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Ezra chapter 2 includes a genealogical record of the returnees to Jerusalem. Join Reverend Daniel as he unpacks the significance of this in their time and the significance to us today.

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Can we remember last week what was being shared? The last sermon by Pastor Way actually beginners on the sermon series of the book of Ezra Nehemiah. So the central theme or central idea was uh it's actually captured in Ezra chapter 1, verse 5. It's about the return of uh those who were exiled and they came because God had stirred up their hearts to return. So today uh it doesn't deviate very much from that theme, but we will look further into Ashra chapter 2. More details are being given to us about the identification of those who return and what the signific what is the significance of those names and the people who return. So Ashra 2 speaks of uh helps us to identify the returnees this way. It says in Ashra 2 verse 1, the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles. So it's a pretty long sentence. The people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles. So this were how this is how the author identified the people. So this kind of marks a beginning, a new chapter in Israel's journey as the people of God. And it has its background in the experience of exile. So without exile, without an understanding of what the people went through in the exile times, or even to understand uh the story of how they landed there, we will not be able to fully appreciate what the return means. So uh the first uh two areas I like to share with with us is for those who were returning, the returnees are the true Israel, in the sense that those who have decided to uh forsake their life in Babylon and move up, make the effort to so-called even uproot their entire families and come and return to their homeland, which is in Israel. So they are the true Israel, firstly connected by kinship. And we see that very pronounced, we will see later, in all the denilation of the details of the genealogical records, uh, is aimed to show us that all these people that came up, they are not uh uh Madame Lucy or Mr. Harry, but they are people connected by family genealogy. So it serves as a record, as a binding record of the ones coming and returning and beginning a new chapter in the history of Israel. So firstly, they are connected by kinship, and secondly, they are the ones who are the legitimate heirs of the covenant promises of old. So, firstly, how are the returnees the legitimate heirs of the covenant promises of old? You see, the covenant promises uh in for Israel is always traced back to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 verse 1 to 3, in which God called Abraham and made promises to him that he will make him into a great nation, and God will bless Abraham and make his name great. And the main purpose for in Genesis 12 verse 1 to 3 for calling him, blessing him, and making his name great is so that in in and through Abraham, all the families of the earth will be blessed. So it can be said that Genesis 12 verse 1 to 3 is a very key chapter in the book of the Bible that unfolds the story of Israel all the way until the end of the Old Testament and up to the coming of Jesus. So, on the same note, uh in the story of Abraham, God had also mentioned to Abraham in Genesis chapter 15, verse 13 to 14, that he and his offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs. There'll be servants there, and they will be afflicted for 400 years. As early as Genesis 15, verse 13 to 14, uh, God spoke to Abraham and tell him this. But the assurance is afterward they shall come out with great possessions. So this refers to the time of Israel's slavery in Egypt. So God eventually delivered the Israelites through uh another pivotal figure in the history of Israel, which is Moses, through Moses, and he brought them out in great numbers, led them personally through his visible, tangible presence by day, by a cloud, by day, and by a fire by night. So the story goes on, Abraham, and then we move on to Moses, who delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, and it was only under David, King David, who was called a man after God's own heart, that Israel finally fought off the remaining Philistines and the remaining uh uh so-called enemies or people of the land, and it's only under Solomon that Israel achieved her golden age. It was the time of Solomon, a time of great rest and prosperity, where Israel wrested from all her enemies. And I think one of I think 1st Kings or 2 Kings records for us that it was there that their numbers also grew and increased. And it is a fulfillment of Genesis 12, verse 1 to 3. But a turning point happens again because Solomon, in his wealth and prosperity, and abundance and the blessings uh bestowed on him, he did not need to uh fight any wars, he was born, you know, for the purpose of you know just inheriting the kingship from David and he experienced much prosperity and wealth. King Solomon is a life worth studying, helping us to see that not always having abundance and prosperity will make us better people. Because we soon learn that in the biblical story that Solomon turned away from the Lord and turned aside to foreign wives that led him away from God. And we will see a parallel later in a study of our book, of the book of Eshra and Nehemiah, why intermarriage was such a big issue for the returning community. Because uh, when you trace many descendants back, Solomon was the one that started the trend of intermarriage uh that caused the Israel, caused