The Hand Of Our God For Good

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Introduction

When the Lord broke the Egyptian yoke off the backs of the Israelites, He declared,

The tribe of Levi was named after the third-born son of Jacob. Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Among the descendants of Kohath was a man named Amram, who fathered Aaron, Miriam, and Moses. Aaron and his sons became priests. Two of Aaron’s four sons, Nadab and Abihu, died when they offered unauthorized fire. The other two, Eleazar and Ithamar, fathered two lines of priests who served God at the tabernacle (Exod 6:16-27; Lev 10:1-3; Num 3:1-4).

From this we see that the priests all descend from Aaron, who descends from Levi. The descendants of Levi whose lineage does not go back to Aaron served as Levites.

God called the whole nation of Israel to be “My kingdom of priests and My holy nation” (Exod 19:6). What Israel was to the world, Aaron and his descendants were to Israel. The whole of Aaron’s tribe was also consecrated for Yahweh and declared to be His own, given a special place at the tabernacle, privileged to be those who transported it.

72The Levite named Korah, from Aaron’s own clan, Kohath, showed his gratitude to Yahweh by leading others to rise up against Moses, as a result of which “the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them” (Num 16:32; see verses 1-40). The Levite rebellion led by Korah is shocking, but when we consider it in light of other rebellions it should not surprise us. The Pentateuch is a series of stories of the way that those Yahweh graciously called into His service rebel against Him. Think of Adam and Eve (Gen 3), of Moses striking the rock (Num 20), of Aaron and Miriam opposing Moses (Num 12), and of the whole nation’s repeated failures (Exod 32; Num 14; etc.).

What is remarkable about the biblical narratives is not the way the Lord’s servants fail Him, though we are right to be shocked and indignant every time it happens again. What is remarkable is the mercy that He shows to His servants who repent. What gives hope and encouragement is the promise of a Servant of the Lord who will not fail Him.

Need

We need to look our own failures full in the face. The reason we are right with God is not because we have never failed Him. We need to embrace the mercy that God extends to failures and flunkies who seek Him. Jesus is the Servant who never failed God, and because of Jesus, we who have failed have hope that when we seek God we will experience His hand on us for good.

Preview

In the first 14 verses of this chapter Ezra lists “the heads of their fathers’ houses” and “the genealogy of those who went up” with him from Babylon (ESV), then verses 15-20 describe the way Ezra responded to the fact that no Levites initially joined the returnees. Verses 21-30 describe the preparations made for the return journey—the fasting and prayer before God and the distribution of funds to those charged to transport them to Jerusalem. Verses 31-36 then relate the way God preserved the people so that they arrived safely in Jerusalem, all the valuables were accounted for, and sacrifices were made to the Lord.

Context

We saw a new exodus take place in Ezra 1-6. Just as Isaiah, for instance, had promised—“There will be a highway for the remnant of His people73 who will survive from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt” (Isa 11:16)—so the Lord paved the way for the remnant to return by the decrees of Cyrus and Darius in Ezra 1-6. These events began in the first year of Cyrus, 539 bc (Ezra 1:1), and they continued until the days of Artaxerxes, probably around the time Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem in 445 bc. This means that the events of Ezra 1-6 cover nearly 100 years.

The events in Ezra 7-10, by contrast, play out over the course of one year. Ezra begins to go up “on the first day of the first month” of the seventh year of Artaxerxes (7:8-9). Ezra arrives on the first day of the fifth month of that year, 458 bc (7:9). The mixed marriage crisis that confronts Ezra arises on the twentieth day of the ninth month (10:9), and by the first day of the first month it has been resolved (10:17). Ezra 1-6 covers a 100-year period, and Ezra 7-10 deals with exactly one year.

We have noted also how the structures of each half of the book match:

Decree from a Persian King to Return	Ezra 1	Ezra 7
People numbered for a march on the land	Ezra 2	Ezra 8
Crisis faced by the returned remnant	Ezra 3-6 (external)	Ezra 9-10 (internal)

Ezra 1-6 presents a new exodus pattern, and then Ezra 7-10 presents another. Why is the theme repeated? Because these events repeat patterns seen in Abraham’s life when he plundered Pharaoh and entered the land of promise (Gen 12:16-13:3), in the life of the nation of Israel at the exodus from Egypt, and now again in the events narrated from the time of Cyrus and the time of Ezra. Each is in an installment in the pattern, the pattern consisting of a sequence of events crystallized at the exodus from Egypt, foreshadowed by Abraham and others, repeated in Israel’s later history, fulfilled in Jesus. These are multiple examples of the same exodus and return-from-exile pattern, and these many installments in the pattern unite to form a composite type of the way that God saves His people. Not every installment in the repeated pattern of events has all the same events, but the biblical authors seem to notice the events that constitute parts of the pattern, and the pattern guides the biblical authors in their selection of which events to include and how to present them.

