The Hand of God Upon His People

Transcript

GRS 146
4/07/2002
The Hand of God Upon His People
Ezra 7-8
Gil Rugh

We are going to the Book of Ezra, look at Chapter 7 together. If you have been in Indian Hills for a while you remember that we studied Ezra on a previous occasion we got to Chapter 7, finished Chapter 6 and we stopped, that was five years ago. So we have gone back and reviewed the opening Chapters and are we are ready to move on. We are going to pick up with Ezra Chapter 7.

Now there is a natural break in Ezra between Chapters 6 and 7. Fifty-seven years lapse from the end of the Chapter 6 to the beginning of Chapter 7. Basically, there is nothing recorded regarding that period of time in Judah where the Jews have been and have restored the temple. There is a note back in Chapter 4 verse 6 we read now “in the rein of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his rein they wrote an accusation against the inhabitance of Judah and Jerusalem” and Ahasuerus reined during that period between Chapter 6 and 7. Now we know that there was still some trouble and difficulty but the events going on in Judah are just not recorded.

There is a record of a significant event that took take place in that period of time between Ezra Chapter 6 and 7 the events of the Book of Esther took place, that they took place during the reign of Ahasuerus. But those events took palace in Susa, which was the summer residence of the Persian kings. So, while the events that took place there directly impact Jews they don’t shed light particularly on events going on in Judah and in Jerusalem during that time. Chapter 6 ended with the successful completion of the temple. The date would have been 515 BC. That was twenty-one years after the construction had begun in 536 BC. So, the construction of the temple was spread out over a period of time. The completion of the temple took palace four and a half years after Haggai had begun his prophetic ministry. Back in Chapter 5 verse 1 “when the prophet Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem” and so on. Haggai began his prophecies and four and a half years later you have the completion of the temple.

We come to chapter 7 we have the first mention of the man who gives his name to the Book – Ezra. After these things in the rein of Artaxerxes, King of Persia, there went up Ezra and so that is the first mention of Ezra in the Book that bears his name and he is the author generally assumed of the Book of Ezra. These chapters will focus on Ezra, his ministry, and his leadership and that will be true for chapter 7 through 10 of the book. Ezra will be the dominant figure.

Chapter 7 and 8 will set the stage for events to take place in chapters 9 and 10. The moral failure of Israel even as they have returned from exile and something of the character of Ezra as a godly man committed to the law of God. That’s established in chapters 7 and 8 that becomes the foundation for his dealing with the sin, that has to be cleansed from the nation in chapters 9 and 10. There is strong emphasis through these chapters on the sovereign control of God both in the secular rulers and among his people. You see what we were talking about in God’s sovereign determination of Israel to be his people and his guaranteeing that they will ultimately arrive at his appointed destination. What we have recorded in the Book of Ezra and also in Nehemiah we see one of those restorations of Israel, God’s faithfulness in bringing Israel back to the land, establishing them and working in secular rulers, the kings of Persia, as well as among his own people to bring about the restoration. This is not the final restoration, but it is a reminder in anticipation of that ultimate time when God will restore his people to the land and His presence will be the temple among them.

Alright let us look at chapter 7 of Ezra. The first 10 verses give us information about Ezra personally. Sadly, something of his lineage as a priest and his commitment to the word of God. We note that the chapter begins, now after these things and it is 57 years after these things. As the history moves along it is in the rein of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. There is a series of kings Cyrus, Cambyses, Smerdis, Darius, Ahasuerus, and Artaxerxes. I am sure they are all familiar. And you keep in mind writing for the Jews, let’s ask these and say well who did he say, Smerdis? I thought that was a cartoon character, but he was a king. It is like our presidents. We talk about something that happened during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. Well we have an idea then of the time period, of something that had happened during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, we have an idea. So, these are men and because of the distance of time and so on we are not as familiar but they do help us to identify the time periods they were talking about in dating things because secular history has recorded the reign of these kings and the time of their reigns and so on. Well we are in Artaxerxes. Artaxerxes was the king who followed Ahasuerus. We read about Ahasuerus in Chapter 4 verse 6 it is a glimpse that there was trouble in his reign that was a historical note there even though his reign did not occur until after chapter 6 and before chapter 7. Ahasuerus was the king. If you read the Book of Esther it begins that these things happened in the reign of Ahasuerus. And that was the king whom Esther will have dealings with.

