09/05/2026
Sept. 4 – Ezra 2:1-4, 64-70
2 Now these were the people of the province who came from those captive exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all to their own towns. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
The number of the Israelite people: 3 the descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two. 4 Of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two. 5 Of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five….
64 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred male and female singers. 66 They had seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hundred and forty-five mules, 67 four hundred and thirty-five camels, and six thousand seven hundred and twenty donkeys.
68 As soon as they came to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of families made freewill-offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. 69 According to their resources they gave to the building fund sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly robes.
70 The priests, the Levites, and some of the people lived in Jerusalem and its vicinity; and the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all Israel in their towns.
The reading is selected verses from chap. 2 Chap. 2 is a list of various family/clan groupings who were returning with the number persons from of each family/clan. Like at the Tattoo at the Scottish Festival when the names of the clans present are read out. And when you hear your clan read out, you feel something, we are here.
Though this list in Ezra 2 functioned a bit differently. It is an historical list of those who had been part of the first group of returnees. This list functioned in future generations for people to say, “My clan was there, my clan was among those who returned. I am here because when my ancestors were stirred by God they responded and they came to Jerusalem when it was a ruin.” And to turn to their children and grandchildren and say, “We were there.”
Being among the first returnees meant hard work in very tiring circumstances. Finding your family/clan name on that list was statement that there was a family history – a legacy of hearing God’s call and following the stirring of the Holy Spirit into difficult places. Finding your family/clan name om that list was both a source of pride and a challenge to live up to the name.
When this whole group of about 50,000 people arrived in Jerusalem after their difficult overland journey from Babylon, the first thing they did was gather the resources to begin rebuilding the temple. Before they started work on their own houses they started in on the temple. They had returned prepared for worship in the temple for among the things that had been saved as the priestly families went into exile were priestly robes – now 70 years later they came out of hiding, out of storage to be used in worship for the first time in 70 years (vs. 69).
PRAYER:
O Lord, we rejoice in those ancestors of ours who followed you, who laid a foundation of faith. We rejoice in the spiritual parents you have given to us who lived lives of faith. May we be people who rejoice in their example, may we also be challenged by their example to live boldly for You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
