The Bible is filled with stories of people who lived their lives under the influence, under the power, under the direction of God. Through deep faith and a willingness to serve, God used these people to fulfill His purposes. In the Old Testament, we read about one named Ezra, who was such a one as I have described, one who moved under the power, the influence, and the direction of God and whom God used in a very powerful way. We see through Ezra the example of what can happen when, first of all, a person is determined to see God, and then is completely obedient to God, and then allows the Lord to use him.
Ezra, you may recall, was a scribe, was a teacher, and was a priest. He was a direct descendent of Aaron. And he was among the Jews who were still living in Babylonian captivity. He had found favor with the King of Persia (and to remind you, Persia had captured Babylon in battle, and although the children of Israel had been taken into exile by the Babylonians some generations before, they were now under the control of the King of Persia). Ezra had found favor with Artaxerxes, the King of Persia. And in about 457 BC, Ezra was appointed by the King of Persia to lead a group of Jews from this Babylonian captivity, that they were still in, back to Jerusalem. This was about 80 years after Zerubbabel had led a similar group back to Jerusalem, who had returned specifically with the task of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem.
The mission of Ezra and his group was to restore the people of God. Turn to the book of Ezra in the Old Testament and we are going to be looking there and reading from this Old Testament book today.
The first 6 chapters of the book of Ezra describe the work of Zerubbabel and that group that returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. The final 4 chapters of this book relate Ezra’s arrival and the great restoration he brought about among the people of God. If we were to indicate a theme to Ezra’s life work, it would have to be the theme: “The hand of the Lord my God was upon me.” This is because 6 times in 2 chapters in the book of Ezra, he will make this statement or a statement to this effect: “The hand of the Lord my God was upon me.” Well, as we think about this statement that he makes, we’re going to explore and see how it was that the hand of the Lord, the hand of God, was upon Ezra.
We first notice that the hand of God was upon him in receiving requests from the king of Persia, Artaxerxes. In chapter 7 of the book of Ezra, verse 6 we read, “The king [Artaxerxes] had granted him [Ezra] everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.” Why was it that Ezra had found favor with the king? Because the hand of the Lord was upon Ezra.
We also see that the hand of the Lord was upon Ezra in several other ways. As we look in chapter 7, we see that the hand of the Lord was upon him in order for him to return to Jerusalem, chapter 7, verses 12 and 13. We see there that this is actually part of the text of the letter that the king of Persia wrote to Ezra, for Ezra, which described his mission. Chapter 7, verse 12: “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of God of heaven. Perfect peace. I issue a decree that all the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem with you may go.” So, indeed, here we see the hand of the Lord upon Ezra, and the favor of this king. We see further here in the instruction that the king will give, verses 14-17, that Ezra and this group were to take gold and silver to offer, as well as animals to sacrifice. And then we see, in verses 18-20 of chapter 7, that they were to buy what was needed for the service to be rendered in the house of God. And further, verse 24, that they will be free of taxation. And then we see that Ezra is given the authority, in chapter 25, to set up something of a government by setting up magistrates and judges.
In verses 27 and 28, we see again what Ezra has to say concerning this great mission that he has been dispatched on. Chapter 7, verse 27: “Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, Who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. So, I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.” The hand of the Lord God was upon Ezra as he received these things, these directions, these privileges, and even this honor by the king.
We see also, that the hand of the Lord was upon Ezra in finding servants for the people. In chapter 8, verse 15, as Ezra and the contingent he was to take to Jerusalem were about to make their journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, Ezra will note that there are no Levites among them. Why there were no Levites present, why there were no Levites who were prepared at this time to make the journey, we do not know. But certainly, to effect the reforms that God desired to be made, Levites would be a necessity—they would be an important part of this process. And so, indeed, it was needed that some Levites would be included along as part of this contingent. So Ezra will send men to find Levites, who will go with them, chapter 8, verses 16 and 17.
