In verses 1-14 there is a list of families and their heads of those who returned with Ezra. One thousand four hundred and ninety-six males. With women and children, it is estimated that there were up to seven thousand people. They camped three days by the river that flows to Ahava and Ezra checked his party and found that there were no sons of Levi, who were essential to the work of the temple, among them(v15).
One commentator suggests that the Levites had become comfortable in Babylon. They may have had a place to live and even acquired property and possessions. We must remember that in Israel they had no inheritance, they were to serve the LORD in the temple, and The LORD was their inheritance. Perhaps they resented that, having lived in Babylon for all that time and their circumstances had changed, and they were reluctant to go back to the previous situation.
Ezra sent nine leaders and two men of understanding to Babylon to bring Levites to Jerusalem (v16-20) and by God’s guidance Sherebiah brought a group of Levites and two hundred and twenty Nethinim, whom David had appointed to work in the temple to help the Levites.
Ezra then proclaimed a fast at Ahava, that they might humble themselves before God for protection on their journey (v21-23). He had turned down the offer of protection from the king of soldiers and horsemen and said that God would protect them, and he was ashamed to go back on that as it would appear lack of trust in God, or that God was unable to protect them. God answered their prayer.
Some say that we must fast today. There’s nothing wrong with fasting provided it is done in the right spirit, a spirit of repentance and humility before God. It is not commanded for us today, but it is a good thing to do. It must not be done for show, as the Pharisees seemed to do. Some cannot fast of food because of medical conditions, but we can fast and do without other things for a period of time in commitment to our God. Fasting is invariably connected to prayer; it is not just going through the motions of doing without.
The dangers were real, they were carrying some precious possessions and there were robbers around. Jesus told the parable of the man who fell among thieves on his journey, so there was every possibility they could encounter such. Ezra believed that God was fully able to protect them, and they didn’t need Babylon’s soldiers. His confidence was in God.
Ezra then divided up the valuable articles, which it is estimated were worth enormous sums, probably millions of pounds in our money, and distributed them to leaders of the priests, twelve of them and ten of their brethren (v24-30) and said to them, “You are holy to the LORD; the articles are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers. Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.”
It was a dangerous position, it made them targets for thieves, but the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God. They committed themselves to this task.
They left the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month. God protected them along the way, and they came to Jerusalem and waited for three days (v31,32) and on the fourth day they weighed in the articles of the house of God to the priests and Levites, the gold and articles which they brought (v33,34). All was carefully noted and accounted for. It is thought that Ezra would have sent the accounts to Babylon to prove that all the king had given them was safely delivered. Thus, showing his integrity, which must be evident in each of us.
Those who returned from captivity in Babylon offered burnt offerings to God for a sin offering and to show their thanks and dedication to The LORD (v35). Then they delivered King Artaxerxes’ orders (v36) which included the authority given to Ezra to support the people and encourage them in the building of the LORD’s house.
