What's going through your mind
right now? And they said this, Well, it grieves me that I'm
not as sorrowful for my rebellion before God as I ought to be. But on the other hand, I've never
been more convinced that His righteousness charged to me,
imputed to me, that He'll answer for me in that day. In the garden,
the Lord Jesus Christ the Scripture sets forth, was utterly astonished,
thrown into amazement and distress. That's what it says. He said
he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be sore
amazed and very heavy. The sight, the realization of
the guilt, the sins of his people, and the sword of divine justice
wielding its inflexible glimmer before Him." We have no idea
what He suffered. In Ezra chapter 9, just a few
things I want to look at for a few moments. First of all,
considering, and here you know we've looked at this before,
Ezra is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, the intercessor. The High Priest. That's who's
a picture of here. And here we behold in this Scripture
the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ for His own. Matthew 26,
37 says, He began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Almost what Mark
said. Sorrowful, distressed. The Scripture says in Zechariah
13, 7 now, is the time. Awake, O sword, against My shepherd,
against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite
the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn
Mine hand upon the little ones." The proof of that passage was
found in Matthew chapter 26. I'll just read this to you. Matthew
26. Verse 31, the Scripture says,
Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because
of me this night, for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and
the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. Six days
before, in John 12, 27, the Lord speaking said, Now is my soul
troubled. That word troubled. It actually
means to trouble one's self, to actually enter in and to stir
or to agitate. It's like taking water that's
got sediment on the bottom and moving it, to agitate, to stir
yourself to trouble. When Martha and Mary came to
the Lord after the death of Lazarus, She said, one said, or both of
them quoted these same words, had different meanings, and I
won't go into that now, but here was the same, two sisters said
the exact same phrase and said this, Lord, if Thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died. The implication on one of them
was, Lord, if you'd have been here. The implication on the
other one was, my brother wouldn't have died. There was a difference
in what they said, but suffice it to say, They both said to
Him, Lord, if You'd have been here, my brother wouldn't have
died. And in that passage in the eleventh
verse, when Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also
weeping which came with her, He groaned in the Spirit and
was troubled. He groaned. He was painfully
moved. Here, He was travailing in what
sin had brought in. Now, I don't understand the depth
of what I'm about to tell you, but I'll tell you that this is
the implication of the words that's being said here. When
He was groaned, He groaned in the Spirit. He troubled. Now is my soul exceeding troubled. acutely and was moved to holy
indignation at what he actually experienced and felt. Hebrews
4.15 says, We have not an high priest which cannot be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. He troubled himself, Jim. He
actually felt. He saw them weeping, told them
to move back the stone. Martha said, I don't know if
I'd do that if I was you, paraphrasing. He'd been dead four days, now
he's beginning to stink. He actually troubled himself,
agitated, groaned in spirit, and actually was touched with
the feeling of our infirmities. yet without sin. In type, here
we see Ezra as a picture of our glorious Lord who was troubled
and began to be sore amazed and very heavy. How humbling but
comforting it is to think that there was and is one who was
entering in, who entered in. who knows the feeling of my infirmity,
who feels, knows it, and high priest touched with that. The Scripture says in verse 5,
at the evening sacrifice, Ezra says, I rose up from my heaviness. Or that word affliction you see
in the margin there. Rose up from my heaviness and
having rent my garment, my mantle, fell upon my knees and spread
out my hands unto the Lord my God. At the appointed time, when
His hour had come, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my heaviness."
Do we not see here in type our blessed Lord being lifted up? He said, I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, I'll draw all The word men there is in italics. I'll draw all unto Me. It says
all men unto Me, but that word men is not in the original. I'll
draw all unto Me. All that the Father had given
Me from the foundation of the world. Chosen in Him. All. He said, I've lost none. Having rent My garment and My
mantle. That's what it says in verse
5 here. We see Him. having rent my garment and my
mantle." Turn with me to John 19. This is exactly descriptive
of our blessed Lord, John 19 in verse 23 and 24. Then the soldiers, when they
had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts
to every soldier a part, and also His coat. was without seam
woven from the top throughout. They said, therefore, among themselves,
Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be
that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment
among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things,
therefore, the soldiers did." Here we see back in Ezra 9, we
see a picture of our blessed Lord in the sign, setting forth
of His anguish and suffering and trouble. And Ezra, it says,
I fell upon my knees. The position of submission and
worship of our blessed Savior before God Almighty in our stead. Luke 22, 41 and 42 says, And
He was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast and kneeled down
and prayed saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this
cup from me. Nevertheless, there is a submission
of our blessed meekness. That's what that is. Meekness.
