Sunday 3rd May
Read Ezra 2:64-70
“The whole company numbered 42,360, 65 besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 200 male and female singers. 66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
68 When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings towards the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. 69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.
70 The priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.” (NIVUK)
We may not notice it quite yet, having not read the entire book of Ezra, but these concluding thoughts emphasise the sovereignty of God. Firstly, the journey from Babylon to Judah is not without challenges and yet it is entirely passed over by the author. Second, the size of this exodus to Judah is significant – it would have been noticed in Babylon that this number of people and resources was lost from the city. Third, the magnitude of the generosity and its unprompted nature is considerable considering the challenges often associated, and subsequently encountered, with raising funds. Finally, the peace with which the chapter ends is notable. Without incident, the people settled in their towns just as God called them.
God’s sovereignty echoes through these words and are the frame around which we are to read all that follows. Often, when trouble strikes, we forget this simple truth and lose perspective. Perhaps that is why Jesus teaches us to pray, every time, with a reminder of who God is and that He reigns.
