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The story so far...A non-Christian king made a decree that the temple in Jerusalem was to be rebuilt, so the Israelites all gathered together and began to build it. However, opposition arose against them so they stopped. A little while later, another unbelieving king made the same decree again, so the Israelites rose up again to begin building. However, an investigation was carried out to see if the king had really made this decree so building was stopped a second time until the truth was discovered, the temple was finished, and the Israelites could celebrate the Passover together. It was then that God sent Ezra, a scribe, to teach the Israelites the Bible. This chapter is a record of Ezra's activities with his travelling party when they arrived at the river Ahava. It has been separated into four sections in my Bible - so let's deal with it in those four sections.

Another list of names (Ezra 8:1-14)

One of the best things about studying a book from beginning to end is that you don't have a very good excuse to just miss bits out, and this is one of many times we have encountered a long list of names in the book of Ezra; surely there's not more we can take from lists of names? I think there is...well, I would, wouldn't I?! The sentence I think sums up this section is right at the beginning - 'These are the heads of their fathers’ houses' (Ezra 8:1). So every name in this list is either the 'father of the house', or the man who is now the head of his family. I would like to just give a quick thought to the fact that the time comes in all of our lives when we sometimes need to hand ownership over someone new. Many reading this may be parents, who will one day have to hand over their children to a spouse. Many will be leading a ministry in the church, which one day will need handing over to someone new. Some may have had to hand over their ministry, and feel bitter, or disappointed. I believe that the Bible teaches us to be ready to hand over, to the point that we would almost be looking for new blood to step into our shoes! My senior pastor once told me that if I could find someone who could do what I do 70% as well as me, that I should hand that over to them and take a more oversight role. By doing this, I have seen many people step up and grow exponentially, to the point that they are way ahead of where I was in that role - and that's great!

Levites (Ezra 8:15-20)

The second part of this passage details Ezra's desire to have people from the house of Levi in his group. This is important because it shows us two things about Ezra's character, which we should seek to imitate. Firstly, he is humble in that he admits that he needs help, and he acknowledges that when Levites arrive, that it is all 'by the good hand of our God on us' (Ezra 8:18) - all the glory belongs to God, not Ezra or his men. I would say that the number one area that we have a desperate need to improve in as Christians is to become more humble; by always seeking humility we acknowledge that God is greater than we will ever hope to be, we stop ourself being the centre of attention and enable Jesus to be the centre of attention, and we recognise the awesome privilege it is that God would even consider using us for His glory! Secondly, Ezra has a good mind for the variety of gifts needed in a team. I am reminded of Paul's passages about us all being different members of one body (Romans 12,1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4); although we have different gifts, we are all called to work together as an efficient team for the glory of God. So let's play to our strengths, staff our weaknesses and enable us all to serve in whatever area we are gifted in - if we do not, the Kingdom will not work as effectively as it could, and we will not be obeying Jesus on a personal level as best we can.

Prayer & fasting (Ezra 8:21-23)

I absolutely love these verses! Ezra does not want to be a bad witness for his God before the unbelieving king Artaxerxes, and he knows where the best place to turn for help is; he prays. In fact, he encourages his entire team to pray, and 'proclaimed a fast' (Ezra 8:21). The importance here can be summed up quickly, but is a life-changing reality. By fasting and seeking God in prayer, we can see miracles happen by His hand! I adore the phrase in Ezra 8:23, 'So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.' The truth is this, and it is mind boggling - when we pray, God listens. When we fast, God notices. If we fast and pray corporately, God recognises what we are doing, and He is gracious to answer our prayers! Let's be stirred in faith to fast more, pray more, and expect more from our wonderful God, who is good, and who is in control.

Guards (Ezra 8:24-36)

Finally, we have this situation where Ezra delegates the responsibility of carrying the treasure to twelve priests. I would primarily like to use this opportunity to repeat what we began with - we have to know when it is time to hand over our duties to another! By looking at people's character, competency, and team chemistry (thanks to Bill Hybels for those), we can evaluate how people are ready to serve, then delegate appropriately.

I would like to finish up here, however, by pointing out a phrase that Ezra uses towards the end of this chapter: 'The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.' (Ezra 8:31) If there is one word I could use to sum up Ezra's character, it would be this: humility. In all things he recognises that he cannot do anything alone, and he certainly cannot do anything without God! How much more should we, whose name's are not the title of books in the Bible, be desperately seeking for God's help and admitting our own needs? Thankfully, God is a loving Father, who pours out grace upon us - let's live our lives as acts of worship to Him!

"Refreshment in Refuge" from Gina Burgess

What's to be thankful for in this?