Commentary - Ezra 2:68-69

Bird's-eye view

After a long and detailed accounting of the families who returned from the Babylonian exile, a list that can seem tedious to the modern reader, the narrative pivots to the very first action this remnant takes upon arriving in Jerusalem. Before they build their own houses, before they sort out their own affairs, their hearts and their wallets turn to the house of God. This short passage is a powerful demonstration of rightly ordered priorities. The people, led by the heads of their families, see the ruins of the temple and are moved to give sacrificially and voluntarily for its restoration. This is not a tax levied by a king, but a freewill offering bubbling up from grateful hearts. Their response to God's great act of deliverance in this new exodus is not mere sentiment; it is tangible, costly, and immediate. This act of giving sets the spiritual tone for the entire book of Ezra and serves as the foundational financial investment for the rebuilding of the Second Temple.

The principles laid out here are timeless. True revival and restoration always begin with a renewed focus on the worship of God. This focus is demonstrated not just in songs and prayers, but in the cheerful and sacrificial giving of God's people. Their giving was both spontaneous in its motivation (freewill) and orderly in its execution (into the treasury). It was proportional ("according to their ability") and specific in its purpose (for the work). This is the pattern for all subsequent generations of God's people as we seek to build the house of God, which is the church of the living Christ.

Outline

Context In Ezra

Ezra chapter 2 is almost entirely dedicated to a census, a great register of the returning exiles. It answers the question, "Who came back?" The list methodically names the leaders, the lay people by family, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and so on. It establishes the identity of this new covenant community. Having established the people, the narrative immediately turns to their purpose. These two verses (68-69) form a bridge between the list of the remnant and the beginning of the actual work of rebuilding in chapter 3. Their arrival in Jerusalem is not marked by a party or a survey of their personal, ruined estates. It is marked by a pilgrimage to the holy site and a spontaneous act of worshipful giving. This demonstrates that the central reason God brought them back from Babylon was not simply for their own comfort, but for the restoration of His glory and worship in the land.

Key Issues

Gratitude in Gold and Silver

The return from Babylon was an act of sheer grace. These were the children and grandchildren of a generation that had been justly exiled for covenant unfaithfulness. They had no claim on God. But God, in His sovereign mercy, stirred the heart of a pagan king, Cyrus, to send them home. The entire journey was a testimony to God's faithfulness. So when they finally arrive, what is the appropriate response? It is gratitude. And biblical gratitude is never an abstract feeling. It is not a warm fuzzy. True gratitude always takes tangible form. Here, that gratitude is measured in gold drachmas, silver minas, and priestly garments. They had received grace, and the immediate, reflexive response was to give. This is the heartbeat of the gospel. We love, and we give, because He first loved us and gave Himself for us. Their offering was not an attempt to buy God's favor or to put Him in their debt. It was the glad and uncoerced reply of a redeemed people to their Redeemer. This is the fuel that would be needed for the difficult work of rebuilding that lay ahead.

Verse by Verse Commentary

68 Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem, gave a freewill offering for the house of God to restore it on its foundation.

The action begins with the leaders, "the heads of fathers' households." As is so often the case in Scripture, reformation and revival begin with the leadership. The fathers lead their families in this act of piety, setting the pace for the entire community. Their first destination is telling. They go straight to the site of the temple, "the house of Yahweh." This is ground zero. This is the heart of their nation, their culture, and their faith. And what they find is a ruin. But they do not see the ruin as a cause for despair, but as an opportunity for faithfulness. The offering is described as a freewill offering. This means it was voluntary, not compelled by the law of Moses. The tithe was an obligation, a form of taxation. A freewill offering was something given over and above, from a willing heart. Their goal was not to innovate, but to "restore it on its foundation." They were not trying to build a new religion; they were returning to the old paths, rebuilding on the foundation that God Himself had established through David and Solomon. This is conservative reformation in action.

69 According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for the work 61,000 gold drachmas and 5,000 silver minas and 100 priestly tunics.

This verse gives us the manner and the measure of their giving. The principle is "according to their ability." This is the essence of proportional giving, a principle echoed in the New Testament. God does not demand from us what we do not have, but He does expect a faithful and generous return on what He has entrusted to us. This ensures that everyone can participate in the work, the rich and the not-so-rich alike. Their giving was also organized. It went "to the treasury for the work." This was not a chaotic pile of donations, but a managed fund directed toward a specific project. Faithfulness requires prudence. The amounts are staggering for a band of returning refugees. Scholars debate the modern equivalent, but it was a vast sum, indicating that God had blessed them even during their exile, and they were now pouring that blessing back into the service of His house. Notice also the inclusion of "100 priestly tunics." This is a beautiful detail. They were not just concerned with the brick and mortar of the temple, but with the functioning worship of the temple. They knew the building was useless without the priests properly outfitted to minister before the Lord. Their giving was for the whole system of worship, for substance as well as structure.

Application

The church today is constantly engaged in the task of building and rebuilding. While we do not have a physical temple in Jerusalem, we are called to build up the true temple, the church of Jesus Christ. These verses in Ezra provide us with a foundational blueprint for how this work is to be fueled.

First, our priorities must be God-centered. Before we build our own kingdoms, our careers, or our comfortable lives, our first concern should be for the house of God. Does the state of our local church, its ministry, its health, and its mission, occupy our thoughts and prayers? When God blesses us with deliverance or provision, is our first thought how we can honor Him with it?

Second, our giving must flow from a grateful heart. It ought to be a freewill offering, not a grudging payment of a religious tax. We do not give in order to be saved, but because we are saved. The grace we have received in Jesus Christ should make us the most generous people on the planet. The cross is the ultimate measure of God's freewill offering to us, and our checkbooks and bank transfers are one of the key measures of our response.

Finally, our giving should be done wisely. It should be proportional, "according to our ability." And it should be directed "for the work," supporting the functioning ministry of the church, from the pulpit to the mission field. Like the returned exiles, we must be concerned not just with the structure, but with the substance of worship, ensuring that the ministry of the Word and sacrament can go forward with everything it needs. This ancient act of generosity in the rubble of Jerusalem is a standing charge to us all: seek first the kingdom of God, and honor the Lord with the first fruits of all your increase.