April 29, 2005

“THE HAND OF OUR GOD WAS ON US.”

Ezra 7-8

There is a wonderful phrase in the book of Ezra. In many ways, it captures the very essence of the message of this book. It is the phrase I have chosen as the title for my message this morning: The hand of our God was on us.

I have mentioned frequently in my preaching the importance of repetition as a tool of emphasis in Hebrew literature. So it should cause us to sit up and take notice when we find this phrase repeated 6 times in the book of Ezra, all 6 occurrences in chapters 7-8. The occurrences have slight variations. The personal pronoun varies: “on him, on us, on me.” And on several occasions an additional qualifier is added. It is the phrase “for good”. The NIV translates this “the gracious hand of God.”

Whatever these slight variations in form, I find this a marvelous phrase. Can any of us really desire more in our various life undertakings than to be able to say, as Ezra did: “The hand of my God was on me”? What happened as a result of God’s hand being on Ezra? And what needs to happen in our lives so that we can experience the hand of God on us? Those are the questions we want to investigate in this message this morning.

First I. What happened as a result of God’s hand being on Ezra?

Let’s pick up the thread of the text once again. We ended last week at the end of Ezra 6 with the celebration of the completion of the rebuilding of the temple. Almost 60 years elapses between the end of Ezra 6 and the beginning of Ezra 7. The account in the rest of Ezra tells of the return of another wave of exiles in 458 BC during the rule of a Persian king named Artaxerxes. By the way, during the intervening years, the events of the book of Esther have taken place, under the reign of a man named Xerxes.

In Ezra 7 we meet, for the first time, the man for whom the book we are studying is named. Most conservative scholars believe he is the author of the book as well as the author of the book of Nehemiah which follows. Ezra was the leader of this second wave of returning exiles. It is a much smaller group than the group who returned under Zerubbabel in 538, with estimates of around 4000 people in all. Chapter 7 begins with a genealogy of Ezra, tracing his ancestry back to Aaron, the first appointed high priest in Israel’s history. But more than being a priest, Ezra is described in verse 8 as a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses. Other translations use the word “scribe”. His vision in returning to the land is to ensure that the people of God who have returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the house of God are also living in accordance with the Law of God.

It is in the course of the record of his return to Jerusalem that he uses the phrase “the hand of God was on me.” What happened as a result of God’s hand being on Ezra? Now, I could go through the story and simply pick out every good thing that happened and say that it was the result of God’s hand being on him. And that would not be wrong. But I have chosen to limit myself only to those events or results in the text that are specifically linked to the hand of God.

First, A. The king granted his request for help.  (Read Ezra 7:6). Did you notice our key phrase, along with the linking word “for.” We are not sure what kind of relationship Ezra had with the king of Persia, or how he won a hearing or was able to present his request. We are not even sure exactly what he asked for. We only know that because the hand of the LORD his God was on him, the king gave him everything he asked for.

In fact, in the last half of chapter 7, Ezra records a copy of the king’s decree. It is an amazing document. Let’s read selectively from it: (Read v. 12-16, 21, 25) Ezra was given remarkable wealth, resources and authority for his task, all because the hand of God was on him.

The second thing that is attributed to the hand of God is B. People followed his leadership. We see this in the last part of Ezra 7:28: Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. When Ezra began to recruit people to join him, there were leading men who were prepared to leave their settled lives in Babylon, uproot their families and return to Jerusalem. Ezra recognized that this happened because God’s hand was on him.

The third result is that C. The right (qualified) people responded to his appeal. When Ezra gathered his group together to prepare for the journey, he discovered that there were no Levites among those planning to return. This was devastating to his plans, as he was returning to strengthen the temple worship and the teaching of the Law. According to the Law of God, he could not do that properly without the assistance of the Levites. So he did some urgent recruiting. And because God’s hand was on him, the right people responded. (Read 8:18, etc.)

The next thing he ascribed to God’s hand was D. God protected them on their journey. Now, it’s always a good thing to start a journey with prayer for God’s protection. But it was especially critical in this case. They were about to embark on a journey of almost 900 miles. What’s more, they were carrying with them a fortune of several tons worth of silver and gold and goods for the temple. On top of that, Ezra faced a unique dilemma. He describes it very transparently in Ezra 8:22-23. (Read) I like Ezra because he’s so honest! He would dearly have loved to ask for an armed escort. In all probability, he would have been granted the request. But along the way, in his dealings with the king, he had been declaring that God was able to protect them. Now it’s time to “put his money where his mouth is.” Is God able to protect them, or not?

