Ezra 7-8: “Ezra Is Called To Go To Jerusalem & Garners Favor Of The King And Of The Lord”
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1. INTRO:
1.1. This graph depicts the timeline of the Old Testament, and note that the book of Ezra is written about a period of history after the Babylonian captivity and beginning in 538 BC, even though Ezra himself doesn’t show up in Judea until around 457 BC.
2. In our last study we looked again at the background for the book of Ezra, and then studied chapters 4-6 of the book. In that study we observed the following:
2.1. We saw how that when the children of Israel begin to work on restoring the temple of the Lord that they began to face major opposition to the work, and that as a result of this that they got their eyes off of the Lord and become paralyzed by fear of their opponents. They quit working on the rebuilding of their temple.
2.2. We talked about spiritual warfare that we as God’s people experience whenever we begin to serve the Lord. There will always be opposition when we step out to begin to serve the Lord. But, if we will persevere in trusting the Lord through that spiritual warfare the Lord will lead us, protect us, teach us many things, and use us mightily.
2.3. We saw the paralyzing effect that fear can have on the servant of God, and the fact that fear robs us of our joy.
2.4. We discussed the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah and how the Lord used them to encourage the people to get back to the work of building the temple of the Lord.
2.5. We saw that the temple was finally completed, and then it was dedicated.
3. In our study today, we are going to look at chapters 7-8 of the book of Ezra.
3.1. We will look at the life of this man Ezra and how he had used his time wisely in Babylon by becoming a scholar and great teacher of God’s word.
3.2. We will see that because Ezra is such a faithful man of integrity and commitment that he gains the kings full trust and the king will grant him carte blank every request he makes for the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the wall of the city.
3.3. We will see how Ezra was also a great man of faith and trusted the Lord to get him and his party safely to Jerusalem, even though they were carrying a huge fortune in silver and gold.
3.4. We will see how that the Lord granted him favor and blessed him wherever he went, the good hand of God was always on his life.
3.5. Graph of Persian kings & Jewish companies sent out by them to Judea:
4. VS 7:1-5 - “1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest.” – Ezra’s pedigree is stated as coming from Eleazar, the son of Aaron
4.1. Ezra himself was the result of a godly lineage. He was a godly man who came from godly stock which could be traced all of the way back to Aaron.
4.2. In Numbers chapter 16, after the rebellion before the Lord of Korah when the earth swallowed him and his household up and fire came out from the Lord and killed 250 men offering incense in defiance of God’s commands, it was Eleazar, the son of Aaron, who is to be commended for at the Lord’s command he took the incense censors that had been improperly used and pounded them flat and added them to the Brazen alter to appease the Lord.
5. VS 7:6 - “6 This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.” – Ezra who went from Babylon to Judea was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord was upon him
5.1. The Levites and descendants of Aaron did not have any priestly duties while they were living there in Babylon because the captive Jews did not have their temple and could offer no acceptable sacrifices. Therefore, many of the Levites and descendants of Aaron acclimated into secular life during this time, absorbing into the Babylonian culture. Jeremiah told all of the Jews in captivity to try to live normal lives and that the Lord Himself would deliver them out of their captivity in 70 years, and the captive people of Israel did just that.
5.2. But, the scribes had taken copies of the Law with them to Babylon, and Ezra who was of priestly descent went against the current of the day and used his time wisely in Babylon by studying the Law of God. The priests were supposed to teach God’s Law to the people since they didn’t have copies of it themselves, and even though Ezra couldn’t offer sacrifices, he saw this time in Babylon as a time that the Lord wanted him to study and teach. Ezra became ‘skilled in the law of Moses’ in Babylon. Being a faithful steward of his time he became a scholar and a great teacher to the people.
5.2.1. We as God’s people need to learn to redeem our time. If you do not have a ministry or are not in the place where God is fulfilling in you yet that which He has called you to do, then should you also not follow Ezra’s example and spend your time wisely by studying God’s word and preparing for that which the Lord is or may be calling you to do in the future? After all, what you need most in order to be used in ministry is a knowledge of God’s Word.
5.3. Not only did Ezra study God’s Law, he sought to keep it and be a doer of God’s word not merely a hearer. He was not a man that said one thing and did another. As a result, Ezra had great moral authority in his life and gained the King’s favor and implicit trust in all that he requested from God.
