Today in God's Word—April 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
April 10, Ezra 7
This Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. - Ezra 7:6
In the days before credit cards, debit cards and electronic funds transfers, the most common form of paying a bill or buying a product was a check. A check, properly filled out and signed by the account holder, was an accepted form of payment for almost any transaction, especially one made through the mail or when the parties involved in the transaction needed a permanent record of the payment.
In those days, the expression “blank check" came into our language. It was an expression of trust. The account holder might give a signed check with no payee or amount specified to a family member or perhaps a trusted employee to fill in when the payment was made. I suppose the same level of trust (or even more) these days would be to give that person our credit or debit card and the pin number they would need to make a purchase with it.
Ezra reminds me of Joseph in Egypt centuries before, and Daniel in Persia during Ezra’s own time. All three of them were men of God, of such sterling character that their pagan captors entrusted them with almost limitless resources and power. These men enjoyed practically unlimited access to the treasures of the foreign kings in whose courts they served. The kings gave them high-ranking positions in their kingdoms with the freedom to do almost anything they saw fit to do.
In addition to the character these men possessed, God's hand of blessing was on them. The Lord also worked on the hearts and minds of the pagan kings, moving them to act for the good of God's people through these trusted servants of the kings.
The first words of Ezra 7 ("Now after this”) cover a gap of several decades in the timeline. If this is Artaxerxes I, about 58 years passed between Ezra 6 and 7. If it is Artaxerxes II, the gap is twice that long. Good scholars are divided over the question of which Persian ruler dealt with Ezra. But whichever one it was, God used him to enable and empower Ezra to lead another wave of exiles who were freed to go home to Jerusalem. He released Ezra and whoever wanted to leave with him. He let them go and gave them generous funding for the journey and their mission. He gave Ezra full discretion about how to spend the funds, and made arrangements for him to get more funds that he needed once he got back to Jerusalem. He delegated power to Ezra to teach the Law of Moses, and establish a new judiciary to enforce the law and punish those who would not obey it. Artaxerxes gave Ezra a big “blank check” indeed, centuries before checks and the expression became known.
Ezra was a direct descendant of the first high priest, Aaron. He is proof that the Jews in captivity had the Law of Moses, because Ezra had his own copy of it. He was prepared for the leadership role Artaxerxes gave him. Ezra had "set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” His mission was a rebuilding project of another sort. It was not a temple or city walls that he went to rebuild--it was the people themselves who needed to be reestablished in their faith and devotion to God.
Ezra and the people who went back with him show that not all Israelites had been assimilated into the culture of their captors. Those returning priests and Levites were godly men, sent on a mission from God, to teach and restore godly living and worship among the people of God.
Artaxerxes was a polytheist. He believed in many gods. It's true that God put this mission in his heart. But he expressed it as any polytheist might. He was willing to pay for Ezra's work and
the beautification of the temple and the sacrifices required for them to worship as God commanded as a sort of insurance for himself and his kingdom. He did not want the wrath of God to be poured out on him. He was willing to pay because he wanted to appease Ezra's God.
Ezra knew that God had done all this. It encouraged him and strengthened him to realize that God's hand was behind the king's support. Ezra also didn't try to do all the work that needed to be done on his own. He chose outstanding leaders among the people to go back with him. He had a tax-free status and access to deep pockets in the province to get his work done. He was prepared and equipped as he began the four month, 900 mile journey to do the work that would make him a great man of the Bible. You and I are still writing, reading and talking about him twenty-five centuries after he lived.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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