Look down to the end of the account. (Read 8:31-32). That’s a pretty clear link, isn’t it? The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits.

Finally, we can see that as a result of the hand of God being on him, E. He arrived at his destination and achieved his objective. This is really a summary statement of all the others. It is given in the opening verses of Ezra 7. (Read 7:8-9) This is Ezra’s kind of pre-summary of the whole account, and he attributes it all to the gracious hand of God.

That is quite an impressive list of achievements and positive outcomes, all because the hand of God was on him. The question I want to consider next is II. Why was God’s hand on Ezra? Was this just some kind of random selection? Did God toss a coin, or spin a dial, and Ezra’s name came up? Or were there preconditions, prerequisites that Ezra fulfilled that led to his being selected by God?

And if there were preconditions for God’s hand being on Ezra, what were they? What preconditions must we fulfill if we desire God’s hand on us?

In studying the text, I found there were some preconditions, and I have summarized them in the form of three principles.

The first is A. The General Principle: The hand of God is on everyone who seeks him.

This is the broad, general principle that is stated very clearly in Ezra 8:22: The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him…The word is literally “seeks” him. The image of seeking God is everywhere in Scripture. If you want the hand of God upon you and upon your life, you have to seek him. You have to look to him. You have to pursue him and make him the object of your trust and confidence. The Israelites were banished into captivity because they sought and worshipped other gods. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God told them, “I will bring you back to the land when you seek for me with all your hearts.”

The psalmist describes this seeking in Psalm 42:1-2: As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? And again in Psalm 84:2: My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

We are to seek him. Seek him for himself. Seek him for his favor. Seek him as our source of help and confidence. He knows those who seek him, and the promise of Scripture is “the gracious hand of our God is on everyone who seeks him.” That is the general principle. If you want God’s hand to be on you, you must seek him.

Next is what I have labeled B. The Life Pattern Principle: The hand of God is on believers whose life purpose is aligned with his will.

To see this one, I would direct our attention to Ezra 7:9-10. In verse 9, we see our phrase given in a kind of summary statement. That God brought him back to Jerusalem through his gracious hand upon him. But the next verse is crucial to our understanding of the preconditions. You will note that it starts with the word “for”, a causal connection. Why was God’s hand on him? “Because…” and he spells it out in the rest of verse 10. And what we have in verse 10 is what I would consider a statement of Ezra’s life purpose or mission.

For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

This is a description of Ezra’s life purpose. This verse is hallowed and familiar ground for me personally, because I adopted this verse as my life verse many years ago as a young pastor. In fact, it formed the text for the very first message I ever preached in this church, almost 15 years ago. This is God’s calling on my life, as it was on the life of Ezra. It is a simply structured verse. The driving verb is translated here “devoted himself.” Other translations read “he had prepared his heart.” The literal rendering would be “he had fixed or set or established his heart”. When you fix your heart on something, you are establishing your bottom line, your non-negotiable. You are saying: “This is the one thing I will do above all others. On this there can be no compromise. This I will do, even if other good things may remain undone.” Ezra had focused his life and his life mission.

Ezra had devoted himself to three things, each of which is given in the original in an infinitive verb form. I would translate them in English, simply as “to study, to do, and to teach.” And the object of all three verbs is the same: The Torah. The Law of God with its decrees and statutes. The revealed Word and will of God.

He devoted himself first to studying it. To knowing what it said. To knowing what it meant. This was his mission and his task. But it was always a means to an end, never simply an end in itself. He also devoted himself to “doing it.” Ezra was committed to obeying what he found in the Scripture. This was not an academic pursuit for him. It was a practical one. He desired to live in accordance with the will of God. And finally, he was devoted to teaching the Law with its decrees to God’s people. This mission made up the essence of Ezra’s life and ministry. And that’s why, the text says, the gracious hand of God was upon him.

Now let me step in quickly at this point to say that God has not called all of us to be Ezras. Ezra had a unique calling. I believe God has given me that same calling, and I have devoted my life to it. God may have another mission or life purpose for you. But I believe there is common ground in the way that I have worded this principle: The hand of God is on believers whose life purpose is aligned with his will.

