Introduction
Good day, everyone. Let us continue examining the eighth chapter of Ezra, themed "The Hand of Our God Was Upon Us." In truth, this chapter does not significantly differ from the previous one, as it continues the narrative.
Ezra had boasted to the emperor, "Our God is exceedingly powerful. He can protect us, and not only us but also you and your sons." The emperor then responded, "Then let me see if your God can protect you. I, King Artaxerxes, decree that you gather as many Israelites as possible around the capital of the Persian Empire."
If Ezra had called out and no one had come forward, the king would have said, "Is your God not a God who helps you?" Alas, that would have been a great embarrassment! But thanks be to God, 1,500 people actually signed up, which moved Ezra greatly. He thought, "My God is truly a God who protects us. God is truly divine!"
This time, it was King Artaxerxes who issued the decree to see if God was truly so mighty. Did Ezra really have confidence in his heart? He had made such a bold claim, and if God did not "endorse" him, Ezra's call would have been in vain! Oh, my heavens! If he were to be disgraced, it would be exceedingly painful! Yet, 1,500 people signed up.
Do you all realize what 1,500 people means? It is a very troublesome matter! Because these men would bring their families, approximately five to seven thousand people. Even just the issues of food, drink, excretion, and sleep for about five thousand people would be enough to overwhelm you! So, truly, thanks be to God!
We are an online church. If we were to add two children and the elderly to each of the above households, that would be seven to eight thousand people! If it were a physical church, we would first need to prepare a place that could accommodate seven to eight thousand people, which is a terrifying thought!
When these people come to gather on Sundays, the parking lot would be frightening. Traffic police would have to be arranged to direct vehicles. Every Sunday would be a disaster for the traffic police! Therefore, we must understand the suffering of physical churches. I truly thank God that we are an online church.
1,500 People Sign Up to Return to Jerusalem with Ezra
It was a great honor that 1,500 people signed up to return to Jerusalem with Ezra! When Ezra saw this vast crowd, he thought, "God, you truly 'uphold my face,' you are truly a God who protects us! I boasted so loudly to King Artaxerxes, and if you had not helped me, I would have had to dig a pit and bury myself quickly."
I tell you, building a church is the same. For example, if you prepare 1,500 seats, but there is no one below, who are you preaching to? Therefore, we must understand how "hard" those pastors of physical churches work. What can they do if they do not rely on God? With great difficulty, someone comes in from the outside, but upon seeing that the church is empty, they turn around and leave.
It is like going to a restaurant. If you only see the chef and waiters standing there properly, but there are no diners, you will wonder, "Is this food edible? Have I come to 'Sun Erniang's Inn'?" This feeling is terrible. But thanks be to God! We are an online church, which resolves a disastrous feeling in my heart.
Ezra gathered 1,500 people. At home, these 1,500 people would have discussions: "Should we sign up?" Just like now, when we all sign up to go to Jerusalem, the wife would ask, "Husband, what about our house? Where will we live in Jerusalem? What about the children's schooling?" The husband says, "I don't know!" So the couple starts arguing. The husband wants to sign up, and the wife raises questions. Oh, my heavens! Can you imagine this scene? It is frightening to think about.
These people set out in the first month and arrived in the fifth month. They walked back on foot. Did you think they were taking the high-speed rail? The wife also says, "Husband, look, our parents are both over eighty years old. Can they walk back with us? We have two children and our parents, originally a family of six. Maybe by the time we get to Jerusalem, there will only be four of us left. How can our parents endure this hardship?" The problems are endless!
If it were not for the Spirit of God working there, with Ezra's small stature, weighing only a hundred pounds with bones and flesh included, how could he manage so many people? When Zerubbabel led tens of thousands of people back to Jerusalem, these eighty- and ninety-year-olds were still infants. What do you think would happen? I am highlighting the difficulty of this matter through these stories.
And these old men and women said, "Son, how much your mother and I wanted to return back then! That is the great capital city where the God of our ancestors is. But we missed it then, so we cannot miss it this time! Child, you don't have to worry about our old bones. Even if we die, we must die on the road." So this matter was easy to handle, and finally, 1,500 people came. Who did the ideological work for these children? God did it! Who did the ideological work for these old men and women? God did it too!
