SERIES O --- RETURN TO THE LAND --- LESSON 04

A PLEA FOR HELP

EZRA’S JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM

From Ezra 7-8

At a certain time in Persia’s history, Artaxerxes became king. It was during his reign that Ezra moved from Babylon to Jerusalem. He was a direct descendant of Aaron the chief priest, through Eleazar, Phinehas, Abishua, Bukki, Uzzi, Zerahiah, Meraioth, Azariah, Amariab, Ahitub, Zadok, Shallum, Hilkiah, Azariah, and Seraiah. Ezra was a scribe, a student of the Law of Moses, which Adonai had given. King Artaxerxes gave him all that he requested, for Adonai’s favour was upon him. The Israelites who went with Ezra included priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants, as well as many ordinary people. Their journey from Babylon began during the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes. It took only from mid-March until August, for Adonai was with them because of Ezra, who had given his heart to study and practice the Law of Adonai and to teach that law in Israel. King Artaxerxes sent this decree with Ezra: [Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the Law of Adonai of heaven. Greetings to you! I decree that any Israelite in my kingdom, including priest or Levite, may return with you to Jerusalem if he so chooses. [I and my seven counsellors send you to Judah and Jerusalem to inquire about the Law of YHVH at work there and to take the silver and gold of Babylon which I and my counsellors freely offer to the YHVH of Israel, Who lives in Jerusalem. You may also collect silver and gold offerings from the people and priests of Israel, offered freely for the house of YHVH in Jerusalem. The money will buy bulls, rams, lambs, grain offerings, and drink offerings to offer on the altar of the house of Adonai in Jerusalem. Whatever is left may be used in any way you and your brothers think is in accord with the will of YHVH. [Deliver the golden vessels we are sending to the house of Adonai and present them to the YHVH of Jerusalem. If you have further needs, for the house of Adonai, I authorize you to provide for them from the royal treasury. I, King Artaxerxes, issue this decree to all treasurers in the provinces west of the Euphrates River. I decree that you who are treasurers will give Ezra whatever he requests, for he is a priest and teacher of the Law of the YHVH of heaven. Give him as much as a hundred talents of silver {about two hundred thousand dollars}, a hundred measures of wheat {about a thousand bushels}, a hundred baths of wine {about a thousand gallons or thirty-seven hundred litres}, a hundred baths of oil, and whatever salt he needs. Give anything else that the YHVH of heaven desires for His temple, for we do not wish to bring His wrath upon the king or his sons. You treasurers must not require any tax, tribute, or toll from any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple attendants, or anyone else who works in the temple, the house of YHVH. And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom YHVH has given you, must appoint judges and other officials to govern all the people west of the Euphrates River who know YHVH’s Laws, and you must instruct those who do not know them. Whoever refuses to obey YHVH’s Laws and mine will be punished by death, banishment, imprisonment, or confiscation of his goods.] Blessed be Adonai YHVH of our fathers, Who stirred the heart of the king to beautify the house of Adonai in Jerusalem, Who has given me favour with the king, his counsellors, and his mighty princes. Thus, I was encouraged because the hand of Adonai was upon me, and I gathered the leading men of Israel to go with me to Jerusalem. I assembled the families who went with me at the Ahava River, where we camped for three days. But when I reviewed the lists of priests and people, I found that there was not one Levite who had offered to come. I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders of the Levites, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were teachers. I sent them to Iddo, an Israelite leader at Casiphia, to ask him and his brothers to send priests for YHVH’s house in Jerusalem. YHVH’s hand of goodness was upon us, for He sent us a man of great insight named Sherebiah and eighteen of his sons and brothers, descendants of Levi through Mabli. He sent also Hashabiah, and Jeshaiah the son of Merari with twenty of his brothers and sons, as well as two hundred and twenty temple servants. These temple servants were in the service of the Levites, a service begun by King David, and were all listed by name. While we were there at the Ahava River, I proclaimed a fast so that we might humble ourselves before YHVH and ask Him for a safe journey for us, our children, and our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for troops and horsemen to protect us along the way for I had told the king that the hand of our YHVH protects those who seek Him, and His power and anger are against those who forsake Him. So we fasted and pleaded with YHVH to protect us and He heard us. Besides Sherebiah and Hashabiah, I appointed ten other priests as leaders in charge of the gold and silver vessels, to take them safely to the house of YHVH in Jerusalem. I weighed the gold and silver as I presented it to them, six hundred and fifty talents of silver {about a million, three hundred thousand dollars}, silver vessels worth a hundred talents {about two hundred thousand dollars}, as well as gold worth a hundred talents {about three million dollars}, and twenty gold bowls worth a thousand darics {about five thousand dollars}, and two shiny bronze pieces as precious as gold. [You and these vessels are holy before Adonai,] I told them. [The gold and silver have been given as a freewill offering to Adonai, the YHVH of your fathers. Guard them and keep them until you weigh them without loss before the Levites and Israelite leaders in Jerusalem, who will put them into the temple treasury.] The priests and Levites accepted the responsibility to take these treasures to the house of YHVH in Jerusalem. We left the Ahava River toward the end of March. As we travelled toward Jerusalem, YHVH protected us, sparing us from our enemies and from robbers along the way. When we arrived in Jerusalem, we waited three days. On the fourth day we weighed the silver and gold and other treasures at the temple, presenting them to Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, Eleazar the son of Phinehas, Jozabad the son of Yeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, all Levites. Everything was weighed, numbered, and recorded. Those of us who had come from Babylon offered burnt offerings to Adonai -- twelve bulls for the nation Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. Moreover, the king’s decrees were delivered to the rulers and governors of all the provinces west of the Euphrates River, and they helped fully in rebuilding the house of Adonai.

COMMENTARY

PERSIAN ART: GOLD AND SILVER

A typical Persian royal banquet presented a dazzling display of gold and silver. Precious-metal cups, dishes and vessels of all sorts gleamed on equally splendid gold and silver tables. Guests’ richly embroidered robes sparkled with golden sequins. Necks, arms, hands, even men’s beards were spangled with jewellery, as the wealthy reclined on carefully wrought silver couches. In some ways, the elaborate ornamentation of the Persians represented a kind of miracle. The Persian Empire rose to power very quickly, and it rushed to produce buildings and art that reflected its new high status. Craftsmen were brought from all over the empire to the royal workshops. From their many traditions, they developed a unified style that was characteristic of the Persian Empire and of nowhere else. The [miracle] lay in the speed with which this was accomplished, and with its magnificent quality. Animals in highly stylized forms were the most common element in their art. Shaped into graceful decorations, they adorned everything from bracelets to goblets and chairs. The ibex, a wild mountain goat with large curved horns, symbolized life; its form often made up the handles of a special cup called a [rhyton.] The winged lion, a mythical beast of great courage, stood proudly as the emblem of Persian royalty.