And once again, we see that there is success, for we read in verse 18: “Then, by the good hand of our God upon us” they find 38 Levites and 220 Nethinim, verses 18-20. Who were the Nethinim? Nethinims were temple servants who assisted the Levites. This order (this group of temple servants) was set up by David during his reign as King of Israel. And so, again, there is success to be had because the hand of the Lord was upon Ezra and He blessed his efforts—38 Levites and 220 temple servants to make this journey with him.
The hand of the Lord was also with Ezra in providing safe journey to Jerusalem. In chapter 8, verse 21, Ezra proclaimed a fast to seek from God the right way to travel. He and this contingent needed God’s direction to know how to go, to know the best way to travel, so that they might be able not only to safely make this passage, but also know where to find water, where a shelter would be afforded them and so on. And so he sought God’s direction in that regard.
In verse 22, we see that Ezra had told the king that, God’s hand would be with them. So he was reluctant—well, he was MORE than reluctant, for it says he was ASHAMED to ask for a military contingent to escort them on the journey after telling the king that God’s hand would be with them, chapter 8, verse 22. This was something that no doubt the king may have offered to him, and the king was not just making this offer out of courtesy. Indeed it was a very dangerous time in that region of the world. There was much conflict, there was much trouble, there were raiding bands—raiding parties that would attack caravans and so on. And here we have this group being lead by Ezra without any kind of an armed escort, without any kind of military protection. They are a helpless band (and, by the way, they are traveling with great riches of gold and silver and many other things). So they would be an attractive target. However, we see that Ezra would not ask the king for protection because of what he had already told him. There in chapter 8, verse 22, we see that he had said to the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.” Wouldn’t Ezra have looked rather hypocritical if, after having made a statement like that, he then had sought the protection of the king and his soldiers? But, I don’t think that Ezra’s concern was so much what King Artaxerxes might have thought, or whether or not he might have thought it was hypocritical. I think Ezra’s real shame here would have been in demonstrating that he himself did not have trust and confidence in God to protect them.
Well, because of their prayer and fasting, God’s hand, indeed, was upon them. They make the journey, and they make a safe arrival in Jerusalem, chapter 8, verses 31 and 32. We see here in the story of Ezra and what he was willing to do in his submissivness, in his faith, that indeed the hand of the Lord was upon him. From beginning to end, the Lord was with him.
Now, I wonder and say, “Well, why was this? What was the circumstance that brought Ezra to this point?” Indeed, we have said that he was submissive—there is no doubt about that. We have said that he had a great amount of faith—there is no doubt about that. But there are some other things that I think we can see, and we want to expound upon here, which put Ezra into this position where he found himself. Why was the hand of the Lord upon Ezra in this way?
Well, first of all, we can see from this record that Ezra prepared himself. There is sort of a summary passage that we see if we go back to chapter 7 and look at verses 9 and 10. This summary passage addresses this particular aspect of Ezra’s life. It says there: “On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.” Then verse 10: “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.”
So why was the hand of the Lord upon Ezra? Why was he blessed in this way? First of all, we can see that he had prepared himself—he prepared his heart. And how was it that he prepared his heart? What we see here in the 10th verse is that, he had “prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord.” That is, Ezra SOUGHT to learn what God wanted him to do. There’s another translation that says he “devoted himself to the study and the observance of the Law of the Lord.” Ezra didn’t leave God’s instruction to chance. He didn’t learn by osmosis what God would have him do or understand. Rather, Ezra searched the Scripture; Ezra prepared his heart, as he sought, and would continue to seek, the Law of the Lord. Now, it wasn’t enough for Ezra just to SEEK the Law, to have it as a mental sort of thing with the facts and information and so on, but we see that Ezra would DO what the Law said. He would apply it first to himself, and then he would teach its statutes and its ordinances to Israel. So he SOUGHT THE LAW OF THE LORD, a specific and diligent pursuit to understand what the Law of God said. He would apply it to himself (obey it), and then he would pass that along to others.