Now we have the subsequent king Artaxerxes. He reigns from 464 to 424 BC. You will get an idea of where we are time-wise in history. We are about 80 years after the first return under Zerubbabel. Remember Zerubbabel returned in 538 when Cyrus was king. Now we are in 458, Artaxerxes is king. Eighty years have passed from the first return to the return that is going to take place under Ezra. So, the Jews have gone back to Judah, they have rebuilt the temple and so on. Now Ezra is going to go from Babylon back with a group of people and something of what takes place will be recorded in these chapters.

Ezra is a priest. So, you have Ezra, son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah’s and so on down to verse 5, son of Aaron the chief priest. We do have a summary of Ezra’s lineage. The point is he is in the line of Aaronic priesthood so he is a priest. He is a descendant of Aaron. That becomes important because as a priest and descendant of Aaron the position he will have, not only politically and spiritually, and as a scribe, puts him in place to institute certain reforms that are necessary in Israel. So, he has an established position within the nation as a priest. You come to verse 6 “this Ezra went up from Babylon.” Now we are going to talk more about Ezra then verses 7 to 9 will talk more about his going up from Babylon. “This Ezra went up from Babylon and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses.” A scribe – the word originally was used to refer to a secretary, could be a political secretary, someone who carried on those duties also one who would be involved with recording and keeping the records and so on. But by the time of Jeremiah, things have been a little earlier in this obviously, the office of scribe was also well established. I mention this because some people in their writing say that the office of scribe really began with Ezra. By the time of Ezra, the office of scribe was already well established.

In fact by the time of Jeremiah, the office of scribe was also already well established. Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah chapter 8 verse 8 let me just read it to you. How can you say we are wise and the law of the lord is with us but behold the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie”? So, the office of scribe was already well established by the time of Jeremiah and already enough time had gone by that there were in existence scribes who were twisting and corrupting the word of God. You know the devil’s tactics just don’t change. Here men who are entrusted with the care and keeping of God’s word, the recording of God’s word, the teaching of God’s word and as Jeremiah wrote they were already corrupting it in his day.

So, by the time of Ezra the position of a scribe was already well established but Ezra becomes that prominent scribe. He is the one who is the model of what a scribe ought to be and how a scribe ought to function. You note here, he is a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses. He is a man who knows the word of God well, more to say about that in a moment. It is the Law of Moses which the Lord the God of Israel had given.

The Law of Moses did not originate with Moses. It is called the Law of Moses because God gave it to Moses and through Moses to His people. There you have again almost in passing that clear testimony that the Law of Moses originates with God. So, any attack on the authority of the Mosaic Law would be an attack on God. The theory that attained popularity a number of years ago, and still is used in the some commentaries, called documentary hypothesis. It is sometimes called Wellhausenism after the man who popularized it. It breaks down the Pentateuch into, you know, different authors, JEPD according to their names of God and so on. So, the Pentateuch is really a piecemeal operation of different writers. The J writer, the Elohim writer and on you go and then they were all brought together by an editor, fails to deal with, it is not only an attack on the Pentateuch, it is attack on Ezra because here we are told in the writings of Ezra that the Law of Moses was given by the lord God of Israel though we have another testimony to the inspiration of Scripture. It is God breathed, all Scripture is God breathed and profitable as Paul would much letter write to Timothy and the holy men as Peter wrote “as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” and God giving his word to Moses. It is the Lord God of Israel.

And as we note in our study of Israel God has claimed Israel as his own special treasure and that is said through Amos’ name. It is Chapter 3 verse 2 “you” only referring to Israel “have I known of all the families of the earth” out of all the nations that have ever lived or ever will live only Israel has been chosen to be the nation that belongs to God. By God’s grace there are people from many nations that are saved, but there is one nation chosen by God, He is the God of Israel that is particularly significant even on what is transferring in the Book of Ezra. God is bringing his people back to his land establishing them there after their exile.

And the king granted him all he requested so Ezra not only has authority as a priest, as a scribe but he also has the support of the King of Persia Artaxerxes and some of the things that are granted to him by the king will be enumerated beginning in verse 11. There will be a letter from the King of Persia on Ezra’s behalf. All of this happens the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord, his God was upon him. This becomes a repeated refrain because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him and what Ezra is declaring Artaxerxes the king of Persia acts favorably on behalf of Ezra and the Jewish people. Why did do that? Because God moved upon him to do it, the hand of the Lord his God was upon Ezra. So, God is acting on behalf of Ezra, behalf of His people, He is the God of Israel so, the king of Persia acts favorably.

