Ezra acknowledges God's undeserved mercy
“But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. 9 Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
At the time of Moses, the Israelites had promised, “Everything the LORD has said we will do” (Exodus 24:3).
Under Moses’ successor, Joshua, the nation again committed itself, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey him” (Joshua 24:24). Yet over and over again, Israel broke its promises to remain faithful to God. In spite of such unfaithfulness on the part of his people, the Lord remained faithful to his promise to bring the Savior into the world through that nation of Israel.
God brought a remnant of Israel back to Jerusalem. He allowed the restoration of the temple worship under the leadership of priests descended from Aaron. He restored political leadership to the family of David. He protected the people from the enemies who surrounded them in the land. The Jews’ political freedom was not complete; they still had to pay taxes and observe the decrees of the Persian kings. But because of the favor of the Persian kings, the Israelites enjoyed religious freedom through the reestablishment of temple worship.
Being torn away from the temple worship in Jerusalem had been the greatest pain of the captivity. The psalmist expressed this bitter grief:
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars we hung our harps,
for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy (Psalm 137:1-6).
No other spot on earth could substitute for Jerusalem, the site chosen by God as the place where the Old Testament sacrifices had to be performed. Now the Israelites were home again in Jerusalem, offering the prescribed sacrifices in the temple and waiting for the Savior to come. God’s people could truly claim to be free, even though their political freedom was not complete. Believers have that priceless freedom which comes through God’s Word and the Savior. As Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31,32). Freedom from sin, death, and Satan’s power—this is the greatest liberty of all!
The nation had truly come back from the dead, as Ezekiel had prophesied (37:1-14). Surely after all this, Israel would gladly serve and obey the Lord. What excuse could there be for despising God’s commands