Conspiracy and Completion

Nehemiah 6:1-19 

    1 Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), 2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono." But they thought to do me harm.

    3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?"  4 But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.

    5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written:
    It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. 7 And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, "There is a king in Judah!" Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.

    8 Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart."  9 For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, "Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done."  Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

    10 Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you."  11 And I said, "Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!" 12 Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.  14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.

    15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

    17 Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. 18 For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

Nehemiah faced opposition in a conspiracy to induce fear and doubt in the work of rebuilding; the adversary had tried a ruse to draw him out of Jerusalem to kill him, but Nehemiah kept sending word that the great work was too important to leave for a talk.  When that failed, the next move of Sanballat was to send a slanderous letter accusing the Jews of seeking him as a king and backing it with prophets, hoping to use fear or anger to draw him out in an ill-fated meeting.  Instead of falling for the intimidation with fear to slow or stop the work, Nehemiah sent word that the accuser was inventing the story in his heart, for he knew the wiles of the adversary.  He prayed to God for strength in the midst of the slander of these conspiracies so the completion of the walls and gates for protection could be finished.  He had faith in God’s protection and hand in His to finish the task at hand, because it was given by the LORD to him to oversee to completion.  Then a secret informer attempted to lure Nehemiah to the house of God and shut Himself in to avoid a night attack on his person; he refused to hide there, and then God showed him the conspiracy of lies as a hired prophet to move Nehemiah to sin against the LORD and bring a bad name as a sinner upon himself.  Nehemiah prayed for God’s retribution on their heads for that evil, and went on to complete the walls as called and promised.  This success disheartened those enemies of Judah all around, for they saw God’s hand in the completion of the reconstruction in the midst of opposition and all efforts to halt the place of the living God who defeated them in the past through His people.  They kept sending threatening letters, but Nehemiah stood firm in resolve to reinstate the sacrifices and worship of the LORD in His city once more.  We learn from all of this that God’s work done in the courage of resolute trust in His calling and promises will result in the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ reaching the end of the earth, and in the building up of His church of the redeemed until we gather in the celestial city, the New Jerusalem, to worship Him forever.  May we learn from Nehemiah to be steadfast (1 Corinthians 15:58, 1 Peter 5:10, 2 Peter 3:17-18) till the work on earth is done and His kingdom comes.  Our faith in the Lord and His word ensures us that there will certainly and absolutely be completion of the work of the gospel, even in the midst of the wiles of the Adversary’s conspiracies against us (Ephesians 6:11, 1 John 5:19, 1 Peter 5:8).  Amen.

Oppression and Generously Doing Right

Nehemiah 5:1-19 

    1 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. 2 For there were those who said, "We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live."  3 There were also some who said, "We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine."  4 There were also those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards."

    6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, "Each of you is exacting usury from his brother." So I called a great assembly against them. 8 And I said to them, "According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?"  Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. 

    9 Then I said, "What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10 I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! 11 Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them."

    12 So they said, "We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say."  Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13 Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied."

And all the assembly said, "Amen!" and praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.

    14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's provisions. 15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 16 Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.

    17 And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. 18 Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor's provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

    19 Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

Nehemiah discovered that his people had been enslaving their own over unpaid debts due to heavy taxes and lack of food for their families.  This oppression went directly against God’s laws concerning usury (Exodus 22:25) to charge interest on loans when they should have been feeding and meeting the needs of their fellow Jews (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).  He reminded them that they had been set free, and asked how they could now enslave one another.  This made the crowd quiet, unable to argue against the truth of their wrongdoing facing them.  He again reminded them to fear God and walk in His ways, according to His word.  This meant restoration of the wrongs they had done.  The people promised to do so, and Nehemiah held them to that promise with an oath which stipulated that God would shake them out of the fold of His people if they broke their promise of their word to live by His word.  Also we find how Nehemiah generously fed many, but refused to take provisions typically extracted by high taxes and force from the people in the past by the corrupt governors.  He did what was right according to God’s word in serving his fellow servants of the LORD, praying for God to honor him because he honored Him.  There are principles here beyond Mosaic Law, for we should not treat each other with greed and self-serving to fill our pockets at the expense of meeting the needs of others; we are to good to all, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ (Galatians 6:10).  We should live with the knowledge and constant awareness that each of us is accountable to the Lord and should not oppress others, but be generous.  We must do good (Matthew 18:22, 27, 35, Luke 6:35, Micah 6:8) because we have been set free from slavery to sin and death (Romans 6:18, 22).  May we learn that our New Covenant includes the oath to love one another as He loved us, generously doing the good deeds prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10), what is right, and not oppressing others for our own fleeting gain.