Look at verse 28 of chapter 7, in about the middle of the verse, “thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me.” Ezra’s success he credits to the fact the hand of the Lord was upon me. Look in chapter 8 verse 18 “according to the good hand of our God upon us.” Verse 22 down the last third of the verse “the hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek him”. Verse 31 middle of the verse “the hand of our God was over us.” Just turnover a couple of pages the Book of Nehemiah. Look at chapter 2 verse 8, the last phrase of verse 8 of Nehemiah chapter 2 “because the good hand of my God was on me.

Verse 18 of chapter 2 “and I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me.” There we move in with Nehemiah. But you see you that emphasis God is sovereignly working on behalf of his people. The Assyrian captivity, the Babylonian exile did not mean God was done with his people meant that God was disciplining his people, was demonstrating His wrath toward the sin of His people but they can never cease being His people. Even today as Israel is under the judgment of God we are not too loose sight of the fact Israel is still the chosen nation. They are not in the center of God’s work today but they can never be anything other than they are God’s chosen people.

So back in the Book of Ezra chapter 7 verses 7 to 9 we have some details about the trip from Babylon where Ezra is and going to begin his journey to the land of Judah and to Jerusalem. Verse 7 we get some dates in this period of time and I am not going to read through all of this verses 7 to 9. The trip takes place in the 7th month of the year of the king Artaxerxes. We can date that at 458 BC. Went up in the 7th year of the King at the end of verse 8 and the fifth month of the 7th year of King Artaxerxes 458. Going to take trip that will cover 900 miles they going to go up and round what we call the Fertile Crescent. So, we have mentioned there is a shortcut across the desert but it is not a trip you would take with the group of people that Ezra will who have to travel with because that would be a much harder trip. It is shorter but it is across the desert. It is going to take then exactly four months to make the trip. They are going to leave, begin on April 8th and they are going to arrive on August 4th. Dates are given according to the Jewish months our months would be April and August. April the 8th so they would be leaving tomorrow and they would arrive August 4th, four months later

Verse 9 they go up on the first of first month the first of Nissan in the Jewish calendar, our April 8th and they on the first of the 5th month they came to Jerusalem which would be August 4th. What about this four-month trip over 900 miles, traveling as we will see with about 5000 people including women and children carting tons of material with them with no motorized vehicles. How they make this trip an arduous trip and a trip fraught with danger, robbers and so on. At the end of verse 9 “because the good hand of his God was upon him.” Very simple, because the good hand of his God was upon him. You see the providential care of God he is overseeing it all. God is taking care of Ezra and these people. Further details of the trip are going to be given in the rest of chapter 7 and in through chapter 8 as well. Why? You note the connection. The end of verse 9 “because the good hand of his God was up on him. Verse 10 for why was the good hand of God upon Ezra? Because Ezra was a man who had devoted himself to God, was a man committed to honor God and be faithful to God and his word.

So, you have verse 10 “for Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, to practice it and teach his statues and ordinances in Israel.” Ezra has set his heart, denotes word heart the entirety of his being one person that Ezra has concentrated his whole life. What was Ezra about? Ezra was about the word of God. He was a man who had given himself completely over to the word of God. To study the Law of the Lord, to practice that law and to teach it, so there was three aspects of Ezra lives and ministry - study the word, practice the word, teach the word. Note the order here first he had set his heart to study the word that word translated study means to seek and describes a careful search. He diligently was searching, studying, seeking out the truth of the law of God which was the Scripture that he had involved the commitment of his life. Remember in Paul’s letter to Timothy in Second Timothy chapter 2 verse 15 King James has “study to show yourself approved unto God”, if the new American standard has “be diligent” and the word there means to have an eagerness to seek after, pursue something eagerly and the same idea.

Ezra becomes a model but he is not to be unique. Paul exhorts Timothy and tells him he is to be in the eager pursuit of the word of God that he can handle it accurately and be approved as a workman before God. And you note here this is not something that Ezra dabbled in his spare time. You know instead of doing their version of watching television he read the Scripture that was more of a consuming passion for Ezra than that. He devoted himself to the word of God, this was his life. We are not just to be the most knowledgeable man around but then he put it into practice so not only to study the word but he devoted himself to putting the word into practice and the order of course is obvious you can’t put into practice what you don’t know and the bane of Israel and of the church today is people running around zealous in their ignorance. Like Paul would say of Israel during his time in writing the Romans “I bear testimony on Israel’s behalf they have a zeal for God but not according for knowledge.” They are zealous and ignorant.

