Ezra 2 - Returning

Often when we come across a long list of names in Scripture, the tendency is just to scan it and skip over it quickly.  However, this list in Ezra 2, of the people who were part of the first group to return from exile back to the Promised Land after Babylonian captivity, are not only listed here, but also in Nehemiah 7.  This seems to indicate that there is merit in looking at this list more closely, since it was significant enough to be included in the Bible not just once, but twice.

The list includes the leaders (e.g. Zerubabbel, and the high priest Jeshua), families, people from certain Judean cities, priests, Levites (including singers/musicians and gatekeepers), servants, and even those whose geneology couldn't be verified.  Some observations that can be made from this list are that:

• There are both traditional Hebrew names as well as foreign names - so there may be some who were given Babylonian names or some who were possibly born while in exile in the foreign land, etc
• Men are listed as heads of the family but the group would have included the women and children as well
• These were likely mainly from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (aside from the priests and Levites), since these were the ones exiled by the Babylonians   (e.g. Ater = left-hand, may refer to the Benjaminites who were known for being left-handed - ref Judges 3:15, 20:16)
• Some of the Bethlehemites may have been ancestors of Jesus
• Only 4 clans of priests returned (there were 24 set apart by David in 1 Chron 24:7-18) - the priests were consecrated to the Lord and were the descendents of Aaron, who was of the tribe of Levi
• Levites who returned were a relatively small group - maybe they viewed their tasks as "menial" for their duty was to help the priests (1 Chron 23:28).   Additional Levites were the singers and musicians (descendants of Asaph) and gatekeepers - as mentioned in 1 Chron 25 and 26
• There were a relatively large number of servants (both temple and descendants of the servants of Solomon) who returned, indicating that they likely had good relations with their masters
• There was a fairly large group of people who were part of "Senaah" (means "thorny"), which may indicate a group that was less favorably considered (e.g. maybe the land was thorny, which would indicate that it was not good for farming or raising livestock) ; and there were those whose geneology couldn't be verified - so this group of returning exiles wasn't just the elite 
• This group of about 50,000 listed is estimated to be only about one third of those who were exiled by the Babylonians (that group numbering about 150,000) - so, there were many who, for whatever reason, chose not to RETURN at this time

Overall, this list shows that geneology was important and that the Israelites still kept track of the family lineage and what town they belonged to (which becomes important when tracing the line of the Messiah).  This also validates Scripture by the detail included, indicating very real people, giving us a better picture of who returned with this group.  This shows that God knows his people personally. And maybe this group was even being honored for being among the first to answer God's call to pick up and return to the Promised Land, according to His Plan.  When God calls His People to fulfill His Plan, would I be part of that first group to respond?  Or would I be part of the second group (like the ones who came with Ezra) who waited to see how things went for the first group?  Or would I wait even longer before answering God's call and be in the third group (like the one under Nehemiah)?  Or would I not respond at all (like those who never returned)?  I think by nature, I would wait and be part of the second or third group; though, in my life, I have seen where God sometimes moved me to be part of the first group, like a pioneer.

And then, the first thing recorded in the passage, that they did after returning to the Promised Land, was to go to the site of the temple and give freewill offerings.   Afterwards, they settled in their own towns; like in the beginning of the time of Judges once again, right after conquering and settling in the land under Joshua's leadership.

It is interesting that in the midst of this whole list, there are a couple of verses that show something important in this first step of the renewal process.   Verses 62-63 say "These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim."  In Returning to God, we are to evaluate areas in our lives that are "unclean", areas in which we may have compromised.  And we should consult the Will of God, which was what the Urim and the Thummim were used for.