Lesson for July 28, 2013: Giving Gifts for the Temple (Ezra 8:24-36) | Christian Standard

Lesson for July 28, 2013: Giving Gifts for the Temple (Ezra 8:24-36) | Christian Standard

Ezra 8:24-36

King James Version (KJV)
24 Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,
25 And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:
26 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;
27 Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.
28 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.


Commentary 1: The gold / gifts were separated among 12 priests because God does not give all His talents to a single person.  He spreads His gifts among all his children.  All of His gifts (like the gold ~ approximately $3 million) would have been too much for one priest to carry 900 miles to Jerusalem.  Likewise all of God's gifts could not be carried by one saint.


Commentary 2:  the vessels were holy and the priest who had the Lord's freewill offerings were holy too!  Saints are holy (set apart) as they give their freewill offerings to the Lord, that He has given them.


Commentary 3: Ezra 8:34 - God keeps His people accountable of the Gifts He has given to His saints. See Matthew 25:14-30, The Parable of the Talents

Gifts for the temple

Ezra 8:24-36

King James Version (KJV)

24 Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,
25 And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:
26 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;
27 Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.
28 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.


Commentary 1: The gold / gifts were separated among 12 priests because God does not give all His talents to a single person.  He spreads His gifts among all his children.  All of His gifts (like the gold ~ approximately $3 million) would have been too much for one priest to carry 900 miles to Jerusalem.  Likewise all of God's gifts could not be carried by one saint.


Commentary 2:  the vessels were holy and the priest who had the Lord's freewill offerings were holy too!  Saints are holy (set apart) as they give their freewill offerings to the Lord, that He has given them.


Commentary 3: Ezra 8:34 - God keeps His people accountable of the Gifts He has given to His saints. See Matthew 25:14-30, The Parable of the Talents

for the battle is the Lord

and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord… http://t.co/S5p0GLTlIZ

the Lord does not deliver by sword of by spear  - the Lord does not deliver by natural means.

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds...2Cor 10:4 http://t.co/PpzOQLZw8K

New International Version (©2011) Isaiah 37:36
Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning--there were all the dead bodies!

New International Version (©2011) 2 Kings 19:35
That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning--there were all the dead bodies!

Deuteronomy 32:30

New International Version (©2011)
How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?