The National tribune., 1886-02-11
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught by Study OF the Inter.
national Sunday School Lesson Appointed for
Feb. 81. Ezra, :f4: 3: S-13.

Practica, Duties Taught by a Study OF the Inter.
| national Sunday School Lesson Appointed for
! Feb. 81. Ezra, :f4: 5:S-l3.
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
| study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
| indicated above. A-so, Ch., &c %, %
| Wenow have a lessonin the Book of Ezra This
| is brief book and one of the historical books
of the Old Testament. No quotation is made
| in the New Testament from the Book of Ezra.
Ezra made the Bible his study. He collected
! the books and arranged them. He edited l
| Chron., Chron Ezra and Neh. He made it
| his business to have numerous copies Of the
| Holy Scriptures written and circulated. 1t is
| held, he originated worship in synagogs.
He was descendant of Hlkiah, who was
| High Priest in the days of Josiah. CID He
resided at Babylon and was evidently a person
| of some prominence in the Court of Artaxerxes.
| He paid two visits to the Jews at Jerusalem.
The first was made when the Jews had been
| back from the Babylonian captivity for about
so years. Many leading Jews descendants of
those who did not return to Judea at Cyrus's per-
nit, accompanied Ezra. They took numerous
| gifts with them. Ninety-three years after the
restoration of the Jews from the captivity in
Babylon, Ezra paid second visit. About 13
years INTERVIEWED between the two Journeys.
1t was during the second visit he originated
something like what we call modern preach
ing. He had pulpit extemporized in a street
of Jerusalem. Then he read the Bible dis
tinctly to the people and explained its contents.
| (Neh., 80 g. On the Tigris River. near Bag
dad, the tomb of Ezra is shown.
Cyrus captured Babylon and became its King,
| joining the territory to Persia and Medea.
The captivity began 60i b. c. and continued
20 years, or to 534 3. c. jeremiah had prophe-
sled the duration of the captivity tJer. 25: IL;
%: 1O), and the time for the release and resto-
ration to Jerusalem had come. Tho Kingdom
of Judah had suffered deserved punishment
| The Nation had been thoroughly sifted.
chance is given to return. The noblest, BRAY
est and best will accept. Such will be a grand
ancestry for a valiant race. While in Babylon
some of the captves from the 10 tribes fell in
with those from Judah and affiliated (Jer,
| so: A. Probably among those who returned
| to Jerusalem a remnant could be found of the
Israelti5h captives. As many as 100000 in
| habitants of the Kingdom of Judah were taken
from Jerusalem to Babylon only about one
half that number returned Ezra, 2: ca G.,
show 1850 Jews. 1887 servants, and 200 sing
ers formed the returning company.
It is noticeable Ezra, /: l, 2 and part of are
| like Ch., Sc: %, %.
For 20 years Cyrus had been ruling several
| eastern Nations their conqueror and COM
mon King. He is now in his first year as King
of Babylon jointly with his former kingdom.
Having captured Babylon, Cyrus appointed
Darius to rule in his stead, and he so governed
| for about two years, when Cyrus himself took
the throne The 20 years foretold by the
| Prophet jeremiah are about at end. Gods
| spirit operates on the mind of Cyrus, leading
| him to issue proclamation permitting the Jews
! to return to Jerusalem. Possibly Daniel called
the attention of Cyrus to the following: Isa,,
Al &c 20; 40 IA Jer. % IL; %: TO- In the
| second verse of the lesson, we have an hyper
| bola. Cyrus however, was King of all the main
! Nations of the word-the principal ruler of
earth. He saw in 1sa, 44:23, what he considered
a command requiring him to reconstruct the
! temple at Jerusalem.
The proclamation was not command, but a
| permit All Jews could so who so wished. If
| one who was poor desired to return, all his
neighbors, even tire heather, were to help him
| in preparation. VA The trip lay from Baby
| lon to Jerusalem, about 500 miles. Besides
such offerings as the departing emigran;s re-
| ceived from friends, Cyrus added royal por
ton. Though they were in captivity, God had
| blessed his people in temporal things just as he
did before in Egypt They took with them
435 camcls, 763 horses, 6,96o beasts of burden.
| Besides they took about 81 900 900 in gold and
| silver. Then they had abundant rich apparel
| for their Priests. (2:69.) Cyrus also allowed
them to take back all the rich temple utensils
| which ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS had seized and borne
Off from Jerusalem, numbering over 5000 pieces
Reaching their old homes, they find 20 years
have made great changes. The surrounding
| heather Nations have pressed their lines over
! Into Judea. But the Jews set to work with a
will. They appropriated moneys for repairing
| the temple. Temporarily they restore the old
! altar and worship. Meanwhile they ship ma
terials from Lebanon and Joppa. They also dtt
| down timber, clear away the soil for founda-
! ton, hew stones and get them into place. BY
| the next Spring about one year after arrival,
| they are ready to begin TO reconstruct their
| house of worship
Zcrubbabel was governor under Cyrus Of the
Jews on their return. He was a Jewish Prince
| Il, . 4,
| High Priest. The Joshua of V. 8 was Leyite.
! (2:40)
Things are now ready for operation. Over
seers are appointed to superintend the work
men. They begin at the same time of the year
! Solomon did, the month Zif, Il XII, ~ cor
responding to our May. The Levites from 20
years and up Il Chr. % "a urged on the work
The Priests in official apparel Eek, 81: 10) gave
sanction to the enterprise, now and then calling
the men together by trumpet signals and Civ
ing them inspiration. The Levitcs had their
| cymbals, musical instruments consisting of fiat
brazen surfaces or plates, serving more to give
! unity than sweetness to music. On the work
| grows The people rejoice Music and song
are the avenues of feeling The prophecy Of
jeremiah was fulfilled. DER, So: TO- IL They
can sing and play now. Contrast Ps., 137 Ia
| They sang by course or rcsponsively. The work
of rebuilding required 10 years, by reason Of
! interruptions from enemies.
| We notice classes OF feelings the old men
weep while the young shout. Why this con-
| trast? 1t is about so years since Solomons tenn
! pie was destroyed. Many of the people could
recall the grandeur of the old temple. The
new, though larger by one-third, lacked in the
richness of finish, the magniicence of adorn-
ment. Nag, 2:3; Zee, :10) Captives just
released from 20 years of bondage could not be
supposed to have the facilities of Solomon. But
the main cause of lamentation was the fact
| ZeruhhabePs temple lacked several essentials of
! SOlomons-the ark of the covenant, the pot of
mama, the mercy seat Aaron's rod that budded,
the cherubm, the fire Shekina, the Urim and
! Thummim. Then, the second temple had lost
| the tender, grand associations of the first. But
| the Prophet Haggai foresaw the temple of
| Zerubbabel would become more famous, more
sacred than Solomon's in the fact Christ would
yet walk its courts alag, 2: 1-9.) The young
men locked OH the new temple in admiration
and joy.
| The builders met opposition from persons
who had occupied the land while the Jews were
in captivity. Haggai and Zechariah kept up
| the spirits of the constructors. The decree of
! Cyrus CHANGED to be found, and its directions
| were executed.
1 Many practical duties crowd on the mind.