Jexit: Judah Comes Home
The 70 Year Limit
A sermon on Ezra 6:13-18
The last time we looked at what was happening to the returned Exiles it was the 7th December 518BC. And Zechariah was talking with the Jews about the fact that the Lord was giving them the opportunity to move forward.
The past, and all the brokenness and sin that was there … it was dealt with.
The rebuilding of the temple was a sign of the future.
The problems which came because of enemies who wanted to frustrate … they were now finished.
The attitude of fasting and mourning because of their time in exile … could become a time of joy and feasting.
The Lord was telling them to move forward.
So they kept on working and focussing on the temple.
And then one day it happened. The temple was complete.
Ezra 6:13-18 (read)
In the text the temple is finished is on the 3rd Day of Adar, in the 6th year of King Darius.
Which is the 12th March 515BC
Let’s read another text which tells us when the temple was destroyed.
8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
2 Kings 25:8-10
That event took place 7th Day, 5th Month, 19th Year … with is basically July 586BC
By my reckoning that is pretty close to 70 years … from 586 – 515.
After 70 years of being a ruin.
After 70 years of lack of functionality.
After 70 years of not functioning at full capacity … so sacrifice was happening, but it was just a small aspect of the whole purpose of the temple.
But today on the 3rd Day of Adar, in the 6th year of King Darius the temple is now fully functional.
It took 70 years.
Is that 70 years significant? Indeed it is.
8 Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: ‘Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them.
11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
Jeremiah 25:8-9, 11
Let me put it out there that there is a little bit of an issue here regarding arithmetic.
Jeremiah says that the country will serve Babylon for 70 years.
But we know that Babylon was destroyed by Cyrus in 539BC. It is now 515BC so the Jews haven’t served Babylon for about 24 years.
So let me explain what is happening.
We need to think about how the Bible works
… and how prophecy works.
… and the thinking behind the words of Jeremiah.
For Jeremiah the 70 year focus is on when Babylon came to power, and when they stopped being in power.
Specifically as this rule physically impacted the land of Israel.
In terms of conquering Israel Babylon came to power in 609BC … they stopped being in power in 539BC … so 70 years.
As soon as they came into power the Babylonians made Judah a vassal state - this means that Judah basically had a puppet for a king. Babylon was calling all the shots.
And already in 605BC Nebuchadnezzar was sending people into exile - that was when Daniel and his friends ended up in Babylon.
So Jeremiah sees the rule of Babylon as a fulfilment of the 70 years.
But, the fact that the temple takes 70 years to rebuild is also significant.
Zechariah picks up on the significance.
1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.
We saw last week that this was only two years before the temple was being rebuilt.
4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 ‘Ask all the people of the land and the priests, “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?
Zechariah 7:1, 4-5
There are two blocks of 70 years.
One is the rule of the Babylonians as it directly impacts the land of Israel.
The other is the time which the temple was destroyed and rebuilt.
What an amazing testimony of the power of Scripture.
God brings His word to the prophet Jeremiah … and the figure is almost exact.
Whether you focus on the rule of Babylon.
Whether you focus on the temple.
God’s word is true.
God’s word is always true.
That is important to remember.
Especially when we remember the reason why Babylon was able to rise up, and the reason why Judah went into exile.
Let’s turn to Deuteronomy 28.
Here we will read about why the exile took place.
Remember these words are being spoken even before the Israelites have entered the promised land.
They are just about to inherit what God has given.
In that inheritance we are in the context is that of curses and blessings.
Read Deuteronomy 28:45-48, 64-65.
God made it very clear. If you don’t serve me there will be consequences.
And a consequence is removal from the land.
Now look at the book of 2 Chronicles.
We are still thinking about the question, why did Judah go into exile?
2 Chronicles 33:1-9 (read)
The king is just as bad as the kings which were originally driven from the land.
The Jews did more evil then the previous tenants who had been vacated to make way for Israel.
But now the Jews were behaving badly … worse than the previous tenants.
So God responds.
The Lord didn’t send the people into exile just because He felt like being nasty.
He didn’t send them into exile because they just messed up once.
The people continually stood against the law of the Lord.
Even all the way back from Deuteronomy they knew what to do … they knew how to live … they knew the consequences.
But still the Lord continued to be patient.
Think about Bible history for a moment.
How many times does God forgive and restore the people?
How many times does he give them a chance?
The whole book of Judges is dedicated to describing one cycle after another of sin.
The people sin.
God intervenes by sending a judge.
There is salvation and repentance and renewal.
Then the people sin again …
The cycle goes again and again.
Read the book of Kings … how many of the kings were faithful … compared to the number who were not.
Read through the Prophets … how many warnings were given … how many times were the people chastised?
We think 70 years is a long time for the people to be under the anger of God.
But, in light of all that has happened, isn’t it more of a surprise that God shows them any grace at all?
Shouldn’t the punishment be more?
But it is not like this.
Because God’s word is always true.
And the truth is that we have a God who would rather forgive than punish.
10 ‘Son of man, say to the Israelites, “This is what you are saying: ‘Our offences and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?’” 11 Say to them, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?”