Do you know what your life purpose is? Do you have a life mission statement? Many of you may not have a life mission statement, or be able to articulate your life purpose clearly. But everyone has a life purpose, for better or for worse. Here are several, taken from popular songs or sayings: “I did it my way.” “Just do it.” “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” “The one who dies with the most toys wins.” “I have to be happy.”

Here is the point I am making. The hand of God is on believers whose life purpose is aligned with his will.  Ezra’s life purpose was aligned with God’s will. Is yours? If you want the hand of God to be on your life, your life purpose must be aligned with his will.

Third is what I would call C. The Specific Occasion Principle: The hand of God is on believers who petition him intensely and specifically in times of special danger or need.

We see this in Ezra’s preparation for the journey back to Jerusalem. With all the risk that it entailed, and with his resolve not to ask for the king’s help, he recognized this as a time of great danger. Look at what he did. (Read 8:21-23)

They specifically asked for God’s protection and help, and he gave it. His hand was on them throughout the journey and so they arrived safely. We also have the privilege of petitioning God in times of special danger or need. In Ezra’s case, their prayer included a time of fasting and humbling themselves before God. While the Bible never specifically commands us to fast, the Scripture is full of examples of people fasting as a way of intensifying their prayers, and showing their seriousness and humility and their dependence on God. It is certainly an appropriate practice for believers today in times of particular danger or need. When we particularly feel the need for God’s hand on us, we can ask for it, intensely and specifically.

Many of you know the story of this Centre, how in early 1991, we were told that we would have to stop all public meetings at our worship center within 30 days. Ten churches were to be left without a place to meet. During those 30 days we called on all the Christians in our church and the other churches to join in special days of fasting and prayer as we petitioned God to meet our need. With just a week to spare, God opened the way for us to have an interview with the private secretary of the Crown Prince. Three days after that interview, the man called to tell us that a letter had been sent to the Municipality instructing them to grant us a new property for our worship center, to give us compensation for our existing buildings, and to allow us to continue worshipping at our existing center until the new one was ready for use. God’s hand was on us in response to our specific and intense petition.

Last Friday night we met for prayer specifically for our new building expansion project. We intend to call such prayer meetings again from time to time when we face particular hurdles or times of need. While we can do this corporately, you can also do this privately as you face specific occasions of danger need in your personal life as well.

So, from the life of Ezra, we have these three principles to ponder if we desire the hand of God to be on us and our undertakings. The General Principle, the Life Purpose Principle and the Specific Occasion Principle.

Before we close, though, I want to raise one final question. III. What was Ezra’s response to experiencing God’s hand on him? This is vitally important. Here is the Answer: He gave God the glory and the credit for what was accomplished.

Now, because we believe Ezra wrote the entire book, we could refer to all of his references to the hand and work of God, but I want to simply highlight the ones that are in the first person, in Ezra’s own words and recollections.

First of all in Ezra 7:27: Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king…

From the whole story, we know that Ezra must have taken initiative in approaching the king and making requests. At this point he could well have been boasting about his own connections or influence or “wasta”. Instead he gives all the credit to God. “He put it into the king’s heart…”

Then in Ezra 7:28: Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. Again, how easy it would have been to boast of his leadership skills and his inspirational ability. But instead he credits all to the hand of God.

Look at 8:18: Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man… “God provided the right people,” Ezra proclaimed.

Finally in 8:31: The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way…He was quick to give God the credit and to give him thanks for the protection on the journey.

That is one thing God expects, when he puts his gracious hand on us and works through us and for us. He expects us to give him the glory. To say, as Ezra did repeatedly, “It was the hand of God on us who has accomplished this.”

There is a tragic story in the Old Testament of a king of Judah who ignored this principle. He was a king by the name of Uzziah. He was a good king who sought the Lord. His story is told in II Chronicles 26, but I will just summarize it here. The text states that, As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.

The King James Version masterfully captures the essence of his downfall: For he was marvelously helped till he was strong. But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction. (26:15-16)

We seek the hand of God upon our lives and our undertakings. And he desires to put his hand on us and to work in us and through us to accomplish his purpose and to do great and wonderful things. But when we does, let us not make the error the King Uzziah did. Let us, like Ezra, be quick to give credit where credit is due. “This is the hand of God that has done this.” The hand of our God was on us.