Israel to turn away from the Lord. So eventually the northern kingdom of Israel was overran by Assyria in 7 to 1 BC, and the southern kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC. So 2 Kings chapter 25, verse 9 to 12 tells us that when the captain of the bodyguard, the servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem, he burned down the house of the Lord and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every great house he burned down, and he took the people captive, and what remained were the poorest of the land that remained, and they were being uh they had certain tasks to perform like vine dressers and plow men. So I've written a book some time back. Uh it's entitled The Bible's Grand Story, uh, Tracing God's Plan and Promise in Scripture. So it's a bit dated. Many years ago I wrote this, and uh because I realized that in the discipleship journey of many of us, we are not uh aware of the story of the Bible. And also to quote uh Augustine, uh one of the church fathers, the best way to introduce the gospel to uh even our children or to a new believer is not always to share doctrine or propositions. The best way where we want to invite someone to the gospel is to share a story. So it is with that that uh this small book was being written some time back. I thought uh I'll make it available to those of us who wish to have it. Uh so after the service, the ushers will help to uh pass a copy to you. So we should have enough copies for everyone. So if you wish to uh pick up a copy, uh please go ahead and do so. Right? So I hope it'll be useful to you in in your even as a tool where you can learn to share the gospel through stories and also a way where uh you're able to appreciate the story of the Bible more. Because it's only when we are anchored in the story of God are we able to make sense of what salvation means. Right? So yeah, so do pick up a copy or give it to someone who wants to know more about what the Bible is about and how it points to Jesus. So my first point is to just bring us through very quickly how the true Israel are those who return because they are part of those who fulfill the covenant promises of old. By returning, they formed part of the story of God and the history of Israel. So it was a pivotal point for the people. It wasn't just uh just a slipshot thing, they decided to come back, but as we will see later, there was a lot of sacrifice going on. There was a lot of uh hard work, H-E-A-R-T, hard work and hard work, H-A-R-D, for them to go through all the inconveniences to come back to the land. So, my second point is that how are the returnees connected by kinship? And to answer that question, actually it takes the whole chapter two, Ezra chapter 2, verse 1 to 70 answers the question. Because the writer uses kinship terminology to describe the the bond as a family between those who had returned, retained Jewish identity in exile as opposed to the local population. Because when they return to Israel, there'll be locals staying there, and they were they are actually people who have intermarried and stayed on in the land. So, how Israel was concerned, how do they maintain their unique identity in a context where there is a local population in a context where there may be opposition to their return. So, what authenticates them as the people of God? The genealogy serves to answer that question. So, a quick run-through. We won't be just looking through all the 70 verses, but I just want to bring us through very quickly the key uh returnees and their kind of uh uh the returnees that return and the the profile of each group very briefly, and after that we'll look at some of the implications of what all this means for us as Christians today. So the first group are the leaders, uh Eshra chapter 2, verse 1, verse and verse 2a. So the returnees were led by Zerubabel and Jeshua, right? So uh or Joshua. So these were the leaders that led in the return. So we have the lay Israelites, and that covers quite a number of verses, Eshra chapter 2, verse 2b to 35. So these were identified based on two ways. One based on their family or clan, right? Their family or clan, family of so and so, or by their traditional hometown, right? Uh so these are two uh markers of identification, either they are identified based on their family clan, or by their traditional hometown. So the lay uh Israelites is followed by the priests, right? So this uh the number of returnees is about 4,289, which is make makes up about a tenth, one tenth of the total population that returned. Then we have the Levites, these were those who assisted the priests in several capacities. So the Levites during the time of uh the Second Temple period, they were not just doing temple duties, but the Levites who assisted the priests, some of them were teachers, they were teaching uh probably the Jews, uh they were gatekeepers, they were even butchers, right? They were scribes, they were musicians. So the group is quite wide, right? So basically anything they do to assist the priests, so they also functioned as worship leaders, temple guards, and musicians. There were also singers and gatekeepers, somewhat like uh ushers today, or our musicians and those who lead in songs of praise and worship. Then we have the group of the temple servants. So uh so probably as we go down the packing order, these were probably uh slightly lower than Levites. They uh David and had founded this order in Ashrah 8 verse 20. So they were assistants to the Levites. So the Levites were assistants to the priests, and the temple servants were assistants to the Levites. So probably they were the ones that fulfill uh