But Ezra was a man zealous in knowledge because he pursued and studied the word of God then he put the word into practice. Remember James 1 beginning with verse 22 we are not to be hearers of the word only but doers. And we are not to be those who look at the word and then go out, then forget it. It is all right now. I have done my duty. I have gone, I have studied the word. Now I have got to get on with my life you know I have got the real world to deal with. No, my study of the word determines what my life is like? He put the word into practice and then he was committed to teach it to others and Paul told to Timothy in Second Timothy verse 2 the things I have entrusted to you, you will teach the faithful man who will teach others also. So, that process that is to go on and the responsibility is not complicated. It’s not easy but it’s not complicated. We devote ourselves to God’s word and the leaders of God’s people bear this responsibility and then to live the word, then to communicate and teach it to others. So, you see Ezra is at the heart of what God is going to be doing among his people in this time of restoration.

Now we are ready for some of the details, verses 11 to 26 we are not going to work though the details of these. Artaxerxes wrote a letter and this is one of those Aramaic portions of the Old Testament. Verses 12 to 26 are written in Aramaic because this would have been a message from the king to his subjects and it is given to Ezra and it gives Ezra permission to take Jews who want to go with him from Babylon back to Judah. It provides for material resources, sovereign gold, provides for vessels that were part of the temple treasury and treasure that now can be restored that have yet to be returned, he makes ample provision as the ruler of the Persian empire. He gives Ezra authority to appoint magistrate, judges through Ezra comes not only with spiritual authority as a priest and scribe but with the full authority of the king of Persia behind him and the wealth that has been provided. The king of Persia makes substantial commitment on this range as well. We won’t go through the details of this. You could read the letter and you will get an idea of the provision. We will see a little bit of that provision as we get into chapter 8.

Verses 27 and 28 after the king writes such a letter, can you think of the most powerful man on earth at this time, ruling the greatest empire on earth at this time, he just written a letter on the behalf of Ezra a priest in Israel, a scribe, a man whose life devoted to the Law of God and he puts, if you will, a substantial portion of resources that he has as the King of the Persian Empire at the disposal of Ezra to guarantee the success of Ezra’s work. Verse 27 “blessed be the Lord the God our fathers who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart to adorn the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem and has extended loving kindness to me before the king and his counselors before all the kings’ mighty princesses. Thus, I was strengthening according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.” No question in Ezra’s mind. Here is a man devoted, saturated with the Scripture who lived the Scripture. This is the work of God.

Very simply God has moved on this pagan king’s heart. So, he saw the resources really as coming from the Lord and the Lord simply using the king of Persia to make provision and provide for Ezra. What chapter 8 does now is pick up some of the significant details. Chapter 7 gave us a brief overview and summary. Now chapter 8 goes back and fills in some of the details. You know I was telling Merlin give me the highlights. So, chapter 7 was for me, chapter 8 is for Merlin, the details but there are details that are necessary for us all. What we are going do is in the first 14 verses in need of the king of play of sections when you are reading the Old Testament through we usually skip from verse 1 to verse 15. Because the names don’t mean a lot to us but they are significant, they are a reminder of what? Israel is Israel is Israel? We are dealing with a physical people who have physical connections. They are the people that God has chosen. This is just not a group of people being taken back who they are doesn’t matter it does matter because He is the God of Israel.

And so, you have the names of the heads of households. You have family names here that are involved in the return and interestingly most of these families you have the same names that were recorded in Chapter 2 of Ezra on the first return 80 years earlier. It is not the same list but we are recognizing that these families have a connection there and you would expect that, not unusual to see that that these families. So, you have the family name and it would be like the grandchild I think as we have it, we have the same name as the grandparents you have all those families more now joining the return. All together and the numbers given and we will go through and add them up you end up with everybody who is also going to be included latter with the Levites who are going to join them and so on about almost 1800 men. Now when you add women and children to that and we are told little ones are traveling and so on number is five thousand or more that have been involved in this trip.

