Steve Conover: Welcome to The Friends of Israel Today. I'm Steve Conover. With me is our host and teacher, Chris Katulka. I want to ask you before we get on with the show, have you visited our website, foiradio.org? After this episode ends, I'd invite you to visit foiradio.org. There we have over eight years worth of programming on our site for you to listen to. Once again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Steve, we're in the middle of our Ezra series and today we're actually going to see what I like to call a “surprise.” You know, surprises are funny, sometimes surprises are good and sometimes surprises are bad. Well, Ezra dealt with both a good surprise and a bad surprise as he journeyed from Persia to the land of Israel to return and what he saw when he returned. There's a lot of excitement and also a lot of dismay and we're going to talk about that today.

Steve Conover: But first in the news, Kevin McCarthy's first international trip as house speaker will be to the state of Israel where he will give an address before the country's legislative body he's visiting to commemorate Israel's 75th year of statehood, Newt Gingrich was the only speaker to give an address before the Parliament when he did in 1998.

Chris Katulka: Well, here's my take. McCarthy's visit to Israel signals to the Jewish state that America still values the deep bonds that unify our two countries. This after Biden announced that he would not invite Prime Minister Netanyahu to the White House because he disagrees with the Netanyahu government's judicial reform policy. Well, I want to thank Speaker McCarthy for standing with the state of Israel as they celebrate 75 years since their independence.

Chris Katulka: We are in the middle of a four-part series on the book of Ezra, a book of the Old Testament that highlights the promises of God and the fact that God's promises never fail even in Israel's darkest moments and God's promises never fail in our darkest moments. The book of Ezra is more than a historical account of the Jewish people returning to their ancient homeland. Ezra is speaking to a Jewish audience who are actually losing sight of the Lord's purposes in their lives and God's purposes in using the community, and that's exactly what we're going to see today as well. Now, before we continue, I want to remind you that the book of Ezra was probably written around 450 BC, long after the original call was given for the Jewish people to return to their ancient homeland.

Ezra is speaking to encourage those exiles who had come back under the leadership of Zerubbabel and then ultimately himself to stay strong in the Lord, to continue in true temple worship and to remind them to maintain their relationship with God and not to abuse the mercy that he's poured out on them over and over and over again.

Now, last week I dedicated the entire episode to obstacles, all of the obstacles that plagued the Jewish people upon their return to the land and their biggest obstacle was their neighbors. That's right, their neighbors. After Zerubbabel had rebuilt the altar and the Temple Foundation after those were completed, all of a sudden their neighbors as the Samaritans appeared out of nowhere to the Jewish leaders and said this in Ezra 4:2, "Let us help you build because like we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him." Well, let me tell you, that was just a ploy to prevent the rebuilding of the temple. It was an obstacle that discouraged the Jewish people from rebuilding, but God was going to turn that obstacle into an opportunity for his glory to shine. Now, if you didn't get a chance to listen to last week's program, be sure to visit foiradio.org.

There in our archives page, you can listen to part one and part two of this study on Ezra and you can also listen to eight years of radio content. Again, you can do that by accessing the Friends of Israel today by going to foiradio.org. 

Today I want to talk about surprises. Surprises are a funny thing. Some people like them and some people can't stand them. Surprises show up in various ways. Sometimes people are surprised because of a joyous situation like a surprise birthday party or a birth of a child or a surprise trip somewhere that your spouse might take you or even a surprise of a promotion or a raise that you might get at work. Then there are those surprises that aren't so joyous like the surprise when something goes wrong in the family or maybe a health surprise or the surprise situation that you're dealing with at work.

Just listen to some of these synonyms for surprise, shock, bombshell, revelation, eye-opener, shocker, and whammy. I like that one, whammy. Those don't sound like words that describe the surprise birthday party your spouse, sibling, or friend planned for you, the whammy surprise birthday party. I think Ezra was surprised in both ways when he appears on the scene here in Ezra 7. Ezra was a priest in the family line of Aaron, the high priest that goes back to Exodus. Ezra 7:6 says this, "He was a scribe who was skilled," Ezra was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given and the big surprise is that the Persian king Artaxerxes commissioned Ezra to return with other scribes and the priests of Israel. Ezra packed up and journeyed to the land around 458 BC with the purpose from the King of Persia.

Once again, a big, huge surprise with a purpose to bring the law. Just listen to what it says here in Ezra chapter seven starting in verse 25. It talks about the purpose of Ezra and it goes like this. "Now you Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, you are to appoint judges and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in the trans Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught. Everyone who does not observe both the law of your God and the law of the king will be completely liable to the appropriate penalties, whether it's death or banishment or confiscation of property or detainment in prison."