more menial tasks but important tasks, because if they were not temple servants were not there, uh likely um the operations, you know, the the coming together can't be fulfilled. So there is always a place for everyone, right? Regardless of uh your position or the packing order or the hierarchy, each one has a place in the temple of God, in the house of God. Then in Ashrah chapter 2, verse 55 to 58, these are the descendants of Solomon's servants. So uh this is kind of related to the temple servants because when the computation of the numbers it is included in Ashrah 2 verse 58, it says all the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392. So they were probably an extension of the temple servants and related to them. Then in Eshra 2 verse 59 and 60 and 61 to 63, these were the unconfirmed lists of claims of those who were coming in, and they are saying that they are born as an Israelite, right? But it's not confirmed, but nevertheless, they were allowed back into community, and of course, there were those who were unconfirmed claims to the priesthood. Uh, so they were not allowed to be priests, right? Because they were not uh considered part of the line of um the priesthood. Because it's not they are not able to verify this, and it again is important because during the history of Israel, uh when they were under the kings, uh some of the kings uh just any anyhow appoint priests to officiate and and and perform uh religious uh services, and because of that, God incurred the wrath of God. So they were very careful. So the returnees were almost like a peorist community. They wanted to make sure that they don't make the same mistakes as their ancestors, you know, no intermarriage, no uh unauthorized uh person that will enter into the priesthood. Then, of course, eventually it records for us the final number, Ashra 264 to 7 to 67, uh kind of uh rounds it up, the total number of returnees. So is the number is about 42, uh 360. This is the total number of returnees. So eventually they will all settle in their towns. So sometimes we ask ourselves, why go through the trouble to record so many names? You know, I'm not sure whether you are able to even read through without uh getting confused. If you turn your Bibles to Ezra chapter 2, verse 1 to 70, so many names. They were important as a historical record. They were important because each name uh represents a position that has been taken up in the house of God, in the temple of God. So it's important for us to note that the main purpose or function of the genealogical record of the returnees is simply to do this, to authenticate the claims and status of the new community. And Ashra Nahimaya is saying that this is so important that I have to devote a whole chapter to it. What are they legitimate people who are coming in or are they people who have just decided to come on their own accord? So the genealogy serves to authenticate the claims and status of the new community. It is used to distinguish, in the context of Eshra and Ahimaya, the insiders of the community, based on kinship and covenant promises. These are the two factors. Kinship born with the family line, born according to the covenant promises of God upon them. From the outsiders, which are the people of the land. And we will see in subsequent uh readings of Ashra and Ahimaya that there was there were a lot of disturbance. People were not happy for them rebuilding the temple. So sambalat and many people were trying to disturb them, you know, throw stones at them, do everything to just disrupt the work. So these were the people of the land. They were the people that were committing mischief to prevent the people of God from rebuilding the temple of God and doing what is necessary. So they were the ones who have the right of claim to the land and to the covenant promises with God. So we see that this was precisely the issue why the genealogy is so important, because in Ashra chapter 5, verse 3 to 4, when Katanai, the governor of the province, beyond the river, and uh their associates came to the returnees and spoke to them and said, Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure? In other words, who authorized you? I mean, why are you here? What is your status in the community? Who charge you to do this? And interestingly, Ezra 5, 3 to 4, it ends with this what are the names of the men who are building this building? So it's important, it's important that all the names uh are recorded there because these are the ones who have been authorized to rebuild the temple. So the returnees are also those whom God has served to rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. However, these were uncertain times for the people of God. Returning to Jerusalem, uprooting once again, after many of them had um gone through uh settling in the land of Babylon, and these were very likely a new generation of Israelites that had not gone to war or had experienced uh what happened in the past. So they had no guarantee of prosperity, you know, to uproot. They were almost like making a uh a step of faith. Um and many had no homes to go to or jobs that provided fiscal security. Almost immediately upon returning to the land, many would have a need to rent or build a house, something in which to live on. Yet The author of Ashra Nahimaya reminds us that these people return for a single purpose, and that is to rebuild the temple and restore worship in accord with the directives of God. So we also see that for this returning people from a few verses that I would like to show us is that actually everything has been provided by Cyrus for the rebuilding and the return of Israel.

