Ezra had a king’s letter, a royal treasury behind him, and a large load of silver and gold to carry across dangerous country. The obvious next step was to ask for soldiers.
He did not ask. He had already told the king that the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him, and he was ashamed to turn around and request a military escort. So he gathered the people by a river and fasted instead.
The Story of Ezra’s Journey
In the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a priest descended from Aaron the chief priest, and he was a ready 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. The text gives the reason behind the man: Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
Artaxerxes sent a letter with him. Any of the people of Israel, priests and Levites in his realm who were minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem could go with Ezra. He was to carry the silver and gold the king and his counsellors had freely offered unto the God of Israel, buy animals for the offerings, and draw on the king’s treasurers beyond the river for whatever more was needed. The letter even told Ezra to set magistrates and judges, and to teach the law of God to those who did not know it.
Ezra did not take the credit. Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, he wrote, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.
He gathered the travelers at the river that runneth to Ahava, and they camped there three days. When he looked over the company he found there none of the sons of Levi, so he sent men to Iddo at Casiphia to ask for ministers for the house of our God. By the good hand of our God upon us, Levites and two hundred and twenty Nethinims came.
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, Ezra writes, 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. He explains why: For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because he had already told the king that the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.
Ezra separated twelve of the chief of the priests and weighed the treasure into their hands: six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver vessels an hundred talents, of gold an hundred talents, twenty basons of gold, and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. He told them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also, and charged them to watch ye, and keep them, until it was all weighed again before the priests and Levites at Jerusalem.
They departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, 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. They reached Jerusalem and rested three days. On the fourth day everything was weighed in the house of our God, by number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time. The returned exiles offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel.
Key Verses
“He was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given” Ezra 7:6
“Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” Ezra 7:10
“I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way” Ezra 8:22
“So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us” Ezra 8:23
“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” Ezra 8:31
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of Ezra’s Journey Teaches Us
Ezra’s preparation started in his heart before it showed up on the road. Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach – study first, then obedience, then teaching. The king’s favor is credited to the hand of the LORD his God upon him, not to Ezra’s skill.
Ezra would not say one thing to the king and then act another way on the road. He had told Artaxerxes that God’s hand is upon all them for good that seek him, so asking for soldiers would have undercut his own words. He chose to fast and pray instead, and the text says plainly that God heard: he was intreated of us.
Trust did not make Ezra careless. He set apart twelve chief priests, weighed every talent into their hands, told them that they and the vessels were holy unto the LORD, and had it all weighed again in Jerusalem and written down. Depending on God for protection and handling what was entrusted to him with care went together.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ezra in the Bible?
Ezra was a priest descended from Aaron and a ready scribe in the law of Moses who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia (Ezra 7:1-6).
Why did Ezra refuse a military escort?
Ezra 8:22 says he was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen, because he had already told the king, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him.
What happened at the river Ahava?
Ezra gathered the travelers there for three days, sent for Levites when he found none in the company, and proclaimed a fast to seek of God a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance (Ezra 8:15-23).
What treasure did Ezra carry to Jerusalem?
He weighed out to twelve chief priests six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver vessels an hundred talents, an hundred talents of gold, twenty basons of gold, and two vessels of fine copper (Ezra 8:24-27).
Did God protect Ezra on the journey?
Yes. Ezra 8:31 says 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.