No. 4 in Returning Home
Hebrews 9:1 states, “Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.” The book of Hebrews makes a comparison between the Old and New Covenants. It was written to a Jewish audience who had grown up with the visual magnificence of the temple, along with rituals of worship that appealed to the senses. The light of the golden candlestick that represented the twelve tribes, the strong incense that filled the holy place, and the bread on the table were constant reminders of their worship to God. First century Jewish Christians wanted to go back to these tangible evidences. It was difficult for them to take the leap of being part of a spiritual kingdom. The Hebrews writer exhorts them to put on the eyes of faith to believe and to obey (Hebrews 11:1,3).
Two thousand years later, Christians have moved beyond the Hebrew splendor of golden altars and gem-studded garments. Our hearts are the altars and our works the precious stones which please Jehovah God. So, it is less apparent to us why it was so needful to bring back the glory of the temple. Going into captivity had, in essence, ripped the Israelites from their God-given land, their family lines, and their identities as God’s people. Their God-centered government was meant to separate their way of life from the nations around them. These sojourners could not live the way God had specified through Moses.
The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, besieged Jerusalem, destroying the temple in 587 BCE. We know from Daniel’s account that Nebuchadnezzar took the gold and silver cups from the temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s predecessor, used them to praise false gods (Daniel 5:2-6, 30). Ezra records Cyrus’ command to return these holy items to the temple.
Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. 8 Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. (Ezra 1:7-8, ESV)
The return of the golden vessels of the temple was paramount to an Israelite. It was a message from Cyrus himself that he fully acknowledged Who owned the treasures of God, subsequently granting rights to the Hebrew nation. Ezra catalogues the stolen items returned. Recording the transaction between Cyrus and the Hebrew people is characteristic for a scribe of that earthly kingdom. It is historical evidence of the political reinstatement of Israel’s identity as a nation.
Similarly characteristic of the Hebrew tradition is Ezra’s recorded list of the returning families, found in chapter 2. It was not only a tradition but a necessity for these lengthy genealogies to be written down. The law of Moses required each Hebrew to prove he/she was an Israelite – of a tribe descending from Jacob – in order to participate in the worship of God. (A proselytized foreigner could not enter into the worship of Jehovah in the same area of the temple as a natural-born Israelite man. Even Jews could not enter the inner courtyard of the temple if they were women or lame/mutilated men.)
Along with the requirements for temple worship, an Israelite’s genealogy defined his/her social standing and the ability to provide for self and family. Large families meant a better chance of continuing a tribe’s line. This is why God’s blessing of many children is repeated throughout the old law. Without descendants, the tribe would diminish and cease to exist. Naomi, from the book of Ruth, mourns this, and God blesses her by having Boaz father Ruth’s first child in the name of Naomi’s husband’s line (Ruth 4:13-14).
Today, God’s chosen race is made up of men and women from all nations. The bloodline of spiritual Israel continues when we are born into the kingdom by a spiritual birth, not a physical one. This is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham that “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” Every kindred and tribe has been given a way to enter into the holy presence of Jehovah God. No one is left to stand outside; no one is barred from entering. God graciously grants all the offer of accepting His invitation to enter into His heavenly Jerusalem. And God also keeps a record. Every person who returns to Him – male and female, Jew and Gentile – is written down in His book of life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5).