Man the Walls!

Nehemiah 4:1-23 

    1 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?"  3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall."

    4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.  6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

    7 Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, 8 and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

    10 Then Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall."  11 And our adversaries said, "They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease."

    12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, "From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us."  13 Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

    15 And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. 16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

    19 Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, "The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us."

    21 So we labored in the work, and half of the men held the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. 22 At the same time I also said to the people, "Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day." 23 So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.

Man the walls!  As Nahum 2:1 prepared the people to defend themselves, so here Nehemiah had to set watches on the walls as they were being rebuilt due to their enemies.  These included Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, all furious that the Jews had come back and were rebuilding Jerusalem, for that city and people of the LORD were the center of their demise in the past.  They mocked the workers of God as being defenseless, daring to think that they would be able to resume sacrifices, and for thinking that they could rebuild walls with burned and ruined stones from the heaps left there.  What did Nehemiah do?  He prayed to the LORD to turn the hate for His people against them, and to judge their sin in retribution for opposing God’s remnant come to rebuild His house.  They then built the wall.  The adversaries then planned to attack, storming the busy and seemingly defenseless workers.  In response, with prayer, Nehemiah set up continuous guards while the work was progressing.  They even set others with weapons to watch the breaks in the walls so that the enemy did not try to sneak in unseen to work confusion and destruction, for other Jews still living in the area had warned them of the plotting which they heard.  Nehemiah encouraged them not to fear, reminding them that the LORD fought for them and would continue to protect them all in His work.  He is great and awesome!  The plot was foiled, the workers resumed their labors, and defended themselves with a free hand as they worked, rotating in shifts as well to complete their tasks. God gave wisdom to do both defensive strategies and ability to reconstruct the walls of His city.  He still gives us protection and wisdom for His work today according to His word of promise.  Nehemiah even set up a signal to rally the workers to defend at the points of attacks, much as we teach apologetics and discipleship skills to trust and obey as a body of Christ, using our gifts as we meet to encourage on another (Hebrews 10:24-25) and fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12).  We are to watch and pray also as Jesus taught the first disciples and Paul reminded those who followed (Mark 13:33, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2-3, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17).  Prayer defends the walls of the church, which is the building consisting of all His sheep, the Body with Christ as head.  May we stand watch with the weapon of the sword of His Spirit over each other in our gospel labors as we build this house together (1 Peter 2:5, Colossians 2:7).  Let it be so, amen.

Rebuilding the Wall

Nehemiah 3:1-32

    1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 Next to Eliashib the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

    3 Also the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, made repairs. Next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. 5 Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.

    6 Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars. 7 And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the residence of the governor of the region beyond the River. 8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs.

    11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower of the Ovens. 12 And next to him was Shallum the son of Hallohesh, leader of half the district of Jerusalem; he and his daughters made repairs.

    13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Refuse Gate.

    14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district of Beth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.

    15 Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, leader of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he built it, covered it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah by the King's Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, leader of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far as the place in front of the tombs of David, to the man-made pool, and as far as the House of the Mighty.

    17 After him the Levites, under Rehum the son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, leader of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. 18 After him their brethren, under Bavai the son of Henadad, leader of the other half of the district of Keilah, made repairs. 19 And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the leader of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the Ascent to the Armory at the buttress. 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai carefully repaired the other section, from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib.

    22 And after him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs. 23 After him Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress, even as far as the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the buttress, and on the tower which projects from the king's upper house that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

    26 Moreover the Nethinim who dwelt in Ophel made repairs as far as the place in front of the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower. 27 After them the Tekoites repaired another section, next to the great projecting tower, and as far as the wall of Ophel.

    28 Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs in front of his dwelling. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the Nethinim and of the merchants, in front of the Miphkad Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner. 32 And between the upper room at the corner, as far as the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