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In Ezra chapter 1, verse 4, it says, And let each survivor in whatever place he sojourns to be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with bees, besides free will offering. So he authorized the people to return with aid by the men of his place. That means as he leaves, he or she as a family leaves, those who are remaining are supposed to donate and help in the return. They are supposed to contribute to the return. In Ezra chapter 1, verse 8 to 11, it tells us that Cyrus, king of Persia, actually brought out from the treasury some vessels, the temple vessels that these people were allowed to bring up from Babylonia to Jerusalem. So it's not that they were going empty-handed, but Cyrus has kind of prepared the way for them to return. Even the temple vessels, all of that they are bringing up. So they were not going empty-handed, but Cyrus, uh, through uh perhaps divine inspiration have been led to pave the way such that Israel will have all that they need to uh enter the land and to rebuild their lives. And Ezra 6, verse 2 to 4, you can see the reading there, but we'll not read the whole verse, uh the the verses that are there. But what what it indicates is the cost of what is needed for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt will be paid from the royal treasury. In other words, uh Cyrus saying that just go, take your temple vessels, go. You know, get all the help you need from your neighbors who are not going, just go. And not only that, we will aid you for the cause from the royal treasury. So what is um amazing to note is that the heads of the families, when they came to the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, still made free will offerings for the house of God to be erected. And they gave to the treasury rather substantially, it's about six sixty-one thousand daricks of gold, which works out to about 1,133 pounds of gold. I mean, we probably can't make sense of that number, but I did a quick check, the computation and conversion. Uh actually it works out to about 46.53 million Singapore dollars. 46.53 million Singapore dollars. That's about 45,000 of the returnees. So it was quite a substantial amount that the the people gave. And they don't need to do that, perhaps, because they have other concerns to rebuild their own lives. And moreover, Cyrus has provided all that is needed, as much as possible, to aid the rebuilding. Yet they gave to the worship of God. They gave to the work of God. So we can see that for the returnees, two matters are central. Firstly, the genealogies served to authenticate the claims and status of the new community based on kinship and covenant. Secondly, their single-minded purpose is to rebuild the temple and restore worship in accord with the directives of God. So I'd like to draw two applications for us at this point. What can we learn from this? What can we learn from this historical record of the genealogies? Um the first point is this I'd like to ask us, what claims do we have as Christians? What is our status before God? Secondly, to what end or purpose do we make the claims in light of our status before God? So the first question, what claims do we have as Christians? What is our status before God? I mean, as we go through the genealogical record, we are led to ask that question. Because, of course, we are not there at that historical time, but uh if we correlate to our present time, it means our identity as Christians. We need to be sure that we belong to God because uh that authenticates us, that is our status before God. We are a child of God, we have been redeemed by Him. Right? So, like the returnees in Ashra, Nehemiah, we are exiled from God because of our sin. And 1 Peter again, when he wrote to the elect exiles in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bifhenia in 1 Peter 1 verse 1, reminds them, he's writing to the elect exiles, a very important truth in 1 Peter 1 18 to 19. 1 Peter 1 18 to 19, he says, Elect exiles, know that you were ransomed from the futile waste inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. Christ has redeemed us, being himself like a lamb without blemish or spot. We were ransomed by his precious blood shed for us. So this is who we are. As Christians, we are the people who have received the shed blood of Jesus for us and for our sins. So this is uh another uh, I think uh anti-right will put it as we are the forgiveness of sins, people. We are people who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. And it is not something to be taken lightly because it's the precious blood of Christ that has redeemed us. So this is our identity, this is the badge we wear. So do we then make the