As Ezra prepared to make the journey back to the Promised Land, he made a bold stand before the king, witnessing to him of God’s goodness and protection toward His children. That was a good thing, but after doing so, he couldn\u2019t bring himself to ask the king for a military escort to Jerusalem, even though they were traveling more than 800 miles, carrying gold and other valuables. Ezra had painted himself into a corner; he had to trust in God’s hand alone for protection. That is never a bad position for us to put ourselves in since God longs for us to trust Him.<\/p>\n
It is important for us to consider that every person on the planet is under the hand of God, regardless of what their relationship is with Him, whether they are seeking Him or forsaking Him. Ezra says here that God\u2019s hand has one of two impacts: it is either “for good [on those] who seek Him” or it is “against all those who forsake Him.” The hand of God for good or the hand of God for correction; to seek Him or forsake Him, that is the question we are faced with. Which one will we choose? What is our relationship with Him? The key is simply to be constantly seeking Him. He promises us that if we seek Him, He will be found; if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. God’s hand of blessing for good is poised and waiting to bless our lives today. Choose to seek Him.<\/p>\n
“LORD, we seek Your face and turn from our wicked ways.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ezra 8 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0These\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>now the chief of their fathers, and\u00a0this is\u00a0<\/em>the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.\u00a03<\/sup>Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0Of the sons of Pahath-moab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males.\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.\u00a0\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.\u00a0 15<\/sup>\u00a0And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.\u00a0\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.\u00a0\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0And 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; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name. 21<\/sup>\u00a0Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>against all them that forsake him.\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. 24<\/sup>\u00a0Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels,\u00a0even\u00a0<\/em>the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel\u00a0there\u00a0<\/em>present, had offered:\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>of gold an hundred talents;\u00a027<\/sup>\u00a0Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a028<\/sup>\u00a0And I said unto them, Ye\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>holy unto the\u00a0LORD; the vessels\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>holy also; and the silver and the gold\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>a freewill offering unto the\u00a0LORD\u00a0God of your fathers.\u00a029<\/sup>\u00a0Watch ye, and keep\u00a0them\u00a0<\/em>, until ye weigh\u00a0them\u00a0<\/em>before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the\u00a0LORD.\u00a030<\/sup>\u00a0So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring\u00a0them\u00a0<\/em>to Jerusalem unto the house of our God. 31<\/sup> Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth\u00a0day\u00a0<\/em>of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.\u00a032<\/sup>And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. 33<\/sup>\u00a0Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;\u00a034<\/sup>\u00a0By number\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.\u00a035<\/sup>\u00a0Also\u00a0<\/em>the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats\u00a0for\u00a0<\/em>a sin offering: all\u00a0this was\u00a0<\/em>a burnt offering unto the\u00a0LORD. 36<\/sup> And they delivered the king\u2019s commissions unto the king\u2019s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As Ezra prepared to make the journey back to the Promised Land, he made a bold stand before the king, witnessing to him of God’s goodness and protection toward His children. 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