The Care of God’s Gifts

July 28, 2013

Lesson: Ezra 8:24–30

Key Verse: Ezra 8:28

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Introduction

The journey to Jerusalem began with much prayer before the Lord. Ezra then “separated twelve of the chief priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them” (Ezra 8:24). The chief priests and twelve Levites were to take care of the gifts of silver and gold and vessels that he had received from the king as gifts for the temple in Jerusalem: “Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. And this is the number of them: thirty chargers (platters) of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty basins of gold, silver basins of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:7–11). That which belonged to the Lord and His temple was returned to Him so that the people would again turn to Him in worship, rather than in the transgression whereby God had made them slaves of Babylon.

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Holy Vessels—Ezra 8:28

Speaking to priests and Levites, Ezra said, “Ye are holy unto the Lord; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers.” Those who are servants of the Lord are to see themselves as holy, chosen servants of the Lord; and they are to see those whom they are to serve in the Body, the Church of Christ Jesus, as holy also: “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (2 Tim. 2:19–21). We must see that we have been sanctified by Christ in order that we might serve Him, being useful to our Master, prepared by the Holy Spirit to do good works.

Ezra understood that the “silver and gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers.” Matthew wrote: “Let us, by his grace, keep that which belongs to him. Let God’s honour and interest be our care; and then we may expect that our lives and comforts will be his.”  In verse 25, we read that Ezra had “weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God.” We, by the grace of God, have been gifts by which we serve God in worship and praise, in being discipled in His Word and discipling others. Whatever we have and whoever we are, we have received from our Lord; we believe then that all things belong to Him. Scripture teaches us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own free will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (James 1:17–18). Therefore, we are to be good stewards of the Gospel and of all the gifts that make us, by His Spirit, vessels of honor, to His glory alone. “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1Cor. 4:2).

Discussion: Why are God’s servants called holy vessels?

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Keep Them—Ezra 8:29-30

We ought to take conscientious care of the wonderful gifts of God, especially that of the fellowship of believers. Matthew Henry wrote that Ezra took particular care “of the treasure which belonged to God’s sanctuary,” and that “Having committed the keeping of it to God, he committed the keeping of it to proper men, whose business it was to watch it, though without God they would have watched in vain. Note, our prayers must always be seconded with our endeavors; the care of Christ’s gospel, his church, and ordinances, must not be so left with him but that it must also be committed to faithful men.” Paul wrote to Timothy encouraging his faithful service: “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:1–2). Paul had given Timothy this command in his first letter: “I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession: That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable (blameless), until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 6:13–14). “The charge” Ezra gave to priests and Levites, that “he have them with these treasures: ‘Watch you, and keep them,’ that they be not lost, nor embezzled, nor mingled with the other articles. Keep them together; keep them by themselves; keep them safely, till you weigh them in the temple, before the great men there” (Henry). The under-shepherds of Christ’s congregations are to feed the flock and disciple (teach/catechize) His people in the word, with a strong commitment in the grace of God and to His glory.

Ezra then “took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.” The house of our God is nothing less than the whole Body of Christ, signifying that we are brought into communion with our Father in heaven and to His Son as our Savior. In every generation and from every nation, Christ has established His united congregation, which is the house of God—a place where God dwells with His people; there is no boundary and is eternal. Therefore, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplyieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:15–16). Thus Ezra was chosen of the Lord to lead the people back to Jerusalem, that they may prove that they are His people and that His covenant is kept that He is their God. This covenant is revealed today in these words of Scripture that “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25–27). So Ezra spoke of this cleansing in the Lord’s setting apart of both the servants and gifts as holy.

Therefore, we preach the Gospel as being holy/sanctified vessels of the Spirit, rejoicing to see the building of the body of Christ by the Spirit to the glory of our heavenly Father. We rejoice in the new communion we have with the Lord (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). We are united in Christ, to God, and one another.

Discussion: How are we to ‘keep’ the treasures of God’s house as His chosen vessels?

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Lessons are based on the International Sunday School Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2013 by the Committee on the Uniform Series.