The Role of Ezra, the Scribe and Priest

After God caused the Second Temple, also called Zerubbabel’s Temple, to be rebuilt, He brought Ezra from Babylon, a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses, as we see in the passage above. Through this, we can know that God did not merely intend for the temple itself to be restored, but also for the work of teaching the word of God’s law to the people of Israel to be carried out. In truth, rebuilding only the temple of God would have no real meaning. For if the people of Israel did not keep the word of God again, the temple would inevitably be destroyed at any time, just as the First Temple built by Solomon had been destroyed.

Concerning the reason why the temple in Jerusalem built by Solomon was destroyed and the people of Israel came to serve foreign nations, Nehemiah, Jeshua the Levite, and others spoke as follows.

Nehemiah 1:1-3, 6-7 “1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. 6Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: yea, I and my father’s house have sinned: 7we have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.”

Nehemiah 9:5, 34-36 “5Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless Jehovah your God from everlasting to everlasting... 34Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies wherewith thou didst testify against them. 35For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. 36Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it.”

As we see in the passages above, they found the cause in the fact that their kings, princes, priests, and fathers had not kept the law of God. And because Ezra was of the same mind as they were, he sought, according to the determination he had made, to teach the word of God’s law to all the congregation—men and women, and all who could understand.

Nehemiah 8:2-3 “2And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.”

From this, we can know that God did not merely cause the temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt, but, through Ezra, He also caused the even more important work of teaching the word of God’s law to the people to be carried out. Sadly, however, the people of Israel continued to rebel against the word of God. Later, Jesus said that this temple also—which was later enlarged by Herod, king of Judea—would be destroyed, and in the end it happened just as He had said.

John 2:19-21 “19Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days? 21But he spake of the temple of his body.”

Matthew 24:1-2 “1And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. 2But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

1 Kings 9:6-7 “6But if ye shall turn away from following me, ye or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; 7then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.”

We must take this history of the past as a mirror for ourselves (1 Cor. 10:11), so that we do not follow the same wrong path again. Therefore, now we must not be concerned with the visible building of the church, but must regard it as far more important that we, who are the true temple of God, live by keeping the words of Jesus.

Acts 7:47-50 “47But Solomon built him a house. 48Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in houses made with hands; as saith the prophet, 49The heaven is my throne, And the earth the footstool of my feet: What manner of house will ye build me? saith the Lord: Or what is the place of my rest? 50Did not my hand make all these things?”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “16Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye.”

Like Ezra, the scribe and priest, the priests of the God of hosts must have the law of truth in their mouth, and they must keep knowledge with their lips.

Malachi 2:5-8 “5My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name. 6The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity. 7For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts. 8But ye are turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.”

If priests depart from this right way of God’s word, then they are no longer priests of God, and therefore the covenant of Levi—the covenant of life and peace—is broken. Therefore, now, from the priests to all the people, we must all learn to fear God, understand the words of Jesus, and humbly obey those words. I say once again: building, expanding, and beautifully decorating church buildings is not what is important. Large and magnificent churches must never become objects of admiration to us. What matters above all is that each person fear the name of Jesus and obey His word!

1 Samuel 15:22-23 “22And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

Malachi 3:16 “Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.”

Amen.