Tag Archives: Ezra

Ezra 8, Acts 28

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Ezra had previously told the king that “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him”. He chose not to rely on the soldiers and horsemen that the king offered to protect them, instead trusting in God, fasting and imploring God for His protection.  So Ezra records “The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way”.

The hand of God is not always visible in our lives, but we can trust in the certainty that He hears our prayers, and watches over us, just as He watched over Paul and those travelling with him when shipwrecked on Malta. Paul preached that the “salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles”, and we have received that hope. It’s up to us to follow the examples of Ezra and Paul, trust in God and serve Him.

Ezra 1-2

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In Ezra 1 we read of the fulfilment of a promise God made years earlier, with details provided to Isaiah 200 years before the event. God promised that at the end of 70 years captivity in Babylon, the Jews would be brought back to Jerusalem, and now Cyrus king of Persia was persuaded to do just that. The main motivation for the Jews to leave their home of 70 years and return is “to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem”.

Just as “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” to acknowledge God and to do His will, the Jews who returned also had their spirits stirred (roused, woken up) by God. We can be similarly motivated, stirring up each other “to love and good works”, reassured that our faith is not in vain by this example of God’s promise being precisely fulfilled.