Yes, Ezra has brought (successfully, under the power of God) his “group” home, back to Jerusalem. And they have (fully) delivered the “goods” (silver and gold) King Artaxerxes send to finance the continuing developing of Jewish culture, worship. “Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; by number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.”

Worship? “Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD.”

“And they delivered the king’s commissions (decrees, laws) unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river.” Ezra 8:33-36, their “to-do” list now being complete!

But one more thing is added to our Text, the last line of Ezra chapter 8 in fact. “… and they furthered the people, and the house of God.”

This is the crux of today’s Lesson … “… and they furthered the people, and the house of God.” Remember, Ezra’s very name means “helper!” And his followers have become “helpers” too!

Yes, the verb “furthered” translates the Hebrew word “nasa,” It most fully means “to lift a load!” To be an “encourager,” a “fellow-soldier” … “nasa” being translated “armourbearer” 18 times in the King James Bible! (Like Ezra … like his congregation!)

Well over a dozen times (closer to 18) the New Testament teaches us Christians to be “one another” people! (To love one another! To exhort one another! To submit to one another! Etc.)

To be “further-ers” of the Cause of Christ!

Yes, “furtherers,” not “hinderers!”

Wow!

What a thought, from an unusual Text.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

By the way, the verb “furthered” (“nasa”) is expressed, framed in the “PIEL” stem, a point of Hebrew grammar. It means they helped energetically! With all their might! Not lukewarmly!

Amen!

 

Wow, what a chapter!

Ezra 8, though at first I thought it was “all names,” that is … only names!

Come to discover, it is full of practical instruction!

Even today’s paragraph … “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. And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.” Ezra 8:31-32

“Then we departed,” a journey has begun! This is the second such trip recorded in the Book of Ezra, captives (now freed) being allowed to go home, home to Jerusalem and vicinity.

A journey of four months, according to Ezra 7:9 … “For upon the first day of the first month began 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.” This is a distance of around 800-900 miles, I am told.

A “caravan” consisting of old folks, as well as young parents and their children, including infants one may presume. What an arduous trek this could have been!

But look!

What a testimony! “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.”

God’s delivering Hand!

What enemies?

What potential ambushes?

We are not told.

But “they” were out there, lurking and planning harm to the Jews!

Yet God allowed none of them to “touch the apple of His Eye,” His little Jewish Nation, a major part of it anyway! (Deuteronomy 32:10 … “The LORD kept them as the apple of His eye.” As a very tender part of Himself!)

Maybe better yet, this bare, bold fact … “He that toucheth you (Israel) toucheth the apple of His Eye.” Zechariah 2:8

What is Ezra doing, in penning today’s Paragraph, today’s Text?

Bragging on God!

Uplifting His Name!

Magnifying His Grace!

Revealing His power!

Dear readers here this morning, this is testifying, the right way! “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.”

Testimony, true praise to God … is NOT about us. Rather, it is all about HIM!

Amen!

Then … our Lesson for today ends with this information. ““And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.” Three days of doing what?

Nothing! Nothing recorded anyway.

Just thinking and meditating and resting in the comforting peace of God’s goodness and provision and care! Just soaking in the fact that GOD IS GOOD!

And maybe for three days reveling (rejoicing) in the amazing Awesomeness of God Almighty!

Testifying one to another!

The Seraphim (angels) of Isaiah 6 were delighting in the Glory of god … saying TO EACH OTHER, “Holy, Holy, Holy” is the Lord our God! (Verse 3 … “And ONE cried unto ANOTHER, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” King James Version, word for word.)

Wow!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Psalm 107:2 sums today’s lesson well. “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”

 

The word that first came to my mind was “responsibility.”

Ezra is in charge of a great amount of money, given by the King of Persia, to help with the continuance of normal life in Judah, especially spiritual life, worship of God!

Here’s a traveling band of people, thousands of them apparently, “loaded” with silver and gold, copper too.

Watch how carefully (responsibly) Ezra handles these valuables.

“Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them, and weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered. I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents; also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers. Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD. So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.” Ezra 8:24-30

How much silver? “Six hundred and fifty talents” equals twenty-four (plus) tons of it! (A “talent” is generally said to be around a hundred pounds, though some scholars say seventy-five pounds.)

How much gold? “A hundred talents,” approaching four to five tons!

