Ezra 2:1-16: a reflection

1Now these are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city; 2who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two. 4The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two. 5The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy-five. 6The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred twelve. 7The children of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four. 8The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty-five. 9The children of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty. 10The children of Bani, six hundred forty-two. 11The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three. 12The children of Azgad, one thousand two hundred twenty-two. 13The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six. 14The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six. 15The children of Adin, four hundred fifty-four. 16The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

The book records the families who returned from exile in Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem, and behind the long list of names and numbers is a striking choice: these were people who left the comfort and security of Babylon to return and restore what lay in ruins. These are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, the account begins, and lists family after family who made the long journey back. By the time of the return, many had settled into life in Babylon; to go back to Jerusalem meant leaving established comfort for a hard journey and the labor of rebuilding a ruined city. Yet these chose the harder path of restoration over comfortable settledness. This shows the willingness to leave comfort to serve God's purposes of restoration. They left comfort in exile to return and rebuild the ruins. Choosing restoration over comfort takes willingness. God's purposes may call us from comfort to hard restoration. Be willing to leave comfort to serve God's work of restoring.

Notice what lies behind this list of returning families. By the time of the return from exile, the people had been in Babylon for decades; many had built lives there, settled into homes and livelihoods, grown comfortable. To return to Jerusalem was no easy thing: it meant a long and dangerous journey, leaving behind established comfort and security, to go back to a ruined city and undertake the hard labor of rebuilding what lay in ruins. Not everyone returned; many stayed in the comfort of Babylon. But these families chose to go back, to leave comfort for the harder path of restoration, for the sake of God's purposes for his people and his house. This reflects a willingness worth learning. God's purposes sometimes call us away from comfort and settledness, to undertake hard work, to leave what is easy and established for the sake of restoring what is ruined, building what needs building, serving where there is need. It can be tempting to stay comfortable, to settle into ease, to avoid the hard path even when God's purposes call us to it. But these returning families show a better way: a willingness to leave comfort for the harder work of restoration, for the sake of God's purposes. We do well to be willing, when God calls, to leave comfort for the hard but worthy work he sets before us. Be willing to leave comfort for the hard work of restoration. God's purposes may call us from ease to worthy labor. Do not cling to comfort when God calls you to restore and rebuild. Choose the harder path of serving God's purposes over comfortable settledness.

That is worth taking to heart, for God's purposes may call us to leave comfort for the hard work of restoration, and we do well to be willing, as the returning families left Babylon to rebuild the ruins. We can cling to comfort and settledness, avoiding the hard path even when God's purposes call us; but these families chose to leave the comfort of Babylon for the long journey back and the labor of rebuilding. Restoration takes willingness. When God calls you from comfort to hard but worthy work, do not cling to ease; be willing to leave comfort for the work he sets before you. Be willing to leave comfort and settledness for the hard but worthy work God calls you to, as the families who returned from exile in Babylon left the comfort and security they had built there to make the long, dangerous journey back to Jerusalem and undertake the labor of rebuilding a ruined city, choosing the harder path of restoration over comfortable settledness; for by the time of the return many had been in Babylon for decades and settled into homes and livelihoods, so that to return meant leaving established comfort for a hard journey and hard labor, and not everyone returned, many staying in the comfort of Babylon, but these families chose to go back for the sake of God's purposes for his people and his house, which reflects a willingness worth learning, since God's purposes sometimes call us away from comfort and settledness to undertake hard work and leave what is easy for the sake of restoring what is ruined, and it can be tempting to stay comfortable and avoid the hard path even when God calls us to it, but these returning families show a better way, a willingness to leave comfort for the harder work of restoration, so that we do well to be willing, when God calls, to leave comfort for the worthy work he sets before us.

Lord, the book records the families who returned from exile in Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem, and behind the long list of names and numbers is a striking choice: these were people who left the comfort and security of Babylon to return and restore what lay in ruins. These are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, the account begins, and lists family after family who made the long journey back. By the time of the return, many had settled into life in Babylon; to go back to Jerusalem meant leaving established comfort for a hard journey and the labor of rebuilding a ruined city. Yet these chose the harder path of restoration over comfortable settledness. Show me what lies behind this list of returning families. By the time of the return, the people had been in Babylon for decades; many had built lives there, grown comfortable. To return was no easy thing: it meant a long and dangerous journey, leaving behind comfort and security, to go back to a ruined city and undertake hard labor. Not everyone returned; many stayed in the comfort of Babylon. But these families chose to go back, for the sake of your purposes for your people and your house. This reflects a willingness worth learning. Your purposes sometimes call me away from comfort and settledness, to undertake hard work, to leave what is easy for the sake of restoring what is ruined. It can be tempting to stay comfortable, to avoid the hard path even when you call me to it. But these returning families show a better way. Take that to my heart, for your purposes may call me to leave comfort for the hard work of restoration. When you call me from comfort to hard but worthy work, keep me from clinging to ease; help me be willing to leave comfort, Lord, for the work you set before me, choosing the harder path of serving your purposes over comfortable settledness, as these families left Babylon to rebuild the ruins.