return to God willingly? To return to God, to return to his house so that we will recover our primary identity in him. So I'd like to suggest to us that our primary identity is found in the cross of Christ. And the central symbol of our faith is the cross. It's the cross of Christ, and this is what we turn to and return to again and again. For a Christian, it's about turning to Christ and returning to Him. Right? So another way to ask is how sure that we are a Christian, how sure of ourselves that we are really a Christian, right? Because in another passage that I just brought to mind while we are worshiping, uh tells of another book that's being opened. In Revelation chapter 20, uh, verse 11, John says, Then I saw a great white throne, and him who was seated on it. From his presence, earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done. Reading on to verse, going on to verse 15, and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. So this John was talking about the final judgment, and books will be opened again, right? And this time it's not accounting books or genealogical records, but the Lamb's book of life, where we expect to find our name there. Okay, that we are we have a legitimate claim upon Christ because we have received the assurance of what He has done for us. And I think as Christians, uh we need that assurance because we live in a culture and context where a lot depends on how we so-called perform. And I've talked to a number of members, um, those that I've pastored over the years, and sometimes some of them are terminal patients in their deathbed. I always ask them a question uh, is there anything that on your heart that uh uh I can pray for you for? Or is there something that is lingering? So and they are very active Christians, very much engaged, you know, whether it's missions or doing all kinds of things, mentoring people, even up to the age of of their right to the age of 80s, in their 80s, they are still very active. So, and I'm very surprised to hear this, and they say, uh, yeah, I don't know, I'm not very sure, you know, whether God will accept me, fully accept me. So as a pastor, I have to do my due diligence to say that uh God accepts us, not based on our performance, not based on how much we are worthy, even as a Christian. But the basis of our acceptance is so fundamental, but we need to hear it again and again because we live in a culture where it tells us our performance, our uh how much we serve in church, maybe, or whether we do our quiet time. All those are important and very much needed for discipline in discipleship, but they are not uh they are not first principles, they are not the primary factor. So I do assure him, uh the person, and so active, so involved in church. These are members who have been worshiping every Sunday, yet they are unsure. So I wonder why. I wonder why. Is it because um of fear or because of the culture where we only think that we are accepted by God when we uh uh are able to upkeep our spiritual life? I don't know. But this is a real issue. The hope that you know we can settle in the hearts. We are accepted based on the merits of Christ, based on his shed blood for us, and we are found in him, right? So that is something that God has justified us uh and is has given us uh justification through Christ from our sins. So it's a given, it's something that we don't have to do, we have to do nothing uh to appropriate that, nothing of merit that we can appropriate that. Okay, but of course we need to repent and receive Christ. But yeah, so there are in a complex way. There are conditions to salvation in the fact that we need to repent and turn to God, right? There are conditions, but the work of Christ in saving us is a free work in which He graciously forgives us when we turn to Him. When we repent, when we turn to God, He will forgive us. So this is the hope we have in Christ. So I want to assure us as a first application point that how sure are you of your identity in Christ? I'd like to pray that the Holy Spirit will remind us that it's not based on our merit that we are accepted, but it's based on our willingness to turn to God in repentance and receive the free offer of salvation that He gives to us. Nothing we can do that will make Christ make us more worthy before God. The only thing we need to do is repent and turn to Him. So Christ has redeemed us by being Himself like a lamb without blemish and spot or sport, we were ransomed by His precious blood shed for us. So may God apply this truth to our hearts today. So to the second question, to what end or purpose do we make the claim? In light of our status before God. In other words, sorry, it is it feels a bit complex. But what I'm trying to say