Yes, it is believed some Persian Kings were that wealthy, and at times that generous!

By the way, in the first line of our Text, “then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them” … that twelve “priests” are clearly involved … plus 12 Levites too! This is because both Sherebiah and Hashabiah were known Levites of that day. See them as such in Ezra 8:18 and 19.

This is because … in ancient Israel the Priests would have sanctified the offering, and the Levites would have transported it to its destination. Ezra is doing everything by the books, in accordance with Mosaic law! After all, he is a “Scribe!”

More than one man handled the money!

Always a good idea!

This procedure would have kept a lot of Preachers out of trouble! Let a treasurer and assistant (or even a finance committee) take care of the cash, the funds!

Group accountability!

Wisdom with that money that belongs to God!

Thus … these valuable gifts were transported (under watchful eyes) from Babylon (Persia) to Judah (Jerusalem) safely. And once the funds arrive at the destination, everything is re-counted in the presence of other officials!

Wow!

“Beyond reproach!”

“The second mile” of accountability!

Or as Paul would have said it, “not greedy of filthy lucre.” (1 Timothy 3:3)

How diligent Ezra was as a man of God!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Do YOU care that much for the money God has sent your way? Money of which 10% belongs to Him? Or do you faithlessly squander (steal) it from the Lord?

 

Talk about a Book of Scripture that’s heavily “loaded” with practical information and application … and EZRA rises to the top of the discussion!

Surprisingly so!

That’s why I have called today’s Lesson “One More Episode!”

“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 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. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.” Ezra 8:21-23

The noun “fast” is “tzsom” in Hebrew, “an abstaining from food.” Dethroning (“afflicting” meaning “humbling”) the flesh in order to exalt God and seek His Will, His Face … in nearly any given matter.

But if you read our Text carefully, it becomes evident that this fast is for a singular purpose, for “protection” as granted by the Hand of God! For His overshadowing Presence and Power! Safety from any enemies along the way, the proposed route back to Jerusalem.

Clearly Ezra’s actions are based on his firm conviction that … “the Hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him.” And fasting here is another way of “seeking” the Lord God.

Apparently … God acknowledged their fast and heard their prayers, based on Ezra’s observation, his pristine faith. “So we fasted and besought our God for this: AND HE WAS INTREATED OF US.” That is, He graciously heard us!

God has guaranteed them protection!

But WHY did Ezra want GOD to protect them?

Had not King Artaxerxes promised them (the Jews) all the help they needed? Surely, including armed guards?

Here’s why …

“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.”

Wow!

Ezra’s concern for the reputation of God!

Ezra’s firmly held belief that they did not need the army of an earthly King … because they had the (protecting) Hand of the Almighty God!

Once you brag on (praise, extol) God … you need to stand by your words!

Literally … “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

Then too, Philippians 4:13 … “I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Please notice the word I have capitalized.

Pray, fast, trust God … not leaning on any man; and see what God can do!

He, the Lord, safely conducted Ezra and his thousands to the Land of Judah!

Amen!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

It is believed that Ezra and his company would have sung the Psalms of Degrees as they marched to Zion! Including Psalm 121 which reminds us … “The LORD will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”

Hallelujah, what protection!

 

I am sorry to be late with the Lesson again today. But it’s another early morning situation, a motel room to be packed and essentials loaded, a sermon prepared (the finishing touches anyway), a shower to be taken, etc. etc.

For those reasons, I will not be able to write the Ezra Lesson until sometime this evening. Likely after I get home tonight. (A six hour drive, looks like right now!)

But I do get to preach this morning in the Jubilee Meeting at Canaan Baptist Church here in Salisbury, North Carolina. Verse by verse Bible exposition, too!

Wow!

My Grandson Andrew has been  my driver this week, and here’s his picture (taken last night after the Service) with Brother Joe Arthur. Andrew really wanted to hear Brother Joe preach, but the singing lasted from 7:30 until right at 9:00 and Joe felt it was too late for a full sermon. He spoke about 5 minutes and gave the invitation … and by the way, God wonderfully blessed!

Andrew is 21 years old now! And his job (construction, concrete) didn’t have work for him this week, so he drove Papa to the Revival! We feel we’ve both grown in the Lord … and closer to each other!

The Lord is good!

Until tonight …

Dr. Mike Bagwell