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Good weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Do you like to travel? How about long ‘road trips’, do you like those? What’s the longest road trip you’ve ever taken and how much preparation did you make?
Yesterday we met a Jewish scholar and teacher named Ezra and he was commissioned by the Persian Emperor, King Artaxerxes. Commissioned to what? Ezra was commissioned to lead a group of Jews from Babylon on a long road trip of about 750 miles to Jerusalem. Why? To encourage those rebuilding the city and especially to try and stimulate their spiritual vitality and their faithfulness to the laws of the God of Israel given to Moses about 1000 years before! Pause a second…did you get all that?
Ezra 7:8 gives us this overview of their long road trip: “Ezra…began his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him.” This is now the second time Ezra calls to our attention his deep conviction that God’s hand was upon him. In this case the evidence is Ezra’s safe, 4-month journey on foot from Babylon to Jerusalem! It challenges me to ask the question: how often do I look for the practical, tangible evidence of God’s involvement in the everyday stuff of my life?
Ezra says his journey was in the seventh year of the reign of King Artaxerxes, thus 458bc. (Ezra 7:7) Ezra also says he did not travel alone, but as we saw yesterday, a large group of spiritual people went with him. Ezra summarizes his life priorities and purpose with this statement: “Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10)
It’s good for us occasionally to pause from our busyness and ask ourselves what the priorities and overall purpose of our life is, do you agree? For Ezra it’s quite clear, isn’t it? Ezra was a student, a scholar and a teacher. But Ezra was also very specific about the focus of his studies and teaching. Do you see it? I would summarize it this way: “The Law of the LORD and the people of Israel.”
Ezra had evidently received a special letter of commissioning from King Artaxerxes, and he introduces in with these interesting words in Ezra 7:11: “This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the LORD for Israel.”
Now for a third time Ezra clarifies his qualification and his passions. Do you wonder why? Did Ezra have a pride problem? Or perhaps Ezra had low self-esteem, so he kept repeating himself about his scholarly achievements? No, I don’t think it’s that at all. I think Ezra is making sure, at the very beginning of this journey to Jerusalem, that everyone who meets him or hears of him understands WHY King Artaxerxes, the most powerful man in the world at that time, was sending Ezra to Jerusalem. His mission was a unique and special one, and we’ll discover and dig into that mission over these next few days as we read these chapters of Ezra.
King Artaxerxes started this unusual letter of commission for Ezra with an explanation that ANY Jewish person, in the entire Persian kingdom, was permitted to go with Ezra under the blessing and protection of the king! (Ezra 7:13,14) That would make it very clear that these were not grumbling Jews that wanted to emigrate from wherever they lived or whatever difficult circumstances they were living in, to flee to Jerusalem. Oh no, this was an intentional caravan of Jews relocating to Jerusalem with a very specific intention and with the blessing of the king!!
Furthermore, Ezra’s traveling caravan would be taking with them significant resources King Artaxerxes and his officials had assembled and were entrusting to Ezra for the accomplishment of his kingly assigned mission in Jerusalem! (Ezra 7:15,16) King Artaxerxes made it clear Ezra was to have more than enough resources to purchase all the animals needed for appropriate worship sacrifices once they arrived in Jerusalem.
And if they had more than enough silver and gold, listen to what the king said Ezra should do with the extra resources: “You and your fellow Israelites may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God.“ (Ezra 7:18)
Now that amazes me! It seems King Artaxerxes is not yet a believer in Ezra’s God, but clearly the king has gained a deep respect for Ezra and a growing understanding of and respect for Ezra’s God! So much so the king gives Ezra full freedom to use resources in any manner that would bring great glory to God!
That challenges me to ask myself and you this question: Do people have a hunger to know the God I worship and serve? What about you? Do people respect God because they respect how I seek to honor God with my life? What about you?
Finally, let’s notice one more thing in King Artaxerxes’ commissioning letter to Ezra: “Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you are responsible to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.” (Ezra 7:19,20)
Wow! It’s as though Ezra has been given an American Express card with NO spending limit in order to supply whatever he finds the Temple needs when he arrives in Jerusalem! Can you believe that? It’s also clear King Artaxerxes entrusted to Ezra some articles to be used in the Temple for worship! I wonder if they had been fabricated by the royal goldsmiths, under the guidance of Ezra, to be brought to Jerusalem and placed in the Temple of God?
I am flabbergasted at the extreme to which King Artaxerxes is going to be sure Ezra’s trip and mission to Jerusalem could be wildly successful! Let’s pause here and try to imagine what God had done in the mind and heart of Artaxerxes in his growing understanding and respect for God, to cause him to take these extravagant action steps to help Ezra.
And as you look around your city or country, who are the most powerful leaders you see and what might happen if God changed their minds and hearts as He changed that of King Artaxerxes?
Let’s worship with this song as we pray for those who need a powerful touch of God, does that include you today my friends?
Today’s Scripture: Ezra 7:6-20.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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