GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
EZRA 7:18-24
Click to listen to this devotion.
18 You may do whatever seems best to you and your brothers with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God. 19 Vessels have been given you for worship in the house of your God– you shall deliver them to the God of Jerusalem. 20 And anything else that is required for the house of your God, which you have occasion to provide, you may provide it out of the king’s treasury.
We might wonder about the “vessels” in verse 19. Didn’t Darius already return all of the gold and silver vessels that had been removed by Nebuchadnezzar? It’s possible that some of these were overlooked or were not returned on account of poor record keeping, but it’s equally possible that these were new items that were given by Artaxerxes so that he was able to match the language of his predecessors and so that no one would claim that he was less generous than his grandfather and ancestors.
21 “And I, Artaxerxes the King, decree to all the treasurers of the Trans-Euphrates: Do with all diligence whatever Ezra the priest and scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you– 22 up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of oil, and salt without limit. 23 Whatever is commanded by the God of Heaven, let it be done correctly for the house of the God of Heaven. Why should his wrath be against the kingdom of the king and his sons? 24 We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tributes, custom tariffs, or tolls upon any one of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
Artaxerxes did not give orders about how the Israelites had to worship. He did not put limitations on them. He granted them money from his own treasury and allowed them to use it without saying anything about how it could be used, but constantly showing that it could be used specifically for the way that they worshiped, the building and furnishings of their temple. If anything else was required that he didn’t know about, they could have that, too, within certain reasonable limits (a hundred talents of silver and also some generous commodities). These things were cited by one of the early leaders in America, Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island in the 1630s after being kicked out of Massachusetts for his liberal views. He believed that the Bible teaches a separation of secular governments and the church, and he cited passages about this from Ezra, and especially this decree from Artaxerxes.
When Lutherans first came to America, in the seventeenth century in the east and then in the nineteenth century in the Midwest, we grasped the importance of this doctrine immediately. Those who had come to Missouri were especially happy to avoid government attachments, since this is what had caused their voyage– the Saxon migration– in the first place. The Kaiser of Germany had forced them to either change their doctrine or get out. He assumed that they would remain, but they surprised him, leaving in shiploads of people who settled in Missouri, and also in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. It was the beginning of what became the Missouri Synod, and also the Wisconsin Synod (a merger of the Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other groups).
In our American first amendment, our country promises: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Professor Lyle Lange reports (I would not have known this if it weren’t for his research) “The terminology of ‘separation of church and state’ came from a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists in 1802” (God so Loved the World p. 645).
We should remember that church and state are both gifts from God, and both were established by God, just as he established marriage. Usually today we are more concerned in not mixing church and state, and in our Lutheran circles, this goes back especially to the Saxon Migration and the Kaiser’s demands. Errors on either side of this separation are disastrous for the kingdom of God. At best, the unavoidable temptation is to use the government’s authority to make legal or economic demands on people seemingly in support of the growth of the church. But hearts cannot be changed by force. Hearts cannot be changed by threats, or by laws, or by bribery. Hearts are only changed by the gospel.
Our Confession says: “One should not mix or confuse the two authorities, the spiritual and the secular. For spiritual power has its command to preach the gospel and to administer the sacraments. It should not invade an alien office. It should not set up and depose kings. It should not annul or disrupt secular law and obedience to political authority. It should not make or prescribe laws for the secular power concerning secular affairs” (Augsburg Confession).
When a government, like that of Artaxerxes, chooses to be benevolent to a religious group, that it its prerogative. Many governments recognize the advantages of having peaceful churches in its borders, serving some of its people. “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” (Proverbs 14:30). To live a peaceful life is one of the marks of a true Christian (Titus 3:2; James 3:17). Governments that seek the peace and welfare of their people– all of their people– are a blessing from God.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Listen or watch Bible classes online. https://splnewulm.org/invisible-church/
Archives at St Paul’s Lutheran Church https://splnewulm.org/daily-devotions/ and Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: www.wlchapel.org/connect-grow/ministries/adults/daily-devotions/gwfy-archive/2025
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Ezra 7:18-24 Church and state