Later, the Israelites who stayed in the capital and did not want to return, who did not respond to God's prompting, were not in a very good state. Those old men and women who responded to God's prompting and calling and returned to Jerusalem, some lived to be over a hundred years old. And other old men and women, feeling that their old arms and legs could not move, indulging in the flesh, perhaps passed away the following year. May God have mercy!
What I am expressing is not that living longer is better, but that it is good to be protected by God! Ezra was protected by God and gathered 1,500 Israelites, bringing their families, five to six thousand people. This moved Ezra greatly.
Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight Levites and Nethinim Join
Ezra was very happy to see these 1,500 people, so he sang hymns of praise, saying, "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord!" But when he counted, there were no Levites. Would Ezra lose face? Did you think Artaxerxes did not understand the Levites? He had studied them thoroughly. So Ezra sent people to find them again, and finally found thirty-eight Levites and two hundred and twenty Nethinim. Ezra was happy again, and he said, "The gracious hand of our God has been upon us!"
When Ezra went to find these people, it was like the stories I told above. Either the wife disagreed, or the husband did not want to go, or the old men and women could not withstand the hardship of the journey. It was not a joke! Some people also said, "Oh, my house has not been sold yet! My house has just been signed for. Why are you in such a hurry?"
In the end, Ezra brought these people. They said, "Forget it, you can have the house!" These two hundred and fifty-eight people came, which moved Ezra greatly again! "The gracious hand of our God has been upon us" was deeply engraved in Ezra's heart!
I can especially understand this matter. If the God we believe in cannot manage even this small matter, can He be called God? If we have to offer Him a chicken and a duck on the first and fifteenth of every month, and then He does nothing, what is the use? Would that not become "Great Sage Buddhism"?
I must tell you that our God is a God who performs miracles, our God is truly a God who protects us! So do not be afraid, living is a very simple matter. As a result, Ezra made a difficult choice, leading the Israelites back to Jerusalem.
Ezra Carried a Lot of Gold and Silver Treasures, Attracting Many Robbers
At that time, Ezra was "doing activities, posting advertisements all over the streets," sending leaflets from house to house, calling on the Israelites to return to Jerusalem with him. Then he also said, "We are carrying a lot of gold and silver treasures." Oh, my heavens, did you think the robbers were vegetarians?
As for whether Ezra had a "Water Margin" back then, we do not know, but there were also many "Greek forces," bandits, and local rebels who needed money! In that era, it was difficult to completely eliminate those bandits. There were also highway robbers. These mountain bandits had their territories marked out. This thirty miles was for me to rob, and that thirty miles was for you to rob.
Ezra and his people had to travel for three months from the Persian Empire back to Jerusalem. The Israelites carried so much gold and silver treasures. You think Ezra was a scribe who did not usually wield knives and guns. Could he withstand the bandits and rebellious forces? Did the Israelites not know there were bandits?
Not to mention that era, when I was young, I had to sew a pocket on my underwear and put a stack of money in it, for fear of losing it. Not too long ago, when the green-skinned train passed through a place, some people rushed up to collect money. Was that not a classic thing?
Ezra thought, "Oh, I am going back to worship my God. I told King Artaxerxes that my God protects me, but the real gold and silver are real, and those robbers and bandits are also real! 1,500 people are carrying so much gold and silver treasures. What if we encounter bandits? If we rely solely on human strength, I might even be captured and enslaved in the mountains. It would be good if we could have one hundred and fifty people left."
Moreover, the one hundred and eight generals of "Water Margin" were all capable and highly skilled in martial arts. If we traveled by water, there would be Ruan Xiao Wu and Ruan Xiao Qi prepared there. If we traveled by land, we would encounter Wu Song, Lu Zhishen, and Lin Chong. Just thinking about these things makes my scalp tingle.
If everyone dressed up as poor beggars, looking like Ji Gong, it might be okay, but we are so ostentatious, carrying so much gold and silver, it is like robbing the emperor's "birthday gifts," which would attract many robbers! Without God's protection, how difficult would it be!