Meekness. Bowing to God's providence. Meekness. Nevertheless, not my will but
Thine be done. He spread out my hands unto the
Lord my God. How can we but see the Lord Jesus
Christ in the laying down of Himself, God Himself, God, in
human flesh, the form of sinful flesh, to pay the price of redemption? Here is Ezra setting forth Our
blessed Savior. And the Scripture says concerning
Ezra, he did this at the evening sacrifice of our Lord in Isaiah 53, 7. It says he was oppressed. The
Scripture says that Ezra did this back in the fourth verse.
He said, I sat astounded until the evening sacrifice. and sat
there quiet, just contemplating. He was oppressed. He was afflicted. Yet, He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter. As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, He opened
not His mouth. But it wasn't the silence or
the humbleness of soul that atoned for sin. It was the spreading
out of His hand. at Calvary. Hebrews 9.22 says,
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and
without the shedding of blood is no remission. I've wanted to do this. I've
also shared this with them. Turn back to Numbers. I want
to show you something. When I read that Scripture, I
had to look at something because of a word. that jumped out at
me in Hebrews 9.22. It says, Almost all things are
by the law purged with blood. Almost all things. I thought,
well, I want to know what the exception is. If it's almost
all things, what are they? It says, Almost all things are
by the law purged with blood. There's a key. Just remember
what it just said. Numbers 31 verse 21, Eliazar the priest
said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the
ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses, only the
gold the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
everything that may abide the fire, you shall make it go through
the fire, and it shall be clean." Nevertheless, ceremonially clean,
you understand what is being said here. Nevertheless, it shall
be purified with the water of separation, and all that abideth
not the fire, that means everything that could not abide the fire. you shall make you go through
the water, you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, you
shall be clean, and afterward you shall come into the camp."
Now ceremonially, you know there was a ceremonial purification,
picture-tight. Tin, gold, and silver, and lead,
metals, ceremonially put them through the fire, purified. They
couldn't abide the fire, Water. The Scripture says in Hebrews
9.22, almost all things are by the law purged with blood. And without the shedding of blood,
there is no remission of sin. Ceremonially, some things by
fire, some things by water, but concerning sin, without the shedding
of blood, no remission. Sin is the issue when it comes
to man's purging. Secondly, here we saw Him being
the substitute. Now we see His association with
His own. Back in Ezra chapter 5, Ezra
is here confessing the sins of the people of Israel, the Levites,
the priests. And what they had done is they
had not separated themselves from the people of the land.
It is not stated that Ezra himself had done that personally. Nowhere
do we find that Ezra did what they did. But concerning his
prayer, he takes care to associate himself with their guilt. Concerning Ezra as a type of
Christ, he said in verse 6 and 7 of Ezra 9, and said, O my God,
I am ashamed and blushed to lift up my face to see my God. For our iniquities are increased
over our heads, our trespasses grown up into the heavens. Since
the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto
this day. For our iniquities have we, our
kings, our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of
the land, to the sword, to captivities, to spoil, to confusion of faith
as it is this day. Concerning our blessed Lord,
it is said of him, for such a high priest became us who is holy
and harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. Concerning our
blessed Lord, The Father said in Matthew 3.17, this is My beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased. This is Him. Concerning His blessed
Son as the One who came into this world and was made sin for
us, who took our guilt, turn while I am saying this, turn
with me to Psalm 40. We've read this, but we need
to read it again. Psalm 40, starting in verse 7,
concerning him. Psalm 40, verse 7, You know that
the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself, the Son of God, made flesh, tabernacled
among us. Then said I, Psalm 40, verse
7, Lo, I come in the volume of the book, It is written of me,
I delight to do thy will, O my God. Yea, thy law is within my
heart. I have preached righteousness
in the great congregation. Lo, I have not reframed my lips,
O Lord, thou knowest. Do we doubt it at all so far
that this is Christ? I have not hid thy righteousness
within my heart. I have declared Thy faithfulness
and Thy salvation. I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness
and Thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not Thou
Thy tender mercies from me, O Lord. Let Thy lovingkindness and Thy
truth continually preserve me for innumerable evils." And here
we see Him. These next couple of verses right
here, we behold Him. as the one made sin, real, true
sin. He says innumerable evils have
accomplished me about. Mine iniquities have taken hold
upon me so that I am not able to look up. They are more than
the hairs of mine head, therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver
me. O Lord, make haste. to help me."
This is Him, our blessed Lord, our substitute, taking upon Himself
responsibility, made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. This is who He is. Here is Ezra, back in Ezra 9,
verse 6, saying, prophetically, I am ashamed. I blush to lift
up my face, O my God. Now, back when I just quoted
Hebrews 7.26, the Scripture says, For such an high priest became
us, who is holy, that is, pure, harmless, that is, innocent. Undefiled, that is, unsoiled
and separate from sinners, He became us. Now, when I first read that Scripture,
I thought I understood that Scripture pretty well. I thought I understand
what that means. That means He came into this
world. He was made in the form the passion
of a man. He tabernacled. He was born of
a virgin. A son was given. A child was
born. He became us. And that's true. He did. He did. No doubt about
that. But that's not what that means. That word there became. It means
to be imminent. It means to be distinguished
by. The word became there means this. Let me try to explain it like
this. If I were to say this is the
best example I could think of. If a lady had on a nice hat,
a nice brooch, a nice coat, and you would look at her and you
would say, That hat is very becoming. That's very becoming to you.
