Ezra 8:24-36 - You are Holy to the LORD!

Ezra 8:24-36

Gifts for the Temple

24 And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them— 25 and weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present, had offered. 26 I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the LORD; the articles are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.” 30 So the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

The Return to Jerusalem

31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road. 32 So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.

33 Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, 34 with the number and weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.

35 The children of those who had been carried away captive, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

36 And they delivered the king’s orders to the king’s satraps and the governors in the region beyond the River. So they gave support to the people and the house of God.

Offerings to the LORD were collected for the temple house of God and Ezra told the leaders of the priests, “You are holy to the LORD.”  He also told them that the vessels and articles of the house were also holy (1 Samuel 21:5, 2 Timothy 2:20, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 7, 5:21-22) as they gave freewill offerings to the LORD God there.  We also are priests to our Lord God in Christ (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6, 5:10) and are called to be holy first of all in our position and standing in the righteousness imputed to we who are in Christ, and secondly as how we live our lives in holy response as we keep these vessels of worship clean and holy to worship Him as well-pleasing (Hebrews 13:21, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:9, 1 John 2.15-16, 17) priests who serve God in these temples.  Therefore we listen to Ezra and the pattern set for us to honor God as holy servants with all we are and own put to good and righteous use to worship Him in these temples in the beauty of (1 Chronicles 16:29, Psalm 29:1-2, 96:9) personal priestly holiness.  Therefore hand of God is on such who live lives set apart for Him in body and soul with all we have been given as stewards to deliver from the hand of the enemy at times in this life and most certainly in the next.  Remember, you are holy to the Lord!