Even This is About Jesus (3 of 19)
Series: Ezra
Mike Stone
Ezra 2:1-58
Part of the series: EZRA
Praising the God Who Rebuilds and Restores
Ezra chapter 2 is, most likely, one of the clean white pages of your Bible. And with understandable reason. Genealogies and lists tend to be the places where your commitment to read through the Bible in a year come to die a sudden death.
Yet, we know from 2 Timothy 3:16 that this passage, like all of the Bible, is profitable to us for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. We also know from multiple passages in the New Testament, including Luke 24, that the Old Testament is a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, by faith, we know there is much for the people of God even in an obscure passage like this one.
But let's be honest. When you read a chapter like this one, you might initially wonder, ''Why is that even in the Bible?'' I think there are several reasons.
1. Genealogies, registries, and other historical narratives attest to the inspiration of Scripture. What I mean is, records like this are Biblical invitations to ''check out'' the Bible's internal claim to be the perfect Word of God.
If I were writing a book that purported to contain history...and if that book were filled with lies and fabrications...I'd include as few details as possible. The inclusion of minute details is an example of the Bible's internal claim to accuracy. The Bible isn't afraid to be examined and scrutinized by fair-minded historians.
If you will study secular history, archaeology, and writings, you will find references to the major people and dates in the Bible. And these references are attestations to the inspiration and infallibility of the Word of God.
2. These lists speak of God's care for individuals. There are nearly 120 names of people and places in these 58 verses. That's because the story of restoration is a REAL story set in REAL time where a REAL people saw a REAL God move on thei ...
Series: Ezra
Mike Stone
Ezra 2:1-58
Part of the series: EZRA
Praising the God Who Rebuilds and Restores
Ezra chapter 2 is, most likely, one of the clean white pages of your Bible. And with understandable reason. Genealogies and lists tend to be the places where your commitment to read through the Bible in a year come to die a sudden death.
Yet, we know from 2 Timothy 3:16 that this passage, like all of the Bible, is profitable to us for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. We also know from multiple passages in the New Testament, including Luke 24, that the Old Testament is a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, by faith, we know there is much for the people of God even in an obscure passage like this one.
But let's be honest. When you read a chapter like this one, you might initially wonder, ''Why is that even in the Bible?'' I think there are several reasons.
1. Genealogies, registries, and other historical narratives attest to the inspiration of Scripture. What I mean is, records like this are Biblical invitations to ''check out'' the Bible's internal claim to be the perfect Word of God.
If I were writing a book that purported to contain history...and if that book were filled with lies and fabrications...I'd include as few details as possible. The inclusion of minute details is an example of the Bible's internal claim to accuracy. The Bible isn't afraid to be examined and scrutinized by fair-minded historians.
If you will study secular history, archaeology, and writings, you will find references to the major people and dates in the Bible. And these references are attestations to the inspiration and infallibility of the Word of God.
2. These lists speak of God's care for individuals. There are nearly 120 names of people and places in these 58 verses. That's because the story of restoration is a REAL story set in REAL time where a REAL people saw a REAL God move on thei ...
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