Ezra 8:15
"Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. and I looked among the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there. "
Jacob, who was later renamed Israel, by God had twelve sons, who became the 12 tribes of Israel, the nation.
Levi was Jacob’s third son. From Levi’s descendants, Aaron and his 2 sons were the bloodline that was chosen and sanctified, or set apart by God to be priests and head of the temple worship and sacrifice. They ministered to the people, and represented this same people to God in their sacrifices and offerings.
Numbers 8.18-19
"I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting (Temple), and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.”
It would be necessary for Ezra to find Levites wiling to come and make this trip with them.
V16-23 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah (Sha-my’-ah), Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam (Mess-shoel’-Hem), leaders; also for Joiarib (Joah-A-Rib)and Elnathan, men of understanding. 17 and I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia (Casa-Phia), and I told them what they should say to Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim (special servants of the levitical priests) at the place Casiphia—that they should bring us servants for the house of our God. 18 Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding (teacher), of the sons of Mahli (Mali- not mall, Al) the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah(Share’-A-Bye-ah), with his sons and brothers, eighteen men; 19 and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari (Mare-ar’-ree), his brothers and their sons, twenty men; 20 also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim. All of them were designated by name.
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.
We, like Ezra’s people, are sanctified, set apart, not better, but separate from the world.
Jesus prayed to the Father for us in John 17
John 17.14-15
"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."
This is sanctification; When you wash your clothes do you put them back into the hamper with the dirty clothes? No, they have been cleansed; you set them aside from the dirty ones. You don’t put your 2 year old’s apple juice in your favorite coffee mug. You don’t use a crystal punch bowl as a bucket for mop water.
They are specially set aside to use in special ways.
They are put away more carefully then a sippy cup or plastic bucket.
We have been saved for a special relationship and purpose.
Sanctified: Hebrews 10.10 talking about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Hebrews 10.14
"For by one offering He (Jesus) has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."
Why did our Father Sanctify us?
Ephesians 2.10
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
The world should be able to distinguish us from the rest of the world.
Matthew 6.5
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
This means we have faith in God and our prayers are meant to acknowledge and bless God, not impress people.
V16-18
"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
V31-32
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
When we handle things the way the world does it says we are not different; we have no confidence in God.
1 Corinthians 6.1-2
“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?
2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?”
James 4.4
"Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
This wasn’t written to husbands and wives cheating on their spouse, it means spiritual adultery.
We have become the bride of Christ, and then we may flirt with the world’s ungodly temptations.
Maybe we give ourselves to the pleasures of the old man. We’re being unfaithful; we’re cheating on the One who gave us life, and redeemed it.
George Mueller a missionary from Germany had read the entire Bible almost 200 times. He had prayed in millions of dollars for the orphans he cared for, and never asked anyone directly for money. He never took a salary in the last 68 years of his ministry, but trusted God to put in people's hearts to send him what he needed. He never took out a loan or went into debt. Both he and the orphans never went hungry. The eccentric pastor and founder of many orphanages was a great testimony to God.
The reason Mueller was so adamant about not asking people for money his whole life—was consciously planned to encourage Christians that God could really be trusted to meet their needs. We will never understand George Mueller's passion for the orphan ministry if we don't see that the good of the orphans was second to glorifying God.
Back to Ezra 8,24-30
V24 And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah (Shara-Bye’-yah), 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 hands 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."
Ezra said you, Levites are holy, the meaning is almost exactly the same as sanctified. Both mean set aside for special use. He also said the donations made for the Temple and its operation were holy.
Not only who you are, but what you do can be truly sanctified, holy, depending on how and why you do those things.
Eating can be sanctified. What? Why would a simple act necessary to the physical body be holy, sanctified?
Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6.19). When you eat it, if you pray and ask the Lord that you would eat that meal in honor and gratitude to the Lord, then your meal is sanctified holy.
Whatever necessary job you have to do, if you present it as service to Him, it is sanctified. EVERYTHING you do can be special, anointed, touched by God, as an act of worship to Him. In this way, the small unpleasant tasks have value in that they honor God.
Taken out of context, this can be turned into something weird. But truly this is, I believe, the meaning, “Pray without ceasing,” in 1 Thessalonians 5.17
Colossians 3.22-23
"Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men."
Ezra 8.31
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 (Mare-ah-moth) 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 (Noah-diah) the son of Binnui, (Bin-Nyew’-ee)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."
The people returned, prepared by God through their leaders.
They had done everything decently and in order.
Their priorities were right on the mark.
They understood they were returning to Israel to start life new, but just as importantly, they went about it as an act of worship.
Doing everything the way God had intended, the way that would bring glory to God. People saw their behavior and knew whom they belonged to.
Let’s live our lives, trusting in God, walking by God’s instruction, believing Him or what we see and perceive. We’ll be glorifying God, sanctified, set apart; a great testimony to the greatness of our God!
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