right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our sub stance. 22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the 66 king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. LECTURE 727. We find, that when at first Ezra took these numbers, there were present none of the sons of Levi," none of those commonly called Levites, as distinguished from those who were of the families of the priests. We may marvel that there should have been any lack of ministers for God's house, amongst those who went up out of captivity. We should have thought that they of the tribe of Levi would have been the first to press forward on the road towards Jerusalem, and the last that would wish to tarry, in the midst of the abominations of idolatry. But it is to be observed, that the ministry of the Levites, in the temple services, was more laborious, and less honourable, than that of the priests. The sacrificing of animals, with the many ceremonies ordained in the Law, required no small amount of manual labour, which chiefly fell upon these sons of Levi. And their backwardness in returning to the temple is but one instance amongst many, in which places of hard work are declined, whilst those of honour and emolument are eagerly sought after. May we have grace to choose our place in life, as far as it lies with us to choose it, with reference not to its present ease, but to its eternal gain! May we be enabled to join sincerely in these words of a psalm, which perhaps was written on this very occasion: "I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God: than to dwell in the tents of ungodliness." Ps. 84. 11. As to Ezra, he had spoken unto the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him." And that which he had spoken to the king he had felt within himself. And as he durst not, for fear of God's displeasure, neglect the opportunity of seeking the Lord in the place of his own appointment, so neither would he do an act unworthy of his words, or inconsistent with his profession, by asking for a guard to protect him in the journey, when he might rely on the protection of God. If we have decided that we will seek the Lord, let us look to it that we act throughout consistently with our choice. Let us walk by faith. Let us live as if fully convinced that the things which we believe are real. And let us give no handle to the unbeliever to suspect, that whilst we speak of trusting in God, we put our confidence in the arm of flesh. Ezra arriveth in safety. 24 Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them, 25 And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered: 26 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents; 27 Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. 28 And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers. 29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD. 30 So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God. river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. 32 And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. 33 Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; 34 By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time. 35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD. 36 And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God. LECTURE 728. 31 Then we departed from the Of confidence in God. It was no small treasure which Ezra had the charge of, enough to make him anxious for his safe conveyance in a journey of considerable length, and through a tract of country, which in almost all ages of the world has been the resort of lawless robbers. And to Ezra the value of this treasure was doubly great, because he held it in trust for sacred uses, having received it as an offering for God's house, from the king and his counsellors, and his lords, and the assembled children of Israel. But see how confidently he relied upon the protection of God, that all would be safe! Note how exactly he weighed the whole into the hands of priests and Levites, with a charge to watch and keep all safely, until it should again be weighed "at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord!" He had proclaimed a fast at the river of Ahava, and then they had besought God for this very thing, and God had heard their prayer. And Ezra acted as if he felt that God had granted it; and set forward on his journey without doubting that he should reach Jerusalem in safety. How many talents are we severally entrusted with, to carry through the midst of enemies, some of whom lie in wait deceitfully, and some openly assault us! A soul more precious than gold, a faculty of reason, a sense of right and wrong, a new birth into a new and spiritual life, an adoption to be children of God, an inheritance of grace, a hope of glory, all these and many like precious talents have been weighed out to us, by Him, who is our Leader to the heavenly Jerusalem. And behold He intercedes in our behalf, that we may be able to keep safe the invaluable treasures committed to our charge. What then is our own ground of trust? Or have we in reality any trust at all ? Do we expect to succeed? Or do we apprehend that we shall fail? Do we treasonably fear, and say with the slothful man, "there is a lion in the way," Prov. 26. 13, when nothing can become us better than a stedfast courage, and a holy confidence, and a full assurance of faith that by the help of the Lord we shall prevail? Oh let us, if we heretofore have failed for want of faith, let us pray that our faith may be enlarged. Let us have trust in God. And let us go forward under the firm persuasion that He in whom we trust, and to whom we pray for help, has helped us, and does help us, and will help us to the end, Ezra mourneth for the sin of the people. 1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. 3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. 4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. 5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, 6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, 11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. 13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? 15 O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day : behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this. LECTURE 729. 14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou angry with us till thou hadst be Our peril if we relapse into wilful sin. What bitter grief is this which wrings the heart of a faithful Christian, notwithstanding the exhortation of God's word, "Rejoice evermore ?" 1 Thes. 5. 16. It is concern for sin. It is shame and compunction of heart, to see God dishonoured by the transgression of his creatures; and to feel that even his chosen people, those who have been distinguished by the most manifest calling of his grace, even they are not guiltless of the wickedness of breaking the commandments of the Lord. And who can thus reflect on the unfaithfulness of others, without presently remembering, and confessing, I too have had my share in this transgression, I too have done that which is unworthy of my holy calling as a Christian, oh how abundantly unworthy of God's great goodness in thus calling me? And where can we find a pattern of contrition more edifying, than in the concern which Ezra here expresses for the offences of his brethren? How can we do better, than like him to make this the burden of our grief, whether it be our own sin that we grieve for, or the transgression of our brethren, namely this, that God is dishonoured, that all his most fatherly kindness is repaid by disobedience to his will? When indeed we consider all the benefits we have received at God's hand, especially those which we enjoy as children of God by adoption and grace, we may well blush to lift up our face to Him, after the commission of any single sin. Has He not brought us up out of captivity the most hopeless? Has He not extended mercy unto us in the house of our bondage? Has He not given us a reviving, the grace to live a godly life, if we will but consent to ask for it, and to trust in it, and to work with that Holy Spirit who vouchsafes to work with us? Have we not been born anew into this heavenly life; new powers imparted to us, new motives revealed to us, yea, and also new hearts given unto us, wherewith to feel the force of heavenly truth, the hatefulness of sin, and the loveliness of loving and obeying God? Surely then, since God has punished us so infinitely less than our iniquities deserved, since He has given us such deliverance as this, surely we may well say to him with Ezra, "Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?" |