Ezra 8:22-28 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way… I. EZRA'S CONVICTION. 1. He was convinced that there were some men who sought God, and others who forsook Him. There were some who sought — (1) The knowledge of God. (2) The favour of God. (3) The glory of God.But there were others who cared for none of these things. So it is still. There are some who read the Bible and listen to the gospel with an earnest desire to know God, and who feel that to have God for their friend is to have the business of life accomplished; while there are others who turn a deaf ear to the invitations of Divine love, and who never seriously ask regarding the requirements of the law of God. The conviction of Ezra is that of every thoughtful good man. There is also the further conviction that this is the grand distinction. He who thinks of one neighbour being a seeker of God, and another a forsaker of God, looks at a distinction of the soul, and one which will prove lasting and important as the soul itself. 2. Ezra was convinced that God's hand for good was on the one class, and that His power and wrath were against the other. (1) The Bible declares this in the plainest terms (Genesis 18:23-25, etc.). (2) This is illustrated by the history of the Jews and of others with whom they had to do. (3) This truth is as evident now as it was then.Sloth and intemperance and profligacy lead to ruin, while diligence and sobriety lead to respectability and competence. 3. Ezra was convinced that he and his companions were among those who sought God, and on whom God's hand was for good. He calls Jehovah "our Lord." His language was intended to convey that they were in a state of favour with God, and that they knew this. From this we learn that a man may assure himself of God's friendship. II. EZRA'S DECLARATION OF HIS CONVICTION. This declaration was probably made when he requested authority to make his proposed journey to Jerusalem, At such a time he would feel under peculiar obligation to declare his belief in God, and his hope that Jehovah was his own Father, Protector, and Guide. This obligation every good man ought to feel. Christ requires us to confess Him. Such a profession is made by the observance of outward and positive institutions. When a man calls his family around him, sings a song of praise, and reads a portion of Scripture, and presents an offering of supplication and thanksgiving, he is telling his children and neighbours that he is a disciple of Jesus Christ. When he engages in the exercises of public worship, and especially when he takes his place at the communion-table, he is making an open and decided declaration that he is a disciple of Jesus. III. EZRA'S ANXIETY LEST HE SHOULD DO ANYTHING INCONSISTENT WITH THIS DECLARATION. Two instructive points require to be looked at. 1. There was real and great danger. 2. The inconsistency from which he shrank was more apparent than real. A good man believes that God renews the face of the earth, and covers the valleys with corn, but he does not neglect to plough and sow; he believes that God is a refuge and a strength, a sun and a shield, yet he takes food when he is hungry and medicine when he is sick; he does not expect that God is to protect and bless him apart from such means as prudence and experience may dictate. If Ezra had asked for a guard of soldiers, the request would not have been inconsistent with confidence in the power and faithfulness of God, but it would probably have appeared so to the king and his nobles, and he feared lest in this way the character of God should suffer. Things which are in themselves lawful are at times inexpedient, and a Christian man by doing such things may greatly injure both his comfort and usefulness. A. sacrifice of principle and a wise consideration of times and circumstances are very different things, and to confound them shows only ignorance and folly. (J. B. Johnston, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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 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. |
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