So quite a few less on this return under Zerubbabel earlier in Ezra 50,000 went back. Now Ezra is taking a group of 5000 approximately on his return. Verses 15 to 20 tell about the recruiting of the Levites and what happens you gather this group of people together verse 15 and you have three days there. They have all gathered at the river to make final plans for the trip and Ezra realizes they don’t have any Levites in the Group. The Levites were responsible to assist the priest in the ministry. The temple duties fell to the Levites. You need to have the Levites. They are going back to the temple that has been rebuilt. They are going back to the sure that the temple service is functioning properly and so on. You have to have Levites. So, Ezra sends to some specific men and recruits Levites and he is successful because verse 18 says the “good hand of our God was upon us.” But he sends them a quality man and others with him. Verses 21 to 23, they are going to fast and pray before the trip. It’s a long trip – 900 miles, many dangers they are going to be carrying a vast treasure with them. So, we are praying and asking our Gods seeking from him the end of verse 21 a safe journey for us, for our little ones, for all our possessions. Think about it.

Think about if have 5000 people men, women and children. You are going to take a journey of 900 miles through difficult territory, unprotected, robbers and bands of thieves and so on that threaten along the way, they are seeking the protection of our God. The reason, verse 22 “I was a shamed to request from the king troupes and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on our way.” I mean Ezra has gotten everything else. Why didn’t he ask for a military contingent from the king of Persia? He was embarrassed, why? We had already told the king the hand of our God is favorably disposed to all who seek him. He had already have given a testimony before the king that the God of Israel blesses us and takes care of us because we are seeking him. Now I am going to go and say you know the God of Israel takes cares of us but would you mind sending an army to protect us. You know I am embarrassed to do that. I am, it would seem, to undermine testimony that I had given. So, to be consistent with his testimony he thought he just ought to go and ask the lord for protection and forgo the army of the Persian king.

So, they fast and they pray and He listened to our entreaty verse 23. We know He listened to their entreaty because they will arrive safely. So he anticipates it. Let me just say something here. Later in Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 8 Nehemiah is going to take this trip and you know what he is going to do. He is going to get a military escort from the Persian king. It must mean that Nehemiah is not nearly so spiritual as Ezra, right? Ezra was ready to fast and pray and forgo the military escort. Nehemiah sought a military escort from the king but you know what? Both are recorded as Godly men within the will of God.

God’s will for Ezra was to do it without a military escort. God’s will for Nehemiah was to use a military escort and God would provide the escort through the action of the king of Persia. Just a reminder we don’t always have to do the same thing that someone else did to be in the will of God. Nehemiah would be in the will of God with a military escort. Ezra was within the will of God without it. Someone is going to say Ezra was being foolish, he could have had God provide a military escort through the king, but that was not God’s will for Ezra. And this is reminder that sometimes we will see oh! God did something in one way here therefore if you are going to be Godly that’s the way it has to be done. No. That was the way Godly Ezra did it, it is not the way godly Nehemiah did it. And to take what is said about Ezra in verses 21 to 23 and say Nehemiah had do that way would be an unbiblical way.

Verses 24 to 30 you have the material possession, provisions provided for the temple and we are not going to read through this but let me just tell you what there is here? It is given in talents verse 26 “I weighed unto their hands 650 talents of silver” that is 25 tons of silver. Then they had sliver utensils worth 100 talents that is 3¼ tons. So, you have 25 tons of silver in addition to 3¼ tons of silver utensils. Then you are going to add to that 100 talents of gold which is another 3¼ tons of gold. Then you are going to add that 20 bowls that are made of gold and they weigh 19 pounds. So, I say gave God over 30 tons just in the gold and silver treasure they are transporting. They have got to do this all without motorized vehicles modern trucks. They have quite a treasure and you are going to take this off and you are not going to have an armed escort. I mean this is a treasure worth in the multiplied millions of dollars. And here they go. The Lord is going to care for them and this is the provision the Lord has made for them in using the King of Persia, as the people of the Israel are going to travel 900 miles in four months. I didn’t figure this out, someone else did. I said that was about 7 miles a day and this author observed that that was a good average.

Verse 21 tells us they had their little ones with them. So, you are going to be carting how many extra tones. These peoples are moving to Judah. So, we will just put the treasure here between 30 and 35 tons or so of the treasure then you have got all the other belongings that you have to be carted along. Then you got the little children and their and so on. So, traveling 7 miles a day 5000 people carting tons and tons of material they made decent progress.

