But WHY Moments
(2 Esdras 3:1-36)
Have you ever wondered, despite how well you did something, or how kind you were to someone, or even how closely you followed a set of rules, WHY the result was not what you hoped for or thought it should be?
Esdras' (Ezra) "spirit was sore moved..." and he was "troubled" so much that his thoughts overwhelmed his heart. This is a picture of a man who was deeply grieved at seeing the the "desolation” of God’s own people compared to the “wealth” of ungodly people. Reverently, Esdras began speaking to the most High.
He presented each step in backstory as much as he could understand. He reflected on the time when God “alone” (v4) created “paradise” (v6) and humankind. He pointed to what is called the fall of man and the time of the great flood when only Noah and his household survived (9-11). Esdras spoke of the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked back on wickedness, transgressions, the law, and how “…infirmity was made permanent; and the law (also) in the heart of the people with the malignity of the root; so that the good departed away, and the evil abode still.” (v12-22)
Esdras continued with his summary of life in verses 23-30 where he talked about how David built a holy city which was to honor God but the people ultimately forsook him. He told how God allowed enemies of his people to take over that city. Then Esdras questioned whether the actions of Babylon were any better than God’s people that they should have control over Zion. He said to God: From what I saw for myself, Babylon had so much wickedness by so many evildoers that it disgusted me. I’ve seen how you allowed them to get away with sin while destroying your own.
In the remaining verses of this chapter, Esdras asked more questions and gave observations: Are those of Babylon better than we of Zion? Is there anyone else who knows you other than us? What generation has so sincerely believed your covenant other than us? They aren’t doing the right thing but they aren’t being punished. I’ve been all around the heathens and they are prospering financially but they don’t even think about your commandments. Compare what we do to what they do and you’ll see that your name is not found anywhere else except Israel. Who, on this whole earth, has kept your commandments other than Israel?
2 Esdras 3
1 In the thirtieth year after the ruin of the city I was in Babylon, and lay troubled upon my bed, and my thoughts came up over my heart:
2 For I saw the desolation of Sion, and the wealth of them that dwelt at Babylon.
3 And my spirit was sore moved, so that I began to speak words full of fear to the most High, and said,
4 O Lord, who bearest rule, thou spakest at the beginning, when thou didst plant the earth, and that thyself alone, and commandedst the people,
5 And gavest a body unto Adam without soul, which was the workmanship of thine hands, and didst breathe into him the breath of life, and he was made living before thee.
6 And thou leadest him into paradise, which thy right hand had planted, before ever the earth came forward.
7 And unto him thou gavest commandment to love thy way: which he transgressed, and immediately thou appointedst death in him and in his generations, of whom came nations, tribes, people, and kindreds, out of number.
8 And every people walked after their own will, and did wonderful things before thee, and despised thy commandments.
9 And again in process of time thou broughtest the flood upon those that dwelt in the world, and destroyedst them.
10 And it came to pass in every of them, that as death was to Adam, so was the flood to these.
11 Nevertheless one of them thou leftest, namely, Noah with his household, of whom came all righteous men.
12 And it happened, that when they that dwelt upon the earth began to multiply, and had gotten them many children, and were a great people, they began again to be more ungodly than the first.
13 Now when they lived so wickedly before thee, thou didst choose thee a man from among them, whose name was Abraham.
14 Him thou lovedst, and unto him only thou shewedst thy will:
15 And madest an everlasting covenant with him, promising him that thou wouldest never forsake his seed.
16 And unto him thou gavest Isaac, and unto Isaac also thou gavest Jacob and Esau. As for Jacob, thou didst choose him to thee, and put by Esau: and so Jacob became a great multitude.
17 And it came to pass, that when thou leadest his seed out of Egypt, thou broughtest them up to the mount Sinai.
18 And bowing the heavens, thou didst set fast the earth, movedst the whole world, and madest the depths to tremble, and troubledst the men of that age.
19 And thy glory went through four gates, of fire, and of earthquake, and of wind, and of cold; that thou mightest give the law unto the seed of Jacob, and diligence unto the generation of Israel.
20 And yet tookest thou not away from them a wicked heart, that thy law might bring forth fruit in them.
21 For the first Adam bearing a wicked heart transgressed, and was overcome; and so be all they that are born of him.
22 Thus infirmity was made permanent; and the law (also) in the heart of the people with the malignity of the root; so that the good departed away, and the evil abode still.
23 So the times passed away, and the years were brought to an end: then didst thou raise thee up a servant, called David:
24 Whom thou commandedst to build a city unto thy name, and to offer incense and oblations unto thee therein.
25 When this was done many years, then they that inhabited the city forsook thee,
26 And in all things did even as Adam and all his generations had done: for they also had a wicked heart:
27 And so thou gavest thy city over into the hands of thine enemies.
28 Are their deeds then any better that inhabit Babylon, that they should therefore have the dominion over Sion?
29 For when I came thither, and had seen impieties without number, then my soul saw many evildoers in this thirtieth year, so that my heart failed me.