The remnant who had returned to Jerusalem began repairing the city at last.  The first ones began with a gate, then a section of wall. The gate was first consecrated before being hung.  The beams, bolts, and bars of the next gate were hung by the next group, while others made more repairs on the wall out of the rubble.  However, those nobles of the Tekoites let the others of lower standing do the actual work, seemingly not willingly to get their hands dirty.  The Sheep Gate, Fish Gate, Old Gate,  Valley Gate, Refuse Gate, Fountain Gate, Water Gate, Miphkad Gate, and Horse Gate were completed.  Others also repaired towers, houses, a pool, and around some of their own houses (as well as the house of the area governor).  Care and hard labor went into the work, for heavy rock and beams of wood provided by King Artaxerxes’s order needed to be transported, put in place, and assembled with skill and sweat.  The hearts of the people who had a mind to work were put into the hands and shoulders of all desiring to see the city of David restored, as a symbol of their former glory and position in the LORD as His chosen people.  They had left Him as a people, and now in repentance and regret they were rebuilding their place in and by His grace.  Likewise, when we fall into sin or slide away from obedience, we return to Christ as we turn to grace in confession and repentance.  There we find grace to help and restoration in His loving mercy.  May we build this house of God, His church, in each living stone (1 Peter 2:5) with the effort and care of those with Nehemiah in the work here.  This means using the gifts He gives in the work of restoring the remnant called out to worship Him from these temples as His people until we stand before the throne in the New Jerusalem.  May we build the walls of worship, the gates to enter to Him with thanksgiving, and the house to serve and enjoy Him forever in.  How this reminds us to labor until we sit in the Celestial City to come! 

Rise Up and Build!

Nehemiah 2:11-20

    11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

    17 Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach." 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me.

    So they said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to this good work.

    19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?"

    20 So I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."

Nehemiah finally arrived in Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls and the house of God.  He first took three days before taking a few good and trustworthy men with him on an assessment tour around the city to survey the work needing to be done.  God had put this desire to build the walls back up as they had been in the time of king a David, a man after God’s own heart, for God put it in the heart of Nehemiah to repair what the consequences of rejection of the LORD had brought upon the nation.  At this point he had not revealed what God had tasked him to do, not even his people, the priests, or leaders, not even those who would be laboring in the work.  Then he made the announcement to rise up and build after reminding them all of the distressing state of the city lying in its ruin, and the taunting reproach from their old enemies surrounding them who had formerly been subjugated to Judah there.  He encouraged them with the good news of God’s hand upon him to oversee the work, despite the opposition of the adversaries of the Horonite, the Ammonite, and the Arab.  These enemies ridiculed them with despise and slandered them as traitors against the king of Persia, knowing that the letters of transit and supply came from him, no doubt.  Nehemiah‘S answer was one of trust, of faith, in God’s Call and enablement to prosper the work until its completion.  He reminded the adversary that they had “no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”  We learn that when God calls us to do a task, including above all the work of the gospel to preach and make disciples, along with assembling into churches and teaching them all things in follow up and discipleship on the foundation of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-11), that He will provide the means and ability to complete the task (Philippians 2:13).  All those who have a part in Christ, the called, chosen, and redeemed, have the heritage, right, and remembrance in eternity in the Lamb’s book of life everlasting with Him, in His very presence!  All others are like the enemies of the Jews surrounding the broken walls of Jerusalem which had fallen due to the sin of His people.  We who are in Christ have been freed from that penalty of sin which destroyed us with a certain judgment in His wrath on our sin, but are now built up in Christ and His merciful grace of an eternally reconciling pardon.  We have the right to New Jerusalem by His word written as our letter of transit from darkness to light, and the power of the adversary (Acts 26:18) to God’s almighty power and provision for the gospel task at hand and before us.  We may be slandered and opposed, but as the universal church in Him, no power can stand against this task, not even of Hell itself (Matthew 16:18).  We bring good news of the work of God in repentance to reconciling reconstruction of the despair of sinful men and women, lost in sin and its destruction brought upon by ourselves.  This is a good work, so let us rise up and build! 

The Good Hand of God’s Grace

Nehemiah 2:1-10

    1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. 2 Therefore the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart."  So I became dreadfully afraid, 3 and said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?"

    4 Then the king said to me, "What do you request?"  So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it."

    6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), "How long will your journey be? And when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

    7 Furthermore I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy." And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

    9 Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.

