Chapter 19 of The Story February 8, 2015

Chapter 19: The Return Home

Ezra 1-6; Haggai 1-2; Zechariah 1, 8

God uses foreign kings to support the return of His people to their homeland, ward off opposition, and successfully complete His Temple.

Key Question

How can we rebuild an area of life that’s been torn down?

Chapter 19

The Return: Pages 263–266

We have seen God’s promises to Abraham miraculously fulfilled when Moses led the people to the Promised Land. We’ve seen highs, such as Israel’s renown under David and Solomon. We’ve seen lows, too, through which God extended mercy. Finally, though, the split kingdoms of Israel and Judah abandoned God to the extent that they no longer could serve their purpose of making God known to all the nations, so the Lord sent them into a temporary exile.


Our last lesson ended with Daniel praying for God to fulfill His promise given through Jeremiah: bring the people back in 70 years.

King Cyrus of Persia

1. King Cyrus decreed that the Jews could all return to their homeland (Ezra 1:1–4). How did the Lord bring this about (1:1)? What does this tell us about one way God works to fulfill His promises? What were other people supposed to do for the Jews who wanted to return to their former land (1:4)? What does this tell us about God’s ability to provide the means for what He wants done? Think about a time God moved your heart to do something for someone else.



A century and a half earlier, God had said through the prophet Isaiah, “I will raise up Cyrus in My righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild My city and set My exiles free.” 

2. What does Ezra 1:1–4 tell us about God’s knowledge of future events? What comfort can you find in God’s ability to fulfill His promises and know the future?



3. Are you rebuilding any area of your life that’s been torn down? If so, briefly describe. If you’re not rebuilding now, briefly describe an area of your life that you rebuilt in the past.



Although Cyrus told the Jews they could return to Judah, this restoration promise wasn’t for just the tribe of Judah: it was for all Jacob’s descendants wherever they lived. Israelites had begun moving to the southern kingdom of Judah ever since the kingdoms split. But when Assyria attacked Israel, a great number of Israelites fled into Judah, preserving a remnant there until Babylon came and moved most of the Jews to other places.



When Cyrus conquered Babylon, he divided the empire into provinces and set governors over each. He decreed the Israelites could return to their homeland, now a Persian province called Judah. Nearly 50,000 exiles returned to Jerusalem in about 537 BC. Babylon appointed one of them, Zerubbabel, as governor. Within seven months, the people had settled in towns, and Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua called them together to begin restoring the things of God.



4. What did the people build first (Ezra 3:2)? What did they fear (3:3a)? Nonetheless, what did they do when the altar was finished (3:3b)?



Since Jerusalem fell, the Israelites had had no altar on which to sacrifice sin and fellowship offerings. They knew their exile was due to sin. Now they finally were able to properly show their repentance and acknowledge their need for forgiveness. After this, they could also offer fellowship offerings.



5. What part does repentance and confessing sin play when we’re recovering from loss due to sin?



Next the Israelites laid the foundation of the temple. That brought a great celebration, but it also brought their enemies’ attention.



6. What happened that hindered their work (Ezra 4:4–5)? What hindrances do you face in an area you’re rebuilding?



The Jews’ enemies were able to force all temple work to stop. 

Haggai: Pages 266–268

In 520 BC, the prophet Haggai told Zerubbabel and Joshua it was time to finish the temple.

7. Consider Haggai’s words to the people in Haggai 1:7–9. What was keeping the people from their work? What can we learn from this that applies to our seeking God first and giving to Christian ministries? In an area of life you’re rebuilding, in what ways has discouragement impeded your progress? In this area, is there anything you’ve stopped work on that perhaps it’s time to finish?



The people obeyed and set to work. Yet to those who had lived through the exile, the new temple seemed insignificant compared to Solomon’s magnificent temple.



8. How did God address their discouragement (Haggai 2:3–4)? Although their work seemed small and insignificant, where was God and why was that important (2:4b)? Is there anything in your life now that seems small and insignificant, compared to where you dreamed you’d be today? If so, how can the Lord’s words through Haggai encourage you?



Haggai proclaimed that this small temple would one day be filled with glory. He also spoke of a coming judgment and glory that the New Testament tells us will be fully fulfilled in the future when God’s people inherit a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

9. What comfort is there in the promise that though our lives are often shaken here, there awaits an unshakeable kingdom for God’s people?



Zechariah: Pages 268–270

The prophet Zechariah joined Haggai in encouraging the people to be strong and rebuild the temple. Zechariah reassured the people that God would make them a blessing.



10. How was God like a parent reassuring a child that’s just been disciplined (Zechariah 8:13–17)? What were the people to do? How can we apply this message to our own lives?



