Ezra 8:1-14 – Known to Him

Under Zerubbabel, 42,360 including women returned to Jerusalem to rebuild. Their mission was to rebuild the temple. We saw in the first six chapters how through a series of struggles the ruined temple was finally rebuilt completed and dedicated. They even celebrated the Passover and unleavened bread. From Ezra 8:1-14, we are given the names of the second group of returnees from Babylon to Jerusalem. Between the first two returns, approximately close to eight decades had elapsed. This time the leader of the group was Ezra during the reign of King Artaxerxes. Speaking in the first person, Ezra listed the number of males that accompanied him on his return to Jerusalem.  The figure total was 1,496 all males. If the women folks and children were added, the figure would probably be about 2,000 plus or minus.

Of the list of names, our lesson comes from one name, Hattush, found in verse 3. The text clearly said that he was from the line of David. First Chronicles 3:22 affirms that he was indeed one of the descendants of King David. Since he was from the Davidic line shouldn’t he be mentioned more prominently? Here he is only mentioned third on this list of names. Why was he not highlighted since he was a descendant of King David? Noble as Hattush could have been by association with David, he had gone down the pecking order.

God did not  take David completely out of his plan even though he had faltered. And even though he and his descendants had repeatedly disappointed Him, yet they were never erased from His plan. That’s because God had promised that there would be perpetuity in his line. This is the greatness of God’s grace and faithfulness. As little as Hattush was known, he was being mentioned because he was David’s descendant. We take heart because today our name is linked to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the greater David. In Him, we are in God’s plan. Oh, what marvelous grace that God should allow us to link our worthless name with His matchless one! Paul reminds us that God has raised and seated us with Christ in heavenly places.