Nehemiah experienced the good hand of God in His grace from the pagan King Artaxerxes.  He was the king’s cupbearer as the last verse of chapter one mentions in what seems an out of place aside, but is the transition into chapter two here.  As cupbearer, Nehemiah was trusted in the presence of Artaxerxes, for he put his life on the line as more than butler and confidant; one duty of a cupbearer was to choose and taste the king’s wine to make certain that it was not poisoned.  The need for trustworthy attendants is underscored by the intrigues that characterized the Persian court, for Xerxes, the father of Artaxerxes I, was killed in his own bedchamber by a courtier.  This position was solidified by tasting the wine for avoiding harm to the king at the risk of his own life.  Therefore, the king noticed when Nehemiah looked depressed and sad, and listened to the malady when he asked his trusted servant what was worrying him.  It is noteworthy that this was the first time he appeared right in front of the king, in his presence.  God moved the heart of the king, turning it like water to do as He planned through his servant (Proverbs 21:1).  Nehemiah told of the sorrow for his home town in ruins, the place where his ancestors were buried.  The king asked what he could do, and his trusted servant laid out the plan and timetable to return for the reconstruction.  The king sent him, along with letters of safe transit and timber to rebuild the gates, city walls, and a house to live in while the work was accomplished.  This was as it was written, granted by the king by the good hand of God upon Nehemiah.  As Hudson Taylor would say many centuries later, “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack His supply.”  This work was planned by God and enabled by His working in the hearts of his servant and the unbelieving king.  Ah, but there was still opposition around Jerusalem when the news reached there, for a Horonite and an Ammonite official were outraged upon hearing the news that someone was coming to seek the well-being of Israel’s people in the land where they now had the upper hand after the Jews were led away into captivity.  We find reassurance then in knowing that if we are about our Father’s business, He will enable circumstances and keep us through the opposition.  This is trust in His sovereign grace, in spite of opposition and to make glad our hearts (Proverbs 17:22) by encouraging words from His word to us in the work of the gospel in building His kingdom through its proclamation and following teaching in making disciples of Jesus Christ.  This is the good hand of God’s grace as much for us as it was for Nehemiah.

Comforting Prayer with Fasting and Weeping

Nehemiah 1:1-11 

    1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.
It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire."

    4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

    5 And I said: "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.' 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."

For I was the king's cupbearer.

The Hebrew for Nehemiah is, “Comfort of Yahweh,” and he was the cupbearer to the Persian king in the palace, who ends up leading the third and last return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.  The first chapter shows him praying for God’s people when word came from Jerusalem where the work to rebuild the house of God was met with misery and  taunting scorn from the adversaries all around.  He also heard about the walls of the city still in ruin and knew the work that would need to be done in restoration of the city surrounding and protecting the temple, and all these things caused him to weep in prayer and fasting.  He was mourning for the state of God’s house, city, and people from the place of his own captivity in Babylon.  The prayer of Nehemiah began with adoration of the LORD and confession of his people’s sins.  Then he prayed with supplication for God’s intervention for His people’s sake, with thanksgiving throughout the petition.  He acknowledged their sin in confessing their disobedience to His word clearly given for them to follow, and stood on the promises of God who said He would bring them back if they repented, returning to Him in faithful obedience once more.  He spoke of the promise to gather the scattered sinners to Himself where He put His name to live among them, namely Jerusalem in the temple which was His house.  Therefore, Nehemiah offered the people as servants to the LORD for redemption by His power to all who desired to fear His name.  He sought mercy to be used for the work ahead to which he was chosen and called.  Likewise, we who are on Christ pray for grace and mercy, knowing that Christ has called us to Himself out of our captivity to rebellious sin.  We pray in adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication for His people and His work which is the gospel of grace and mercy by His mighty hand in the work of Christ alone.  Do we then pray and fast for we His people to also repent and follow in this work until His return?  There is much work to be done to build His house, which we are in Christ.  May we petition the King of kings, and not merely the rulers of this world, learning from Nehemiah that the hearts and minds of the kings of this world are securely in His hands, just as we are. 

Confession of Sin From Contrite Hearts

Ezra 10:1-44 

    1 Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. 2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, "We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. 3 Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it."

    5 Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath. 6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity.

    7 And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity.

    9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives."

    12 Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, "Yes! As you have said, so we must do. 13 But there are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter. 14 Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let all those in our cities who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of their cities, until the fierce wrath of our God is turned away from us in this matter." 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite gave them support.

    16 Then the descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers' households, were set apart by the fathers' households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 By the first day of the first month they finished questioning all the men who had taken pagan wives.

    18 And among the sons of the priests who had taken pagan wives the following were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 And they gave their promise that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they presented a ram of the flock as their trespass offering.