11. What would one day happen in Jerusalem (Zechariah 8:20–22)? This promise encouraged the workers. What promises encourage you today?



Opposition: Pages 270–271

So the Jews set to work despite opposition. Their enemies sent a letter to King Darius informing him that the Jews claimed Cyrus had authorized their work.



12. According to their enemies, what kind of progress were the Jews now making on the temple (Ezra 5:8)? How was their response to Haggai and Zechariah different than many of their forefathers’ responses to prophets?



13. The enemies asked for the leaders’ names; did the leaders let that intimidate them into stopping the work (Ezra 5:8–10)? Think of a time someone tried to intimidate you into not doing what you knew was right. If you’re rebuilding an area of your life, what intimidations have you faced?



The Temple Rebuilt: Pages 271–273

Darius found documents proving Cyrus had indeed authorized the Israelites to rebuild the temple.


14. How did King Darius help the Jews (Ezra 6:6–12)? How did this turn the tables on their enemies? What does this teach us about God’s ability to complete what He wants done? Describe a time God helped you overcome opposition to complete something you believed He called you to do.


The Jews finished building the second temple in 516 BC. The temple became known as Zerubbabel’s temple in honor of the faithful governor who oversaw its completion. There had been about 70 years between the first exiles’ departure for Babylon and the first exiles’ return. There had also been about 70 years between the first temple’s destruction and the second temple’s completion.


15. What did the people of Israel do when they finished the temple (Ezra 6:16)? Think of a way you celebrated completing something.


16. What lesson stands out to you the most about rebuilding an area of life that’s been torn down? Why? How can you apply that lesson to your life?

The restored exiles continued to rebuild their homeland and their lives. Many Jews did not return from exile, however, and God worked through them where they were, including through a Jewish girl we’ll meet next week.

AS YOU READ CHAPTER 19

Journal your answers to these questions as you read through the chapter this week. You may wish to read one day and journal the next, or spread the questions over the whole week.


1. How did the 70-year exile from the Promised Land affect the ways in which the people of Israel responded to God? Have you experienced personal changes as a result of a tragic circumstance in your life?

2. When the temple was re-established, some were overjoyed and some were heartbroken because the new temple was no match to the glory of Solomon’s temple. According to Haggai’s second message (p. 267-68), how can we miss God’s call in the present when we linger on the past? Where have you seen this happen in your life? What resolved your fears?

3. What did Israel’s enemies do to undermine their efforts to rebuild their temple (p. 265-66)? When have you experienced a similar situation where someone tried to undermine something important to you? How did you respond?

4. Read page 266 and list the reasons the temple work had ceased. When the Israelites were weary, what did they begin to focus on? Do you struggle with misplaced priorities when you are weary? What are some ways you can refocus when this happens?

5. Haggai, the prophet, encouraged the people to get back to work on the temple building project that had stalled for 16 years (p. 266). Are there areas of your spiritual growth that have stalled out? Is there someone you could partner with to hold yourself accountable in this area? Pray about it and take action.

6. Review Zechariah’s message of hope and promise. What did God promise the Israelites He would do? List the ways they were to respond to God’s grace (p. 268-70). Zachariah claimed that people of other nations would see the Lord’s work through the Israelites and, therefore, seek out the Lord themselves. Read Matthew 5:13-16. How is your life a sign – a light – for others to see God’s work in this world?


Our Lesson Outline for Sunday:

Chapter 19: Take Me Home, Country Roads

John Denver 
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“How far we all come. How far we all come away from ourselves. So far, so much between, you can never go home again. You can go home, it's good to go home, but you never really get all the way home again in your life." -Thomas Wolfe

The adage “you can’t go home again” by Thomas Wolfe. This phrase seems apt, not on the most obvious literal level but rather in the sense that, in the flux of time and life, old ties and associations cannot remain the same, unchanged. Once they have been outgrown or cast off, old ways must be set aside as part of a past which cannot easily again be recaptured.

   

You CAN Go Home Again, But…

1. Remember to keep first things first.

What was the first thing the Israelites were supposed to do?

• Rebuild the temple.
• After these sixteen years of delay, the prophet Haggai spoke on God’s behalf. Twice he said, “Give careful thought to your ways.” Why? The stalled temple work was a problem of misplaced priorities. The delay in rebuilding the temple was outward evidence of an inward problem. The issue was that their own pleasure and comfort had taken precedence over pleasing God.

 

The key is this: a priority is done first. It is the most urgent or most critical for success. It is the driving force of our thinking and our actions. It is not the same as a response to immediate demands around us.

• The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cokes: When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cans of Coke. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two cans of coke from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your faith, your family, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff like clothes, material things, and day-to-day issues. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness - Your faith and your family. Take time to pay attention to your health. Take your spouse out to dinner more often. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.' One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coke represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The coke just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for sharing a coke with a friend.'

