Ezra Chapter 8
Please read: Ezra 8 –
Ezra was a scribe and a teacher of the Law of God for the people, having spent time studying the Word. He was given permission to leave their captivity and to lead as many Jews as wanted to return with him to Jerusalem. This chapter gives more detail as to what was summarized in the previous chapter. What we find is a list of names and a census of those who were given their freedom. We do not have an exact count because they only counted the men, but the estimate is somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000 people. Not as many as we would expect.
Ezra himself noticed once he took account of who had started out on this journey with him, that they were lacking Levites in the crowd. Apparently, these Levites had become complacent living as they were and Ezra sent back recruiters to convince them that they were needed to fulfill their roles in the work of the temple.
Now with Levites amongst them, Ezra led prayer and fasting by the Ahava River. There is something so endearing about the honesty of this man. He writes that he had once previously told the king of Persia that they would be safe in their travels because God would protect them. When the time actually came to leave, he remembered his words to the king, and he didn’t want to seem hypocritical by asking for armed men to go with them to Jerusalem. Ezra knew that they needed to put their faith into action. They needed to trust God.
Let's Reflect
1. This group of exiles that travelled back to the promised land was the second wave of people going back. Who was the king of the empire at the time they were released from captivity?
2. According to verses 18-20 how many of the Levites agreed to go with Ezra to Jerusalem?
3. We can understand why Ezra might have been fearful of their safety as this rather large group travelled back. The end of the chapter describes extreme riches that the king of Persia had gifted to them, and it made them targets for thieves and robbers. So there, beside the river, they prayed and fasted. According to verse 21 what is the purpose of fasting?
4. After their praying and fasting, Ezra divided the wealth amongst the 12 leading priests. What were they to do with it once they reached Jerusalem?
5. Upon arriving in Jerusalem Ezra knew that God had answered their prayers as they journeyed. What did he say about their journey in verse 31?
6. Three days after arriving in Jerusalem they handed over the gifts to the house of God where they recorded the amounts and weights of it all. What did the newly arrived people then do? They were home.
“God never fails those who act in full dependence on Himself, and so in complete independence of all others.” [Morgan]