5.4. When Ezra gets to Jerusalem it will be 60 years since the temple was completed and 80 years since Zerubbabel was sent out of Babylon by Cyrus to rebuild the temple. During the time after the temple had been completed, the work that was begun upon the city and the wall of the city had stalled and the people were a mess. They needed to learn the clear teaching of God’s word and also to rededicate their lives to the Lord and to following His word in their lives. Ezra is the man God called to accomplish this work, and we will see that he will do a good work and be blessed of God to re-establish the work of God and lead the people’s hearts towards faithfully serving and obeying the Lord.
5.5. Several times in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, we see the Lord moving upon the hearts of the Persian kings in order for the children of Israel to gain favor in their site. It began with God moving upon the heart of King Cyrus who allowed Zerubbabel and any Jews who desired to do so to leave and go back to Jerusalem to build their temple. Next, God moved upon the heart of King Darius when men wrote a letter to the king trying to stop the people of Judea from working on the building of their city, but King Darius made a decree to investigate whether Cyrus had originally issued a decree for the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple, and when he found that decree he saw that it was again enforced. Then, God moved upon the heart of King Xerxes (or Ahasueres). He is mentioned earlier in the book of Ezra, but he was also the king when Esther was made queen after queen Vashti disappointed the king (see the book of Esther). After Esther interceded to the king on behalf of the Jews, the king kept all of the Jews in Persia from being killed. Now, we see that God moves upon the heart of King Artaxerxes. This king grants to Ezra ‘all he requested.’ Ezra wanted to take a delegation back to Israel and bring gold and silver to the Jews for their work, and he wanted to reinforce and uphold the Law of God to them, and the king gave him every one of his requests.
5.6. Now, we see for the first time this phrase that is repeated several times in this book concerning Ezra: ‘the hand of God was upon him.’ The “good hand of God” was on this godly reformer’s life and providing all that he needed to do God’s will. He protected him from his enemies, and granted him success in his serving of the Lord, which he did with all of his heart.
6. VS 7:7-10 - “7 Some of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8 He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was upon him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” – The list of those who went up from Babylon to Judea are listed as being some of priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants, and Ezra left on this journey on the first of the first month, and he came to Jerusalem four months later, and, Ezra had set his heart to study, practice, and teach the Lord’ statutes from the Law of Moses
6.1. We read here the classifications of some of the ones who comprised those went back to Judea with Ezra. There ‘some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants.’
6.2. Notice here that this journey from Babylon to Judea took four months, for they left on the ‘first of the first month’ and they arrived ‘on the first of the fifth month.’
6.3. Again, this all occurred to Ezra because, ‘the good hand of his God was upon him.’
6.4. Notice that Ezra had set his heart to ‘study,’ ‘practice,’ and to ‘teach’ the statutes and ordinances of God’s law in Israel.
7. VS 7:11-24 - “11 Now this is the copy of the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of the Lord and His statutes to Israel: 12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now 13 I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 “Forasmuch as you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand, 15 and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 with all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; 17 with this money, therefore, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings and offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 18 “Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God. 19 “Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. 20 “The rest of the needs for the house of your God, for which you may have occasion to provide, provide for it from the royal treasury. 21 “I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently, 22 even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 kors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt as needed. 23 “Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons. 24 “We also inform you that it is not allowed to impose tax, tribute or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim or servants of this house of God.” – King Artaxerxes gives a decree to Ezra the priest for His trip
7.1. Ezra has gained so much favor and respect from King Artaxerxes that he will not only be allowed to take a party and return to the land of Judea, he will be given a huge amount of silver and gold by the king for purchasing animals and drink offerings for sacrifice, and also utensils ‘for the service of the house of your God.’
7.2. King Artaxerxes even tells Ezra that whatever he believes that the Lord has required of him to do with the money that he may do it. The king has implicit trust in Ezra and his integrity.
7.2.1. We Christians ought to be encouraged to be people of integrity by men like Ezra. We have to earn the right to tell people of this world the gospel. When our life is above reproach people will eventually trust us and many will warm up to us so we can share the gospel with them and lead them to saving faith in Christ.