Well, the thing that is becoming to her is the hat. The thing
that would be becoming. What would you mean? Well, that
means it flatters you. It just really makes you look
good. That's what it means. It's very
becoming. That's what this word means. He became us. He became
us. flattered because of the imputation
of His righteousness to us. He became us. He flattered us. The Scripture says, for He distinguishes
us. For such an high priest became
us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. He Himself had no sin, but the
sins of His elect were charged to Him. Guilt He was made to
be sin for us. Transfer of guilt to the Savior
was real, produced in Him based on His Word. Amazement! I am amazed! which caused him
to not look up, that caused him to say, Iniquities encompass
me about. Guilt. Here we see Ezra, as a
picture of our substitute, taking upon himself, associating himself
with me. There is one who before Almighty
God, the holy, harmless, undefiled, great High Priest who became
us, who flattered us. And that word,
flattered, doesn't even enter into it. I mean, He became us.
That's what it means. But He just said, oh, how becoming
we are in His righteousness. God Almighty would look upon
us in the person of His blessed Son. And here's what we say,
He became us who knew no sins. And then there is a remembrance
of God's mercy. God had told Moses in Exodus
33, verse 19, I'll be gracious to whom I'll be gracious. I'll
show mercy on whom I'll show mercy. I know that this life
is but a vapor. There's a variety of ages in
this congregation this morning, but the bottom line is this,
we're just here for a moment. That's what the Scripture sets
forth, just a vapor, just for a while. But consider
the remembrance of God's mercy. Look in verse 8, ìFor now,î this
is Ezra continuing to pray, ìnow for a little space, grace hath
been showed from the Lord our God to leave us a remnant to
escape and to give us a nail in His holy place, that our God
may lighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage.î
Just for a little space. Just for a moment. That's what
he's saying. Grace has been showed from the
Lord our God. From the eternal God who is the
I Am, He has dealt with His people in mercy in time as far as we
know. Eternally, I understand that.
But in time, we've come to behold it, to see it, Eternal promises. He has shown us in just, He says,
in a little space, just in a moment, just here we are, just the way
it is. Born in this world and gone.
In just a moment we were gone. And just in that moment, while
we were here just for a little while, just a vapor, He's shown
mercy. Just for a little space, the
Scripture says He's shown us mercy, grace. But how has He
done this? How? He says, now for a little
space, grace has been shown from the Lord our God to leave us
a remnant to escape. Just a remnant. I got to thinking
about that. You know, I've thought about
that word often, and I think about the word remnant. I think,
you know, in light of God's people, just a small, you know, I understand
what it's talking about. But I remember my mama, years
ago, she'd, you know, you that sew, you know, you make a dress
or make something, and when it's all said and done, you've got
your cloth and you lay it out there and you lay a pattern down
on it, you know, how you do it. I don't. I just watch my mama,
you know. She'd cut out all the, you know,
the good stuff was the stuff that she made the dress out of.
That was the good part. Then she'd take the remnant.
That was just the leftovers, you know. Sometimes you might
be able to keep a few pieces and make a quilt out of it, but
then there'd be a remnant of the remnant, you know. Well,
after a while, you're just going to get down to where it's just
not very much stuff. To me, just looking at it, it
looks useless to me. You know, Mom, you made me throw
that junk out? That's just a handful of junk.
What is it? Just remnant. Just leftover stuff. But, oh, let me tell you how
blessed that remnant is. The Scripture says in Isaiah
1-9, Except the Lord of Hosts had left unto us a very small
remnant, the remnant of the remnant of the remnant. Just a few little
threads, just junk, except He had left us a very small remnant. We should have been as Sodom
and should have been like unto Gomorrah. Romans 11.5 says, Even
so then, at this present time also, There is a remnant according
to the election of grace. God Almighty in His infinite
mercy, grace, and compassion has been pleased just for a few
moments, just to show mercy to something that
in His opinion was a blessed thing. considered in His Son. The Lord Jesus Christ loved Him
with an everlasting love. There is a remembrance of His
mercy in that He left us a remnant. And we've got a refuge, a hiding
place, it says in the last part of that eighth verse, and to
give us a nail in His holy place. Give us a nail. That word nail,
if you look in the margin there, it says a pen. That is a constant
and sure abode. He left us a nail, a place to
be hung on, a nail. Let's just look over, and I'm
going to close with this. Look over in Isaiah chapter 22.