Also, in addition to preparing himself, we see that Ezra had SOUGHT THE LORD. He believed that God would be with those who would seek Him, chapter 8, verse 22. And thus, he entreated God’s protection through fasting and through prayer, chapter 8, verses 21 through 23. Yes, Ezra believed that God rewarded those who diligently seek Him, and he knew that such faith, that such seeking, was indeed pleasing to God.
We see another reason why the hand of the Lord was upon Ezra—BECAUSE HE WAS WILLING TO STEP OUT IN FAITH. He believed God, he trusted God, and, therefore, he believed that God would, in fact, protect them. We just spoke a moment ago about his not asking for, or perhaps even refusing, turning down, an offer for a military escort to protect them. Again, he believed, he trusted that the Lord would protect them as they began and made this perilous journey. He also believed that the Lord would bless him in this great mission that he had. Indeed, he had a divine mission from God, a difficult mission, and we are going to see a little bit about that in just a moment. This divine mission from God would not be something that was simple; this would not be something that would be easy for him to accomplish. But, nevertheless, he was willing to step out in faith—he was willing to be the one to take the lead, to do the things that the Lord desired to be done. Indeed, Ezra illustrates here what we might refer to as “a living, an active, and a working faith.”
Also, EZRA WAS WILLING TO FACE DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. Over in chapter 9, verses 1 and 2, we get just an insight as to the conditions, the situation, which existed there in Jerusalem when Ezra and his contingent arrived. And indeed it was a difficult situation. Many of the Israelites had intermarried with Gentiles, and chief among those, who had violated this very specific command, this very specific Law of God, were the rulers and the leaders of the people. What did Ezra do? How did he deal with this kind of situation? Well, again, from chapter 9, beginning with verse 3, we see that, here again, he was moved to fasting and prayer. He desired to approach God on this matter, to learn what God would have him to do, to seek God’s guidance, and he did this, of course, by fasting and prayer. We see in Ezra, chapter 9, verses 3 through 15, that others joined with him. The record says, “Then everyone who trembled at the Words of the God of Israel assembled to me…” They joined with him in this fast and prayer—they offered prayer and confessed the sins of Israel before God.
In chapter 10, verses 1 — 8, we see that EZRA ACCEPTED THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT WAS HIS. He was encouraged by those who were willing to repent, and he would lead them, God’s people, and his people, to this great restoration that they would realize. It would have, no doubt, been easy to rationalize away any need for the people to change. But Ezra did not let the difficult, obviously emotionally charged issue, deter him from first of all seeking what God’s guidance was in the matter, and then carrying out that instruction.
What a wonderful example Ezra gives us of faith! And not only for the people of that age, but this is a wonderful example of faith, devotion, and action for the people of every age. The hand of the Lord was upon Ezra because he prepared himself, because he sought the Lord, because he was willing to step out in faith and because he was willing to take on, to face, difficult situations. We should note that Ezra was not the only person who experienced the hand of the Lord upon him. His associate, Nehemiah, would also experience the hand of the Lord upon him as well, Nehemiah 2, verse 18. Sometimes, though, the hand of the Lord is for the purpose of judgment, 1 Samuel 5, verse 6. But here, in this text of the book of Ezra, we have been considering the working of God for good in the life of His servant and those who were associated with him.
I would like to have us consider what kind of lesson we can take from the example of Ezra. What is in this example from Old Testament history for us today? Do we desire the hand of the Lord to be upon us, both as individuals and as a congregation of God’s people? I’m confident in saying that, indeed we do. We DO desire, we DO wish to have the hand of the Lord upon us. So how, then, can we go about assuring that the hand of the Lord will be upon us? One way, I submit to you, is to emulate this one, Ezra. We can do that by, first of all, preparing ourselves to be useful to the Master. Paul urged the young evangelist Timothy to be “sanctified and useful to the Master, prepared for every good work,” 2 Timothy 2, verse 21.
