27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of 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, 28 and has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
Ezra 7:27-28 (NASB)
Ezra’s response
How does Ezra respond to this decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra? He’s elated!
- He immediately praises God and gives thanks. Being a scribe, I’m sure he understood all about how God had worked similarly in the history of the Jews and was excited to be part of the legacy. Remember Darius’ decree earlier in the book (Ezra 1:2-4) that sent the Jews back to Jerusalem with blessing? And Ezra 6:1-10 which shut down the opposition and supported the rebuilding of the temple?
- Acknowledges God’s hand in moving the heart of the king (Prov 21:1). There is no way it could have happened without God. Ezra likely knew the prophecies of Isaiah and others and the prayers of Daniel that led to the return and rebuilding of the temple.
- Thanks God for His lovingkindness (steadfast love in ESV). “For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)
- Received strength. He took time to receive strength from the letter. Maybe he spent time alone in meditation to “soak it in”.
- Seeks others to join him. He shared this good news with others which served to encourage them to return to Jerusalem with him.
RЯeflection
- How do we respond when God intervenes? Once, when Jesus healed 10 lepers, only 1 returned and thanked Him. (Luke 17:11-19) Take a look again at Ezra’s response and consider how you should respond to His hand.
- Maybe the problem is we just aren’t looking for God to work so when He does, we miss it. A first step might be to ask for spiritual eyes of faith to see Him working.