7.2.2. We Christians must learn that respect and trust are something that have to be earned by us. Only by being faithful, trustworthy, and committed to what God is doing and has called us to do, we can earn these things in the eyes of men. These characteristics bring their own reward in the lives of those who possess them.
7.3. King Artaxerxes declares that anyone from the nation of Israel who lives in Babylonian captivity may return with Ezra, including any of the Levites and priests.
7.4. In King Artaxerxes’ decree, he tells all of the treasurers that Ezra make take from the treasuries, ‘even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 kors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt as needed.’ 100 talents of silver is believed to be over 3 tons of silver, so this was a huge treasure the returnees were returning from Babylon.
7.5. King Artaxerxes in his decree also states that the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim, or the servants of the house of God must not have tax, tribute, or toll be levied against them. This venture of the Judeans to their homeland to re-establish their religion was viewed as a tax free non-profit entity similar to how our 501C corporations are viewed in America today.
7.6. Note that King Artaxerxes is not a completely humble man for in his title in verse 12 he refers to himself with the title that only the Lord Jesus Christ deserves: ‘king of kings.’ Like everyone who has or will ever live on the earth, King Artaxerxes one day will bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is ‘Lord’ (Phil. 2:10).
8. VS 7:25-28 - “25 “You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may teach anyone who is ignorant of them. 26 “Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.” 27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to adorn the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, 28 and has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.” – King Artaxerxes gives Ezra the authority to appoint magistrates and judges, and even to be able to execute capital crimes, and Ezra blesses the Lord that He has put such things into the king’s heart
8.1. King Artaxerxes also trusted Ezra’s ability to discern the character and abilities of men as the Lord would lead him, and this he tells Ezra, ‘according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people.’
8.2. Further, King Artaxerxes even trusts Ezra’s judgment to such an extent he allows him to make and execute capital judgments upon people saying, ‘whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether or death or for banishment of for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.’
8.3. Ezra is amazed and in awe at how God has worked in the king’s heart in allowing him to do these things he is doing, as he writes, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to adorn the house of the Lord.’
8.4. Ezra saw that in performing these things that the Lord ‘has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes.’ Further, seeing how God had worked in the king’s heart caused Ezra to be ‘strengthened according to the hand of the Lord’ God that was upon him. Ezra was strengthened by what he had seen God do and thus he went on to ‘gather leading men from Israel’ to go with him up to Judea.
9. VS 8:1-15 - “1 Now these are the heads of their fathers’ households and the genealogical enrollment of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush; 3 of the sons of Shecaniah who was of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah and with him 150 males who were in the genealogical list; 4 of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and 200 males with him; 5 of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel and 300 males with him; 6 and of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan and 50 males with him; 7 and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and 70 males with him; 8 and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael and 80 males with him; 9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 218 males with him; 10 and of the sons of Bani, Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah and 160 males with him; 11 and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai and 28 males with him; 12 and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan and 110 males with him; 13 and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, these being their names, Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and 60 males with them; 14 and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and 70 males with them.” – The names of the heads of the father’s households that went to Jerusalem with Ezra are listed
9.1. Some of these family names are the same as those whom Zerubbabel took with him. Pioneering people are bred or brought up from the same family many times.
10. VS 8:15-20 - “15 Now I assembled them at the river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days; and when I observed the people and the priests, I did not find any Levites there. 16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers. 17 I sent them to Iddo the leading man at the place Casiphia; and I told them what to say to Iddo and his brothers, the temple servants at the place Casiphia, that is, to bring ministers to us for the house of our God. 18 According to the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of insight of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, 18 men; 19 and Hashabiah and Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, 20 men; 20 and 220 of the temple servants, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, all of them designated by name.” – Ezra had the people hold up and camp at the run that runs to Ahava so that he could take inventory of all who had come with him, and when he realized that there were none of the Levites who had come with him, he sent some men to go and convince some Levites to come with them, and they brought back 38 Levites
10.1. Ezra led the returnees from Babylon to the river that runs to Ahava, and there the people camped for three days. Then, when Ezra was taking inventory of the people and the priests he suddenly realizes that not a single man from the tribe of Levi had ended up coming with them out of Babylon.
