seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
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 Levitesthere. 16 So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, 17 and I ordered them to go to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his fellow Levites, the temple servants in Kasiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. 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; 19 and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. 20 They also brought 220 of the temple servants—a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.
21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 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.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.
24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, 25 and I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. 26 I weighed out to them 650 talents[c] of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents,[d] 100 talents[e] of gold,27 20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics,[f] and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.
28 I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your ancestors.29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.” 30 Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
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. 32 So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.
33 On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.
35 Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering,[g] twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 They also delivered the king’s orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.
c. Ezra 8:26 That is, about 24 tons or about 22 metric tons
d. Ezra 8:26 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
e. Ezra 8:26 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
fl Ezra 8:27 That is, about 19 pounds or about 8.4 kilograms
g. Ezra 8:35 Or purification offering
The Israelites had two problems. The Levites didn't show up for the journey and they had to transport tons and tons of silver and gold from Babylon to Jerusalem.... a four month trip.
Ezra couldn't just take all the gold, silver, and livestock back to the Temple... and just dump it on the workers that were already toiling away. Ezra had to bring help.... and since none showed up... Ezra had to ask for help. His request for help.... got him a Levite and 220 more.
They had tons and tons of gold and silver to transport and no guards. They couldn't ask for an armed guard because they had already claimed that God wanted only Jacob's family to work on the project. How could they ask for guards? So they divided it up. They weighed it before leaving and weighed it again upon arrival and every ounce was reported to arrive safely.
This is from enduringword.com.
I gave them a command… that they should bring us servants for the house of our God: With this, Ezra sent back to Babylonia for Levites to come and join the work in Jerusalem. He didn’t accept the initial failure of Levites to join the group but kept appealing for help.
Ezra planned carefully in the Levite recruitment effort. He specifically chose the recruiters – nine leaders, and two men of understanding to make the appeal as persuasive as possible. Then he carefully instructed the recruiters as to what they should say and directed them who specifically to make the appeal to(to Iddo and his brethren). Indeed, the good hand of our God was upon the recruitment effort, but it was also upon the planning of it.
“Iddo the chief; the head of the rest, either by ecclesiastical order or government, which the Persian kings allowed to the Jews; or by some grant or commission from the king.” (Poole)
They brought us a man of understanding… namely Sherebiah: This man responded to the call and led a delegation of Levites.
For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort: Ezra had previously expressed great confidence in the hand of God upon him and his expedition. He did not want to contradict these prior words with later actions, in asking the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen.
They needed protection because the danger was real. There was a constant threat of robbers and bandits, especially because they were transporting so many valuables. Yet because of their dependence on God (expressed through prayer and fasting), God protected them.
“The voluntary gifts of the king were welcome. They were expressions of the king’s sense of the greatness of his God. These Ezra accepted with gratitude. It would have been quite another matter if he had asked the king to help him do what he had declared God was able to do for him.” (Morgan)
“Thus we see that this good man had more anxiety for the glory of God than for his own personal safety.” (Clarke)
“There is an added interest in the fact that Nehemiah, in his day, would see the matter quite differently, accepting a military escort as part of God’s bounty (Nehemiah 2:7-9).” (Kidner)
Hhhmmm.... so Ezra went down the road with a band of Jacob's family... back to the Promised Land.... with tons and tons of gold and silver hidden in the saddlebags and packs. He drug along 220 Levites to help with the Temple duties..... after four months they arrived in Jerusalem.... safe... in tact.... all accounted for. Ezra did it without a military guard.... something the commentary says Nehemiah chose not to do. Hey, maybe the reason Ezra got his own book in the Bible.... was because he was faithful enough to travel four months carrying tons and tons of gold and silver..... relying on the protection of God.
