Because The Gracious Hand of God Was On Us!

Ezra 8:18 – Because THE GRACIOUS HAND OF OUR GOD WAS ON US, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 in all;

Ezra led some Israelites back to Jerusalem from captivity. As they prepared to return to Jerusalem, they had to write a list of travelers and families that are confirmed to be genuine Israelites. Ezra chapter eight has such a list.

Ezra 8:15 – I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I FOUND NO LEVITES there.

Ezra noted a problem after preparing the list. There was no Levite in that list. Without Levites nothing will happen at the temple. Only Levites were permitted to engage in temple activities. This was a crisis.

It wasn’t easy to look for a Levite. Israelites were scattered all over former Babylon kingdom. They had been there for seventy years. It wasn’t easy to get a Levite. Without a Levite it would be useless to return to Jerusalem.

The King in the land where Ezra and Israelites were captive, had given them permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. Any delay could make the king change his mind. Yet the lack of a Levite was now delaying them.

Ezra 8:18 – Because THE GRACIOUS HAND OF OUR GOD WAS ON US, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 in all;

In that desperate moment of looking for a Levite, they found a very good Levite. How did they find one? Because the gracious hand of our God was on us. Don’t forget those words because Ezra repeats them in his story. He attributes his success in this one fact only – because the gracious hand of our God was on us!

Ezra tells us that if it wasn’t for God, they would never have found a Levite that quickly. If it wasn’t for God, that desperate situation would have gotten worse. Ezra tells us that, God solved this problem for us. The words he uses are these – Because the gracious hand of our God was on us.

When the time to travel came, they heard that there were dangerous enemies along the way. The road to Jerusalem had enemies who hated Ezra and all Israelites. Ezra considered asking the king for security escort, but there was a problem- he had already assured the king that the gracious hand of God protects everyone!

Ezra 8:22 – I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “THE GRACIOUS HAND OF OUR GOD IS ON EVERYONE WHO LOOKS TO HIM, but his great anger is against all who forsake him. ”

Ezra believed and constantly preached to the king that there is a gracious hand of God that provides security to everyone. Ezra had assured the king that God will ensure that the journey to Jerusalem will be safe and even the work there will succeed. Because the gracious hand of our God will be on us. How they can he demonstrate lack of faith by asking for security?

Ezra had told the king, and it’s true, that God’s gracious hand is on everyone who depends on God. Ezra says, God wants us to depend on Him. When we depend on Him, our safety is in Him. His gracious hand will be on us and we will be safe!

Ezra 8:31 – On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. THE HAND OF OUR GOD WAS ON US, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.

Ezra set out on the road to Jerusalem with his team and without security from the king. They arrived safely without being harmed by the many enemies along the way. Because the gracious hand of our God was on us.

The gracious hand of God provides. The gracious hand of God protects. The gracious hand of God is all that we need today. May the gracious hand of our God be with you and me today, in Jesus’s name, Amen!

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