10.2. You can imagine that the priests who had lived their lives in comfort and leisure in the land of Babylon might not want to take an ardous four month journey to then begin a pioneering work in a Judean, a work whose success could only be assured to those who had faith in God’s calling and promises. None had been willing to step out in faith with Ezra at this time. Now that we see how that the Levites living in Babylon were not really spiritually minded since none had committed to go back to Jerusalem with Ezra, this makes Ezra’s commitment to the Lord as a student, scholar, and teacher even more admirable.
10.3. When Ezra realizes that there were no Levites he knew that they would not be able to complete their calling unless they recruited some Levites to come with them. So, Ezra sent several of the ‘leading men’ from among them to go back to Babylon to recruit to come and join them as many Levites as they could find.
10.4. Ezra sent these leading men to ‘Iddo the leading man at the place Casiphia’ as he knew Iddo would be faithful to the Lord in helping them to recruit some Levites to come to Jerusalem with Ezra.
11. VS 8:21-23 - “21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.” – Ezra proclaimed a fast unto the Lord at the river of Ahava because he did not want to ask for troops from the king to protect them since he had told the king that the hand of their God was favorably disposed to those who seek Him but His power and anger are against all those who forsake Him
11.1. Ezra as seen here as being a great man of faith. As he is waiting there at the river of Ahava Ezra begins to realize the enormity of what he has committed to do in returning with this huge treasure, and he realizes that he has a dilemma on his hands. He has told King Artaxerxes of how great and powerful the Lord is and how that the Lord would give them all that they needed to build His house, the city of Jerusalem, and the wall around the city, and, that the Lord is so great and mighty that He will see to it that they are successful. He has also told the king that the Lord would protect them in their effort and destroy their enemies. The problem is that now Ezra realizes he is returning with 15,000 or so Israelites, none of whom have much in the way of weapons or are trained in warfare, and they will be carrying a fortune in gold and silver with them. Ezra knows how vulnerable they will be to attack by the many treacherous marauding bands that are to be found between Babylon and Israel. But, if he asks the king for an armed guard to go with them, then he knows that this will undermine the confident assertions he has made about the Lord to the king. After much prayer and thought he decides that to keep a strong testimony with the king that he and the people going with him to Judea will have to trust the Lord alone to protect them. Ezra calls a fast so that the returnees with Him can seek the Lord for His protection and guidance for their trip.
11.2. In my novel, “The Body of Christ in all her glory,” I describe a time when my wife and I were praying for a period of 3 ˝ years for the Lord to allow us to sell our house so that we could move and plant a church, as we felt led by the Lord to do. During that time my wife lost her job and then became pregnant and was ill during the whole pregnancy and could not work. Then, after she had the baby she was nursing and healing up from a C-Section and couldn’t work. Plus, when she finally did start looking for work, time and time again she would get to a third interview and then get passed over for another candidate. Then, the Lord spoke to us that He wanted her to be an at-home mom. The problem was that we were about $1,200 a month in the red every month and had spent our savings during the first three months after she had quit working. Now, in times prior to this we had borrowed money a couple of times from each of our parents. But at this time I had been sharing my Christian faith with my dad and telling him how that I knew that I did not need to worry about our future because God is in control and promises to provide for His children. Like Ezra with King Artaxerxes, I knew that if I asked my dad for money that he would bail us out, however at the same time I knew that suddenly my testimony of my faith in the Lord would be undermined in my father’s eyes. We determined for those three and a half years that we would tell no one about our needs and only pray to the Lord about them. The result was that though we later could never add up the columns to see how we had paid our bills, that the Lord had allowed us to pay every bill those 3 ˝ years. Money came in unexpectedly from all kinds of places, and always when we needed it. Sometimes we were a little bit late, but we never defaulted on a single bill. The Lord sustained us throughout that time, and my father ended up coming to faith in Christ a few years later. God is faithful when we put our trust in Him.
11.3. The Lord heard the inquiry of Ezra and the returnees concerning their need for protection for their trip as they sought Him in prayer and fasting at the outset of their journey from Babylon to Jerusalem.
