The Return Of A Remnant

by T.W. Fullerton, Melbourne | Category: General | Oct 1971

The existence and continuance of a house for God on earth has always been dependent upon the obedience of His people. Human failure has been characteristic of God's people in every age, but when there has been wilful and deliberate disobedience, then the house of God and its service has ceased until revival of spirit and repentance have caused men to be exercised to build it again. Because of His people departing from Him Jehovah forsook His house in Shiloh (1 Sam. chaps. 1-4), in Jerusalem (2 Chron. 26), and again following Israel's rejection and murder of the Messiah (Luke 21:5,6).

The return of a remnant of Judah from Babylon to rebuild the temple, recorded in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah, is among the things written aforetime for our learning. God had His faithful witnesses in Babylon, as we read in the book of Daniel, and there were also those who longed to return to Jerusalem, for they could not engage in the LORD'S service while they were in captivity in a strange land (Psalm 137). To erect an altar to Him in a place which was not the place of His choice would contravene the word of the LORD (Deut. 12).

The Remnant Returns (Ezra 1-3)-B.C. 536

While Jehovah was watching over His people in Babylon, Chaldean rule came to an end and was replaced by that of the Medes and Persians. God stirred the spirit of Cyrus, the Persian monarch, to proclaim release to any of the people of Judah who desired to return to their native land to build again the Temple at Jerusalem. To this opportunity a remnant of Judah nobly responded and were prepared to leave the comforts of their homes in an alien land-counting it a great privilege to sacrifice what they had acquired in Babylon so that they could build again the house of God in the land of their fathers. The number who were moved to return to the land is given as approximately 50,000, which was a very small percentage of the people, including the ten tribes.

We have the record of the return in the first three chapters of the book of Ezra; the laying of the foundation of the house, the setting up of the altar and the offering of sacrifices thereon. When the foundation was laid there was the shout of joy and the noise of weeping-joy that the building had commenced, and sorrow at the contrast between what was being built and the glory of the Solomonic Temple.

Discouragement (Ezra 4)-B.C. 536-520

This chapter records the gradual weakening of the hands of the builders through the opposition of the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin, until eventually the building ceased for a period of about fifteen years. Weeds grew in the place where: the sang and service of the LORD ought to have been heard and seen.

Complacency of the Remnant (Haggai 1,2)-B.C. 520

The remnant now lapsed into complacency while they sought after material prosperity. God's house had not been builded, yet they were industrious in building their own ceiled houses. Much of their labour, however, was in vain because God's house was long waste during these years. The word of the LORD through Haggai was, "Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little ... and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.... Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it" (Haggai 1:5-8).

Revival and building (Ezra 5,6)-B.C. 520-515

As a result of the encouragement given by the word of the LORD through Haggai and Zechariah the remnant was revived. During these years the house was completed and dedicated with great joy, and the service was restored, to the great pleasure of the God of Israel. Its glory was far removed from that of the former house but promises were made concerning it which gave further encouragement to the builders.

Another generation and a further Remnant (Ezra 7,8)-B.C. 457-456

It was now about eighty years since the first remnant returned from Babylon. Under Ezra the scribe there is a further "going up" of less than 2,000 males. The third generation have now the custody of the oracles of God and are responsible for the house of God and its service. It seems that reports of spiritual declension had reached Ezra. There was a tendency to esteem lightly the things which had cost their fathers so much, and. failure to maintain the path of separation from the nations and their practices which were contrary to the law of the LORD. Ezra "had set his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgements" (7:10). His responsibilities cause him to mourn, but he finds others who are like-minded to himself, who tremble at the word of the LORD and confess their guilt in joining with the peoples of the land. They realize that if action. is not taken in clearing themselves from transgression there may well be a repetition of what occurred one and a half centuries earlier (2 Chron. 36). The remedy was painful and solemn, yet, with few exceptions, it would appear that the people were prepared to bow to the word of the LORD. The judgements of the LORD were executed and His wrath averted. Having cleansed themselves from defilement they were again able to serve the LORD acceptably.

Nehemiah's work (Neh. 1-12)-B.C. 446

Reports concerning conditions in Jerusalem reached Nehemiah in Shushan as he waited on the king. The city and its walls were in disrepair and the remnant were in great affliction. Those who had worked with Ezra had done much but even good men have their limitations. They had laboured in cleansing the house of the LORD but they had not been able to repair the city and the walls. Again there was opposition from the adversaries of the Jews. They were mocked and taunted, "What do these feeble Jews?... Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall" (4:2,3). To their adversaries this was merely a stone wall, but the builders saw growing under their hands the means to keep uncleanness out of the city and to ensure a people separated to the name of the LORD within. In addition to the building of the wall Nehemiah and his fellows also strengthened the hands of Ezra, setting in order the things which were wanting. It is evident that Nehemiah then returned to his duties in the court of the king at Shushan.

Nehemiah's second visit (Neh. 13)-B.C. 434

On his second visit to Jerusalem Nehemiah discovered that many of this third generation were treating as outdated the word of the LORD through His servant Moses. They were ignoring the commandments of the LORD regarding the Ammonites and the Moabites (Deut. 23:3-6), the portions of the Levites (Numbers 18:21-32), the sabbath (Exod. 20:10), and marriages with people of the surrounding nations (Exod. 34:16). In this chapter we are told of the drastic measures taken by Nehemiah to cleanse the Temple, the city and the people. These measures were necessary in order that the house and service of the LORD could continue.

Lessons for today from the history of the Remnant

The house of God in apostolic times was not a material building. It was composed of "living stones" added together (or built) into churches of God (1 Pet. 2:5). These churches of God were "fitly framed together" to compose "a holy temple in the Lord" (Eph. 2:21,22). This spiritual house ceased after the apostles were taken from the scene. The doctrines and commandments of men corrupted those early churches and ages of spiritual darkness followed.

In the closing decade of the past century the vision of a house of God according to the pattern of the New Testament Scriptures was again given to a few of God's children, who were exercised to build a spiritual house for Him. These came together as churches of God desiring to carry out His will as taught in the New Testament. One of the objections raised by many children of God to this attempt to carry out New Testament teaching on "church truth" was that of fewness of numbers, the greater number of fellow-members of the Body not being included in the movement. The smallness of the remnant which returned to rebuild the temple in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah confirms that large numbers are not essential to the carrying out of God's will. The house of the remnant would never have been built had those whose hearts were stirred waited for a response from the greater number of those in captivity in Babylon.

Those who are today numbered in churches of God should heed the lessons God would teach us from the experiences of Ezra and Nehemiah and the godly remnant of those times. Approximately the same Period of time has elapsed since the return from spiritual Babylon to rebuild God's house. All of the first generation have now gone to be with the Lord, some of the second generation are still with us. To a great degree *he truth of God is now in the hands of the third generation. Will this generation guard it faithfully? Let us remember the appeal of the apostle Paul to Timothy,

"0 Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee"

(1 Tim. 6.20).

T.W. Fullerton, Melbourne | Oct 1971
General