So why did these robbers not rob? Was it not arranged properly? No, every section of the road had the sphere of influence marked out by the underworld. As a result, when those mountain bandits saw it, they found that there were soldiers all around, wearing shiny armor. Those were angels and heavenly soldiers! Ezra wondered, "Hey, why are there no robbers?"
In fact, those few robbers were suffering there. Before, the Israelites struggled whether to go to Jerusalem or not. Now it was the robbers' turn to struggle whether to rob or not? But when they saw that they could not win, they gave up. There were indeed some who rushed up, but before they could rush up, they were eliminated by the angels and heavenly soldiers! I tell you, if our God wants to protect us, it is very simple. You do not know how powerful our God is!
The Bible records an event in the life of the prophet Elisha, where the Assyrian army, three layers deep on each side, surrounded his residence for a considerable period. Elisha, upon waking and stepping outside for a stretch, was met with his disciple's alarm: "Master, the troops are layered upon layered, sealing us in! Not even a sparrow could escape!"
Elisha responded, "Fear not, my child. Have they not been there for days?" It seemed they could have "swooped" in and eliminated Elisha, yet they lingered for days. Did you think they were merely idling?
Then Elisha opened the young man's eyes, and he beheld the heavenly host, layered upon layered, between Elisha and the Assyrian army, not only on the ground but also in the air. Powerful indeed! Though unseen by our eyes, this is the reality of the spiritual realm!
Was Ezra discredited? No! He returned safely to Jerusalem. How many robbers perished along the way? Ezra did not bother to record. How many were slain by God's angels and heavenly host? We do not know! But had the robbers dared to attack, they would have met certain doom. Therefore, brethren, know that our God is mighty, and He is in control.
Ezra Deemed it Shameful to Request Troops from the King for Protection
Did Ezra consider requesting troops from the king to protect their return to Jerusalem? Surely, he did, and he wrestled with it. But he had already "bragged" before King Artaxerxes, "My God is mighty, capable of protecting this and that. My God is the God of the living."
Ezra recounted the stories of Elisha and David, and how God protected the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt, with the Egyptian army in pursuit, using pillars of cloud and fire. He spoke with such faith! But when it came to testing it himself? Like some of us, brethren, we are great at teaching others, but when illness strikes us? We grit our teeth and endure.
Ezra thought, "I will not seek horsemen or foot soldiers from the king, for my God is our horsemen, our foot soldiers, and our heavenly host." Do you agree, brethren? Does faith not rise and fall? Surely, you have experienced it! Knowing that Ezra is no different from us! All the same!
One moment Ezra felt, "My God will protect me," and the next, his faith faltered. We too pray, and faith rises, but upon opening our eyes to reality, fear returns. Ezra pondered: "Can these old men and women make it to that place? Can these Israelites fight? Can these weaklings withstand the 'Water Margin'?"
Along the way, there were a dozen notorious strongholds. Did you think the Persian Empire was so well-managed? Not at all! Not only bandits but also internal thieves! What if the local troops and police disguised themselves as bandits? Unthinkable! Ezra wavered, contemplating whether to request troops from the king. But he had already boasted, and his faith was doing "sit-ups."
Ezra Proclaimed a Fast, Afflicting Themselves, Seeking God's Protection
Ezra proclaimed a fast, afflicting themselves, seeking God's protection. It is not that God needs you to do this, but when our faith is weak, we need it. I have had this experience, praying, "God is my healer, by Jesus' stripes I am healed," yet believing one moment and doubting the next.
I am just like you. What else can I do but pray? So, I prayed fervently, my voice changing. God does not need us to shout, but when you shout, you feel like you are praying, a personal sensation, but not very effective.
Our God is the God who graciously protects us, the God who helps us. You must know whom God helps. God will protect those who live for Him. You must understand the logic: if you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, the problem is solved, and all the affairs of life are settled. If one insists on living under a curse by one's own hands, then all troubles will come.
Our God is exceedingly mighty, preserving us until now, not because we have done right, but because our God has done right. Later, our church underwent a reformation, and faith rose, not from shouting and feeling faith rise, but from fully knowing God in understanding, having ample faith in understanding. Therefore, our healing and deliverance are very effective.
