Family Matters - Wesley Wright

Wesley Wright

Lighthouse Bible Church

Sunday, October 4, 2025

 

Title: Family matters

EZR 2:1-70

Chapter 2 details the families who returned to Israel after the 70 years of captivity in Babylon. We discussed last week the precise nature of prophecies including what Cyrus would do.

 

Israelites kept excellent records of families, so it was clear who came from where. We won’t read that list a second time in full!

 

Consider how Ezra chapter 2 refers to the lineage of Christ and notes the contributions to the

second temple.

 

Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2) is especially important because Jesus Christ’s line comes through him.

 

1CH 3:17-24

 

JER 22:24-30

 

All of Jeconiah’s sons died without ruling in Judah, which is one way that passage in Jeremiah came true. No heir means he was effectively childless with no one to take the throne.

 

How does Christ avoid that curse? He isn’t a physical descendant of Jeconiah because of the virgin birth. Look for Mary in this list.

 

MAT 1:12-16

 

Remember that signet ring the Lord mentioned in Jeremiah a few minutes ago? Here’s another.

 

HAG 2:10-25

 

Ezra 2:59-60 — everyone could not prove their lineage, because there had been some pollution of the bloodline(s) while they were in captivity.

 

JER 29:4-10

 

We’re reading about the second temple in EZR 2:68-70.

 

Israelites contributed to the first temple mightily: EXO 25:3-7

 

Again, Israelites contributed to the first temple mightily: EXO 35:1-9

 

Jesus Christ referred to a temple but his listeners misunderstood his point. We will not.

JOH 2:18-22

 

Christ used the term “temple” to describe His body there. Later, an NT author lets us know that the church is His body.

 

EPH 1:22-23

 

Returning to Israel after 70 years of captivity was a big deal. Their return represented God’s faithfulness to His plan of bringing them back into their land.

 

DEU 30:1-5

 

This will also be the case near the end of this age. God will return the people of Israel to their land, which He promised them long ago, though right now they are scattered.

 

EZE 39:25-29

 

 

JER 16:14-15

 

God is faithful and you should trust His plan. The Israelites gave mightily to theirs — how are you contributing to the work of God now?

 

That temple we read about earlier — Christ’s body — bests even the temple we’re reading about in Ezra. Praise God for sending His Son to the Earth via a woman to die for us.