Ezra 2:2-64

The number of the men of the people of Israel.

A suggestive record

Consider--

I. The significance of the fact of the record.

1. It Was an honour to the pious and patriotic ones who returned.

2. It is an illustration of the Divine record of God’s spiritual Israel (Luke 10:20).

3. It suggests that every one of His people is precious in the sight of God (Isaiah 49:16).

II. The significance of the contents of the record. We have in this list--

1. Significant persons.

(1) Zerubbabel, an ancestor of the Messiah (Matthew 1:12).

(2) Jeshua, who was a distinguished type of Jesus Christ (Zechariah 3:1; Zechariah 6:11).

2. A significant place: Bethlehem (Ezra 2:21).

3. Significant numbers. (William Jones.)

Religious service

It is here suggested--

I. That there are various spheres of service in the Church of God (Ephesians 4:11).

II. That the humbelest sphere of service in the Church of God is a place of privilege and honour.

III. The privilege of sevice in the Church of God is not limited to any particular races or classes of men. (William Jones.)