    20 Also of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah; 22 of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.  23 Also of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.  24 Also of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.  25 And others of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Jeziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah; 26 of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Eliah; 27 of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; 28 of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; 29 of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth; 30 of the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; 31 of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluh, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph; 43 of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

    44 All these had taken pagan wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Confession of God’s people for the sin of forsaking Him and His word in the alliances with pagan wives resulted in this moment.  While Ezra as the spiritual leader prayed as he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down in humility and godly sorrow for the people’s sin, many came to him, also in tears, and confessed their transgressions, offering to willingly put away the snares of the pagan marriages.  They made a covenant agreement between God and themselves, with fear and trembling in light of God’s word.  These things parallel our own repentance (Psalm 2:11, Philippians 2:12) in the New Covenant which God has made with us, and not we with Him; it means we are to follow His word as we confess and forsake our sin against that word.  We however, do not do these things to establish a relationship with God, but to maintain it for His honor and glory.  We also do not marry unbelievers, but if we do, then we follow scripture in our response, as laid out in 2 Corinthians 6:14 and 1 Corinthians 7:12-13, 15, to live with the one who is God’s enemy as long as they do not want to leave, not putting them away, but showing grace.  If, however, the unbeliever wishes to leave for any reason, we should release them from the marriage covenant which does not have God in it as the binding reason as between two believers in Christ.  The same attitude of contrition and godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:9-10) should move us to much continued prayer as we acknowledge our sin if it was our choosing to open the temple of God’s Spirit, our bodies, to an idolatrous pagan of the world.  If both are unbelievers when married and on later comes to Christ, this of course is different; the guidelines of staying or releasing are there, but the sorrow is guiltless because the choice was not made in opposition to His word and will.  In Ezra’s day, before Christ entered the world and put His word of law in regenerated hearts, accountability was absolute to dissolve the ungodly alliances of marriage to the godless, and the solution was to live by keeping the letter of the law; now we live from His law within us by the grace and forgiveness of mercy shown to us instead.  The bottom line of the lesson for us is never to court or enter into a covenant of marriage apart from God’s presence in that covenant, and to repent if we have done so, calling it as sin without covering it up as we seek the other’s salvation, or allowing them to depart if they wish it.  We are not to put away the unbeliever.  These are difficult things to do, and if we avoid bad decisions up front, we will save ourselves much sorrow.  Confession of sin from contrite and broken hearts still applies.  Look at the long list of broken people in this passage of Ezra to see the extent of the problem and the sorrow it brought, and vow to avoid such alliances because of the sorrow it brings to us and to our Lord.  There are similarities and differences in the time of Ezra and in Christ.  God’s will and word remain the same. 

The Remnant’s Continued Sin

Ezra 9:1-15 

   1 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass." 3 So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.

    5 At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God. 6 And I said: "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. 9 For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11 which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. 12 Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.' 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15 O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!"

The remnant of God’s people committed such sin after having seen so much mercy and grace; intermarriage with idolatrous people not of the LORD was the sin, the very ones He warned them not to marry in the beginning, before they entered the promised land!  Their holy seed being mixed with unbelievers who were opposed to God caused Ezra to sit and contemplate the horrid situation in complete astonishment.  He could not fathom how they could not only disobey the LORD, but also how they could willingly seek to be so unequally yoked to stray oxen who would keep them from the straight path which God’s word set them on.  In his shame and humiliation for his people, Ezra cried to God in despair.  He could not believe that after this remnant left from the severe judgment the nation had faced already for their idolatry and sinful disregard for the word of the LORD that they could go back to wallow in the same errors as pigs in the filth of the world (2 Peter 2:22).  Even after all their past transgressions, God kept a remnant as a peg in His holy place by a small measure of grace, as a small nail driven in the temple as part of what held it together.   Why?  He did this to enlighten their eyes and give them a measure of revival in their bondage and out of it as a reminder of His mercy and unending love.  Even in captivity to sin in a figurative sense of their captivity, they received grace and were kept aside for His glory and praise.  So how could they receive such forgiveness and grace, only to return to casting Him under their feet by marrying unbelievers?  Don’t some in Christ do this even today, thinking that God will change the other instead of waiting to see if there is a change before being yoked to them?  How can we judge Judah and Israel, if we do the same abominable things, and count His deliverance in Christ from the captivity to sin as trivial, choosing to willingly disobey His word (Genesis 2:24, 2 Corinthians 6:14).  Yet God is still merciful, and keeps a remnant of His people in His righteousness, even when we realize that we all have some measure of guilt and cannot stand before Him apart from confession and forsaking sin (1 John 1:9).  Even this remnant according to grace in Christ (Romans 11:5) is accountable in our continued sin, yet we are also restorable by that same grace and mercy.  May we come before that throne of grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16), but also following Him before going against His clear word to not take the wrong path such as intermarriage with unbelievers, which has such lasting consequences!  May we learn from this example not to repeat the same errors, but instead to repent when we do err, that we may go on to sin intentionally no more.

