Ezra 7:11 says, Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of his statutes to Israel. We have a record of the letter that Artaxerxes gave to Ezra. This would be an authorization to not only go to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple but also to raise the funds to do so as we will see. It is good to have the authority to do something for God, but it is better to have the funding provided as well.
Verse twelve adds, Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. Artaxerxes started by acknowledging that Ezra served the God of heaven as a priest and wished him perfect peace, which he was not experiencing from those who opposed his rebuilding the Temple. Artaxerxes did not say that God was his God, but he did acknowledge His power. The earthly authorities may not always acknowledge God as their God, but it is nice when they want those who serve Him to be at peace in the world.
Verse thirteen continues, I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. Artaxerxes made a decree that all the people of Israel who wanted to go of their own free will go to Jerusalem with Ezra. They were captives who were given permission to leave their captivity. Before we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are captives of sin, but once we accept Him, we are set free from the power of sin. As with the people of Israel then, we must do so by our own free-will.
Verse fourteen states, Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; Ezra was told he had the authority of Artaxerxes and his counselors behind him, and more importantly he was knowledgeable about the law of God and obedient to Him. We may be authorized to act in the name of the government, but more importantly we need to act under God’s authorization and in accordance with His law.
Verse fifteen adds, And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, Ezra was also given silver and gold by Artaxerxes and his counselors to the God of Israel. These were the people who had defeated the people of Israel, but they were willing to donate to the rebuilding of God’s Holy City. We need to be as willing as Christians to give freely so that God’s work can be carried out.
Verse sixteen continues, And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem: Artaxerxes added that Ezra was free to use all the gold and silver that he could find in Babylon as well as any free-will offerings from the people. This was very generous of someone who didn’t have to give them anything. We will likely never have the same offer today as we do God’s work.
Verse seventeen says, That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. Artaxerxes said Ezra was to use the funds to quickly buy all that he needed to make sacrifices to God. We also need to be willing to quickly use everything at our disposal to carry out God’s purpose for us and to worship Him.
Verse eighteen adds, And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. Ezra was basically told that the rest of the silver and gold were his to use however he saw fit in order to do God’s will. We need to use whatever God blesses us with to do the work God calls us to and to bring honor and glory to Him.
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