Devotional 4
(EZRA 1:5-2:70)
5 Then the heads of fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. 6 All those about them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering. 7 Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods; 8 and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. 9 Now this was their number: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 duplicates; 10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind and 1,000 other articles. 11 All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Leaders I have heard are not born but made. To some degree I agree, in others I do not. I believe there are those whom God has created with a natural ability to lead. While work is needed to hone their skills they are leaders from birth. I believe the difference is made up in the preparation process. Those who are born to lead will lead only as effectively as they are trained to lead. At the same time I also believe there are those who are good, strong and effective leaders who do not have this natural talent. But because of their willingness to learn from their instruction, they become every bit successful as the natural born leader. It’s all in the willingness to place into practice what was taught. This week I would like for us to look at the good hand of God working through those who answer the call, in particular fathers.
The first things we see regarding those who answer God’s call were the “heads of fathers’ households”. The heads of the fathers’ households were any number of male leadership areas but always in regards to family and marriage. The list of these men can be found in Ezra 2:1-35. We will deal with chapter 2:1-2 more in depth later. The three areas this would cover were those who were the heads of clans. Today we would view this as extended family. Mostly the father whose family has grown up and moved on with life would be considered the head of the extended family or clan. Then it covers those who were actual fathers whose children still live at home. The third group it covered was those who were husbands even if there were no children involved. These would be considered the heads of the father’s households. The responsibilities for these men can be found in Deuteronomy 6:4-15 were it states:
4 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! 5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 " These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 " You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 " You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 " You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 10 "Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, 12 then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. 14 "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15 for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.
Notice the areas of responsibilities laid out for these men. First, in verses 4 they were to recognize God’s unity. God is one and He is Lord. Compare this with Egypt where this group came from and with Babylon were the group from Ezra came from. They were what we call polytheistic societies. They believed in more than one god, but Yahweh calls His men to recognize Him alone as God and Lord over all. Second, verse 5 lays out that these men were to love God with their whole being. Their very hearts were to beat with the purpose and passion of Yahweh, God of Heaven and Earth. Third, verses 6-9 details how that the fathers were to be involved with teaching the Word of God to their families, in particular to their children. It was not to be left up to the priest and Levites alone. Dad had to be occupied with this task. Forth, verses 10-12 states that the fathers were to constantly remind their children of all that God had done and of His loving redemption from slavery in Egypt. He would teach them all they had was given to them as a gift and they themselves did nothing to gain it. The New Testament calls this grace. Verse 13 brings out that the fathers were to also communicate the need for a relationship with Yahweh. The word “fear “is used here indicating the need to respect and reverence God at the highest level. They were to worship Him and bind (“swear”) themselves to Him alone. Finally, in verses 14-15 the fathers were to lead their families in following God alone. No other Gods were to be placed before them, they were not to worship them, and they were not to honor or pay homage to them. Their hearts, souls and minds were to belong completely and totally to Yahweh.
This was the responsibility of the “heads of fathers’ households” in the days of Moses. It was also the commission of the people of Israel who were to return to the land in the days of Ezra. As can be seen nothing had changed. In fact because there was no temple this was possibly insinuated even greater. Fathers were to be involved in their family’s lives on every level.
Today, nothing has changed. As we look out across the landscape of our culture we are constantly reminded of the fact that fatherless homes lead to corrupted societies. With the spread of the homosexual community because of lazy or non-existent fathers our culture finds itself falling apart. We are caught in a whirlpool of destructive behaviors and total disregard for what is right. Only as fathers get involved with their families can our civilization be saved. These men must be men who recognize God as Lord; live with a passion and love for God; teach their children through example along with words that God and His word is extremely important (they are engaged with their families); show a loving relationship with a loving Heavenly Father; and worship God alone, not allowing anything into the home which may distract from true service to God as a family. This is what a father does. He does not work all day, come home, set on the couch, demand his dinner in one hand and drink in the other, flip on the television and set there while his family waste away. If you have a problem with what I am saying then you need to take it up with God and the Bible.
So as we approach Father’s Day lets celebrate and be engaged with our families. I believe Father’s Day is not only to honor dad’s, but also serves as a remind to those men who have taken up this responsibility of the grave consequences of what will happen if the father’s chose not to be connected with their families.
Let me know your thoughts.
God Bless,
Steven
Next time Ezra 1:5-11, SEEING THE GOOD HAND OF GOD AT WORK THROUGH RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY WHO ANSWER THE CALL-Part 2
Unless otherwise noted all verses quoted are from the New American Standard Version.
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