Verses 1-5 begin with the words. “After these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia….” After what things? It is thought that around 60years passed between chapter 6 and chapter 7.
Artaxerxes succeeded Xerxes who married Esther and the events of the book of Esther took place in that period. The Romans knew Artaxerxes as Longimanus as he had a long reign which included the beginning of Ezra’s work and through to the later part of Nehemiah.
We are given Ezra’s family tree going back to Aaron the chief priest. Ezra was the son of Seraiah who was the last High Priest before the captivity. It is thought that the list is not complete but in that list is Zadok who was a priest during the reign of David and Solomon appointed chief priest in place of Abiathar.
Ezra did not come back in the first group who returned from captivity and verse 6 tells us that he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which had been given by The LORD God of Israel. He was a skilled scribe thus an expert in the law. Jewish tradition described him as the second Moses which was a high recommendation.
“As messengers of the will of God, they took the place of the prophets, with this difference: instead of receiving new revelations, they explained and applied the old. Of this new order, Ezra was at once the founder and type.” (Morgan)
Verse 6 concludes with the words that ‘The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.’ He was favoured by the king but more important was the fact that the hand of The LORD was the basis of it.
We are clearly told that some of the children of Israel came to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes and it was in the fifth month of that year that Ezra came (v7-10). He began his journey back on the first day of the first month and it took him another four months to arrive in Jerusalem. I understand that it was about a five-hundred-mile journey, but the journey was not straight forward as he would have had to travel around nine hundred miles along the River Euphrates in a northerly direction and then drop down to the south. Ezra had got himself right before God. He had prepared his heart to seek God’s law, to do it and to teach it. Maybe he’d used the long journey to do this as well as preparing beforehand. He was not haphazard in preparation for his return, it was not a holiday outing but a mission.
Ezra is an example to us who believe that we have been called to a mission to serve The LORD. Preparation is usually necessary but most of all, our hearts must be made right with God. Sometimes we are faced with questions which we find difficult to answer, and to deal with situations without forewarning but if our hearts are right before God and we have sought His word and will, we can often be inspired by The Lord and His Spirit to answer and deal with what we face. God often prepares us in ways we may not even recognise at the time. God prepared David, the shepherd boy to face Goliath by his caring for the sheep facing a lion and a bear. I am sure that when he left home to take food and supplies to his brothers in battle, he never expected to be fighting Goliath. God had prepared him to have faith and to trust in the living God. His words to Goliath show that – “You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come in The Name of The Lord.”
Not all the children of Israel left Babylon, some had become comfortable there and stayed. It seems that there was not one single exodus but an initial one then others in drips and drabs.
In verses 11-16 we have a copy of the letter sent by Artaxerxes by the hand of Ezra. Obviously, Ezra’s return had been known beforehand, and he was to carry this letter from the king. This is clear from the words in these verses – “This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel: Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Perfect peace, and so forth. I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. And whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand; and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem; and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem;”
Thus, it seemed that Ezra was actually sent by the king, and he was to report to the counsellors, and he was given gifts of silver and gold to take back to Jerusalem. This may have been further treasures found in Babylon in addition to the ones taken in chapter 1.
Further instructions were given and listed in v17-22, and they show the generosity of the king. Ezra was to be careful, but he was given a great deal of freedom in what he used the king’s gifts and offers of money for. He could use and buy ‘whatever seemed good to him’ and ‘whatever was needed for the house of God.’
The king ordered that the treasurers were to give whatever Ezra required up to certain limits in some cases, but without in others. The limits were by no means miserly.
Artaxerxes clearly wanted to preserve peace and allow people to serve their gods and in Ezra’s case, the Living God (v23). The king also gave Ezra instructions that taxes, tribute and customs were not to be imposed upon the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim or servants of God’s house. Some would say that that is not a bad budget announcement!
He was to appoint magistrates and judges, and stringent penalties were to be imposed upon those who do not obey the laws of God, including death penalty and imprisonment and confiscation and judgment was to be administered speedily (v24-26). There is a saying in our legal circles that judgment delayed is judgment denied. The Bible stresses that judgment should not be delayed but executed speedily.
“…. Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil:” (Ecclesiastes 8:11) Therefore, men harden their hearts to do evil if sentence is not passed quickly.
Ezra was given much authority by the king. He was obviously held in extremely high esteem and recognised that he had God-given wisdom. Note that he was to teach the people the law so that they had no excuse for ignorance of it.
We might have taken advantage of this power given to us by the king, but not Ezra. He gave thanks to God (v27,28) for putting these thoughts into the king’s mind and heart and for the encouragement given to him by the hand of God. He gave all the credit to The LORD.