You are Holy to the LORD

Ezra 8:24-36

   24 And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them— 25 and weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present, had offered. 26 I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold. 28 And I 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. 29 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." 30 So 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.

   31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road. 32 So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.

    33 Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, 34 with the number and weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.

    35 The children of those who had been carried away captive, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.  36 And they delivered the king's orders to the king's satraps and the governors in the region beyond the River. So they gave support to the people and the house of God.

Ezra chose twelve leaders of the priests to take the many offerings to Jerusalem given by the Jews of the diaspora returning from Babylon, as well as from the king and other rulers of the Persian kingdom.  They were to bring these into God’s house, and so were set apart as priests with this service, for Ezra told them that they were holy to the LORD, as were the valuable articles to be dedicated to Him and taken to the temple, His house of worship, the house of the Holy of the holies.  They were on their way to Jerusalem with the hand of God on them to deliver them from evil and keep them safe, for they trusted His providential protection along the way, having refused a military escort because of their testimony of faith to king Artaxerxes.  Upon arriving at the house of God, they measured the articles of value they brought there, recorded it, and then the captives set free offered many sacrifices, willingly.  The final act was to hand over the king’s orders for the work which were given to them before they left, that the work would be under the government’s support and protection.  We learn from this event how trusting God leads to accomplishing the work of service given to us, and how in Christ we are all priests, set aside or made holy for His work and worship (Revelation 1:6, 5:10, Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2).  We are His house of worship (Hebrews 3:6) in which He lives now, and our lives are the living sacrifices and places of worship now, not the buildings we gather in, for we are being built together (Ephesians 2:22, 1 Peter 2:5) to minister as His holy priests; remember that you are Holy to the Lord!  We have been set free, delivered from our captivity to sin and the resulting sentence of death; may we so freely offer our lives as living sacrifices to follow Christ and serve Him with all we have, for that is why we are made holy to our Lord. 

Fasting and Prayer for Protection

Ezra 8:1-23

   1 These are the heads of their fathers' houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush; 3 of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and registered with him were one hundred and fifty males; 4 of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; 5 of the sons of Shechaniah, Ben-Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males; 6 of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males; 7 of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males; 8 of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males; 9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males; 10 of the sons of Shelomith, Ben-Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males; 11 of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; 12 of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; 13 of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah—and with them sixty males; 14 also of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

   15 Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And I looked among the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there. 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of understanding. 17 And I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim at the place Casiphia—that they should bring us servants for the house of our God. 18 Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men; 19 and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men; 20 also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim. All of them were designated by name.

    21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him." 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.

Ezra had the support of King Artaxerxes and, more importantly, the blessings of God, to bring many out of Babylon back to Jerusalem.  He is careful to name each family who accompanied him, acknowledging their faithfulness to go back to a hostile environment where much work still needed to be done to restore their homeland.  He gathered them all together for three days before setting out, and there noticed that there were no servants for the priests, the Levites, in their assembly.  He had to send Iddo, a leader of Jews at a town on the road between Babylon and Jerusalem, to go round up some of these servants of the LORD from the Nethinim and a few other sons of Levi.  This was done by “the good hand of our God upon” them; Ezra gave the glory to God for His grace of providence and provision, and assigned them each individual tasks of service.  They were valued by God and man for their service to follow after reaching Jerusalem.  Ezra then led the people to humble themselves by fasting and prayer for direction and protection on their journey, for they had not asked for a government escort, having turned it down from the king with the statement of faith to,rely on God’s protection.  He had bragged about the ability of the LORD to keep them against enemies.   He told Artaxerxes that God’s hand is for good to those who seek Him (those who are His, Romans 8:28), just as His hand of power and wrath would be against those who forsake Him (leave, go without trusting or following Him).  Because he had spoken about faith in God’s providential protection for His people to keep them safe, their doubts were assayed by further fasting and prayer (1 Chronicles 5:20, Psalm 22:4-5, Mark 9:24).  Likewise, our lesson for us is to step out in trust of God’s providence and protection to follow Christ and serve Him on the gospel work we are each called to, praying and fasting along He way to allow His strengthening hand to guide and keep us in the work.  This is His protection, not necessarily against bodily harm, but always against eternal adversity.  We know by God’s character and examples like this that He answers prayers of faith (Psalm 31:14-15, 19,  Nahum 1:7, 2 Corinthians 1:9-10) to keep us as Romans 8:31 encourages us. 