30 For I have seen how thou sufferest them sinning, and hast spared wicked doers: and hast destroyed thy people, and hast preserved thine enemies, and hast not signified it.
31 I do not remember how this way may be left: Are they then of Babylon better than they of Sion?
32 Or is there any other people that knoweth thee beside Israel? or what generation hath so believed thy covenants as Jacob?
33 And yet their reward appeareth not, and their labour hath no fruit: for I have gone here and there through the heathen, and I see that they flow in wealth, and think not upon thy commandments.
34 Weigh thou therefore our wickedness now in the balance, and their's also that dwell the world; and so shall thy name no where be found but in Israel.
35 Or when was it that they which dwell upon the earth have not sinned in thy sight? or what people have so kept thy commandments?
36 Thou shalt find that Israel by name hath kept thy precepts; but not the heathen.
Esdras' (Ezra) "spirit was sore moved..." and he was "troubled" so much that his thoughts overwhelmed his heart. This is a picture of a man who was deeply grieved at seeing the the "desolation” of God’s own people compared to the “wealth” of ungodly people. Reverently, Esdras began speaking to the most High.
He presented each step in backstory as much as he could understand. He reflected on the time when God “alone” (v4) created “paradise” (v6) and humankind. He pointed to what is called the fall of man and the time of the great flood when only Noah and his household survived (9-11). Esdras spoke of the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked back on wickedness, transgressions, the law, and how “…infirmity was made permanent; and the law (also) in the heart of the people with the malignity of the root; so that the good departed away, and the evil abode still.” (v12-22)
Esdras continued with his summary of life in verses 23-30 where he talked about how David built a holy city which was to honor God but the people ultimately forsook him. He told how God allowed enemies of his people to take over that city. Then Esdras questioned whether the actions of Babylon were any better than God’s people that they should have control over Zion. He said to God: From what I saw for myself, Babylon had so much wickedness by so many evildoers that it disgusted me. I’ve seen how you allowed them to get away with sin while destroying your own.
In the remaining verses of this chapter, Esdras asked more questions and gave observations: Are those of Babylon better than we of Zion? Is there anyone else who knows you other than us? What generation has so sincerely believed your covenant other than us? They aren’t doing the right thing but they aren’t being punished. I’ve been all around the heathens and they are prospering financially but they don’t even think about your commandments. Compare what we do to what they do and you’ll see that your name is not found anywhere else except Israel. Who, on this whole earth, has kept your commandments other than Israel?
2 Esdras 3
1 In the thirtieth year after the ruin of the city I was in Babylon, and lay troubled upon my bed, and my thoughts came up over my heart:
2 For I saw the desolation of Sion, and the wealth of them that dwelt at Babylon.
3 And my spirit was sore moved, so that I began to speak words full of fear to the most High, and said,
4 O Lord, who bearest rule, thou spakest at the beginning, when thou didst plant the earth, and that thyself alone, and commandedst the people,
5 And gavest a body unto Adam without soul, which was the workmanship of thine hands, and didst breathe into him the breath of life, and he was made living before thee.
6 And thou leadest him into paradise, which thy right hand had planted, before ever the earth came forward.
7 And unto him thou gavest commandment to love thy way: which he transgressed, and immediately thou appointedst death in him and in his generations, of whom came nations, tribes, people, and kindreds, out of number.
8 And every people walked after their own will, and did wonderful things before thee, and despised thy commandments.
9 And again in process of time thou broughtest the flood upon those that dwelt in the world, and destroyedst them.
10 And it came to pass in every of them, that as death was to Adam, so was the flood to these.
11 Nevertheless one of them thou leftest, namely, Noah with his household, of whom came all righteous men.
12 And it happened, that when they that dwelt upon the earth began to multiply, and had gotten them many children, and were a great people, they began again to be more ungodly than the first.
13 Now when they lived so wickedly before thee, thou didst choose thee a man from among them, whose name was Abraham.
14 Him thou lovedst, and unto him only thou shewedst thy will:
15 And madest an everlasting covenant with him, promising him that thou wouldest never forsake his seed.
16 And unto him thou gavest Isaac, and unto Isaac also thou gavest Jacob and Esau. As for Jacob, thou didst choose him to thee, and put by Esau: and so Jacob became a great multitude.
17 And it came to pass, that when thou leadest his seed out of Egypt, thou broughtest them up to the mount Sinai.
18 And bowing the heavens, thou didst set fast the earth, movedst the whole world, and madest the depths to tremble, and troubledst the men of that age.
19 And thy glory went through four gates, of fire, and of earthquake, and of wind, and of cold; that thou mightest give the law unto the seed of Jacob, and diligence unto the generation of Israel.
20 And yet tookest thou not away from them a wicked heart, that thy law might bring forth fruit in them.
21 For the first Adam bearing a wicked heart transgressed, and was overcome; and so be all they that are born of him.
22 Thus infirmity was made permanent; and the law (also) in the heart of the people with the malignity of the root; so that the good departed away, and the evil abode still.
