Ezra 7 and 8
Some years after the first of the Jewish captives left Babylon to rebuild the House of God in Jerusalem, another large company made ready to go there, so they, too, could help with the work, and could keep the feasts and the laws of God to them.
The leader was a man named Ezra, who had asked the consent of the king for all who wished to go with him. Ezra was one who read and copied the Scriptures, and who prized them very much, and wanted the people to know them. He was called a scribe.
It was the first day of the year that these men with their families and supplies left Babylon, and they came to the bank of a river where they pitched their tents.
It would be a long, hard journey to Jerusalem, across rivers and wild lands, over hills and through woods, so they would be several months on the way, and they knew that often, rough men hid by the way to rob travelers.
Besides their own things, these people had with them very much gold and silver given by the king to use in the House of God.
Usually soldiers would be sent to guard such valuable loads; but Ezra had not asked for soldiers; instead, all the company stayed three days by the river and prayed to God to direct them the right way, that the treasures and also their children would be kept safe. After that they started on the way.
The first day of the fifth month they arrived safe in Jerusalem, so they were four months on the journey.
The treasures were given to the men in the temple, who must have been thankful as Ezra had been, for the gold to make the temple more beautiful (Ezra 7:2727Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem: (Ezra 7:27)). How it must have cheered the workers in the temple to have more help for the work.
Ezra taught them the Scriptures and prayed for them, and told them the wrong of making friends and marriages with the people who worshiped idols, who would cause them to forget the Lord. Ezra was a priest as well as a scribe, for he was of the family of Aaron, who were men chosen by God to offer sacrifices.
The account of Ezra shows us that God kept the scriptures safe even in Babylon, and watched over His people in times of danger. You can find the number of men in this company (Ezra 8:1-211These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king. 2Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush. 3Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty. 4Of the sons of Pahath-moab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males. 5Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males. 6Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males. 7And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males. 8And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males. 9Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males. 10And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males. 11And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males. 12And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males. 13And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males. 14Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males. 15And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. 16Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding. 17And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God. 18And 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; 19And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty; 20Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name. 21Then 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. (Ezra 8:1‑21)).
Since the death of the Lord Jesus, those who wish to honor God are not to sacrifice animals to Him, nor to take gold for a House for Him. But they have, the same scriptures, with more added, teach them of His glory and righteousness, which the gold represented.
Later, another man came to help in Jerusalem, and his work will be of interest to us also.
ML 12/03/1939