Providential Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra

Ezra 7:11-28

   11 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:

      12 Artaxerxes, king of kings,

      To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:

      Perfect peace, and so forth.

      13 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. 14 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; 15 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; 16 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— 17 now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.

      18 And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God. 19 Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king's treasury.

      21 And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently, 22 up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit. 23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

      24 Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God. 25 And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them. 26 Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.

    27 Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, 28 and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty princes.  So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.

God’s sovereign grace moved the heart of king Artaxerxes as a river (Proverbs 21:1), turning it as He wished into not only allowing the rebuilding of the temple, but with governmental protection as well.  This letter to Ezra the scribe and priest of the Most High God reveals that the king acknowledged God’s word as law from above, out of heaven where He reigns over all, just as the former king Cyrus of Babylon confessed in Ezra 1:1-2, knowing that the kingdom he had on earth was given by God Himself.  Here we see Artaxerxes’ letter confessing the LORD and wishing peace on His people in this endeavor to rebuild the house to worship God and serve with sacrifices as He set forth in the Law.  This king of the vast and mighty Persian empire put money and resources at Ezra’s disposal to finish the work, and also to make the workers of God’s house tax-exempt, a basis of the tax-free status of churches today.  The letter commands the workers to do the work according to God’s commands by Ezra’s hands rightly dividing the word of truth with God-given wisdom, diligently and by that wise direction of His servant.  King Artaxerxes feared God and the welfare of his kingdom in God’s hands.  He even commanded that Judah rule itself according to God’s laws as well as the king’s, or face the consequences backed by the government of Persia.  God protected He people through the law of the land, which was not a democracy, but a monarchy.  God can use any government; it is not the form which makes peace for God’s people, but God Himself using the government which He puts in place according to His will.  This is a lesson for Christians in the Western democracies to heed.  We rely on God’s grace, not the institutions which we set in place.  Ultimately, we do not really set them in place of our own wisdom or choices, for God moves us to vote so that the outcome is what He wants and plans anyway.  He is always sovereign over the affairs of the world, including governments and the church.  God puts these things into the hearts of rulers as He wills.  We find encouragement in these workings of mercy in providence as Ezra did, not in our own imagined power to make things right.  This is a reminder of who rules men, and the providence of sovereign grace which chooses and moves governments according to His will.  We are not in charge because we have a democratic system; God rules.  May we go up together to worship in spirit and in truth before Christ our Lord, knowing His sovereign grace in the providence and power of the true ruler of us all.  Amen. 

Ezra’s Heart as Priest and Scribe

Ezra 7:1-10

    1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. 

    7 Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

After the Persian king Darius gave the legal approval to continue the restoration of the house of God in Jerusalem and completed under the oversight of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, Ezra was sent from Babylon to Jerusalem.  The new emperor of Persia, Artaxerxes, granted Ezra’s petition to go there because the hand of the LORD was on him - this was the grace of God on Ezra’s life.  This Ezra was a priest descended from the first high priest, Aaron, and was also well-versed in God’s word, the Law of Moses, as a scribe.  Twice this passage mentions God’s good hand on him, and goes further to give the reason; Ezra pointed the direction of his heart to know God’s word and to put it into practice, as well as to teach it to his fellow people of God to follow wholeheartedly.  This is a pattern for we who are in Christ also, to put Christ first in our lives, that is, to make Him the direction of all we do and desire above our own pursuits according to cultural expectations and personal pleasures (1 John 2:15-17).  Do we then seek to know all we can of the scriptures with a hunger for His word, and a resultant burning desire driving us to trust and obey willingly to put the commands and examples into daily living?  Do we run the race like Paul (1 Corinthians 9:24, Hebrews 12:1-2, Philippians 3:12-14) to the goal of conformity to Christ and His good pleasure?  May we learn this desire from Ezra and other good examples! 

The Decree, Dedication, and Celebration

Ezra 6:1-22 

    1 Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. 2 And at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus:

    3 In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: "Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits, 4 with three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid from the king's treasury. 5 Also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple which is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple which is in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God"—

    6 Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and your companions the Persians who are beyond the River, keep yourselves far from there. 7 Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.

    8 Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king's expense from taxes on the region beyond the River; this is to be given immediately to these men, so that they are not hindered. 9 And whatever they need—young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem—let it be given them day by day without fail, 10 that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

    11 Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this. 12 And may the God who causes His name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.

