Ezra 7 THE HAND OF GOD The temple had been rebuilt and the people who had returned from Babylon had settled back into their own country and become assimilated to the society around them. The older folks had passed away and the younger people had become used to life the way it was to the extent they were forgetting their own unique position in the world. They had temple worship which became a rather routine thing to them, and had become like others to the extent of marrying those who were not God's chosen people. The power of separation was lost in the desire of personal gratification. This is an on-going problem with the Lord's people today the same as it was then. We may not realize it at first, but soon it happens that God cannot deal with us as "sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty."
Thankfully the Lord our God has plans and purposes for His people and does not give up on us easily. He is able to reach us when we get away from Him, in ways that we would never had expected. Sixty years after the temple was completed in Jerusalem, there was a man of God who had devoted himself to the study of the scriptures, was committed to practicing what he learned and taught others in the land of captivity. There had been some very trying times when the Jews had even been scheduled to be totally eliminated if it hadn't been for Mordecai and Esther willing to stand up and be counted. Another king, Artaxerxes, came to leadership in Babylon and the godly man, Ezra had his ear.
The written accounts in the Bible of historical events are not there just to give us interesting information, but there are spiritual reasons behind them. Not everything is written about, so we know those that are written are to put in context in the lives of God's people, a knowledge of the times and people for our learning and to enable us to learn from the mistakes and positive things that happened to those before us. There are also moral reasons that affect our actions and attitudes by learning of the times and lives those people. Upon reflection on those people and events we learn life lessons to apply now.
A rebuilt temple did not produce a committed people. "Things," no matter how inspiring and beautiful do not change the will of a person. We can have emotional experiences that create a rush of feelings and short- term commitment, but it is the heart of a person that is drawn to our Lord that changes a person and a life. It is a real concern that in spite of outward change, there is often a lack of genuine commitment to God and His will. Whenever there is a work of God going on, it is to be expected that there will be opposition of some kind. Some is open and antagonistic. Some is subtle, suggestive and attractive. The latter is often the most effective in stopping Christian testimony. The first is usually open and attacks the physical and public parts of the work of the Lord. The second is appealing, tolerant and pleasing to the flesh.
It was into this situation and condition of the people of Israel that Ezra enters the account his wrote about and includes himself in the narrative of the rest of the book. He is the leader of another group of people who sixty years after the finishing of the temple, went to Jerusalem. This group of returnees were able to go up from Babylon to Jerusalem because the hand of God was first on Ezra, then on the king and then on those people who wanted to go to Jerusalem with Ezra. If they wanted to go, they could go, so there were priest and Levites, there were singers, gatekeepers and servants who wanted to retain their national identity and the testimony to the Lord who were willing to go.
To do a work for God takes leadership that has an understanding of the word of God and who are willing to take the responsibility and pay the cost necessary to make a work happen. Ezra's genealogy in the priestly line is traced back to Aaron so this would not only give him credibility as a leader, but as a man and spiritual leader who would speak for God. It would have been his initiative generated by "the hand of the Lord his God upon him," that moved the king to write a decree of permission that opened the way for 2000 people to go to Jerusalem with Ezra. God again used a pagan king to fulfill His will.
Likely Ezra was a man of prominence in Babylon and had achieved a measure of success that he was willing to give up for the higher purpose of divine service. Even his name, Ezra (help), indicates the nature of this godly man. He had taken the time to "prepare his heart" before going forward with the work before him. There are principles in this passage of scripture that teach us that preparation is needed before progress in the will and work of God. Ezra was a "ready scribe," a teacher who was well versed "in the law of Moses." In other words, he knew was he was talking about when he passed on to the people instruction. His words were not light-weight or subtle suggestions. He was well able top respond to the guidance of the Lord as each opportunity for divine service opened up before him. This same principle of spiritual and scriptural preparation is needed today.
When a person is conscious of "the hand of God" on him, the normal obstacles that occur in a work are not too daunting. The hand of God would have given him the courage and wisdom to approach the king for permission to go to Jerusalem. The hand of God would have been on him as other who wanted to go with him were granted that request. The hand of God through him would have been on the seven advisers of the king. A consciousness of the presence of God gives power and confidence in any service for God. When major changes come in our lives that include a change of location, occupation and the people with whom we will be associated, we need the confidence of the hand of "the Lord our God" upon us.
Principles to apply to major changes in life are: can I see God is behind this move. Is the objective before me consistent with my commitment as a Christian to God's people, God's assembly, the work of the Gospel, the word of God and my family? When a believer sets his or her "heart" on the things of God, that means the whole person - body, soul and spirit, is occupied with pleasing the Lord and walking in His ways. When one has prepared the heart and has taken the word of God into the heart, they will obey the word of God from the heart. When that is true, that person is in a condition and position to teach the word of God to others.
