Introduction

There are few things in life more satisfying than reaping the benefits of your hard work. For example, doing seminary while working in full time ministry was an exhausting marathon. There were many short nights and long days. Therefore, it was very satisfying when my Th.M. thesis was approved, and I received my diploma.

Or I think about the big events we do as a church like Fall Festival. So many people do so much work to prepare for that night. It was awesome to see it come together beautifully and to watch people pour into our property, have a great time, and hear the gospel.

I imagine that Ezra felt the same satisfaction through much of Ezra 7–8. Last Sunday we saw that probably from the time that he was a young man, Ezra was burdened by the condition of Israel. The Jews were scattered throughout foreign lands and that those who had made it home were spiritually cold. He wanted to make an impact, so he spent years studying the Law, learning how to live it, and preparing to teach it to others.

Finally, he got his chance to appear before King Artaxerxes and to request permission to lead a return to Jerusalem and to instigate a revival. Incredibly, 7:6 says, “The king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.” And notice Ezra’s response in vv. 27–28. It must have been so satisfying to see God honor Ezra’s years of diligent preparation.

But getting the king on board was only the first obstacle to Ezra fulfilling his vision. He still has a long way to go. As I’ve said several times, everything in Ezra is hard. But we’ll see today that Ezra persevered by faith, and God was faithful again and again.

We need the encouragement of this chapter because we all get overwhelmed at times by God’s will and we doubt his faithfulness. We’re tempted to quit or to compromise his will. We need to see that God is faithful and abundantly gracious. So, I hope we will be encouraged by God’s incredible provision in this story to walk by faith believing that God faithfully and abundantly provides for those who trust in him. God provides for Ezra in some amazing ways in this chapter. The first way he provides is that…

I.  God provides people (vv. 1–14).

These verses list the families who returned with Ezra. I doubt that there is much here that catches your eye, but I would like to make 3 observations about this list.

The purpose of this lists is to establish national purity. To us, this kind of list appears to be nothing but wasted space, but it was very important to the Jews. They were passionate about reestablishing a pure people of God, and these lists testify to that passion.

We should be challenged by the returnees’ careful attention to detail. Our God does not want sloppy, careless obedience; instead, we honor the Lord when we carefully strive to obey every detail of his will. 2^nd Observation…

Most of the families who returned already had family in Judea. Verse 2 mentions 3 significant families. Phinehas was Aaron’s grandson, and an important priest. Ithamar was Aaron’s 4^th son, and he also served as a priest. And Hattush was a descendant of David. These details were significant because they connect the returnees to Israel’s past and to God’s blessing.

Then, vv. 3–14 list 12 other families who were represented in Ezra’s travel party. It’s interesting that all 12 families are also listed in Ezra 2 as having participated in the 1^st return which was 80 years earlier.

So, we can assume that the 1^st return divided these families. Some stayed and some went, and they may not have had any contact for 80 years. Now, more people from those families headed home, and you can imagine how awesome those family reunions must have been. 3^rd Observation…

God provided approximately 5,000 people to return. If you add up the men who are mentioned here, it comes out to 1,496, and vv. 15–20 will add another 280 for 1,776. When you add in women and children, we are talking about a party of roughly 5,000 people.

That sounds like a lot, and it is. Imagine the complexity of leading 5,000 people on a 900-mile journey. But on the other hand, remember that Israel is trying to rebuild a nation. 5,000 people is more like a small town than a nation. It’s nothing compared to the Persian armies who travelled through the region with 10s of thousands of soldiers. And it’s even small compared to the 42,000 that returned 80 years prior.

But a few weeks ago, we saw that God told Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4:10, “Do not despise the day of small things.” God doesn’t need human greatness; instead, he often does his greatest work through a few. Think of the victories of Gideon and Jonathan.

So, yes, 5,000 wasn’t a lot, but it’s something. God provided 5,000 people to help Ezra inject some juice into the nation and move them toward God’s purpose. I’m sure that Ezra rejoiced over God’s provision. God provided people. 2^nd…

II.  God provided Levites (vv. 15–20).

The Camp: Verse 15 says that travel caravan gathered at the Ahava River/Canal, which must have been somewhere on the outskirts of Babylon. You can imagine that it was a hectic scene. There’s 5,000 people plus wagons, livestock, and a whole lot of crazy.

And Ezra is shuffling through the chaos as quickly as possible trying to build the roster that’s listed in vv. 1–14. They want to hit the road, not exhaust their food stores, etc., sitting in a camp. You think that getting your family organized for a road trip is nuts; imagine being in Ezra’s shoes.

It reminds me of my days as a youth pastor loading up for camp. You’re trying to get everyone’s luggage loaded, take roll, and be kind to that one mom who just keeps talking and has no sense of the nuttiness around her. Ezra would have made a great youth pastor!