As the words of that great old hymn that we sing from time to time say, “There is much work to do, there is work on every hand.” Indeed, there is much to be done. And I know that we all desire to be useful for the Master. But, we must be preparing ourselves by growing, by developing, and this is done by a steady application of God’s Word. We also prepare ourselves by building and exercising our faith and being regular in our attendance at worship services, where we receive instruction and we learn to love and are spurred on to good works. As we prepare ourselves individually—and, yes, this is an individual matter, this matter of preparation of becoming useful to the Master—but as we do this individually, and collectively as a congregation, we will be prepared and our usefulness to our Master will be increased all the more. After all, what is this congregation? What is the church of Christ except individual members who have come together? So again, individually we must work to prepare to be useful in the Master’s service. As we do that, it enhances the usefulness of our congregation.
Next, we see from Ezra that we must seek the Lord with diligence and faith. As Isaiah urged long ago, “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near,” Isaiah 55, verse 6. And then the Psalmist, David, said, “O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee…” Psalm 63, verse 1. While Jesus was here on the earth, doing His earthly ministry, He instructed us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” Matthew 6, verse 33. And Jesus also promises this: “Seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you,” Matthew 7, verse 7. And, of course, faith is a necessary component of the seeking process. As the Hebrew writer said: “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who listen (who diligently seek Him),” Hebrews 11, verse 6.
We sometimes hear the expression used, when making reference to a congregation of the Lord’s people, that, “they are a faithful congregation.” The implication here is obvious, that a congregation thus described is a congregation that is filled with faithful members, who are filled with faith, and who exercise their faith. May that always be said of this congregation. May the Northeast church of Christ be known far and wide as a faithful congregation of the Lord’s people. May this knowledge be not just among the brethren, but also, and much more importantly, may we always be known as a faithful congregation in the eyes of the Lord. Once again, that will only be true as individual members are filled with faith and are faith-filled.
Also, from Ezra we see the need, the necessity, to step out in faith against all odds. Like Ezra in the long ago, our faith must be a working and an active faith. James writes this in the New Testament: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead,” James 2:17. And this faith that we’re describing, the faith that we see in this one Ezra, is a faith which says, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me,” Philippians 4:13. And it is a faith that says that all things can “work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose,” Romans 8:28. And it’s a faith that says, “Nothing can separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus my Lord,” Romans 8: 38 and 39. And thus, working faith that we’re speaking about here is a faith that is motivated by love, Galatians 5, verse 6. I submit to you this morning that, this congregation has already demonstrated such a faith in many ways. As we continue to do so, we will go on being a congregation of God’s people, who will step out in faith, even against all odds.
Finally, from Ezra we see, too, that facing up to difficult issues and situations are a necessary component to have the hand of the Lord God upon us. It is easier when we encounter difficult times to capitulate, even to “cut and run,” so to speak. But we can’t. We must remain strong; we must stand and fight. It may make us uncomfortable and it may make us unpopular. This standing, this fighting, may even be done at an expense, perhaps even a risk, to us. But, as God’s people, we are compelled to stand against the wiles of Satan. And as we do, we are promised the strength and the wherewithal to face the enemy. As Paul said, “Stand fast in the Lord,” Philippians 4, verse 1. As the body of Christ, the body of Christ made up of individuals who have courage, who are willing to take a stand, who are willing to meet even difficult matters head on, then we as a congregation will also have the same attitude, the same character about us. And we will be willing to go against those who would pervert the Gospel, to oppose those who would attack sound doctrine. We must be prepared to stand for Truth and righteousness, and to defend the faith at all cost.
There are many more things we could say about what we see in the life of this good man, Ezra. But, shall we let this suffice, and shall we also let the example of Ezra encourage us to live in Christ. As individual Christians, and as a congregation of God’s people, may we can look back on the events of our lives, on the events of weeks and months and even years past, and be able to say with confidence, “The hand of the Lord my God was upon me” or “The hand of the Lord my God was upon us.” Shall it be so.