Today’s readings: Esther 9-10, Ezra 7, Psalm 110
Ezra 7:11, 13–14, 21, 23, 25, 27–28
This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel: 13 “I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand…
21 “And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence… 23 Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons.
25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach.”
27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
How do you respond to the grace and favor of God? What do you do when good things happen to you? Sometimes we can legitimately take some credit. We work hard at our job and receive a promotion, a bonus, an award, or some special recognition. We finish a project and receive the accolades of others.
Then there are those good things that come to us through the grace of others. A friend invites you to lunch simply because he wants to reconnect and rekindle a dormant relationship. Or, as happened to us a few months ago—to our complete surprise—a “Yard of the Month” sign appears in your front yard. All we were trying to do was keep the yard looking decent!
But I recall one time especially when good news moved me immediately to praise and thank God. Our son’s medical test was negative. When the alternative is a potentially life-threatening diagnosis, negative is a wonderfully positive word. There are certainly other moments I could name, and I’m sure you could name a few of your own.
I join Ezra as he rejoices before God for the support and goodwill he has received from King Artaxerxes. God had done great things to bring his people back to Jerusalem. He had also preserved them from Haman’s vile plot, as recorded in Esther. That story takes place between Ezra 6 and 7, during the reign of Xerxes, Artaxerxes’ predecessor. Scripture makes no direct connection between Esther and Artaxerxes’ support of Ezra, but the parallel is striking. God’s providential hand is hidden in Esther; Ezra names it plainly: God “put such a thing as this into the heart of the king.”
We may not always recognize God’s work in our lives. Sometimes we may even neglect to acknowledge his providential care or name him outright. Yet he is always at work, upholding all things by his powerful word. And while every blessing may not bring the same rush of emotion, every good gift gives us reason to thank the Giver. So let’s take a page from Ezra. He received the favor of a king, but he saw behind it the gracious hand of God.
We do something very much like that whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer and conclude, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.” The good we receive ultimately points beyond itself to the One from whom every good gift comes.
And nowhere do we see that gracious hand more clearly than in Jesus, through whom God has given us far more than favorable circumstances – forgiveness, life, and salvation. So whether at the end of the day or in the very moment when some unexpected blessing arrives, we can join Ezra in giving God the glory.
Yes! May the name of the Lord be praised!
Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.
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