GIFTS FOR THE TEMPLE

BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:

KNOW that as an act of worship, we should be willing to give generously of our time and talents to the Lord; FEEL honored to serve the Lord; and GIVE to the Lord with generosity and humility. 

FOCAL VERSES  EZRA 8:24-30

KEEP IN MIND 

"And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers" (Ezra 8:28).

AT-A-GLANCE

1. Doing Service (Ezra 8:24-27)

2. Consecrated for Service (vv. 28-30)

IN FOCUS

I remember what it felt like, wondering if the shelter where I slept was actually safe. I remember being hungry. I remember the kindness in the eyes of the pastor as she permitted me to sit at the church until I could check in at the shelter. Her praying with me that day led me to the Lord and to receive the Holy Ghost. 

I am very thankful for how God kept me and still does. Since then, God has blessed me and now I am giving back by volunteering at the shelter, cooking for the soup kitchen, and worshipping at the church where my tithes help to pay for badly needed repairs. I praise God for what He has done for and through me. 

Generously giving of our money and time is one way to worship God. When we give, we act as God's instruments to bless those who do not have. By generously giving, we show that what we have really does belong to God, and we are just stewards of those possesions. In today's lesson, we see howEzra prepared gifts of precious metals that were to be carried by the priests and the Levites to the House of God. 

BACKGROUND

The first six chapters of the book of Ezra record how the exiled people of the southern tribe of Judah returned to Jerusalem. "Now 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, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath changed me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who 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. And 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. Then 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 to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:1-5).

Fifty-eight years had passed between the dedication of the Temple in 516 B.C. and the arrival of Ezra in Jerusalem. "Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra ... went up from Babylon" (7:1, 6). The words, "after these" connects the completion of the building of the Temple with the arrival of Ezra in Jerusalem. Because of his skill with the Law of Moses, Ezra came to Jerusalem to deal with questions related to the Law. 

After discovering no Levites were traveling with them, Ezra stopped at the Ahava Canal, sent leaders of his traveling party to approach Iddo, and made a request of Iddo that he permit some of his ministers to travel with them. Ezra then proclaimed a fast to seek protection from God while they traveled because he had refused the protection of the king. After the fast, they departed, going toward Jerusalem. 

Traveling with the money given by the Persian people and the remaining Babylonian exiles, Ezra declared the money they were traveling with as holy of God. "And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers" (8:28). The declaration to call the men and the money they carried holy transferred them from the secular realm to divine service. 

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

1. What was the purpose in giving an account of the offerings (Ezra 8:26, 30)?

2. Why did Ezra set the 12 leaders of the priest apart (vv. 24, 28)?

DISCUSS THE MEANING 

1. What can we learn from Ezra 8?

2. What God has designated for His use will always prosper. If we agree with his statement, why do we act first, before seeking guidance from God?

3. The In Focus story records the testimony of someone who remembered what God did and offered everything back to the Lord. Are we faithful in doing this? If not, what hinders us?

LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY

Giving is an act of worship to God. So if we truly believe in God and we truly intend to be the light in the world that God has directed us to be, we need to identify one need where we can sincerely make a contribution. Some suggestions are to volunteer at a local school; establish an after-school tutorial at our churches; volunteer at a local women or men's homeless shelter; or permit a 12-step substance abuse program to meet at our facilities. Once we have identified the need, our next step is to commit to that need with our time and, when appropriate, our finances. 

MAKE IT HAPPEN

As our community is experiencing unusually high rates of unemployment, underemployment, and lack of affordable health care and decent housing, the one way to show that Jesus' compassion is to extend ourselves as children of God. Consider how you can get others to help you meet a need. If you are lacking because of these economic situation, what can you do to give unto the Lord? (Remember, God is still blessing you!)

(Except for The Apostolic Way)

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