Daily Thought

In the course of history kings come and go. Here we read that Cyrus was succeeded by Darius, and he in turn by Artaxerxes. Now it was in the days of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, that Ezra went up from Babylon to Jerusalem by the king’s decree, to appoint magistrates and judges; to teach the laws of the kingdom and to beautify the house of the Lord, Ezra 7. 25-28.

The Halt. On the way a census was made of those accompanying Ezra. The repatriates halted for three days by the river that ran to Ahava, and to his dismay Ezra found that there were no Levites in the company, 8. 15. Without wasting time, he despatched a message to a certain Iddo to send to him ministers for the house of God. In response, ‘by the good hand of our God upon us’, some thirty-eight Levites and two hundred and twenty Nethinim were brought, v. 18. The halt, the census and the deficiency in the company had made Ezra realize that so great was the task committed to him that more time was called for to wait upon God, if it was to be done properly and worthily of God.

The Fast. Certainly humbled, and possibly somewhat ashamed, to think that they had started out inadequately prepared to carry through such a responsible undertaking, a fast was forthwith proclaimed. But yet another concern troubled the mind of Ezra. They were carrying with them considerable amounts of silver and gold ‘which the king and his counsellors have freely offered, and all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon’, 7. 15, 16. Also there were supplies of wheat and wine, oil and salt, and all without any protection from those who might waylay them. The king would have supplied soldiers and horsemen, but Ezra had assured him that there was no need, seeing ‘the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him’, 8. 22. To ask for help now would have been like saying that the earlier confidence in God was misplaced.

The Prayer. So they sought their God for this. He who was testing their faith would be intreated of them. One of life’s great lessons is that implicit confidence in God at all times is never misplaced. Let us then pray on fervently, for God who never changes is always for us.