is to what end, when we return to God, to what end? To what purpose it serves? Right? And I'm so amazed that uh for the people of in Ashra and Nahemiah's time, despite uncertain times where they have a lot of things to give up to come return to the land, a lot of uh stability issues, finding a home, finding work, uh, yet, and also having all that was necessary. God provided so much for them, yet they have they prioritize the house of God. They prioritize to give substantially their free will offerings for the work of the rebuilding of the temple. They could have prioritized more other immediate things, homes to build, livelihood, or choose to have more financial security for themselves. Since many will have to look for work and employment, yet, Ashra Nehemiah tells us the first thing they do is worship, gather in God's house, offer your free will offering to God, and serve God's purpose. And as you rebuild the house of God, of course your homes will run parallel. I don't think God, the people who live in the temple, they will have to rebuild their lives, their homes, but not with the condition of caring for themselves first, building their own homes, and then leaving the house of God in rooms. But the priority is building God's house as they build their homes. So it shows us a picture of true worship. True worship puts God first, you know, and everything else will follow. How about us? As those redeemed by Christ, to what end or purpose do we work towards? Do we truly worship and serve Him, despite what it may cost us personally? And I like to say that it costs the returnees something to build the house of God, too, to give freewill offerings in a time of uncertainty and need. Not in a time of abundance, but in a time of uncertainty. Right? So they gave to God, right? They gave to God, and so it goes against human logic, right? In times of uncertainty, perhaps we say, let's cover our own backside first, take care of our own family. House of God, never, wait, wait until. After all, so much Cyrus already provided everything, you know, the from the treasury, the help from our neighbors, and you know, the temple vestments and vessels are all, you know, why why do I need to? Yet they gave at a cost, I believe. So do we truly worship, serve God, despite what it may cost us personally? Or do we serve God only when we have sorted out our lives or when it's more convenient for us to do so? I hear it many, many times. And I mean I'm sympathetic because I may also respond that way. Not a lot of times when we ask people, you know, why don't you serve God? No, I am not ready and I'm not that spiritual. Let me get more right with right with God first before I serve Him. But I like to challenge that thought today. Because if worship is about giving to God based on our hearts and how he has served us, then the growing spiritually and being ready is something that will develop as we serve God. I believe so. No, because God again doesn't call us when we're worthy, when we are worthy, but he qualifies the call. So we see that time and time again. In the people God raised in the Bible, is it's always uh those who are willing, not those who are able. Think about Gideon and how he fought. Think about Moses and many others in scripture. So there are many areas we can serve God in. Of course, in a bulletin on page three, you see some of the areas call for volunteers. So as the Lord leads you, there are even more than those listed there. But those are those are areas that we can consider. Or if the Lord is stirring you to do something, uh something, pioneering something new, or the Lord has laid in your heart something for the community out there. Please speak to me. I'm very willing to engage and uh pray along with you. Uh that God will confirm that over time, and perhaps, God willing, something good may come out of uh what the Lord has impressed on you. So, just to summarize, uh in terms of application, what claims do we have as Christians? What is our status before God? I'd like to assure us today that there's nothing we can do to justify our worthiness before God. All we need to do is to repent and turn to God, and He will freely and willingly receive us. So, to what end or purpose do we make the claims in light of our status before God? Basically, God demands or desires that we give of ourselves fully to him. And to prioritize the worship of God means that we don't cut back on our service to God when the going gets tough, but we press in because we are all called to worship God. We are all called to serve him. And in a time of constraints and challenges, he will provide a way so that we are able to stand up against temptation and trials.

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