Those Who Returned With Ezra

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Ezra 8:1-14

The list of names and numbers in 8:1-14 matches the list of names and numbers in chapter 2. The decrees allowing return are given in Ezra 1 and 7, along with a kind of plundering of Egypt (Persia) in both chapters. Then, as Israel was numbered and arranged for the march on the land in Numbers, so the returnees are accounted for in Ezra 2 and 8:1-14.

At the end of Ezra 8:1 we see the words, “during the reign of King Artaxerxes,” which is a more general reference (cf. 7:1) to the return that took place “in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes” (7:7). The seventh year of Artaxerxes was 458 bc.

The names in 8:1-14 have a clear arrangement. The first two returnees named come from the two lines of priests descending from Aaron. Aaron’s two sons Eleazar and Ithamar have descendants mentioned, with Eleazar’s son Phineas being named in his place (8:2). After the two priestly figures, a Davidic figure is named. Steinmann writes, “These three men hint at the theology and personal priorities of Ezra: the liturgical worship of God and the promise of the Messiah from the line of David” (Steinmann, Ezra and Nehemiah, 304).

After the two divisions of priests and the heir of David in verse 2, there are 12 families of Israel in verses 3-14. This arrangement points to a conscious attempt to renew the 12 tribes of Israel. As Kidner points out, “The family names in verses 4-14 can all (except Joab, verse 9) be found in 2:3-15” (Ezra and Nehemiah, 65).

Lacking Levites

Ezra 8:15-20

Ezra’s own genealogy, tracing his line back to Aaron through Phineas, is given in 7:1-5. So these priests who can validate their genealogy and this heir of David lead these returnees back. Before we look at 8:15, recall the decree of Artaxerxes in 7:13: “I issue a decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.”

Now look at 8:15, where Ezra states, “I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites there.” What? Anyone who wishes to return to the land can go, the king decrees, and 75none of the Levites show up to return to the land of promise? How can this be anything other than a failure on the part of the Levites? Like the Levites who joined Korah in his rebellion against Moses and Aaron, the Levites of Ezra’s day either don’t know who they are, or they don’t want to be what God called them to be.

The Levites were supposed to assist the priests at the temple. Korah and his Levites rose up against Moses and Aaron, rejecting their identity and role. Levites exist to minister at the temple, but these Levites apparently prefer exile in Babylon to the temple in Jerusalem.

Do you know your identity? Do you know who you are? Revelation 1:5-6 says that Jesus made His followers a kingdom, priests. Paul calls us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1). We are made in the image and likeness of God, and we are being conformed to the One who is the image of the invisible God, Christ (Col 1:15). Are you embracing your role as a royal priest in the kingdom of Christ? Or are you living as if you’d rather be a snake in Shinar?

Ezra loves the people of God, loves God’s kingdom, and is seeking to advance God’s kingdom. Sometimes that means confronting people with their sin and calling them to repent and believe and obey. Look at the way Ezra goes into action in verses 16-17:

The lack of Levites in the traveling party is not due to a lack of Levites in exile. Ezra needs Levites because in 7:25 Artaxerxes authorizes Ezra to appoint magistrates and judges and to teach all who do not know the Torah. Levites served as officers and judges (1 Chr 26:29), and Levites taught all Israel at Josiah’s reformation (2 Chr 35:3). So Ezra has been authorized to take Levites back to the land (Ezra 7:13), and Levites are known for the things that Ezra is commissioned to do when he arrives. The Levites have76 failed to join the returnees, but Ezra sends a delegation to remedy the situation.

How do you respond when people fail to do what they should? Do you love God and your brothers and sisters in Christ enough to address 77their sin? Do you care enough to confront? It is not loving to let Levites linger in lethargy. It is not loving to let Christians wallow in sin.

As they failed in the wilderness when they rose up against Moses, the Levites fail to risk the return in Ezra’s day. As God showed mercy to Israel and continued His faithfulness to the wilderness generation, so God continues His faithfulness in Ezra’s day. We read in verses 18-20 (ESV),

Ezra attributes the provision of a Levite of discretion, Sherebiah, to the good hand of God. God’s power is at work on behalf of the returnees in the provision of a good man to serve and lead. We, too, should pray that God’s power would be at work on our behalf in providing men of discretion to lead us. So three leading Levites—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and Jeshaiah—join the returnees, and Sherebiah and Jeshaiah come with kinsmen and sons, totaling almost 40 Levites. In addition, 220 of the Nethinim (“temple servants”), those devoted to the service of the temple, join the Levites to return to the land.