This leads us to a key principle that’s next on your outline:

 

 

 
Good things can become the worst enemy of the best things.
We can begin strong by building the foundation and our altars in life, but then we become comfortable—content in our faith—cozy in our Christianity and then we begin to rob God.

Listen to what the prophet Malachi, who came after Haggai said:

 
Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:8-12

This isn’t just a sermon on giving, but it just stands to reason: if we’re going to put first things first, we have to put our money where our mouth is. Will a man rob God?



You can go home again, but the second thing to understand is that there will always be:

2. There will always be opposition.

• Things are not the same as they once were. The Samaritans of the area didn’t care about re-establishing the Jewish state in Palestine. For one thing, Judea was a completely different place than it was two generations ago. The political power had shifted and could shift back dramatically with a rebuilt and re-energized Jerusalem. So they tried a backhanded offer of help as an attempt to sabotage the temple project. While Zerubbabel didn’t fall for their scheme, the threats and bribes were enough to stop work on the temple.

• When you decide to come back home to God – things might not be the same, there will be opposition (your old way of life).

But notice God’s message during this time of frustration and discouragement. Eight times the word from God through his prophets was: “Be strong.” “Do not fear.” “Let your hands be strong.” “Do not be afraid.”



God promised that if you get your priorities in order, finish My temple, and stand fast against the opposition, “the seed will grow, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew.” What will it take for God to bless you? Put first things first, and when it comes to your opposition, just trust God. What was it that Malachi said?


Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10-11


But there’s one last thing to think about when going home:

3. You’ll have to adjust your expectations.

• Things are never the same as they were, so don’t expect them to be. You are not the same either. Susan and I are going back to Nashville this week to visit with some old friends and see three of our old homes – it will be different now than it was 20 years ago.

• The returning Jews also had to shift their expectations. They must have experienced a wide range of bittersweet emotions as they arrived home to find overgrown fields, neglected roads, demolished homes, and a destroyed temple. The precious hope of a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey was a distant memory. Everywhere they looked they could see evidence of the Divine judgment brought on by their disobedient forefathers. For a few survivors, the Babylonian siege, the famine, disease, and death must have flashed before their eyes daily.

• Many people today become discouraged because as they remodel their lives, its different the second time around. We look back wistfully on what used to be, in the past: there’s both a nostalgic familiarity, alongside a realization that things will never be the same. The Jews had to come to grips with this: some wept because this rebuilt temple couldn’t hold a candle to Solomon’s, but God said don’t worry about nostalgia—this temple will be greater than the former. How? Because 500 years later, Jesus Himself would visit this temple. That’s what God meant when He said, “I will fill this house with glory.” It was a prophecy of the coming Messiah whose presence will sanctify this temple far more than all of Solomon’s silver and gold.

What’s our takeaway? Some of you had a journey to Christ early in your life, a temple built in you at a young age. But, as you grew older, that temple fell into decay because of your choices, like Israel. And now many of you have come back—Jesus rebuilt both the temple that lies within you and your faith, as you returned to God. I’m here to tell you today that those voices of guilt and shame from the past can be silenced. Why - because the second temple in you is greater than the first. How - because today, with all you’ve been through, in all the ways you’ve been tested, even with all your failures, I believe Jesus is more present in you today than at the beginning.



Listen to Peter: And God, in His mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him… So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him… 1 Peter 1:5-8


Yes, you can go home again. But just one more observation before we close.

There’s a question of balance that remains. How do we keep from getting so caught up in the Lower Story—putting bread on the table, making a marriage work, worrying about our kids? How do we put first things first?

It would be nice if the Bible gave us a list or an order of priorities so that we could follow a cookbook plan—a neat, tidy recipe for discipleship. But it does not. It gives us principles that we have to apply individually. How do we prioritize our lives? As the seasons in our lives change, the outworking of our priorities may look different, but the core principles must remain aligned to the will of God.



It’s true: good things can become the worst enemy of the best things. The Israelites’ personal wants superseded the best thing—doing the will of God.



Every day, we juggle our daily Lower Story responsibilities with the Upper Story priorities of serving and honoring God. So what’s the right thing? What do we do? Most of all, we pray.

 

The big question is this:


Will you choose to keep your head above the clouds and pray to see the Upper Story?

PRAYER

God, thank You, for being a God who delivers Your people. May I never take lightly Your deliverance of me. Let me cling to Your rescuing arms so tightly that You define my whole being. Now that You have brought me back to You, may I never want to be anywhere else, but shaped in Your love. Amen.


See you on Sunday!


In His Love,


David & Susan