Ezra 8

Ezra 8:21

Ezra calls for a fast and a great prayer meeting at the river of Ahava. He wanted to know God’s will.

Ezra 8:22

He said, “You know, I went before the king and told him that the hand of our God was with us, that He will be against our enemies and will lead us back to our land.” Then Ezra looked at the delegation gathered by the river ready to go on that long march. He looked at the families and the little ones, and he knew the dangers along the way. The normal thing would be to ask the king for a little helpfor a few guards to ride along with them. Then the king would say, “I thought you were trusting the Lord.” Sometimes some of us become very eloquent about how we are trusting God and how wonderful He is, but when we get right down to the nitty-gritty, we don’t really trust Him. Ezra is that kind of an individual. He surely is human. He says, “I was ashamed to go ask the king.” What was the alternative? He called a prayer meeting and a fast. He said, “Oh, Lord, we just have to depend on You.” You know, the Lord puts many of us in that position many, many times.

Ezra 8:31

We find that the king sent a great deal of gold, silver, and vessels with this delegation. This wealth was put in the care of the priests, and they needed protection, you see. And God did watch over them, and they arrived safely at their destination. They stayed in Jerusalem three days and took the treasure into the templeinto the house of God.

Ezra 8:35

In this verse twelve “he goats” are mentioned again. Why? It was for all Israel for a sin offering. What a wonderful, glorious thing it was for these Jews to be back in Jerusalem offering their sacrifices to God!