23 So the times passed away, and the years were brought to an end: then didst thou raise thee up a servant, called David:
24 Whom thou commandedst to build a city unto thy name, and to offer incense and oblations unto thee therein.
25 When this was done many years, then they that inhabited the city forsook thee,
26 And in all things did even as Adam and all his generations had done: for they also had a wicked heart:
27 And so thou gavest thy city over into the hands of thine enemies.
28 Are their deeds then any better that inhabit Babylon, that they should therefore have the dominion over Sion?
29 For when I came thither, and had seen impieties without number, then my soul saw many evildoers in this thirtieth year, so that my heart failed me.
30 For I have seen how thou sufferest them sinning, and hast spared wicked doers: and hast destroyed thy people, and hast preserved thine enemies, and hast not signified it.
31 I do not remember how this way may be left: Are they then of Babylon better than they of Sion?
32 Or is there any other people that knoweth thee beside Israel? or what generation hath so believed thy covenants as Jacob?
33 And yet their reward appeareth not, and their labour hath no fruit: for I have gone here and there through the heathen, and I see that they flow in wealth, and think not upon thy commandments.
34 Weigh thou therefore our wickedness now in the balance, and their's also that dwell the world; and so shall thy name no where be found but in Israel.
35 Or when was it that they which dwell upon the earth have not sinned in thy sight? or what people have so kept thy commandments?
36 Thou shalt find that Israel by name hath kept thy precepts; but not the heathen.
Because Esdras believed that performing specific works or refraining from practicing particular actions would guarantee God’s favor on earth, he wanted to discover why things weren’t working the way he thought they should work. Like so many even today, he thought he had a formula that would demand predetermined reactions. Since that prescribed set of steps did not yield the expected effects, he felt he needed to reevaluate.
Imagine you're in school and 10 years old. You were told of a county-wide competition where there were prizes of bicycles, shopping sprees, theme park trips and cash for the school with students who had the best report cards. You badly wanted those prizes so you worked really hard to keep your grades up. However, sometimes you did not make all A's despite your best efforts. Some of your classmates even made a few C's, but overall your school's grades were far better than any other school. In fact, students from the other schools didn't try at all and had mostly failing grades at the end of the competition.
Nonetheless, ALL the other schools received the prizes while students in your school were moved from their building and placed in trailers on the grounds of other schools. In the strange locations, you and your original classmates are mistreated and considered intruders. You're accused of receiving unfair advantages, absorbing funds, and of generally being unattractive, harmful, and bothersome. You witness the other students, who did not even TRY, enjoying prizes but you, who followed the rules, have become subjected to them.
How do you think you would feel? Wouldn't you at least want to ask questions? Wouldn't you want to know, "...but WHY?" Maybe some would so badly want what the other students had that they would actually consider taking it from them. Maybe some would have other thoughts or feelings deriving from envy, but generally, the issue would be, "WHY?... What did we do wrong?... With which rules did we fail to comply?..."
Esdras, as with Job and many others of the Bible, was having what I call a ‘but why moment’ in which he sought God for answers to the quandary, “We’ve done this, BUT WHY is that happening?” He tried diligently to figure out WHY! We sometimes do the same thing today as we may see many ungodly who are thriving while many godly may seem to be barely surviving.
From time to time, maybe we will have similar questions. Nonetheless, there are hard lessons to learn about the reality of this existence. As we continue to read and study, we may better understand the God whom we say we worship.
Imagine you're in school and 10 years old. You were told of a county-wide competition where there were prizes of bicycles, shopping sprees, theme park trips and cash for the school with students who had the best report cards. You badly wanted those prizes so you worked really hard to keep your grades up. However, sometimes you did not make all A's despite your best efforts. Some of your classmates even made a few C's, but overall your school's grades were far better than any other school. In fact, students from the other schools didn't try at all and had mostly failing grades at the end of the competition.
Nonetheless, ALL the other schools received the prizes while students in your school were moved from their building and placed in trailers on the grounds of other schools. In the strange locations, you and your original classmates are mistreated and considered intruders. You're accused of receiving unfair advantages, absorbing funds, and of generally being unattractive, harmful, and bothersome. You witness the other students, who did not even TRY, enjoying prizes but you, who followed the rules, have become subjected to them.
How do you think you would feel? Wouldn't you at least want to ask questions? Wouldn't you want to know, "...but WHY?" Maybe some would so badly want what the other students had that they would actually consider taking it from them. Maybe some would have other thoughts or feelings deriving from envy, but generally, the issue would be, "WHY?... What did we do wrong?... With which rules did we fail to comply?..."
Esdras, as with Job and many others of the Bible, was having what I call a ‘but why moment’ in which he sought God for answers to the quandary, “We’ve done this, BUT WHY is that happening?” He tried diligently to figure out WHY! We sometimes do the same thing today as we may see many ungodly who are thriving while many godly may seem to be barely surviving.
From time to time, maybe we will have similar questions. Nonetheless, there are hard lessons to learn about the reality of this existence. As we continue to read and study, we may better understand the God whom we say we worship.
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