The Levites: Yet, in the midst of the craziness, Ezra realizes that there are no Levites among the crowd. Ezra wanted to get going because nothing good can come from having this massive group sitting around, but he also needs Levites. Afterall, Ezra’s primary goal is spiritual reform and renewed temple worship. All the sacrificial gifts that Artaxerxes gave are useless if you don’t have the temple staff to manage it.

Therefore, Ezra makes the hard decision to postpone the trip while he recruits some Levites. Specifically, he sends 11 influential and persuasive men to Caisphia to recruit Levites. We don’t know where this town was located, but it was probably an important Jewish community in the vicinity near Babylon where many Levites lived. Based on what we know of the Jews in exile, it was probably a thriving, comfortable community. Life was safe, prosperous, and secure in Casiphia.

Therefore, these 11 men have a difficult task. They must convince some Levites to forever leave behind their comfortable lives and to embark on a dangerous 900-mile journey to a place where they may face foreign hostility, poverty, menial temple service, and all sorts of unknowns. It’s a tough sell.

But God had given Ezra a divine mission of great redemptive significance. It mattered; therefore, he sent 11 men to appeal to Iddo, who must have been a leading elder in Caisphia.

And notice that for the 3^rd time in Ezra 7–8, v. 18 mentions, “the good hand of our God upon us.” God provided once again. Specifically, God moved a man named Sherebiah, whom v. 18 describes as “a man of insight,” to arouse 17 of his brothers and sons to go with him to Jerusalem.

And v. 19 adds that Hashabiah and Jeshaiah along with 20 of their brothers and sons also responded. And v. 20 adds that 220 temple servants also answered the call. God was providing! And notice that v. 20 says that all these people had valid proof of ancestry. It was a big deal that God provided pure Levites to help Ezra establish pure worship.

So based on God’s gracious work, these people responded. And I want to emphasize that they did so quickly. 7:9 says that the caravan assembled on the 1^st of the month. 8:15 says they realized their need for Levites after 3^rd day, and 8:31 says the caravan pulled out for Israel on the 12^th So, at most the Levites had a week to collect their things, say their forever goodbyes and join the caravan. That’s tough.

But God’s purpose mattered, and these Levites and temple servants recognized the significance of the mission, and they left everything, grabbed their families and went.

That’s what God’s choice servants have been doing ever since. It’s always a huge sacrifice for a missionary to pack up his family and move across the world. But the Great Commission matters, and God continues to put it on the hearts of his choice servants to forsake everything for the sake of the gospel.

God may never call you to that level of sacrifice, but I hope you are willing if he does, and I hope you are eager to make whatever smaller sacrifices he asks of you. We’re all exiles in this world who are here for his eternal purposes, not our own. Don’t get too comfortable. Be ready to serve Christ however he leads.

So, God provided once again. He provided a band of Levites to help Ezra’s spiritual reformation. 3^rd…

III.  God provided travel mercies (vv. 21–34).

The Challenge: This section begins with a fascinating conundrum. Ezra was setting out on a long journey through a lot of wilderness where there was no law enforcement. Therefore, thieves and raiding parties were common. It was the wild west, so to speak.

And there is no way this large caravan of 5,000 people could go unnoticed, especially not when they are moving the amount of precious metal that is mentioned in vv. 26–27. So, this was a very dangerous trip. Imagine how devastating it would be if a violent group of raiders successfully attacked this caravan that included many women and children and all that royal gold.

Therefore, an armed escort would have been a huge comfort. But v. 22 says that Ezra did not feel comfortable asking for one, “Because he had said to the king, ‘The hand of our God…” Ezra felt as if to follow up this declaration with a request for an armed escort would have undermined his testimony.

Therefore, he took a bold step of faith by deciding not to request help but to instead trust the Lord to keep them safe. Now, I want to be clear that God is not teaching us that it is wrong to use practical means of self-defense. The Bible consistently teaches that we should be wise in all of life and never irresponsible. And Nehemiah accepted an armed guard when he led the 3^rd return 13 years later.

But Ezra makes a different choice based on the unique details of his situation. And the Bible clearly holds his choice up as a positive example for us to follow.

Ezra had great faith in the Lord’s power to protect; therefore, rather than appealing to the king, he appealed to the king of kings. The people fasted and prayed that the Lord would take care of them, and v. 23 states that God “listened to our entreaty.”

This week, I was so challenged by Ezra’s example because we live such secure lives, and everything is under such good control. As a result, very often there is no room in our lives for faith. Or we are so used to being in control that we never even notice opportunities to take a step of faith.

