Ezra 7:1 – 28 Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem
Many years later, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given.
The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him. So in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, he went up to Jerusalem with some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun the 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 on him. (Four months) For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Artaxerxes’ Letter for Ezra
This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and scribe, a man learned in the commandments and statutes of the LORD to Israel:
Artaxerxes, king of kings.
To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:
Greetings.
I hereby decree that any volunteers among the Israelites in my kingdom, including the priests and Levites, may go up with you to Jerusalem. You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.
Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, together with all the silver and gold you may find in all the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem. With this money, therefore, you are to buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem. You and your brothers may do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God.
You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God. And if anything else is needed for the house of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may pay for it from the royal treasury.
I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers west of the Euphrates: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it must be provided promptly, up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit. (100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver. 100 cors is approximately 624 bushels or 22,000 liters (probably about 19.2 tons or 17.4 metric tons of wheat). 100 baths is approximately 580 gallons or 2,200 liters of wine. Or 100 baths of oil; that is, is approximately 580 gallons or 2,200 liters) Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for His house. For why should wrath fall on the realm of the king and his sons? And be advised that you have no authority to impose tribute, duty, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which you possess, are to appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to anyone who does not know them. If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
Ezra Blesses God
Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and who has shown me favor before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials.
And because the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, I took courage and gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.”
When God chooses to favor one of His children who is obedient, He does so without limits. First, notice that Ezra takes the time to establish his credentials as a direct descendant of Aaron, albeit sixteen generations away. Ezra doesn’t want anybody to reject his message on the grounds that he is poorly qualified. Ezra has not come by himself, but he has also brought priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants.
Ezra has worked hard to prepare himself for his calling, and King Artaxerxes has obviously been very impressed by Ezra and by the Law that Ezra teaches. “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Artaxerxes addresses Ezra as “the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven,” and charges that Ezra has been “sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.”
Artaxerxes pledges freewill offerings from the royal treasury “to the God of Israel whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,” as well as giving Ezra carte blanche for anything else Ezra feels necessary. The King not only pledges incredible wealth to speed the delegation on its way but also authorizes Ezra to “appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to anyone who does not know them. If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.”
Once more, a pagan king demonstrates far more respect and awe for the God of Israel than most of the Israelites have done for centuries. Ezra fully realizes that all these wonderful blessings are coming because the hand of the Lord is on him.
Part of the wealth that Ezra brings with him comes from the Jews in Babylon. Jeremiah encouraged the Jews who were in exile to establish themselves in Babylon. “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:5 – 7)
Little did those Jews realize that they were gathering wealth so that later generations could return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. While the Jews were lamenting their losses, God was already preparing for their eventual return to Jerusalem. The Jews might have given up on Jerusalem, but God had not.
APPLICATION: Many sermons have been preached on divine favor and how we can qualify for it. Sometimes we are left with the impression that we must manipulate God by using certain prayer formulas; however, such an idea is ridiculous. God knows our hearts and God knows if we are truly honoring Him. Those around us can also tell if our worship is real or fake. Although Ezra has come from a long line of priests, it is Ezra’s teaching of the Law that has impressed King Artaxerxes so much. Ezra is the real deal, and the king knows it.
How can we assure that the favor of God will operate in our lives? David Yonggi Cho, the famous Korean pastor whose congregation grew to more than 200,000 members was fond of saying, “I pray, and I obey.” Cho very simply sought God’s will and then did it without questioning or complaining. Millenia earlier, Ezra prayed and obeyed, and God honored him. Ezra was also a very serious student of God’s Law and honored God by studying His word throughout his life.
It is quite likely that Ezra had the entire Law of Moses memorized so that he could quote it freely. If we want to please God with our lives, we too should study His Word and memorize it. Psalm 119:11 tells us “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” God’s Word is amazing; studying it is like eating salted peanuts or potato chips. The more you study God’s Word, the more you want to know about it. No matter how many times you have read a passage, there is always more to gain. Psalm 119:18 says, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”
“But the Bible is boring!” you might complain. How much time have you actually spent reading the Bible compared to the amount of time you have spent playing video games or watching sports on television? The more you focus on something, the more involved you will be with it and the more your mind will crave further involvement with that particular activity. Start reading the Gospel of John and the Psalms, but before you start, ask God to open your eyes to the things He wants you to learn.
Ezra honored God throughout his life, and God honored him as well. Strictly speaking, we cannot EARN God’s grace or favor; God gives these things freely to those who honor Him. What we can do is to study God’s Word, to honor Him in every aspect of our lives, and then to trust Him to help us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to honor You in every aspect of our lives. Help us to love Your Word and to study it so that we will order our lives according to Your commands. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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