Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. And I looked among the people and the priests and found none of the sons of Levi there. (Ezra 8:15)
The progress that Ezra was making back to Jerusalem was stalled while he waited for the Levites to be recruited. Even though God had called these men to perform a unique job, very few of them were willing to step forward and offer their assistance when it was required. Each one of us has been endowed by God with specific skills in order to facilitate our participation in the work of his kingdom (Romans 12:4-8).
Don't sit around and wait to be recruited; look instead for ways to help out as a volunteer. Don't be a hindrance to the job that God is doing by holding back. According to what Peter wrote, "God has given each one of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts." Make good use of them in order to better serve one another (1 Peter 4:10).
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a straight and right way for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.
For I was ashamed to request of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy along the way, because we had told the king, The hand of our God is upon all them for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.
So we fasted and besought our God for this, and He heard our entreaty. (Ezra 8:21-23)
Ezra did something that you and I are both guilty of doing on many occasions. He put himself in a position where he had to live up to his own testimony by testifying before the king. As a result, he was required to live up to his own evidence.
The question arose of how they were going to be safeguarded along the road. Should Ezra go to the king and ask for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect him throughout his journey?
There is no question that the king would have complied with this request, but Ezra was too embarrassed to make it because he had already testified to the king that their God, the God who is true and alive, would protect those who served Him.
At this juncture, Ezra and the people who had returned from exile came to an important conclusion: they would not rely on soldiers and horsemen for their safety but rather on the supernatural power of God.
26 I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold. (Ezra 8:26-27)
This was a large amount of treasure to transport, with or without a detachment of soldiers for protection.
The progress that Ezra was making back to Jerusalem was stalled while he waited for the Levites to be recruited. Even though God had called these men to perform a unique job, very few of them were willing to step forward and offer their assistance when it was required. Each one of us has been endowed by God with specific skills in order to facilitate our participation in the work of his kingdom (Romans 12:4-8).
Don't sit around and wait to be recruited; look instead for ways to help out as a volunteer. Don't be a hindrance to the job that God is doing by holding back. According to what Peter wrote, "God has given each one of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts." Make good use of them in order to better serve one another (1 Peter 4:10).
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a straight and right way for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.
For I was ashamed to request of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy along the way, because we had told the king, The hand of our God is upon all them for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.
So we fasted and besought our God for this, and He heard our entreaty. (Ezra 8:21-23)
Ezra did something that you and I are both guilty of doing on many occasions. He put himself in a position where he had to live up to his own testimony by testifying before the king. As a result, he was required to live up to his own evidence.
The question arose of how they were going to be safeguarded along the road. Should Ezra go to the king and ask for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect him throughout his journey?
There is no question that the king would have complied with this request, but Ezra was too embarrassed to make it because he had already testified to the king that their God, the God who is true and alive, would protect those who served Him.
At this juncture, Ezra and the people who had returned from exile came to an important conclusion: they would not rely on soldiers and horsemen for their safety but rather on the supernatural power of God.
26 I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold. (Ezra 8:26-27)
This was a large amount of treasure to transport, with or without a detachment of soldiers for protection.