That was a word given from Artaxerxes himself. God used a pagan king, Artaxerxes, to send Ezra, the priest, back to the land to make sure Jewish people obey the law of God and obey the law of Persia as well. Remember it was Artaxerxes' father, Xerxes himself, who was convinced by Haman in the book of Esther to kill all the Jewish people because they don't follow, do you remember, the laws and practices of the gods of the Persian people. Here God uses Esther and Mordecai to deliver them from pending destruction and there are some who even say that Artaxerxes who's sending Ezra back to the land could have been the son or stepson of Esther herself because remember her husband was Xerxes, the king of Persia.

Here's Ezra's response to such a great surprise starting in Ezra 7:27, "Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers who so moved in the heart of the king to so honor the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. He has also conferred his favor on me before the king, his advisors and all the influential leaders of the king. I gained strength as the hand of the Lord, my God was on me and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me."

Ezra's group of those who returned consisted of major men in the Jewish community. These were family heads of those who had returned as well as the number of those who accompanied them. Most of the people listed under Ezra's return were related to the families who had already previously returned under Zerubbabel in 538 BC, 79 years earlier, which you can actually read about in chapter two of Ezra. These are some significant family names that actually are rooted in the Old Testament. Gershom who would return with Ezra was a descendant of Phinehas, the son of Aaron's third son, Eleazar from Exodus 6:25. Daniel was a descendant from Ithamar, Aaron's fourth son from Exodus 6:23.

Ultimately, the group that returned may have totaled around 4,000 or 5,000 people. Now this was a much smaller group than the first group that left, which would've been around 50,000 people, which you can read about in Ezra 2:64-65. Notice these names are all associated with Aaron, the first high priest of Israel. God used Artaxerxes to bring the law and its instructions back to the people who returned nearly 80 years earlier. And this is exactly what the sons of Aaron and his descendants were called to do dating back to the book of Leviticus. God tells Aaron in the book of Leviticus in chapter 10, he says this, "You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter into the tent of meeting," that's the tabernacle, "or else you'll die." This is a permanent statute for the generations to come. You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given them through Moses.

What an amazing surprise to see this. This is a surprise, a pagan king is giving the priests of Israel that includes Ezra and all of those other descendants of Aaron, the freedom to live out their biblical mandate, to distinguish between the things that are holy and common and the things that are clean and unclean. Why? So that they might teach the laws, teach the commandments of the Lord to the Israelites. That's what they were called to do and now they're able to live that out and that's why Ezra was commissioned to appoint judges and court officials who can arbitrate these cases on behalf of all the people of Israel.

That becomes really, really important. Ezra was given permission, think about this, to let the law of God govern the people in the land and he would be the one that would distinguish between what is right and wrong according to God's law. What a great surprise. It's like getting an unexpected promotion from your boss, but remember, surprises can sometimes lead to revelation and shock. Remember those synonyms. Come back after the break to see what Ezra was faced with when he actually stepped foot in the land.

Chris Katulka: From the original tabernacle to the temples built, destroyed, and still to come. God's dwelling place with man has always resided in the temple. Our one-day Prophecy Up Close conference focuses on what understanding the temple reveals about God's intentional design to be both present and protecting his people at the same time. Join the Friends of Israel throughout the country for our popular one day conference. Find one in your city at foi.org/prophecy. Again, that's foi.org/prophecy.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back everyone. We're talking about Ezra and his journey back to the land of Israel. He was praising the Lord because of the great surprise that was given to him by the Persian King to enact the law of God. He and other priests from the family of Aaron that date back to the time of Exodus journeyed for four months from the Persian empire to the land of Israel, and here is where the other surprise comes into play. Remember I said surprises can work both ways. Sometimes surprises are fun and enjoyable like a surprise birthday party or the great surprise that Ezra, when the king gave him the permission and commission to return, what a great surprise he had when he was commissioned to go. Then there's the kind of surprise that leads to shock and dismay, and that's what happened to Ezra. After traveling for four months to the land, he arrives and finds this.

Listen to Ezra 9, starting in verse one. "Now, when these things had been completed, the leaders approached me and said, the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the local residents who practice detestable things similar to those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. Indeed, they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons so that the holy race has become intermingled with the local residents. Worse still the leaders and the officials have been at the forefront of all of this unfaithfulness." "When I heard this report," Ezra says, "I tore my tunic and my robe and ripped out some of the hair from my head and my beard. Then I sat down quite devastated. Everyone who held the words of the God of Israel in awe gathered around me because of the unfaithful acts of the people of the exile. Devastated, I continued to sit there until the evening offering. At the time of the evening offering. I got up from my self abasement with my tunic and my robe torn and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the Lord my God. I prayed, "Oh my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads and our guilt extends to the heavens." 

Now, the temple had been rebuilt for several years by now, and to Ezra's shock and dismay, his surprise, all the people of Israel were breaking the law of God. They were intermingling with those who acted like Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. They were marrying their daughters and practicing un-kosher things, detestable acts.