Isaiah 22. Isaiah 22. It shall come to pass in that
day that I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah."
Now, before I read any farther, hear again. As I've said before,
I'll say it again because I need to hear it and you do too. The
Lord Jesus Christ said to those two on the road to Emmaus, beginning
with Moses in all the scriptures, he began to expound unto them
those scriptures concerning himself. Now this man, Eliakim, let me
show you how he is a picture of Christ right here. You are
going to see it. It shall come to pass in that
day I will call my servant, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, I will clothe
him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, I will commit
thy government into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And the key of the
house of David will I lay upon his shoulder. So he shall open,
and none shall shut. He shall shut, and none shall
open, and I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place. And he
shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. And they
shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring.
They issue all vessels of small quantity from the vessels of
cups even to all the vessels of flakons." This man, Eliakim,
a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, his name means, My God will raise
up. Or, that is to say, raise up
the dead by Him. That's according to 1 Corinthians
6.14. He, as a type of Christ, was
robed with dignity as Christ was crowned with glory and honor. The girdle that's spoken of of
that man, according to Isaiah 11.5, speaking of the Lord Jesus
Christ, it says, in righteousness, shall be the girdle of his loins,
and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. Concerning this man,
Eliakim, it says the government put upon his shoulders. Isaiah
9, 6 says the government shall be upon the shoulder of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He shall be a father to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah." That's what it says
of Eliakim, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the everlasting
Father, the Scripture says in Isaiah. Having fatherly care
over them as Christ who stands in the relationship of the everlasting
Father in provisions and care and affection. He has the key,
the Scripture says, to the King's house. That is a picture of our
blessed Lord. It is Christ alone who opens
the treasures by His Holy Spirit, of His Word, of His grace, of
His wisdom and knowledge, and withholds them. That is what
is said of Eliakim. He has the key to open and to
shut. He can reveal to whomsoever He
will, and to whomsoever He will, He is silent. He is God, God
Almighty. He is concerning Eliakim, the
pen, the place, the immovable hiding place and the refuge of
his people as their mediator and head and surety in their
covenant position before God. Luke 1.33, And he shall reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall
be no end. He is our hiding place. He is
our refuge. He is our hope. The remaining
verses of this Scripture, verses 9 to 15, express the confession
of one that God Almighty has revealed Himself to. The confession
of the believer's heart. The Scripture says, and I'll
just read these, It says, For we were bondmen, yet our God
hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto
us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving,
to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations
thereof, and to give us a wall that is of protection in Judah
and in Jerusalem. Concerning His mercy to us, While
we go through this world, we have no excuse for our failings. Sin is ever present with us.
Verse 10, 11, and 12, But now, O our God, what shall we say
after this? For we have forsaken Thy commandments,
which Thou hast commanded by Thy servants the prophets, saying,
The land unto which ye go to possess it is an unclean land,
with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations
which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.
Now therefore, give not your daughters unto their sons, neither
take their daughters unto your sons, but seek their peace or
their wealth forever, that ye may be strong and eat the good
of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children
forever." We deserve in ourselves eternal punishment. It's not
that we're not chargeable with our guilt in ourselves. But our
guilt concerning Him, He was made sin for us. We deserve in ourselves. But
temporal chastenings have been administered because of His great
love toward us. Look at verse 13. But after all
that is come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great
trespass, seeing that Thou our God has punished us less, than
our iniquities deserve and has given us such deliverance as
this. It stands to reason to the natural
mind that our failings afresh would eventually exhaust His
mercy. Could God continue to have mercy
upon me? Look at verse 14. Should we again
break thy commandments and join in affinity with the people of
these abominations? Wouldst not Thou be angry with
us till Thou hast consumed us, so that there should be no remnant
nor escaping?" But our escaping of wrath, of judgment, is not
because God didn't know about it, but He chose to show mercy
to a people considered totally in the person of their surety
and Savior, the Lord Jesus. Christ. That last verse says,
O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous, for we remain yet
escaped as it is this day. Behold, we are before thee in
our trespasses, for we cannot stand before thee because of
this. We don't plead ignorance. We know what we are by nature. That's what Paul said in Romans
Chapter 7, O wretched man that I am. We have nothing to say
for ourselves. Why? Judgment should not have
been passed upon us. There is not one believer that
would say this, anything other than this. But for the grace
of God, I would have gotten exactly what I deserved in my rebellion,
but for His grace. We leave ourselves totally in
the hands of Almighty God who is altogether merciful and gracious
and kind and compassionate for the sake of His Son. Not for
our sake. Not for our sake, but for Thy
sake. For Your sake. For the sake of
Your mercy and grace that in the ages to come He might show
the exceeding riches of His grace and mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ.