Ezra 8
Ezra 8
Yesterday, we saw the repeated theme of the gracious hand of God upon Ezra. Today, the theme carries on as the second wave of exiles return to Jerusalem.
The chapter opens identifying the family heads and how many people are returning with them. This section reminds us of chapter 2, however, with many fewer people. The first return of chapter 2 had almost 50,000 people, whereas Ezra likely led about 4,000–5,000 (with women and children added).
In verse 15, Ezra realized he had no Levites to help with Temple worship. He devised a plan to recruit Levites by sending leaders to Iddo. Here again in verse 18, “the good hand of our God on us.” The Lord provided exactly what the people needed.
Verses 21–23 share an interesting story of Ezra calling for a fast so that the people humble themselves before the Lord for a safe journey. They had boldly proclaimed to the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” Because of this proclamation, Ezra was ashamed to ask for soldiers and horsemen. The truth of their proclamation was honored by God, who listened to their entreaty.
This is one of those stories in Scripture that we understand as descriptive rather than prescriptive. Prescriptive passages are telling us to do something whereas descriptive passages are just telling us what happened. There’s a whole lot here we can learn from, but we probably shouldn’t emulate exactly. We can assume that Ezra spoke and led in the power of the Holy Spirit. However, Nehemiah later accepted protection during his journey, but God was still just as powerful and favorable toward those who seek him.
God’s favorable hand was so evident for these returning exiles that even those in the surrounding lands “aided the people and the house of God” as we see in verse 36. Here again we see the truth of Ezra’s proclamation, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him.” So, what does that mean for us?
The main takeaway for me is that the “good” from God’s hand doesn’t mean we always get what we want. What God calls “good” isn’t always what we call “good,” but God’s “good” is always better. Although chapter 8 shows Ezra being successful at everything he does, remember that Israel is coming out of severe punishment with the Babylonian Exile. Ezra’s success isn’t because of how good Ezra was, it’s based on God’s faithfulness to return His people to the Promised Land. The people have endured a great deal while in exile, including marching for many weeks to return home here in chapter 8—much of which probably incited some hard feelings. Yet, with all factors considered including safety and provision, the result was a clear testament to God’s hand.
Questions:
What are the things in our lives that we look back and can see God’s hand?
How does God's past faithfulness encourage your future dependence?
By: Tyler Short
Yesterday, we saw the repeated theme of the gracious hand of God upon Ezra. Today, the theme carries on as the second wave of exiles return to Jerusalem.
The chapter opens identifying the family heads and how many people are returning with them. This section reminds us of chapter 2, however, with many fewer people. The first return of chapter 2 had almost 50,000 people, whereas Ezra likely led about 4,000–5,000 (with women and children added).
In verse 15, Ezra realized he had no Levites to help with Temple worship. He devised a plan to recruit Levites by sending leaders to Iddo. Here again in verse 18, “the good hand of our God on us.” The Lord provided exactly what the people needed.
Verses 21–23 share an interesting story of Ezra calling for a fast so that the people humble themselves before the Lord for a safe journey. They had boldly proclaimed to the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” Because of this proclamation, Ezra was ashamed to ask for soldiers and horsemen. The truth of their proclamation was honored by God, who listened to their entreaty.
This is one of those stories in Scripture that we understand as descriptive rather than prescriptive. Prescriptive passages are telling us to do something whereas descriptive passages are just telling us what happened. There’s a whole lot here we can learn from, but we probably shouldn’t emulate exactly. We can assume that Ezra spoke and led in the power of the Holy Spirit. However, Nehemiah later accepted protection during his journey, but God was still just as powerful and favorable toward those who seek him.
God’s favorable hand was so evident for these returning exiles that even those in the surrounding lands “aided the people and the house of God” as we see in verse 36. Here again we see the truth of Ezra’s proclamation, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him.” So, what does that mean for us?
The main takeaway for me is that the “good” from God’s hand doesn’t mean we always get what we want. What God calls “good” isn’t always what we call “good,” but God’s “good” is always better. Although chapter 8 shows Ezra being successful at everything he does, remember that Israel is coming out of severe punishment with the Babylonian Exile. Ezra’s success isn’t because of how good Ezra was, it’s based on God’s faithfulness to return His people to the Promised Land. The people have endured a great deal while in exile, including marching for many weeks to return home here in chapter 8—much of which probably incited some hard feelings. Yet, with all factors considered including safety and provision, the result was a clear testament to God’s hand.
Questions:
What are the things in our lives that we look back and can see God’s hand?
How does God's past faithfulness encourage your future dependence?
By: Tyler Short
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