Ezra: The Lord HelpsSample

I hate camping. Once it was freezing cold; another time it was stifling hot. Neither experience was pleasant. I hate trudging across the campsite in the middle of the night to go to the loo; chilly shower blocks; cooking on a little stove; not having any decent light to read by at night, and noisy campsites. On my last trip, I returned home exhausted and in bad back pain because of an awful bed – after what was supposed to be a relaxing holiday! 

I reckon the only good thing about living under canvas for a week is that it makes you long for your permanent home. It makes you look forward to your own bed and all your home comforts. Camping makes you want to be somewhere solid, secure, and comfortable. 

Having built the altar, the people of God in Ezra’s day spend a week camping as they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (v. 4). Living in tents for a week was an annual reminder of the insecurity of life. It reminded them that nothing in this life is permanent but that there’s something much better to come. The Feast of Tabernacles was designed to leave them looking forward to their future inheritance. 

Once we’ve come to God through the place of sacrifice – the Lord Jesus and His cross – we can celebrate that our eternal home is sure and certain. Knowing that a great home is to come motivates us to be focused on building the church. 

It’s no walk in the park being involved in gospel ministry. Giving our all to the work of God means sacrifices. We sacrifice our time, having fewer opportunities for all the things we might like to do here and now. It also involves sacrificing money, as we saw at the end of Ezra 2. Yet having our eternal home clearly in view persuades us that it is worth making all those sacrifices. 

If there’s nothing beyond this life, we really should just live life to the full now, embracing the attitude ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’ (1 Cor. 15:32). We’d have a blast while it lasts, thinking we’re going to be dead for a very long time. But having an eternal perspective motivates us to give ourselves to the hard work of building God’s church – just as celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles gave the people of Judah that eternal perspective and the motivation to work hard.

Reflection

Thank God that in and through Christ our eternal future is certain. Ask God to remind you that this life is not our permanent home, but instead to give you an eternal perspective that motivates you to live sacrificially now to build the church.