Me? A teacher? (Ezra 7, continued)

We've been tossing around a phrase, and I wonder if we really understand what we are talking about? I always think it's great to clarify things . . . (Grin)

God's blessing.
What do we mean?
I was impressed by some of the commentaries that I consulted, to be able to say, "His blessing" refers to God's doing far beyond what human effort can produce.
Another phrase comes to mind: above and beyond.
Remember when (and there are two instances of this in the gospels) Jesus was going to feed the 5,000? What did he ask Philip? And why?

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. (John 6:5-6)

Philip does a quick calculation in his head (or maybe on his fingers and toes) and says:

Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (v 7)

Philip is saying, it would take about two hundred days' wages! Even if they could have scraped together that much, there probably wasn't a market nearby that could provide that much food!

But Jesus was able to do far beyond what human calculations (and effort) could ever hope. The end result? The people all ate "as much as they wanted" and then they gathered up twelve baskets of leftovers; a full basket for each disciple to carry.

Just as in the New Testament, we see God's hand of blessing in the Old Testament, too. For Ezra, it's when the pagan king said "yes" to everything he requested. Instead of simply telling Ezra, "Sure, you go ahead and travel to Jerusalem. I know it's important to you. Take care, and I will see you when you get back."
Nope.
The king's letter shows that God moved the king to grant far more than that:
       1. He authorized Ezra to go and teach God's law.
       2. He provided money to buy supplies for temple worship.
       3. He commanded the treasurers to supplement what Ezra needed (generously).
       4. He exempted temple workers from taxation.
       5. He authorized Ezra to set up a judicial system as needed.
You can read all about that in verses 12-26 of the chapter.
Wow!
I'm betting that this was WAY more than Ezra hoped Artaxerxes would grant to him. Now, the king probably felt the expenses were reasonable, because it would be good policy. Why? Well, he already had trouble with the peeps in Egypt revolting against his rule. If he granted some self-governance to the Jewish people, they might stay contented for quite a while, giving him time to work out the troubles in other regions of his empire.
And another thing: like some kings before him, he was superstitious. He didn't want to incur the wrath of the God of heaven. He probably told himself that God would be nice to him and his sons if he let these people worship God.
Verse twenty-seven tells us that it was God who put it into the king's heart to grant all these things. God used Artaxerxes' political strategies and superstitions to bless the people through Ezra.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way (v 27)

Yes, it was God's doing. But Ezra still had to go and ask! Just like in Esther's story, it took a great deal of courage to go before a powerful ruler and his princes and ask for a favor. The source of Ezra's courage and strength is revealed in the next verse:

and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me. (v 28)

God's blessing on our lives today also takes working and striving. We should all ask for God to work "above and beyond" our efforts and abilities. We should seek His blessing -- we'll talk about "how" in our next study.