Verse 31 “Then we journeyed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way. Thus, we came to Jerusalem and remained there three days.” When they got there they just parts like they had along the way to recuperate from the trip, get themselves together, get things organized and then on the fourth day they measure out to gold, the silver and that to make sure it is all Their accounting is handled carefully. Then they have worship.

In verse 35 “the exiles who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, 12 male goats for a sin offering, as a burnt offering to the Lord”. 12 bulls as a burnt offering, the burnt offering was a voluntary act of worship and signified the consecration, the commitment of the worshipper to God. The 12 male goats to offered as sin offerings and that is for the sin of the people and since it may have been committed along the way, sins of ignorance and unintentional sins but what you have here is sacrifice made denoting their commitment to God, sacrifice for their sin, God to forgive them for their sins. It’s not worthy I think here of the number 12. All the numbers here are either 12 or divisible by 12 except the 77 lambs. And I think that is a reminder that the people here represent the 12 tribes who primarily return from Babylonian captivity but there may have been others outside the tribes of Judah and Benjamin who were specifically the subjects of the Babylonian captivity but God is dealing with Israel. He is the God of Israel and even in the sacrifices here there is a recognition though he stands here as representative of the nation Israel and are acts of worship are the acts of worship of the nation Israel. All 12 tribes as God has appointed that nation. All right just let me note a few observations in summary and we are done.

Number 1 and key to everything God is sovereignly at work on behalf of his people. Why is that happening? And you realize the hand of God is just as much it work in all the affairs and events of the world today as they were back then. Secular rulers are not an obstacle not a difficulty to God, even their acts of rebellion are acts He is using in accomplishing His sovereign purposes.

Number 2 God is one who has given His word to men. We noted that with the Mosaic Law which God had given to Moses. This is the word of God when we read the Scriptures we are reading God’s very word. It is God breathed.

Number 3 God’s leaders are to give themselves to the study, practice and teaching of God’s word that is to be a pattern for all God’s people but is yet is exemplified if you will upon those who are to lead God’s people they are to give themselves to the study, practice and teaching of God’s word.

Number 4 God controls the actions of unsafe political rulers. God controls the actions of unsafe political rulers, Artaxerxes being an example.

Number 5 God provides the needed workers that was true in verse 18 of chapter 8. They needed the Levites. They are going to do a lot of the work, lot of the menial labor associated with temple ministry. God provides the needed workers. It is not like God just provides the key important people as we would look at it humanly speaking. God provides in every way.

Number 6 diligently and humbly seeking God is our security and that was in verses 21 to 23. As true in every circumstance no matter what is going on or not going around us, our security is in the lord. It is the denial of our testimony that we ring our hands that we act like we are in a panic that we are concerned what is going to happen? If we don’t get these people voted in what is going to happen to our country and on and on and on. And where is our God that we testify before the world that He rules, He is sovereign, He is all powerful, His purposes are being accomplished and I don’t know what’s going to happen if so and so does not get voted in as president and we deny our testimony before the world. We need to be as careful as Ezra was, we have testified before the might of our God and I believe he is in control even when the man I voted for doesn’t get in, even when a man who is vile through and through rules and reins. My God is sovereign we find our security in God. I am just as secure when the worst of ruler’s rules as when the best of the ruler’s rule because the ultimate ruler over all is my God, my security, my safety is in Him.

Lastly we must always be mindful of God’s provision for our sin and they are recognizing that God’s provision for their sin, for their relationship with him. There they do through the sacrificial system. We have the ultimate sacrifice that has been given. And we need to be constantly reminding ourselves and being reminded of that gracious possession. God is at work on behalf of his people but you know what is going to happen in chapters 9 and 10 His people are not going to be faithful to him, to all of this you know where they break down is going to come? Among the very people that are back in the land after exile. They are to going to do the very thing that can corrupt the nation. Ezra is going to be beside himself. What do I do? What do I say? After all that God, has done for us they are going to turn around and turn their back on the word of God and Ezra will have to step in with severe discipline. Let us join together in prayer.

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness, your persistence, your unrelenting grace demonstrated to the nation Israel, Lord demonstrate it to Your people the church today. Thank you Lord that the gifts and calling of our God are irrevocable and your dealing in history with the nation Israel is simply a reminder to us of your faithfulness to your promises that they will ultimately be a final restoration of the nation to right relationship with you. Lord this is an encouragement to us as the church today, in our security in the promises of your word which will be fully realized in every detail. We praise you for your grace in Christ’s name, amen.