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The whole company numbered 42,360\u2026 (Ezra 2:64).

Does that peek your curiosity? Do you want more information? This does not seem like much of a text to do a devotional on, \u201cThe whole company numbered 42, 360...\u201d Stay with me for a moment.

The book of Ezra is concerned with telling how the people of Israel returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity in order to rebuild the temple of God. The story recounts the challenges this community faced in the return and the rebuilding project.

One of the first challenges was to ensure that those returning were descendants of Abraham and Sarah. Ezra 2 is a list of names of those who could trace their ancestry back. The list includes only men and totals 28,529. Add some women and children and the total Israelite returnees are 42,630.

But why signal that out? Well, for two reasons. First, it tells us that God is true to his word.

Through Moses, God had warned Israel that if they walked away from him, he would more than walk away from them. If his people insisted on rejecting him, he would reject them. In Leviticus 26, God said, \u201cI will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins\u201d (33). Elsewhere, Moses elaborates, \u201cThe Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you\u201d (Deut. 4: 27). In Zechariah 7, God reflects on Israel\u2019s exile in Babylon, \u201c\u2018I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it\u2019\u201d (14).

God fulfilled this promise. Israel insisted on worshipping other Gods. And so, God scattered them. Only, 42 630 people returned. How decimated was Israel? Well, in Numbers 26 a census was taken as Israel is poised to enter the promised land for the first time. There, the number of men is 601 730 (Numbers 26:44). Then, there were over 600 000 men; not just over 42 000 people. There weren\u2019t many left.

Which brings us to the second reason for paying attention to this abysmally small number of returnees. Humanly speaking, Israel doesn\u2019t have a chance. The task before her is too large, the obstacles too insurmountable.

But that is the point. It reminds us of something that keeps happening in the biblical story. Folks like Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth were barren when they became pregnant with important people. The apostles had had no formal education, and yet they had the courage, wits and intellect to go head to head with the best of the Jewish establishment. You see, God can take nothing and make something wonderful out of it.

This is something we need to remember and believe as we go forward. Our congregation is making plans to gather again for public worship services. But only a third of the sanctuary can be used. We may not make physical contact with each other. We can\u2019t have nursery or Sunday School; nor meet for coffee in the fellowship hall. It will feel very small, reduced, hollow!

It will not be worship as we have known it. But the value of worship does not depend on those things we are used to. Can we honour God while wearing masks? Absolutely! God can be honoured by people who sit in sanctuaries with large gaps between them. God can still minister his Word to us. Our prayers will still reach him.

Israel returned from Babylon greatly deduced in every way. Yet, she was still God\u2019s people. God still used her to accomplish his purposes. In the middle of COVID protocols God can and will still build his church. Jesus said to his disciples that he will build his church. All he needs, is that we trust Him!