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 10^th 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.”