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.
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