   13 Then Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent. 14 So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. 16 Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 And they offered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

   19 And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. 21 Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the LORD God of Israel. 22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

The decree of Darius was given to search the archives of Babylon, as requested by his Persian governor in the area surrounding Jerusalem where the temple was being restored.  The order to restore had been given previously by King Cyrus, but had been forgotten, and the work had been ordered to be stopped.  The Jews who had returned had resumed the work under Zerubbabel until the issue was escalated up to Darius.  The scroll of the historical charge was found at last in Media, which had been captured by Cyrus in 550 BC and then become a summer residence of Persian kings.  Media (Medes, the middle land) itself was situated northwest of Persia, south and southwest of the Caspian Sea, and east of Assyria.  The scroll unearthed at the command of King Darius revealed the order to send captives of Judah back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of the only and living God there (Ezra 1:2).  Furthermore, the ruling dictated that the Persian empire would fund the building and the builders, stipulating that any stopping the work would have a timber pulled from his own house to hang him on, and his house reduced to a garbage heap!  In verse 12 here it revealed to Darius also that it was the Jewish God who caused His name to dwell there to destroy any king or people who attempt to change this edict, or to destroy the house of God in Jerusalem. Darius issued the decree to have it be done diligently and without opposition, or these severe consequences would be given.  Therefore, the work resumed by legal backing, and the temple was completed under the oversight of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah as promised by the LORD God with the backing of the commands of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.  They then sacrificed again to the LORD with contrite hearts, acknowledging their sin which brought about their defeat and captivity in Babylon.  They kept the Passover in remembrance of His work of deliverance from bondage in Egypt, but also from the captivity in Babylon.  Their joy was in the LORD who made them joyful, and who were strengthened by Him with outside help in the work.  We learn how God brings joy in the morning (Psalm 30:5) after suffering persecution, or for our own sin as these here did.  We find hope in God’s sovereign rule over the governments we sit under, knowing He arranges all circumstances for His glory and good for us (Romans 8:28).  May we also celebrate our deliverance (salvation) as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) with thanksgiving, and rest in Christ’s work (Hebrews 4:9-10) alone for our good.  Ephesians 4:8 reminds us we have been captive to sin and released in Him, out of the darkness of sin’s hold with death and persecution waiting for us; we are conveyed into the light of His presence forevermore (1 Peter 2:9, Acts 26:18)! 

Resumed Restoration Amidst Opposition

Ezra 5:1-17 

   1 Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

    3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: "Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?" 4 Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. 5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter. 6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent:

The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king.  7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus.)

      To Darius the king: All peace.

      8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

     9 Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: "Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?" 10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.

    11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. 12 But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon. 13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God. 14 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15 And he said to him, 'Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.' 16 Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished."

    17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king's treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.

After the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem was halted by King Artaxerxes due to the influence of the adversaries of God’s people, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah spoke in the name of the LORD to the Jews.  Zerubbabel listened and resumed building with their assistance.  They listened to God rather than men when the order was against His word (Acts 4:19, 5:29).  They had honored the government leaders over them (Romans 13:1-2, 1 Peter 2:13, Titus 3:1), but disobeyed when a clear command of God told them to continue building His house of worship and sacrifice.  We likewise build the house of God, which is the body of Christ and not a building, preaching and teaching His word as part of our gospel service of worship as living sacrifices.  We do this not in boasting rebellion to government, but in humble obedience to the Lord Christ.  When a Persian governor near Jerusalem questioned who gave the authority to rebuild and took their names, they put off their response as the ruler of Persia, king Darius, was appraised of the situation and told their names.  The response of the Jews to that governor had been the history of their service to the LORD and their temple’s destruction because of their sins which provoked God’s wrath and sent them into Babylonian exile.  They took responsibility for their sin and its consequences.  They also told of the edict from the former king Cyrus to return and rebuild.  The report sent by letter asked king Darius to inquire in the archives of Babylon to see if this claim was true, and to inform them of their next move against the Jews in Jerusalem.  The due process of law would settle the matter, not a reaction of violence to stop the work.  Sometimes God will so intervene using the legal systems of the world leaders which ultimately He put in place to begin with.  Other times, there may be persecution and a violent response; the outcome is in His hands of mercy and grace, not in our violent response or rebellion in opposition to the word of God.  May we learn from this and other similar examples of scripture how to respond to opposition in His work.