We need to seek it out, "seek the law of the Lord." this does not happen by chance or a casual interest in the things of God. We need to "search the scriptures" and then apply what we learn - first to ourselves and then to the work before us. Second, we "live it out," and "do it." It is one thing to know what God wants and be able to teach it. It is quite another thing to live out from our heart that which we know to be true and right according to God's divine will. Third, like Ezra, we need to "tell it out," and then "to teach in Israel statutes and judgments" that come right from God. Godly leadership is not based on personality, natural ability or even learned skills. It comes from God to the learner by the word of God and the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Such a leader, like Ezra, is not hard to follow because of their attitude toward, and consistency toward, and practice of, the word of God themselves.
The decree of Artaxerxes gave permission to any of God's people who wanted to go to Jerusalem, to go with Ezra. Spiritual leaders and laborers alike were able to go and support the work of God in the way to which they were most suited. There is room in divine service for any person who is willing to obey the word of God from the heart. Even though Ezra was a man in captivity, he had a responsible role to fill and was recognized by civil authorities as a representative of the God of heaven. As such he was addressed with respect even by the king. Our reputation in the public sphere of service in which we are found is not just based on skill, but also on our character.
Willing people are a wonderful asset to the work of God. There are many different roles to fill, some very public and obvious and others unseen and unrecognized. Such people who "do the will of God from the heart" can be counted on to do what they have been assigned or called upon to if they will, as doing that work "unto the Lord." Some may be more capable in certain areas than others. Some will labor with more enthusiasm than others. But there is room in the work of God for "laborers in the harvest." "Go up" and "go with thee" indicates a higher calling for Ezra and those with him, and a work more significant than that in which they were previously engaged.
The work of God is not without cost. The costs are met in our day in a different way than they were in Ezra's day. The earthly king supported the earthly people of God in an earthly way. The work of God in our day is supported by us demonstrating our gratitude to a heavenly king who has "given us all things." He has entrusted us as stewards to use His largesse that He has placed in our hands, in ways most suitable to do the work He has given us. We do not accept earthly government funds in order to fund projects and work done for His heavenly kingdom. The objectives the two are very different so we accept and use funds from those who are in the kingdom of heaven, but not from those who serve the "god of this world." We are involved in furthering a heavenly kingdom and supporting those working for the kingdom of God.
It seems like Artaxerxes and those who advised him recognized the God of the Israelis as the God of heaven, and for their own desire to make sure the God of the Jews would show them favor, sent along gold and silver. The king's decree made sure that the king's representative in the Trans-Euphrates province of the kingdom made available to Ezra all that was needed tax free. Artaxerxes recognized God as "your God," and as a personage quite distinct from the gods of his nation and others around. He knew that in some special way, the "house of God" in Jerusalem was the only place Jews were supposed to worship as a people. He knew "your God" had a unique "house of God," and that Ezra taught "the law of God" to the people of God. He also recognized Ezra had in a special way, the wisdom of God.
The testimony of believers has many facets by which God is revealed to those around when the Lord's people are living for God and serve Him heartily. The work of Ezra was to bring order and a sense of responsibility to the decree of the king with thanksgiving for moving the heart of the king to allow the exiles to return to Israel. They had settled into a comfortable accommodation to those around them and by intermarriage with pagan worshippers were reverting to the ways of the world which led to the captivity of their forbearers.
Ezra identified himself with the Lord's people in from this time on in the book as one who was with them in all of their failures as well as the work at hand. He responded to the decree of the king with thanksgiving to God for moving the heart of the king to allow them to go up to Jerusalem. The Lord can work in the hearts of unsaved leaders in a way they likely don't even know and which we could not predict. Years earlier Cyrus was moved by God to allow the first exiles to return. Then Darius a number of years later after searching for and finding the decree of Cyrus, supported that decree in no uncertain terms. Fifty or sixty years later Artaxerxes then made another decree supporting the work of Ezra. Ezra acknowledged God's "mercy" was extended to him and the king was moved by God. In turn God moved the king and "the hand of God was on him" [Ezra].
Surely it is important for us to recognized and acknowledge the hand of God in our work, even when a city council, or some government officials give us permits to do a work in the Gospel or grant permission to reach beyond what is normal to them. When "the hand of our God" is upon us and "it is God who worketh in us (and for us) to will and to do His good pleasure," we need to acknowledge that it is "The Lord working with us" and allowing us to do His work in fellowship with Him.