This book constitutes part of the divinely inspired Scriptures among which it occupies a well-distinguished place. It presents to us, relative to Israel, the people of God, a remarkable display of the ways of God, of which the Bible in its perfect unity presents the whole. From this point of view, it is of great interest. There we find precious teaching and, as in all the books of the Old Testament, here we find shadows of that which answers to Christ and His earthly people in the future.
After the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-41Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. 4And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1‑4)) had permitted the Jews, captives at Babylon, to re-enter their land and to rebuild the temple, we view them as being in two distinct positions.
A small number of them profited by the decree and returned to their land. There they are not formally recognized by God because “Lo Ammi” (not my people) had been pronounced upon them, and the time of lifting the sentence had not yet come (see Hos. 1:9-119Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. 10Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. 11Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel. (Hosea 1:9‑11)). But working with faith and under the action of the Spirit of God (Ezra 1:55Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:5); Hag. 1:1414And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, (Haggai 1:14)), they carried themselves as faithful Jews in the land. We see them as keeping the ordinances of the law of Moses, raising their altar and offering sacrifices, reconstructing the temple and raising the walls of Jerusalem.
It is true, the glory of Jehovah did not come to the temple of these sons of the dispersion, as it had filled the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple of Solomon; no, the glory is departed (Ezra 11:22-25); the throne of Jehovah is no more at Jerusalem. No mention is made of the ark which also has never been in this new temple. “For,” said Jehovah by Haggai to the returned captives, “I am with you ... according to the word that I covenanted ... when ye came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not” (Hag. 2:4-54Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: 5According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. (Haggai 2:4‑5)). To faith God was there and that house was His temple. Consequently, the Jews keep themselves apart from the nations, read the Scriptures and hold to them, and follow the ways of the God of Israel, as far as the Gentile powers, under whose dominion they were, allowed them. Never since this time have they, as a nation, fallen again into idolatry. They call upon God, and God protects them in their dangers and sustains them in their difficulties. They have rulers, liberators and prophets.
This state of “the sons of the dispersion” is the subject of the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai and part of Zechariah. Malachi, the last of the prophets, witnesses to the ruin that this state, alas, would turn into at a later time. But marvelous grace, it was then that God’s faithful servant, the Lord Jesus Christ, came into this dark world!
This then is a new condition into which they are brought and put on trial. As we have said, the throne of God is no longer there, the glory of God is no longer is the temple, and there is no more “priest with Urim and Thummim” to render the oracles of God (Neh. 7:6565And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim. (Nehemiah 7:65); Num. 27:2121And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. (Numbers 27:21)), but we repeat, for faith this is always the house of God; as such the Lord Jesus recognized it (though it was another temple then). (Hag. 2:33Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? (Haggai 2:3), comp. John 2:1616And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. (John 2:16).)
The Jews which returned to their land are always bondslaves, dependent on the nations (Neh. 9:36-3836Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: 37And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. 38And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it. (Nehemiah 9:36‑38)). They have been gathered again in expectation of the Liberator, the Messiah (Hag. 2:77And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:7)). This will be the last trial of man. Will they receive Him when He makes them hear His appeals of grace after urging them to repentance? We know the result by the gospel record and Malachi already shows the decline and the beginnings of the condition as found by Jesus when He came among them.
But a great many of the Jews — that is to say, of the Babylonian captivity — did not profit by the decree of Cyrus. They remained settled, not only at Babylon but dispersed throughout the provinces of the vast Persian empire (Esther 2:5-6; 3:6,85Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; 6Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. (Esther 2:5‑6)
6And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had showed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. (Esther 3:6)
8And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. (Esther 3:8)). One cannot but see in their conduct a lack of faith, of energy, of affection for the house of God. Nevertheless, they retain their customs which are different from those of the defiled nations. They stay separated even though in the midst of them. Here, of course, they have neither sacrifice, nor solemn feast days, nor the word of the Lord by means of prophets; nor can they keep the ordinances of the law of Moses in their entirety. They are, after a sort, in a position comparable to the Jews of our day; without king or prince, or sacrifice, or statutes, or ephod, or teraphim (Hos. 3:44For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: (Hosea 3:4)). God does not recognize them, but whatever their state — and this is what puts into relief His goodness and faithfulness — His regard is for them; He acts in grace towards them; He protects and spares them, but His actions move in a hidden manner, and for this reason His name is never mentioned in this book.
It is this that we purpose tracing in this book, knowing the secret ways of the grace of God towards His people, dispersed throughout the nations till finally bringing them to the glory of the kingdom.
Let us examine some of the principal subjects which we find in this exceedingly interesting and instructive book.