Ezra 2:1-70

Details are important to the Lord.  There are times when I wonder why there are so many details recorded in Scripture that seem to be meaningless to us today.  As we read through the list of the number of sons of the families of Israel that returned from exile, we recognize far less than half of them and we really don’t care a whole lot about how many from each family returned.  That may be just the point.  God does know every name on this list and every name of the forty two thousand people represented in those numbers.  Not only does God know all those names and numbers, He also cares deeply about every single one of them.  He also knows and cares about every single one of us.  That is the wonder of knowing and serving our sovereign and loving Lord.

THE FAMILIES OF ISRAEL RETURNED TO THE LAND: There are many names listed in this chapter of many families and the number from each family who decided to return.  However, it is important to remember that Cyrus permitted anyone who wanted to go to return to the land that had been promised to them.  This list only represents a fraction of the number of the people of Israel that were in captivity.  The reality of the situation is that there were many people from these and other families that had become comfortable in captivity and simply decided to stay where they were as opposed to returning to a broken and unprotected land.  They made the safe and comfortable choice and they are not listed in Scripture.  They missed out on an opportunity to be a part of what God was doing because they had become comfortable with where they were.  God continues to be at work in the world and he gives us the opportunity to participate in His mission.  It is an honor to be a part of what God is doing and we must never allow our comforts or our fears to keep us from His work.


THE FAMILIES OF ISRAEL CONTRIBUTED TO THE LORD: When the families arrived in Jerusalem they made contributions to the work of rebuilding the temple according to their abilities.  It was once again their privilege to be a part of what God was doing through their presence but as well as through their giving.  They were focused on the priority that they had for returning: to build the house of God.  Even before they build homes for themselves, they wanted to rebuild the house of God.  How many times do we put the work of the Lord above our own comfort and providing for our own families?  This was a special group of people who returned.  God continues to look for men and women like these that are not only willing to go to do the work of the Lord, but are also happy to be able to give of their resources to the Lord.

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