciples, Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Mat.7:15.
Just because the enemies know all the right religious words to use at the right time does not make them Christians. We must always be careful not to let religious sounding people with low moral standards infiltrate the Christian community!
Just because the enemies know all the right religious words to use at the right time does not make them Christians. We must always be careful not to let religious sounding people with low moral standards infiltrate the Christian community!
Troubles Will Come
Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. And they hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. Ezra 4:1-5. They even sent a letter to Cyrus stating that the Jews were building a walled city so that they would be in position for an uprising against the king, just like they had done earlier. The king investigated and, sure enough, history fit the accusation, and so Cyrus sent an order for the Israelites to stop building their city. So it ceased to the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. 4:24.
However, the Israelites were not content to just be sitting around and not working on the temple, so they resumed the work without the king's permission. This time Tatnai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates, ... came to them and said this to them, Who has commanded you to build this house and to make this wall? They told him, Ask the king to look in the records and he will see that Cyrus gave us permission to finish the temple and the walls of the city. Not only that, he promised to pay for it. 5:10-17. By then Darius was king, and he did check the record and found the claim of the Israelites to be true. He gave them the official "go ahead".
About 60-70 years pass and there is another new king in Persia, Artaxerxes; who is also known as Ahasuerus, in the story of Esther. In the seventh year of this king's reign, Ezra led the second expedition from Babylon to Jerusalem. He was a ready scribe in the Law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel had given. 7:6.
Ezra is the author of the book with his name, but it is not until 7:28 that he changes from speaking of himself in the third person to the personal pronoun.
At the end of these things, the rulers of Israel came to me, Ezra, saying, The people of Israel, ... have not separated themselves from the people of the lands. ... For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons. So the holy seed has mixed themselves with the people of those lands. 9:1-2. Ezra took this condemnation of the Israelites very seriously. He said about himself, I tore my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down stricken dumb. 9:3. It was not until the evening sacrifice that he was able to speak.
However, the Israelites were not content to just be sitting around and not working on the temple, so they resumed the work without the king's permission. This time Tatnai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates, ... came to them and said this to them, Who has commanded you to build this house and to make this wall? They told him, Ask the king to look in the records and he will see that Cyrus gave us permission to finish the temple and the walls of the city. Not only that, he promised to pay for it. 5:10-17. By then Darius was king, and he did check the record and found the claim of the Israelites to be true. He gave them the official "go ahead".
About 60-70 years pass and there is another new king in Persia, Artaxerxes; who is also known as Ahasuerus, in the story of Esther. In the seventh year of this king's reign, Ezra led the second expedition from Babylon to Jerusalem. He was a ready scribe in the Law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel had given. 7:6.
Ezra is the author of the book with his name, but it is not until 7:28 that he changes from speaking of himself in the third person to the personal pronoun.
At the end of these things, the rulers of Israel came to me, Ezra, saying, The people of Israel, ... have not separated themselves from the people of the lands. ... For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons. So the holy seed has mixed themselves with the people of those lands. 9:1-2. Ezra took this condemnation of the Israelites very seriously. He said about himself, I tore my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down stricken dumb. 9:3. It was not until the evening sacrifice that he was able to speak.
Not that long ago, in the Christian churches, we were told that Christians must not marry non-Christians. Where is that message now? Now "we," say, well, if she is honest, doesn't smoke or drink too much, you may marry her. According to Christian theology, there is still a humongous difference between being "born again" and simply living a good life.
There was a time when some pastors would not perform the marriage ceremony unless both, bride and groom, claimed to be born again. These days that point seems to be insignificant to some preachers. Those preachers should again read the last two chapters of the Book of Ezra. The people of Israel ... have not separated themselves from the people of the lands. ... For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons. So the holy seed has mixed themselves with the people of those lands. With so many unequal unions, Christians married to non-Christians, in its membership, it is really no wonder that the church has lost its vitality!
Among the laws laid down by Moses we find this one; When Jehovah your God shall bring you into the land where you go to possess it, ... You shall make no covenant with them ... Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter to your son. For they will turn away your son from following Me, so that they may serve other gods. Deu 7:3-4.
In that situation, it sounds like a racial thing, but actually, it was not. It was not because they were a different race, but since they were a different race they also served different gods. That is where the hang-up was.
In the Christian church, there is (should be) no argument against interracial marriages. The hang-up is and must continue to be, do not marry those who do not share your basic beliefs, it leads to trouble if you are to remain true to your system of beliefs.
In that situation, it sounds like a racial thing, but actually, it was not. It was not because they were a different race, but since they were a different race they also served different gods. That is where the hang-up was.
In the Christian church, there is (should be) no argument against interracial marriages. The hang-up is and must continue to be, do not marry those who do not share your basic beliefs, it leads to trouble if you are to remain true to your system of beliefs.
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