God called Ezra to return to the land, to bring the law to those who were living in the Yehud, which is the community that returned under Zerubbabel. Instead of dealing with one issue here or one issue there, he returned to find all the people living in sin. Did you hear what the text said? The leaders told Ezra, the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the local residents who practice detestable things. The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites is just another way of saying everyone.

Now listen, next week we're going to conclude our series on Ezra and how he handled this surprise. Ezra started in the right place with his dismay and his surprise. Instead of trying to fix the problem on his own, he first turns to the Lord on behalf of his people. He fell to his knees in repentance and said, "Oh my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads and our guilt extends to the heavens." Come back next week to see how Ezra uses God's law as he was commissioned to correct the lifestyle of the Jewish community living in the land upon their return.

Steve Conover: Israel on the verge of becoming a state, a teen-aged Holocaust survivor arrives on her shores alone. His name is Zvi Kalisher. Little did he know his search for a new life in the holy land would lead him to the Messiah. Zvi, enthusiastic to share his faith, engaged others in spiritual conversations, many of which can be found in our magazine, Israel My Glory. While Zvi is now in the presence of his Savior, his collected writings from well over 50 years of ministry continue to encourage believers worldwide. Now Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life of Zvi.

Mike Kellogg: The Lord taught us to pray: “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13, the importance of that phrase was brought home to me recently when I visited the Ministry of the Interior to renew my identification card. As I sat on a bench to wait my turn, I found a paper bag containing a lot of money. I thought if I give this to the security officer, he will thank me and keep it for himself. Then, I remembered those words “do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” I decided to take the money to the police station. One of the officers remarked, "I can see by your clothes, you're not a religious person. Why did you return this money?" I replied, "All that glitters is not gold and why do you judge people by their clothes? As an officer, you must have had many experiences with people who were well dressed but who are now behind bars."

The officer persisted, "It is not often we see a non-religious person like you who is so honest." I responded, "This may shock you, but I do believe in the Lord." By now, our conversation had attracted the attention of several other officers. They too wanted to know about me because it was hard for them to believe a man who did not cover his head would speak about faith. Anyone who speaks about the Lord but is not dressed like the ultra orthodox is suspected of being a missionary, a word that has a bad connotation in Israel. This does not scare me, and I asked them if they knew the meaning of the word “missionary.” One replied, "It is someone who spreads a false faith." Then I asked, "Did Abraham and Jonah spread a false faith, or Ezra and Nehemiah?" They were all missionaries because they spoke to people about faith in the God of Israel.

I told them, "I am not like the rabbis who are now in prison because they were faithful to money rather than to God. Why strictly because of the way they dress do you consider them so holy when in fact they have broken the laws of God and man?" After a lengthy discussion, one of the officers said, "Let us get to the root of this situation. How did you come to the conclusion that your faith is right?" I told him, "I've not come to any conclusions. Rather, what I have said is from the Holy Bible, I believe in the Lord. It's that simple. He is the one who taught us not to be blind and to go after bribes or give into temptation." To my surprise, the officers invited me to have a cup of tea with them and they asked me to start from the beginning and tell them about myself.

I related some of my experiences in Europe during the Holocaust and told them of my 44 years here in Israel, including my long military service. I thank the Lord that because of my faith in him rather than in money, I had the wonderful opportunity to witness in such an unlikely place as a police station. I pray these officers will consider the things I said and come to faith in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior.

Chris Katulka: The impact of Zvi's life in ministry in Israel, it didn't end when he went home to be with the Lord. Zvi's legacy lives on. Our Friends of Israel ministry representatives continue to share the gospel in Jerusalem, Israel, and really all throughout the world. We also serve Holocaust survivors and their families. We provide free food, medicine, and clothing, and we even promote the safety and security of the state of Israel and the Jewish people everywhere. When you give to the Friends of Israel, your donation actually allows us to advance the gospel of our Messiah Jesus. You can give online by visiting foiradio.org, Again, that's foiradio.org. You can click right there on our donate link. Also, be sure to let us know where you listen when you contact us.

Steve Conover: Thank you so much for joining us today. We will continue our series in Ezra next time. Chris, where's our focus?

Chris Katulka: Well, today we ended with kind of an open question, what's going to happen next with how Ezra is going to handle the spiritual issues that Israel is dealing with at this time. Next week we're going to see how Ezra speaks into the lives of these Israelites and then also what their response will be.

Steve Conover: We hope you'll join us then. Our host and teacher is Chris Katulka. Today's program was produced by Tom Gallione, edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. I'm Steve Conover, executive producer. Our mailing address is FOI Radio PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Again, that's FOI Radio PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. I'll give you one last quick reminder to visit us at foiradio.org. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. We are a worldwide evangelical ministry, proclaiming biblical truth about Israel and the Messiah, while bringing physical and spiritual comfort to the Jewish people.