It’s one thing to be responsible, but it’s something entirely different to live as practical atheists where nothing in our lives reflects dependence on and confidence in a big God. We need to make sure that we cultivate big thoughts about God that drive us to radical obedience and risky ministry. These things are so good for our spiritual lives, and they create opportunities for God to glorify himself by showing himself strong. So, let’s all be challenged to nurture and to practice the faith of Ezra.

The Preparation (vv. 24–30): Moving on in the text, Ezra demonstrated great faith, but he also wisely stewarded the resources he had. Verses 24–30 address the fact that Artaxerxes had entrusted Ezra with a massive amount of wealth to use in reforming Israel’s worship. Ezra took this stewardship very seriously, and he established wise accountability and safety measures to make sure the entire gift made it to Babylon.

I don’t believe there is any great significance here for us other than to emphasize Ezra’s character, diligence, and careful attention to detail. God did great things through Ezra. The Jews consider him to be 2^nd Moses because of the dramatic role he played in shaping Israel’s religion over multiple centuries. But none of it happened accidentally. Ezra prepared himself to be used of God.

Oh that God would give us the same zeal as Ezra to be ready to be used by him. May God help us to be people of character who would never imagine keeping some of that treasure for ourselves. Instead, we are committed to honesty and integrity in all things.

The Protection (vv. 31–34): Well, Ezra planned, he appealed to the king, he organized, and he prayed. Then v. 31 says, “Then we journeyed...”

Considering how v. 22 set us up to wonder about the journey, we probably would all like to know a little more. Did Ezra organize the caravan with some kind of defensive measures? Did anyone attack the Jews, and if they did, what was the battle like? Or did God keep the bandits away through some other means?

This was also a 900-mile, 4-month journey. Surely there were some close calls and fascinating moments. What were they? We’ll never know.

Instead, the narrator states for the 5^th time in Ezra 7–8 that “the hand of our God was over us.” He wants us to understand that God’s hand, not any human factor, was the deciding issue in how the journey went. God put a wall of protection around the caravan, “And he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way.”

God answered the people’s prayers. Just imagine what a faith-building experience that must have been for the entire party. God safely brought them into the land.

But they were still exhausted by the time they reached Jerusalem. Afterall, they had to average around 10 miles/day to finish this journey in 4 months. That’s an exhausting pace when you are traveling with children, livestock, and loads of supplies.

Therefore, they spent 3 days recuperating in Jerusalem. I imagine this was also a fun time to meet up with long lost relatives and to catch up on all sorts of important history. The travelers must have been so thankful for God’s blessing and to finally be home.

Then vv. 33–34 highlight the fact that Ezra collected all the silver and gold that he had entrusted to the Levites, and all of it was accounted for. The people acted in integrity, and God didn’t allow raiders to take one ounce. God protected his people.

And commentators suggest that Ezra probably had to send some kind of report back to Artaxerxes affirming the safe delivery of this generous gift. The Persians had to be impressed at God’s protection because they knew that they didn’t send any guards with the Israelites. God did something incredible.

Then the story ends by noting that…

IV.  The people responded in worship (vv. 35–36).

Offerings: The people offered both burnt offerings and sin offerings. The burnt offerings were an expression of reverence for the Lord and commitment to his will. It was a strong statement that we will serve the Lord because he is worthy of our praise.

The sin offerings were an expression of repentance and of the desire for God’s atoning forgiveness. We’re going to see in Ezra 9 that Israel needed forgiveness because they had become defiled by intermarrying with their Gentile neighbors. Ezra had some serious work ahead of him.

But he starts by bringing sacrifices to the Lord and approaching him in worship. And let’s not forget that Ezra was a priest who had spent his whole life in captivity unable to offer sacrifices or to approach God at his temple. Ezra had prepared his whole life for this moment, and it must have been incredible to participate in temple worship and to reflect on all that God had done.

Edict: Finally, v. 26 mentions that Ezra delivered Artaxerxes’ decree to all the various governors west of the Euphrates. They honored the king’s decree and gave Ezra their blessing to call the Jews in Judea but also in other provinces back to God’s Law and faithful worship.

Conclusion

All of it testifies to the fact that God faithfully and abundantly provides for those who trust in him. Yes, that’s something that we all know in our heads, but so often it doesn’t work its way down to our hearts, our hands, and our feet. Our lives betray a small view of God and a big view of ourselves. We think that we know better than he does and that we can take better care of ourselves than he can take of us. Be remined that God is faithful. He never breaks a promise. And God is abundantly gracious. He is generous with his kindness, and you will never outdo the joy, contentment, and peace you can find in him. Trust the Lord and walk by faith.

This begins by believing on Christ for salvation. Ephesians 1:3 states, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” All of God’s blessings come to us in Christ, and if you are in him you already have “every spiritual blessing.” If you have not been saved, please come to him today and place your hope for eternity entirely in Christ. And if you are saved, run to Christ every day expecting his abundant provision.