INTRODUCTION:

1. Remember that Ezra 7:1 moves forward to the time that Ezra was recording the events of his time!

2. Remember that it had been 79 years since the events recorded in Ezra 1-6. (Ezra 1-6 covers the years 537 – 520 BC)

3. In Ezra 7, he begins covering events that took place in 458 BC.

4. This is a great reminder to us that while, as Jesus said, “My Father is always working…” (John 5:17) GOD does not always – or usually – work quickly!

5. Many, if not most, of these men were working on a project they would not live to see completed, but it was completed!

6. The same thing may well be true of us!

APPLICATION: Ezra Chapter 8

(8:1-20) It takes a lot of people doing a lot of different things to accomplish the work of GOD!

• 1,775 men!
• Including 23 Levites and 220 of their assistants!

(8:21) GOD works through means and even when we trust HIS promises, we still need to use the means HE has provided for us!

(21) “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.”

Theological Note: This is why we still pray, live wisely, and share the gospel!

(8:22-23) The enemies of GOD need to see HIS people practicing what we say we believe!

(22) “For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.”

(23) So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.”

(8:24-27) The people of GOD ought to trust their leaders!

Theological Note: Let us not forget that we are now GOD’s priesthood!

(24) “Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. (25) And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. (26) I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold, (27) 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold.”

(8:28-30) Those who lead GOD’s people must be worthy of their trust!

(28) “And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. (29) Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord. (30) So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.”

(8:31) As we do the will and work of GOD, we will still face opposition and attacks along the way!

(31) “Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.”

(8:32-34) Those who are entrusted with the things of GOD will give an account of what they have been given!

(32) “We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days.        (33) On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. (34) The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.”

(8:35-36) Again we see, as we did in the last Chapter, the blessings of GOD lead HIS people to worship HIM!

(35) “At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. (36) They also delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God.”