Let’s take stock of how much time passed as these events played out. Ezra 7:9 states that the journey began on the first day of the first month of the seventh year of Artaxerxes (cf. 7:7). Ezra 8:15 says they camped by the river to Ahava for three days. They sent a delegation to fetch the Levites, and then verses 21-23 say they fasted to seek God. Then in verse 31 they set out on the twelfth day of the first month. So if they fasted for one day, that means that between days 4 and 11 these three Levite leaders, their clans totaling almost 40 men, and 220 temple servants were summoned to return to the land, made the decision to go, and set out. That means that over the course of seven days they were summoned, made their preparations, joined the returnees, and set out for the land of promise.

In a seven-day period, 260 people leave everything for the kingdom of God. Would you be prepared to leave your whole life and go seek God’s kingdom? Or would all the trappings of luxury and familiarity hold you back? Are you on the edge of faith in Christ and not sure whether or not it’s worth all it will cost you? Follow the example of these 78Levites who saw that it was better to pursue the kingdom of God than to wallow in Babylon.

Preparation: Fasting And Funds

Ezra 8:21-30

The Levites initially failed to join the returnees, but God mercifully used Ezra to summon them to join the new exodus that was under way. Ezra recognizes the provision of good men as God’s power at work on his behalf, and he sets himself to rely again on God’s power in verses 21-23 (ESV):

These people are about to undertake a dangerous journey. There are no state troopers on the highways between Persia and Jerusalem, but plenty of bandits, pirates, and scalawags. We’re about to see that these people returning with Ezra are transporting a lot of money.

How are they going to keep themselves and their funds safe? Verse 21 clearly shows that they are going to rely on God and His power rather than on the power of man. What do you rely on when you feel threats to your safety or your money? There’s a stark contrast between this and a boast that Adolf Hitler made. Hitler boasted that the little pastors would sell their souls for the measly salaries that he provided for them (Goldberg, Liberal Fascism, 364-65). He knew he had the pastors in the palm of his hand. He was confident that they would not object to what he was doing because they were on the payroll. Ezra refuses to feel indebted.

In verse 22 we see that Ezra has boasted to the king about God, and so he doesn’t want to ask the king for an escort or the king will think he isn’t really confident in God. Further, Ezra seems to view relying on the king’s escort instead of the Lord as forsaking the Lord.6 We see this in the words Ezra recounts himself saying to the king there in verse 22: “God 79blesses those who seek Him, but His wrath is against those who forsake Him” (my trans.).

In Israel’s history, the people were exiled precisely because they relied on foreign powers—Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon—instead of the Lord. God’s wrath was against Israel because they forsook Him for the gods of those nations, because to get help from those nations Israel’s kings poured out libations to the gods of those nations. That’s what entering into covenant with those peoples entailed.

On the other hand, Moses said in Deuteronomy 4:29 that from exile Israel would seek the Lord and find Him when the searched after Him with all their hearts. Now here they are in exile, committing themselves to seek the Lord. I’m convinced that Ezra is doing this because he knows Deuteronomy 4:29 and he knows Israel’s history. Ezra is living out what Moses prophesied.

What Ezra says here in verse 22 encapsulates the theology of the book of Ezra. God’s good hand will be on those who seek Him, but His wrath will be against those who forsake Him. God will glorify Himself by showing justice and mercy. He will be glorified in salvation through judgment (see further Hamilton, God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment). All through Ezra 7-8 we see the hand of God for good on Ezra and those returning with him:

• 7:6—The king grants his request because of God’s hand on him.
• 7:9—Ezra arrives in Jerusalem because of God’s hand on him.
• 7:28—Ezra has courage because of God’s hand on him.
• 8:18—Upstanding Levites are provided by the good hand of God.
• 8:22—All who seek God have His hand on them for good.
• 8:31—They are delivered from enemy and ambush by God’s good hand.

Do you want the hand of God on your life for good? I can’t promise you that God will bless you in all the ways He blesses Ezra. I can promise you that if you will do what Ezra does, if you will turn from your sin and seek the Lord in the person of Jesus Christ, you will experience the good hand of God on your life. Romans 10:13 promises that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. If you will turn away from forsaking God and if you will seek Him, as Ezra 8:22 says, you will be delivered from God’s wrath and enjoy His good hand upon you.

80Look at verse 23: “So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request.” Let me encourage you to seek the Lord, to implore Him for His favor, for His good hand to be upon you. Don’t reject worldliness and then fail to seek the Lord.

Even if it isn’t apparent on the surface, there are two groups of 12 in verse 24. Here again we have a symbolic use of 12 priests, signaling the restoration of all Israel. I think the translation in the HCSB, “12 of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and 10 of their brothers,” is preferable to the ESV here because Sherebiah and Hashabiah seem to be the same Levites mentioned in verses 18-19. So we have 12 priests and 12 Levites.

