Ezra 8:24–34

Next, Ezra "set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers," to take charge of the offerings he had received for the house of their God until they reached Jerusalem (vv. 24-30). The ground of the choice was that they were "holy to the LORD," as the vessels were too (v. 28). As the prophet said, "you must be clean who carry the vessels of the LORD." And we know this was according to God's own order, for only the priests and Levites could touch or carry the holy vessels or furniture of the house of God (see Numbers 4).

Isaiah 52:11 contains an important warning for those who serve in the Church. "Purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the LORD." This must be kept up. God's priests must have clean hearts, tongues, hands, and feet. If not, they cannot serve in the sanctuary. In earlier days the priests always had to wash their hands and feet. They did this before entering the tabernacle to serve (Exodus 30:19, 20). This pictures the need of continual cleansing by the water of the Word.

Those who serve the Lord's people must indeed be set apart for their service. But God does this Himself, in grace, by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by human hands. Under law there was a distinct class of men, the priests and the Levites. God Himself appointed them and set them apart. Under grace there are still differences of gifts and services (1 Corinthians 12). Yet all believers alike are priests. As such they have a right no one can take away: to come into the holiest, the immediate presence of God.

In verses 24 to 30, the priests and Levites receive the deposit of the holy things: vessels, silver and gold, freely given for the house of God. The name of the Lord made these gifts holy, and so did the character of those who kept them… These gifts came largely from the king, his counsellors and princes, yet nothing had defiled them. These men had acknowledged the name of the Lord and His temple, so God could take pleasure in their offerings.

Ezra reminded the priests that they themselves were holy to the Lord. What was entrusted to them was holy too (v. 28)… What a reminder for every believer today! God has entrusted the truth of His Word to us. So we should take to heart what Paul writes to Timothy, "O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you" (1 Timothy 6:20). The priests had to give account in Jerusalem for everything placed in their trust. In the same way, we shall give account at the judgment seat of Christ for how we handled the word of God committed to us.

He had weighed into their hand 650 talents of silver… and 100 talents of gold… besides the costly vessels of silver and gold. This careful weighing of everything when they received the costly treasures, and the weighing again when they delivered it in Jerusalem, does not mean that Ezra had any doubt about the honesty of the priests and Levites. It was done to avoid all suspicion. The same principle is laid down in the New Testament for the Church: "we aim at what is honourable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of others" (2 Corinthians 8:21).

May we copy them in the responsibilities, great or small, the Lord entrusts to us. May we never treat anything He puts into our hand as our own. It is something we give back to Him, after managing it faithfully for Him. Most of the frauds, great or small, that Christians become guilty of… have no other cause than this. They treat as their own personal property something the Lord has given them to manage… In contrast, the result of faithfulness is seen here. God watches over His goods and He preserves those who carry these gifts all along the way.

In verse 31 we have a short statement concerning their journey. It simply records the faithfulness of their God in answer to their prayers... Ezra 7:9 says they began to go up on the first day of the first month. That was probably the date when the people gathered at the river Ahava. So the journey itself took a little less than four months. Ezra testifies that God safely guided them through all its dangers and shielded them from all their foes. Truly "the name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."

If Ezra had asked for a guard of soldiers, his boasting would have been mere talk. It would have damaged the character of his God in the eyes of the king, whose heart God had so wonderfully turned to Himself and His people.

It is easy for us today to say we have great confidence in God about how we carry on His work. It is just as easy to fail when the test comes and we face some very practical questions. We may well feel shame when an opponent can reproach us and call on us to practise what we preach.

The reader should notice that the danger Ezra feared was no imaginary one. Afterwards he records, to the praise of his God, that "he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way." Surely God is the refuge and strength of His people, and a very present help for them in trouble. They would know it more fully if, like Ezra, they only learned to count on Him as enough in every possible situation.

God watches over His goods and He preserves those who carry these gifts all along the way... May we never treat anything He puts into our hand as belonging to us. We hold it to hand back to Him, after we have faithfully managed it for Him.

Nehemiah did not have the same simple faith. He was a godly and devout man, but he travelled with the show and ceremony of one of the king's governors. That way was more likely to win the respect of the world and the help of the king's servants.

He accepts the support of the protecting power he serves. This is not from any lack of faith. In these low times faith does not show itself with the same simplicity. Ezra, after the temple was finished, had only to carry gifts to the house of the Lord. The greater the treasure he carried, the more he needed to show the world that faith turned to God to keep what belonged to Him.

They must have had many narrow escapes. But they kept trusting in the LORD, in His good hand of mercy and power, and He delivered them from all dangers. The LORD who answered their faith and kept them is the same today, and never disappoints faith. His hand is the same as then, and we too can experience His gracious deliverance.