12. VS 8:24-30 - “24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers; 25 and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold and the utensils, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes and all Israel present there had offered. 26 Thus I weighed into their hands 650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth 100 talents, and 100 gold talents, 27 and 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold. 28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the utensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers. 29 “Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leading priests, the Levites and the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the Levites accepted the weighed out silver and gold and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.” – Ezra set apart twelve of the leading priests to watch and keep the valuable silver and gold, and utensils for the house of the Lord during the duration of their trip to Jerusalem
12.1. There were many treasures that needed to be carefully attended to and protected during the four month journey to Judea that they were beginning. There was a whole bunch of silver and gold, many utensils, and many offerings from the people. Sherebiah and Hashabiah and ten Levites were given this task of attending to and protecting all of these treasures they were transporting to Judea.
12.2. Just like Sherebiah and Hashabiah and their ten Levite brothers, each of us as Christians is carrying with us a great treasure for which we must take the greatest care and present a good stewardship. We have received salvation through Christ and now know that just like Jesus taught in the parable of the talents, we need to go and increase what we have been given. We need to share our faith in Christ, use our spiritual gifts for Him, and complete that which the Lord has called us to do in this life.
12.3. Most of us as Christians also have others with whom we have been entrusted. A husband has been entrusted with a wife, a wife with a husband. A parent has been entrusted with a child, and a child has been entrusted with a parent. Grandparents and grand children have likewise been entrusted with each other. When each of us considers our lives and what we allow and keep out, we need to consider the effect of our actions upon those who have been entrusted by the Lord to us.
13. VS 8:31 - “31 Then we journeyed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way.” – The Jews with Ezra then journeyed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of their God was over them and He delivered them from the hand of their enemies by the way
13.1. After praying and fasting, Ezra and the returnees with him went from the river Ahava ‘on the twelfth of the first month’ to go to Jerusalem.
13.2. Their journey was safely completed because ‘the hand of our God was over’ them, and He delivered them ‘from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way.’
14. VS 8:32 - “32 Thus we came to Jerusalem and remained there three days.” – The children of Israel remained in Jerusalem for three days after arriving from Babylon
14.1. When Ezra and his group finally got to Jerusalem they rested up after the trip for three days. Sometimes the best thing that God’s people can do is simply to rest up. As someone once said, “If we don’t do as Jesus said to His disciples and come apart and rest, we will come apart all right!”
15. VS 8:33-34 – “33 On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 Everything was numbered and weighed, and all the weight was recorded at that time.” – On the fourth day after arriving from Babylon, the silver and gold and the utensils were weighed out and recorded to make sure that all that was initially sent made it to Jerusalem
15.1. Finally, the priests who had been taking care of the treasures they were carrying from Babylon to Jerusalem had to have their cargo audited to make sure that all that was commissioned of them was in fact delivered by them.
15.2. We as Christians need to recognize that one day we will have to give account of what we have done in the flesh, of our deeds. One day, there will be a Bema Seat Judgment before Christ for believers, as 1 Cor. 3 tells us, and each one of us will be rewarded based upon what good works we have committed since giving our lives to Christ.
16. VS 8:35 - “35 The exiles who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, 12 male goats for a sin offering, all as a burnt offering to the Lord.” – The exiles who had come from the captivity made a huge burnt offering to the Lord
16.1. Because the Lord had blessed Ezra and his company so greatly by getting them to Jerusalem safely with all of their precious treasure in tact, the people were extremely grateful and relieved. Thus, they offered a huge free will offering to the Lord.
17. VS 8:36 - “36 Then they delivered the king’s edicts to the king’s satraps and to the governors in the provinces beyond the River, and they supported the people and the house of God.” – Ezra and the exiles who came with him delivered the king’s edicts to the king’s satraps and to the governors there in the provinces beyond the river, and they supported the people and the house of God
17.1. Ezra then read the king’s edicts to the leaders and magistrates when they had arrived in Jerusalem, and every one of King Artaxerxes commands in the edict were swiftly carried out.
18.
CONCLUSIONS:
18.1. Make good use of your time, even if you are not in a ministry, and study God’s word and prepare for what He has called you to do.
18.2. Earn the trust and respect of others by being faithful, trustworthy, and committed to the Lord in all that you do.
18.3. Learn to trust God even for great things just as Ezra, the great man of faith, did in his life.
18.4. As Sherebiah and Hashabiah and ten Levites were faithful to guard and transport the treasures from Babylon to Jerusalem, be faithful to carry the great treasures that have been entrusted to you as a steward of God.