Day 269
When trouble came, Ezra went to God. That is what he knew how to do.
He was a priest and a scribe, skilled in the Law. He had the king’s letter and the temple gifts ready to go home to Jerusalem. Then he heard that the first wave of exiles who had returned, even leaders, had mixed marriages with other nations. Ezra did not start with a speech or a plan. He tore his clothes, sat appalled, and prayed, going straight to God. He confessed “we,” not “they.” Courage did not show up at first. His prayer did. After that, he could stand up and lead the people through the hard work of making things right with God (Ezra 9–10).
Grace often looks like that. You may not feel brave when the news hits. You may only know how to go to God. He can give the courage after you get there.
When trouble hits, is your first move to fix it yourself, or to go to God the way Ezra did and wait for courage there?
We have come back to finish reading the book of Ezra; we read the first six chapters on days 260 and 261.
Ezra started out with genealogy to prove that he was not just a Levite but also from the priestly family. Ezra was born in exile, and later he came back to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile in the second wave. Ezra was not old enough for priestly duties (the law required one to be 30), but he was considered an expert in the law. He gathered a remnant, and they made the four-month journey of about 900 miles up to Jerusalem. Remember, “up” to Jerusalem was about elevation, not a northern direction.
Artaxerxes had taken over the kingdom from his father Xerxes (Ahasuerus). The book of Ezra in these chapters took place about 15 years after the book of Esther. Nehemiah was also a cupbearer for Artaxerxes I. Artaxerxes wrote a letter to Ezra giving him absolute authority to enforce the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Their life was not just about rebuilding a temple but rebuilding a united spiritual community. The king supplied the money, materials, and legal protection for it to happen. Ezra could collect additional silver and gold from Babylon plus freewill gifts from Jews and priests. Sacred vessels must be delivered to Jerusalem; any extra needs the king would pay for. Local Persian officials west of the Euphrates must give Ezra what he asks for, in generous limits. The king wants the temple to be exactly as the “God of heaven” wants, so His wrath does not fall on the royal family. Persian kings often followed the local gods to keep the empire stable. Ezra was not allowed to tax or burden the priests, Levites, or temple workers. His own job was to appoint and judge those who already knew God’s law and teach those who did not. Ezra praised the Lord for the king’s generosity and for the authority given to him for God’s work. Note that he gave God praise first before he praised the king.
The list of genealogy showed the second major wave of return from Babylonian exile. The first names to note came from verse 8:2. Phinehas was Aaron’s grandson, a priestly line; then Ithamar was Aaron’s other son, the second priestly line; and David was the Royal line. The return needed both a priestly and Davidic representation. This echoed Jeshua (priest) and Zerubbabel (Davidic) from the first return.
The genealogy list continued with the 12 lay families, which represented “all Israel”. Notice that in verses 8:1-14 there were no Levites, which was the whole point of verses 8:15-20. Ezra had to recruit Levites before they could leave Babylon because the temple service required them. Ezra prayed to God and fasted, not relying on human strength to guide and keep them safe along the journey. He picked 12 trusted priests to guard the holy items during travel from thieves. The modern saying, “do not put all of your eggs in one basket comes to mind. Ezra weighed the items both before and after travel to prevent theft and accusations. Ezra’s motto was “The hand of our God is for all who seek Him.” The first job upon arrival in Jerusalem was worship, knowing they had come for Him. They needed to give themselves to Him and know they needed atonement. Then the king’s letter went into effect.
Immediately, there were pagan issues with intermarriage. They remembered it was forbidden to intermarry with Canaanites, the peoples of the land (Deuteronomy 7:1-4, Exodus 34:15-16). Israel had been set apart by God as a “holy people.” Mixing with those nations would pull them back into pagan sins. The priests and Levites who were to lead were actually sinning. Ezra immediately mourned, appalled all day until the time of the evening sacrifice. The people who were given grace by being protected on the road traveling, funded by the king, and who had restored the temple worship, had started to repeat the old sins. This was the whole reason they were exiled in the first place. This was an entire community of guilty people.
Ezra asked two questions:
- After exile, God was gracious and gave a remnant. Were they going to break the command not to intermarry again?
- If they do break the command, wouldn’t God be justified in wiping them out so there is no remnant?
Ezra was praying, and Shecaniah (from the clan of Elam) made a proposal. They must “send away” (possibly divorce) the foreign wives, including the children, because of the mother’s influence on the next generation. This was a costly choice. He listed by name the men who had foreign wives, starting with those who knew better: the priests, Levites, and the temple staff, then the rest of the Israelites. Three of the four main priestly families. About 113 men in all were involved, and their names were listed publicly. This was accountability with a warning, and then that ended the book. The book of Nehemiah picks up with the same struggle later.
Today's Discussion question:
When trouble hits, is your first move to fix it yourself, or to go to God the way Ezra did and wait for courage there?
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