Passage: Ezra 1:2b
“…in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” (Ezra 1:2b-3)
OPEN UP:
God wanted His Name to dwell in a specific location. Ultimately, this location was and will be Mount Zion, or Jerusalem.
Cyrus — king of Persia, conquered Babylon, declared that the captive Jews could return to their homeland
Jerusalem — city conquered and established by King David in 1000 BC, then conquered by the Babylonians in 597 BC
Judah — the parcel of the Promised Land that was allotted to the descendants of Judah (one of the twelve sons/tribes of Israel)
– Cyrus designates the location of the rebuilt temple: Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
How did the Israelites begin to live in Judah/Jerusalem?
Israel had three founding fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel. God promised that He would give their descendants the large piece of land that was then occupied by Canaanites.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Hundreds of years later, when the descendants (tribes) of those sons finally entered the Promised Land, they divided the land into twelve pieces. The next step was to actually conquer it.
Jerusalem was on the border of the land allotted to the descendants of Judah and Benjamin. It was called Jebus (also Zion), inhabited by the Jebusites. The Israelites conquered and burned Jebus, but they did not succeed in driving out the Jebusites.
Later, King David (descendant of Judah) defeated the Jebusites. He made Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
Why was it important to have a capital city for the Israelites?
Years earlier, when Moses brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, before they entered the Promised Land, God told them:
“…seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go…
Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribes…”
(Deuteronomy 12:5, 13-14 NIV)
This is repeated multiple times — God will choose a place, and sacrifices can only be made there. Generally this was the place where the Ark of the Covenant was located.
Where did God choose for the Ark of the Covenant to be located?
It isn’t entirely clear to me how God specifically chose a location…
A few Scriptures say that Shiloh was God’s first choice for His dwelling:
“Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name…”
(Jeremiah 7:12 NIV)
“He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans.”
(Psalm 78:60 NIV)
Shiloh — the name of a city. Closely related words are “tranquility” and “rest.” With a slightly different rendering, it means “to whom it belongs.”
Right before Jacob/Israel died, he used the word “Shiloh” when he blessed his son Judah:
“Judah…your father’s sons will bow down to you…
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come [“to whom it belongs” is actually “Shiloh” in the Hebrew text] and the obedience of the nations shall be his.”
(Genesis 49:8-10 NIV)
If God first chose Shiloh, why isn’t Shiloh the capital of Israel?
God abandoned Shiloh due to the disobedience of the Israelites, and the Ark moved somewhere else.
Following is a list of major locations of the Ark (not a complete list):
– When the Israelites wandered in the desert, sacrifices were made at the tent (tabernacle) where the Ark of the Covenant was kept.
– After the Israelites had settled some of the Promised Land, the tent with the Ark was set up at Shiloh.
– Shiloh was destroyed when the Israelites disobeyed God. (They had been worshipping other gods, and the priests had been sleeping with temple workers, etc.) They decided to take the Ark into battle as if it were a magic talisman. The Ark was captured by their enemies and later returned.
– The Ark moved from place to place for several years.
– King David conquered Jerusalem and secured peace for the Israelites. After he had built himself a nice palace…
“[David] said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.’”
(2 Samuel 7:2 NIV)
God responded:
“…Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? … I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling… did I ever say…’Why have you not built me a house…?’
…I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
(2 Samuel 7:5-7, 12-13)
– God allowed David’s son, King Solomon, to build a temple in Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant was moved to the temple. God showed His recognition of the new location by filling it with a visible sign of His glory.
– The Ark disappeared at some unknown point afterward.
What was the status of Jerusalem in the time of Ezra?
By the time of Ezra, most of the Promised Land had been lost to wars. The descendants had been scattered into captivity, and their culture and lineage were lost to intermarriage. Although Jerusalem had stood firm longer than the rest of the Promised Land, it had also been taken and burned by the Babylonians, along with the temple.
When King Cyrus of Persia defeated the Babylonians, he let the descendants of Judah and Benjamin return to the province of Judah and rebuild the temple (although Judah and Jerusalem remained under Persian rule).
By the time Jesus came, Jerusalem was under Roman rule.
Still, God had preserved the city, the temple, the rituals, and the lineage of Judah, ready for the fulfillment of ancient prophecies.
What is the future of Jerusalem?
Revelation 21 in the New Testament describes the New Jerusalem, but there are also prophecies in the Old Testament:
“Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her… Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations.”
(Joel 3:17, 20 NIV)
“In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established… and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple… He will teach us his ways…’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes… Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore… The LORD will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever.”
(Micah 4:1-3, 7 NIV)
Jerusalem — means “founded by [the God of] peace”
God wanted to give His people a home where they could rest peacefully, enjoying healthy relationships with Him and with each other.
The first plan, Shiloh, had to be abandoned because of the people’s disobedience.
The first covenant (contained in the Ark) also had to be abandoned because of the people’s disobedience.
But God keeps His promises even when people fail. Jesus became the sacrifice that was offered in the place God chose — Jerusalem. Jesus’ blood marked the establishment of a New Covenant, which will be completely fulfilled in the New Jerusalem.
My part of the New Covenant is easy: Let my life be purchased by God through Jesus’ blood, and look for my salvation only in Him.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins… If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.”
(1 John 4:10, 15 NIV)
If today were my last day on earth, I would:
…rest and be founded in peace, knowing that I am completely forgiven.
God,
You showed in so many ways that You were going to send Jesus — and that His rule would establish peace. I have a taste of that peace now, but I look forward to seeing peace come to all the nations. Please rule over my life now, today, and teach me Your ways. Bring health to my life, and let me know the presence of God living in me.
For the sake of Jesus, who bears Your Name and lives in me, Amen.
References:
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Moody, 1980
www.blueletterbible.org
article on The Journeying of the Tabernacle