Look at the mercy the Lord has shown to Sherebiah and Hashabiah and their kinsmen. Initially they didn’t sign up for the journey, but after they responded to Ezra’s call, they are given this place of honor. God is rich in mercy. God’s hand is for good even on these Levites who did not seek Him at first. We can all take comfort from this. We have all had times when we preferred Babylon to Jerusalem. It’s not too late for you to seek the Lord. His hand for good is better than anything Babylon can offer.

In verses 25-30 Ezra is going to weigh out the money. The coinage in use at that time wasn’t necessarily uniform as ours today is. So they weigh this material because some clever thief could decide that if he shaved a bit from each coin of say, 1,000 darics (v. 27), he would have quite a haul of precious metal. So they weigh it out, and look at Ezra’s appeal in light of the king’s decree from chapter 7. The king has commissioned Ezra to do this job (7:15-16), but the king is not what Ezra fears. Look at verse 28: “Then I said to them, ‘You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers.’” Ezra is not appealing to a threat from Artaxerxes. Ezra appeals to God’s holiness to motivate these men to be faithful. We will be as faithful as we think God is holy. In other words, how we steward what God has given us shows what we really think of God.

Safe Passage, Silver, And Sacrifices

Ezra 8:31-36

They have fasted and sought the Lord. They have divided up the funds for the journey. And now in verses 31-36 we read of the sacrifices they will make on arrival in Jerusalem.

81We read again of the four-month journey (cf. 7:9). Ezra recounts that God answered the prayers of 8:21-23: “The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way” (8:31 ESV). They didn’t have a royal escort. There weren’t Persian helicopters that could be ordered to their aid. There were, however, plenty of bandits and renegades in the region, but the Lord delivered them. Ezra gives credit where it is due.

We see in verse 33 that they arrived in Jerusalem, and everyone was faithful with the funds. Let’s pray for the hand of our God for good for our churches in the matter of financial faithfulness. I’ve heard stories of churches who have discovered that those who were supposed to be depositing the church’s gifts in the church’s bank account were diverting those gifts to their own accounts. We’ve all heard stories of men serving in pastoral ministry who have been unfaithful with the church’s money.

In 1926 the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Foreign Mission Board pressed charges against its treasurer, George Saunders, for embezzling $92,000. In 1928 the Home Mission Board of the SBC pressed charges against its treasurer for embezzling $909,000. Both were convicted

Let’s pray that the good hand of God would be on us (v. 31), that we would recognize that we are holy to the Lord (v. 28), and that we would be faithful with funds. In Ezra 8:34 everything is recorded. These men were faithful, and so may it be with us.

Look at the twelves and sevens in verse 35: 12 bulls, 96 rams (12×8), 77 lambs, and 12 goats. The returnees have arrived with the Levites, the money, and Ezra himself, and they offer these sacrifices in an attempt to renew Israel. Verse 36 tells us that they also did what the king commissioned them to do, and we saw in chapter 7 that the king’s decree would result in the establishment of God’s law in God’s land by God’s returned people.

Conclusion

All this looks great. But if we back up from it, there are maybe 3, 000 people who have returned with Ezra in chapter 8. And back in Ezra 1 there were about 49, 000 people who returned to the land. Let’s round up and let’s say it’s 55, 000 people. That’s it! That’s the kingdom of God on earth?

But here this chapter is in the Bible, and here we are talking about it 2, 500 years later. This chapter is a great encouragement to us. We look 82at our lives, and we say, rightly, “I am nothing in the eyes of the world. I have no power. I have no status. I have no influence.” And Ezra 8 says to us that God is advancing His kingdom in the world with nobodies who are nothing, and there aren’t very many of them, either. What a God! This God uses people like us. This is a God to know. This is a God whose hand is for good on all who seek Him.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What reason does Ezra 8:22 give for the hand of God being “gracious” or good on people?
2. Would God’s hand be gracious on you for good? Why? Are you seeking God?
3. From 8:21-23, what does it look like to seek God?
4. If you had been in Ezra’s shoes when no Levites joined the party of returnees (8:15), how would you have responded?
5. Malachi 3:1-3 says that the Lord’s messenger will purify the sons of Levi. Who do you think fulfills Malachi’s prophecy? How does Ezra function as a type (picture or example) of Christ in Ezra 8:15-20?
6. How are you encouraged by the repetitions in the Bible of the way God typically works to save His people?
7. In seven days those Levites had left everything to join Ezra in returning to the land. If you received a clear call from the Lord to leave in seven days, what temptations would stand in the way of your obedience?
8. Ezra 8:22 refers to God’s “great anger.” How do you respond to these references to God’s wrath in the Bible?
9. Ezra appeals to God’s holiness to motivate faithfulness in 8:28. What is the connection between the power of God’s wrath in 8:22 and the appeal to God’s holiness in 8:28?
10. What’s your reaction to the relatively small number of people who returned to the land with Ezra? Why do you think so few left Babylon for Jerusalem?