Recently, I have been leading prayers with more emphasis on understanding, praying first with understanding, then in tongues, then again with understanding. Understanding is crucial, and praying in tongues is also important. I lead prayers with much praying in tongues, and then the symptoms of deliverance come, various hiccups. But do not think that Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a hiccup theology. That is a symptom of deliverance, not theology. Our Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology of fully knowing God in understanding, having ample faith in understanding!
Ezra announced a fast. What would happen without fasting and prayer? I tell you, fasting and prayer, especially much praying in tongues, gives us a strength to stand. Remember, persisting in praying in the spirit and with understanding truly edifies you. What is edification? It is when your faith rises.
Ezra "bragged" loudly, but it was not truly "bragging," but rather a "declaration of faith." And the boast did not fail; God truly protected them back to Jerusalem. Praise God! How was it so smooth along the way? Perhaps they did not pray in tongues.
Regardless of whether they prayed in tongues, faith rose after prayer. Ezra declared that every Israelite should afflict themselves in fasting, seeking God, and in this process, they practiced faith. Faith can move God's hand, so Ezra wrote this chapter, "The hand of our God was upon us!"
Upon Arriving in Jerusalem, Offering Sacrifices to God
Praise God, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, and the first thing he did was to offer sacrifices, for God had protected them through trial after trial, and his heart was filled with gratitude. Christians should offer sacrifices to God.
When a group of Puritans sailed to the American continent and established the United States of America. Later, there were no Puritans, all were mixed! The first thing they did was to build churches. Wherever the Puritans of that era went, they built churches, offered sacrifices, and prayed. Whether they prayed in tongues is not important; their faith was truly powerful!
In the heart of Singapore City, there are churches. When the British came to a new place, whether they were officials or not, they built churches on the best land. If you visit Singapore, in the very center of the city, there is a church called St. Andrew's Cathedral, built white and spired.
Although many churches later became bars, all those prime locations were originally churches, because many who came to Singapore were Puritans. Singaporeans are grateful to a Briton named Raffles, a highly respected figure in Singapore, who offered sacrifices to God upon arriving in a new place.
Some of us are not as faithful as Ezra. Do we have the courage to build a church upon arriving in a new place? Do we have the spirit of dedication to build a church before building our own houses? We do not! We care for ourselves first. We are more like the Israelites.
Filled with gratitude, they offered sacrifices to God, "The hand of our God was upon us." If God can protect us in difficult times, can He protect us in easy times? He can still protect us! Therefore, brethren, trust in God all your life, and you will not be put to shame.
What a wonderful choice it is to trust in God all one's life. If I were to rely on myself, I would be ruined. My hundred-odd pounds, and Ezra's hundred-odd pounds, weighed on a scale, are nothing. When can man overcome the enemy and escape his hand by relying on himself? Never, only by relying on God!
So, Ezra offered sacrifices to God upon arriving in Jerusalem, initiating an interesting practice. Many Puritans built churches upon arriving in a new place. Regardless of their theological system, they believed in this way.
Even the Local Governors Helped Them, God's Sovereignty Reigning Therein
Was it because of the governors' help? No, the gracious hand of our God often helps us, exceedingly well! This is a treasure, very precious. It raises our faith again, no matter what situation you face.
Consider, do we trust in God or in ourselves? Trust in God well, and you will lack nothing! Sometimes, if a path is blocked, do not force it. The soil buries people everywhere, and your faith works everywhere.
Brethren, imprint these words deeply in our hearts: The gracious hand of our God helps us, the hand of our God protects us! Our God will send His angels and heavenly host to encamp around us. Do not fear, worry, or be anxious; God will surely protect you! If you are Ezra, Nehemiah, or Zerubbabel, God will surely protect you; if you are Joseph, even if sold into slavery in Egypt, you will sit on the throne of the prime minister.
Many of you are remarkable brethren, because you have faith in God, and God has a great plan for you. God will surely accomplish His plan in you! Our Bible study sharing ends here. May God bless you all!
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