Ezra's Faith

Shalom dear Friends and Partners!

There is an incredible story that we learned from the book of Ezra chapter 7 & 8. The background of this story is when the Jewish people were just about to leave Babylon and come back to their land; the temple was to be rebuilt and their captivity was coming to an end. God favorably was moving on behalf of the Jewish people, unlocking the chains of their captivity. Ezra the scribe was appointed by God to lead the people back to their land along with the articles of the temple that was carried into Babylon at the beginning of their captivity.

Moreover, God was releasing blessings over the Jewish people through the Babylonians. In Ezra 7:15-16 we read this,

“15 and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem; 16 and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem—.“

The hand of the LORD was on Ezra and his people. God was moving mightily to provide all that they needed, getting them ready for their journey. The voyage was long and dangerous. They had to travel on foot across the desert for over 900 Miles with women and children.  Not only was their voyage long and tiring, they were carrying a numerous amount of gold and silver with them.

In those days there were many thieves and robbers who attacked people in the desert while traveling. Ezra and his people were aware of the danger. In chapter 8:21-22 we read this,

“21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”

I want you to pay attention to verse 22. Ezra said that he was ashamed to request of the King an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help them against the enemy on the road. Why was Ezra ashamed to ask that? Because, as it states in this verse, “we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”

In this crucial time, Ezra decided to move by faith and not by his emotions and fear.

There are two major things here that I want you to see.  #1: That God protects those who seek Him. #2: His wrath is against those who forsake Him. Ezra knew that God will protect him if he will not forsake his God, but move by faith and bring the people and the wealth back to Jerusalem. Another thing is he decided not to ask the King for help along the way. The bible says that he was ashamed to do so because Ezra was the man of faith.

Then in verse 31 we read the end of this story, “31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road.”

My dear friends, God always gives victory to all who are faithful. Let us learn from this example and not move by fear or emotions but by faith and faith In God alone.

By: Rabbi Gennady Livshits