Ezra and Nehemiah by John F. MacArthur

Author:John F. MacArthur [MacArthur, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2016-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

21. I PROCLAIMED A FAST: The Jews’ four-month trek back to Judah would be fraught with dangers, because thieves who robbed people for survival frequented the roads. Even messengers traveled with caravans to ensure their personal safety. However, Ezra and the people did not want to confuse the king about their trust in God’s protection, so they entreated the Lord for safety with a prayerful fast. They also wanted their hearts and lives to be pure before Him. God honored their prayer of faith with His protection.

22. AN ESCORT OF SOLDIERS AND HORSEMEN: The presence of the great gift of King Artaxerxes’ gold and silver only made the caravan a more attractive target for bandits and enemies. Yet Ezra was “ashamed to request” an escort from the king because he had previously told the Persian monarch that the Lord would protect the Jewish people. He was concerned about the Lord’s glory, not about their safety, and he did not want the Persians to think that his God could not live up to His promises. Later, Nehemiah would accept his king’s offer of a military escort due to the same concerns for his safety.

26. I WEIGHED INTO THEIR HAND: Once again, Ezra carefully followed the Word of God as he gave the sacred treasure into the hands of the priests (see Leviticus 3).

28. YOU ARE HOLY TO THE LORD: The Lord had set apart the tribe of Levi to be His holy priesthood, and as such they were consecrated to His service. He had said to Moses, “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine” (Numbers 3:45). In the same way, the gold, silver, and other precious objects had been set aside for the Lord’s use, and in that sense they were holy in His sight.

31. THE HAND OF OUR GOD WAS UPON US: Once again, Ezra reminded his readers that the Lord is completely faithful to His promises and His people. The Jews had no need of a military escort in spite of the fact that they were carrying a king’s ransom in the caravan. The important fact for Christians to understand is that the Lord’s hand is always on His children, and He must be the sole source of our security.

31. TWELFTH DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH: The twelve-day delay occurred because of the three-day delay searching for more Levites and the fast.

36. THEY DELIVERED THE KING’S ORDERS: The plural of the word orders may account for the change in terminology. This would include the decrees plus other orders in the official correspondence that Artaxerxes gave to Ezra to deliver to support the Jews and their building of the temple.

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