Ezra 3 - part 5

Eza 3:2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. (ESV)

What an incredibly rich verse when you read it historically and theologically. "Then arose Jeshua." This is the same name as Joshua, who originally led the people into the Promised Land. It is also the same name as Jesus, the Greek version of Joshua. Jeshua means "he is saved'" or just "savior." So the verse starts with a savior arising.

Jeshua is the son of Jozadak. Jozadak mean "Jehovah is righteous." Jehovah or YHWH is the self-sufficient covenant keeping God. This righteous, covenant keeping God fathered the savior. I'll come back to the part about his fellow priests later, but along with this savior, Jeshua, comes Zerubbabel, whose name means "sown in Babylon." Babylon, throughout the scriptures, from the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 through the end of Revelation, is consider the major center of evil in the world. So a savior, the son of Jehovah the Righteous, arises with those sown in sin, Babylon.

How does this happen? The one sown in Babylon is the son of Shealtiel, whose name means "I have asked of God."  Historically, in answer to Daniel's prayer to God of repentance, confession and request for restoration Jehovah the Righteous God answered by saving his people out of Babylon, though many of them had been born and raised there. In this one verse is the story of the book is Ezra.

In this verse is also the story of the gospel. Though we were all born in sin, spiritual Babylon, Jehovah, the righteous covenant keeping God, sent a savior, Jesus, to bring us out of bondage in answer to prayer. Now, that still leaves the phrase, "with his fellow priests." And here is where the story gets weird. Revelation 1 and 1 Peter 2 tell us that in Christ we have been made into a kingdom of priests, a royal priesthood. 2 Cor 5 tells us that we have been given the message of reconciliation and the ministry of reconciliation. So, along with the Savior we, Jesus' fellow priests, have the privilege of letting the world born in sin know that a savior, the son of Righteous Jehovah, has come to answer their prayers for deliverance. That's the gospel and the great commission,

What an amazing challenge that God has chosen to use us to take his message of deliverance to a fallen world! My initial response is, "God, surely you have a better plan than that." My second thought is, "This is beyond me. There is no way I can do it." But that is where the good news comes in. In this verse Jeshua, the savior, arose "with his fellow priests." In the Great Commission Jesus said, "Behold (look) I am with you always." We haven't been left to carry out this ministry of reconciliation alone. He is with us, and that makes it doable. And that is only the first half of the verse.

Father, thank you for your incredible gospel of deliverance. Thank you for the great privilege of being part of the ministry of reconciliation. Thank you. that you have not left me to do it alone. Open hearts to hear you Word.

By His grace,
Rick Weinert

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