Joel Hendon

Ezra A Servant Whom God Used And ‘The Lord‘s Hand Was Upon Him‘


Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2011

by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html

Those who read the bible very little may not have heard of Ezra. Even those who do read it often, may not know who he was or how God used him. But Ezra, like so many other characters in the bible found favor in God’s sight. And if you notice, it was always their faith which caused them to gain God’s favor.

Although one may not realize it, but through out time since the creation, the three distinct dispensations, all have been based upon the same things. Faith and obedience. You could do every literal thing the bible requires man to do, but if you did it to gain favor in some humans eyes, rather than having true faith in God, it would profit you nothing. Obedience is absolutely necessary to reap the rewards of heaven. But unless it is acting upon faith, it will be of no value. Listen:

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 KJV)

When the book of Ezra was written, the Jews had been in Babylonian captivity for many years. In fact the first part of the book tells us that God stirred the spirit of Cyrus, the Babylonian king, and caused him to announce that he was sending a contingent of the Jews back to Jerusalem to build a house of the Lord God. Which they did and then the Persians overran and took control of the Babylonian’s territories. Now, about 80 years after Cyrus sent

Zerubbabel back to Jerusalem to rebuild the house of God, Ezra found favor in the sight of the Persian King Artaxerxes who determined to send him and another group back to Jerusalem in order to restore the people of God in their land.

Ezra was a direct descendant of Aaron and was a priest, he was also a scribe and a teacher.

The preceding background was given to see the setting and to show how God utilized His servant Ezra. The first six chapters deals with the return of Zerubbabel and their work in restoring the house of God, the temple. But, the last four chapters deal with the instructions and the activity of Ezra in the return of many Jews to their homeland.

In the chapters beginning with number 7, it says phrased one way or another, that the hand God was upon him (Ezra) 6 times. And the reason it says that is because things occurred which was not expected to be such but God directed these things. For instance, chapter 7, verse 6 says:

This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. (Ezra 7:6 KJV)

Certainly, the relations between the Jews and their captors was not such as this type of thing would be expected from the king. But God’s hand was in it an d guiding it to fulfill his purpose for the Jewish people. Again in verse 9 of this same chapter, we find: \

For upon the first day of the first month began F47 he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. (Ezra 7:9 KJV)

The in the last verse (28) of chapter 7 we find another acknowledgement that God’s hand was upon Ezra’s actions:

And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me. (Ezra 7:28 KJV)

The three other times this fact is mentioned is contained in chapter 8 of the book of Ezra. The first one of these is found in The first one in chapter 8 follows:

And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; (Ezra 8:18 KJV)

For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. (Ezra 8:22 KJV) And the final one:

Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. (Ezra 8:31 KJV)

This phraseology was Ezra’s method of explaining that God was with them and providentially taking care of any obstacles, protecting them, and showing them the way. In many other scriptures we have writers inferring the same thing in different ways, such as ‘God was with us’.

Upon completing the creation, God had already established a plan to offer salvation to those who would believe in Him and obey His commands. It was necessary many times for God to intervene, either providentially or miraculously, to guide the affairs of man when necessary to obtain his eternal purpose. 
Author Biography: Joel Hendon was born near Gadsden Alabama. He attended public schools in Cherokee County, Alabama and after serving a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, attended Jacksonville State University, majoring in Business Administration. He became a Christian in 1948, and although he followed secular work as a career and retired from Allied Signal Aerospace, he is an avid student of the Holy Bible and related works as well as biblical history. He has an extensive website of conservative religious and political articles.http://hebronics.org/index.html

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Marijo Phelps 237 days 5 hours ago.
142 fans.
Joel I admire your tenacity in researching and writing - when do you ever get to sleep? How are the kitties and that new pup?
» left by Joel Hendon 234 days 13 hours ago.
125 fans.
Thank you Marijo. I sleep good from 8 P.M. to 4 A.M. the menagerie are all well and content.
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