Ezra 2:43-58 – Servants of the Temple and of Solomon
We saw last week that the LORD not only provided the material means to re-establish Temple worship, He also provided the priests and Levites who would lead and support that worship. Starting at Ezra 2:43, we see that He provided other support staff, as well. Since Ezra has just mentioned the Levite singers and gatekeepers, we might be tempted to think these are more families of Levites. However, the word translated as “servants” in most modern translations (it appears as “the Nethinims” in the KJV and “the Nethinim” in the NKJV) carries the meaning of “slave” or “bondservant.” Therefore, it is best to understand these to be the descendants of the Gibeonites who, by deception, made covenant with Israel in the days of Joshua (as told in Joshua 9) and were made hewers of wood and drawers of water for Israel. After Solomon built the Temple, they performed these menial tasks in support of the public worship. Despite their Canaanite background, we see these Temple servants included in the list of returning Jewish Exiles. Citizenship in God’s covenant people has always been more a matter of faith than of bloodline (think of Rahab or Ruth). Here we find descendants of Canaanites included in a list of families of God’s Covenant People.
Similarly, we also find a list of families descended from Solomon’s servants, many of whom were also foreign-born. Nevertheless, these families are listed among the people of Israel.
Descendants of non-Israelite peoples who became Israelite by confession of the LORD as God in the Old Testament period are the forerunners of the Gentiles who, like wild olive branches grafted onto a cultivated olive tree, are grafted onto the tree of Israel through faith in Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul makes clear in Galatians 3, a child of Abraham is not one who merely shares the blood of Abraham but one who shares his faith in the promises of God fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
Questions
- From whom are these Temple servants descended? Why is this important?
Prayer Points
- Give praise to God for adding people of every nation to His Covenant People.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.