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- Apr 25, 2006
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20 May 2007
Ezra 7:21-28
Now I, King Artaxerxes, give this order to all the men in charge of the treasury of Trans-Euphrates: Give Ezra, a priest and a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, whatever he asks for. Give him up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 600 bushels of wheat, 600 gallons of wine, and 600 gallons of olive oil. And give him as much salt as he wants. Carefully give him whatever the God of heaven wants for the Temple of the God of heaven. We do not want God to be angry with the king and his sons. Remember, you must not make these people pay taxes of any kind: priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Temple servants, and other workers in this Temple of God.
And you, Ezra, use the wisdom you have from your God to choose judges and lawmakers to rule the Jewish people of Trans-Euphrates. They know the laws of your God, and you may teach anyone who does not know them. Whoever does not obey the law of your God or of the king must be punished. He will be killed, or sent away, or have his property taken away, or be put in jail.
Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors. He caused the king to want to honour the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. The Lord has shown me, Ezra, his love in the presence of the king, those who advise the king, and the royal officers. Because the Lord my God was helping me, I had courage, and I gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
Here we see the benefits of a win-win situation. King Artaxerxes trusts Ezra and gives him authority within a framework including finance, law and respect. But he also expects - Ezra is required to use his wisdom and to fulfil God's requirements.
We too have a king who trusts us and gives us his authority within a framework. And he expects of us too.
Sadly, too often we abuse that trust and ignore the framework we are to work within. When our wisdom conflicts with God's, we tend to prefer our own, fooling ourselves that our motives and good and loving. But when we override God's wisdom, we undermine our authority and despise his help.
So often, we need to understand God's wisdom more widely and to work to reconcile it with our sense of justice and love. As we do so, we learn that the apparent conflicts arise from false assumptions on our part.
Looking back on the situation, Ezra reflects that his courage grew out of knowing that God was helping him. When God doesn't seem to be helping, guess why not?
If you are in a position of leadership in any sphere of life - even organising a party - what lessons can you learn from King Artaxerxes?
Lord God, give me the humility to trust your wisdom and to submit to it. Amen.
Written by James Archer
Ezra 7:21-28
Now I, King Artaxerxes, give this order to all the men in charge of the treasury of Trans-Euphrates: Give Ezra, a priest and a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, whatever he asks for. Give him up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 600 bushels of wheat, 600 gallons of wine, and 600 gallons of olive oil. And give him as much salt as he wants. Carefully give him whatever the God of heaven wants for the Temple of the God of heaven. We do not want God to be angry with the king and his sons. Remember, you must not make these people pay taxes of any kind: priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Temple servants, and other workers in this Temple of God.
And you, Ezra, use the wisdom you have from your God to choose judges and lawmakers to rule the Jewish people of Trans-Euphrates. They know the laws of your God, and you may teach anyone who does not know them. Whoever does not obey the law of your God or of the king must be punished. He will be killed, or sent away, or have his property taken away, or be put in jail.
Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors. He caused the king to want to honour the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. The Lord has shown me, Ezra, his love in the presence of the king, those who advise the king, and the royal officers. Because the Lord my God was helping me, I had courage, and I gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
Here we see the benefits of a win-win situation. King Artaxerxes trusts Ezra and gives him authority within a framework including finance, law and respect. But he also expects - Ezra is required to use his wisdom and to fulfil God's requirements.
We too have a king who trusts us and gives us his authority within a framework. And he expects of us too.
Sadly, too often we abuse that trust and ignore the framework we are to work within. When our wisdom conflicts with God's, we tend to prefer our own, fooling ourselves that our motives and good and loving. But when we override God's wisdom, we undermine our authority and despise his help.
So often, we need to understand God's wisdom more widely and to work to reconcile it with our sense of justice and love. As we do so, we learn that the apparent conflicts arise from false assumptions on our part.
Looking back on the situation, Ezra reflects that his courage grew out of knowing that God was helping him. When God doesn't seem to be helping, guess why not?
If you are in a position of leadership in any sphere of life - even organising a party - what lessons can you learn from King Artaxerxes?
Lord God, give me the humility to trust your wisdom and to submit to it. Amen.
Written by James Archer
