Ezra 8:1

After these things, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, Ezra the priest went up from Babylon. With him went other Israelites of every rank, by the king's favour, with freewill offerings, and with authority for everything Ezra wanted for the house of his God... Ezra 8 then gives the family record of Ezra's companions, their fears, yet faith, and safe arrival.

This genealogy reaches to the end of verse 14, and it shows how precious to God were the very names of those who answered His call at such a moment. The response itself is the fruit of His grace. Yet in that same grace He gladly credits to His people what He Himself had produced in their hearts. It was a fine company of more than fifteen hundred people.

God has made sure of this. The names of those who stirred themselves to answer His call to return to the land stand on record in a lasting way. The names of those who did not stir themselves are almost entirely lost.

Set against the splendid decree and generosity of Artaxerxes, the company was very small. Most preferred Babylon and stayed there. The faithful ones are known to God, and their names are written here forever in His Word. The Gentile king had given the decree, and the people had plenty of all they needed. Still, the undertaking was one of faith. They came out of Babylon trusting the LORD; they marched on in faith. Notice especially that only males are mentioned. The mixed marriages we read of in the next chapter were most likely the result of no women joining Ezra's expedition.

The earlier return included several priests with their many households (Ezra 2:36-39); now only two volunteered, and no households are mentioned. At first no Levites offered themselves to Ezra, but this drew out his zeal, and not without fruit. Among the people, some families returned now for the first time; from other families, a further group came. From one family, the sons of Adonikam (also called Adonijah), the last of the sons appear to have gone up.

It was the day of the people's humiliation. So what marked Ezra was not power, but compassion and devoted obedience. God wants reality in those He honours; He hates false pretence... In Babylon, Ezra did not have the living prophets who had cheered the early workers in Jerusalem. But his heart was set on the written word, and the hand of the LORD did not fail in gracious care, either for God and His worship, or on his journey to Jerusalem.