Ezekiel 33:10-11
God who would rather forgive than punish … it is declared in the Old Testament
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:8-9
God who would rather forgive than punish … it is declared in the New Testament
The message of the Scripture is consistent.
We need to take responsibility for our sin … for sin separates us from God.
We need to be people who acknowledge that the distance we feel between ourselves and God … it isn’t God’s fault--it is ours.
God’s heart is full of compassion for us.
We need to acknowledge that God is grieved when we keep turning away.
We need to acknowledge that God will punish if we don’t turn back to Him.
But also acknowledge …
God is always ready … always ready … to receive us in grace and love … when we seek forgiveness.
That is the whole message of the Gospel.
It is perfectly declared by John in chapter 3.
John 3:16-21 (read)
God’s Word is true!
That is why the 70 years is so significant.
Not because the 70 years presents the time that the people were in exile.
But because the 70 years is a promise to the people … a promise that comes before they go into exile … that God will put a limit of 70 years on his punishment.
The people deserve to be punished.
God had continually warned them.
God waited until the fullness of evil had occurred.
Into exile they went … but only for 70 years.
It is a promise of a limitation of God’s punishment to the people.
That is what the completion of the temple celebrates.
The fact that God limits his anger and punishment and restores His people.
It is not the because of the strength of the people.
It is because of the active work of God.
Go back to Ezra 6:13-18
Two people are mentioned in Ezra 6:13-18 … Tattenai and Shether-Bozenai.
What have these two people like … well they are bureaucrats. This is what they do.
3 At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 4 The also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” 5 But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.
Ezra 5:3-5
So they send off a letter to ask for some confirmation on the story the Jews were telling.
They say to Darius
17 Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.
Ezra 5:17.
Darius conducts a search and … yes … Cyrus did make the decree.
Dairus adds to what Cyrus says, and sends a letter back saying he will also pay for the work and the materials.
That is the benefit of bureaucracy isn’t it. And because of the Persian political system there is no more problem moving forward.
Now these men are doing all they can to help.
They go from opposing to being diligent helpers.
God made it happen because, beforehand, the people were allowing the enemies to discourage them from the task.
Two other people are mentioned. Haggai and Zechariah.
God provides these people as well.
In this series we have seen how important they are.
When the people were at their lowest they came along … having been sent by God ... and they encouraged the people to move forward.
Don’t be discouraged.
Don’t despise the day of small things.
Again God made it happen.
God made it happen because he promised many years ago, before the exile and the destruction of the temple, that there would be a limit.
On that day, when the temple is finished and dedicated, the people know what they are celebrating.
And there is something really significant about this celebration … it is in verse 17.
17 For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
Ezra 6:17
Twelve goats … one for each of the tribes. This is really significant and to see the significance we need to go back to Numbers 7.
The wider context is the building of the tabernacle and the dedication of the tabernacle. It is a time for a new start.
1 When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils. 2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings.
Numbers 7:1-2
Then in verse 10 they all come
10 When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. 11 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar.”
Numbers 7:10-11
It happened back there at the dedication of the tabernacle. And now the sacrifice is happening at the dedication of the new temple.
12 goats.
One goat for each of the twelve tribes.
Why is that significant?
Well, since 722BC, the 10 northern tribes have been scattered. They were scattered by the Assyrians. These 10 tribes never came back.
Only the tribe of Judah and Benjamin went into exile. They returned to the province of Judah.
Something really great is happening here.
They are sacrifice a goat for all the missing tribes.
God is again showing that there is a limit. That He wants to bring the people back in.
God is saying to those tribes … you are all welcome back.
You get a small picture of this taking place in Ezra 6:21.
21 So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbours in order to seek the Lord, the God of Israel.
It is not just the people who came back from the Babylonian exile who get to participate.
Those who stayed behind in the land, who were not part of the remnant, who were perhaps even part of the hindrance when they first returned. They are forgiven.
They are saying to everyone … you are welcome.
Have a look at this history and know that this is your God ….
Your God who says, “I place limits on my punishment.”
Your God who says, “My hand is stayed”.
We don’t live in the age of judgement, we live in the age of grace.
While ever the Lord Jesus Christ’s feet are not on this earth there is hope.
The moment Jesus returns then there is no more grace … but till then the punishment has been limited.
While ever Jesus is not in His full glory there is hope.
But, until then, God puts a limit on his punishment.
We have a God full of grace and compassion who doesn’t want to punish.
We have a God who is offering a new day … a fresh start … a renewed hope.
Which means even today we can look back and say, “God there are all these sins.”
And God says, “It is ok. It is covered. Covered by my Son Jesus.”
We know it is possible.
There are people for whom Jesus was not even on their radar.
Then Jesus comes into their life and they are completely changed. They are not anything like what they were before.
God has a limit on his punishment.
God brings grace.
Each one of us is a testimony; that God is a gracious God.
So let’s look at our history … for these words are our history.
Look at this history and know that we have a God, who when He speaks, shows us a character that would rather forgive than punish.
Think about what that means for you today
… …
Be blessed knowing that God’s Word is True.
Prayer
