GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
EZRA 7:11-17
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11 This is a copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and the scribe, learned in matters about the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel:
12 “Artaxerxes, King of Kings,
To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven. Perfect…, etc.
This final letter is from Artaxerxes I, the son of King Xerxes, sometimes called Longimanus “long handed,” not because of his generosity, but because his right hand was longer than his left. This opening formula has a term often translated as “etc.,” since the adjective “perfect” is not followed by a usual noun such as “peace” or “contentment.” When a letter is dictated, the term “and so on” (Latin, et cetera or “etc.”) is commonly used, but a secretary is supposed to fill in the appropriate term. In this case, a copy of the letter (verse 11), the additional term was omitted just as it had been when dictated.
It is interesting that Artaxerxes knew about “the commandments of the LORD.” Certainly there would be statues in Israel, but to mention the Ten Commandments was remarkable. But we remember that Artaxerxes’ father had a harem that included as one of his wives Queen Esther, and knowledge of the Jews, of their laws and customs, and the brand-new festival of Purim (Esther 9:26-32) were all easily within his grasp.
13 I make a decree that any one of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 Since you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your hands, 15 you may also take along the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 along with all the silver and gold which you may collect throughout the whole province of Babylon, and with it offerings freely given by the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem. 17 With this money you are to diligently buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and drink offerings. You are to offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
The King gave Ezra and any of the people of Israel permission to return. The King also mentions his “seven counselors” (see Esther 1:14) who were important advisors. Like Darius before him, he also ordered that they be given whatever provisions were required. In fact, he commanded that Ezra would be able to collect money from “the whole province of Babylon” (verse 16). Professor Brug comments: “Ezra’s mission was thus given the status of an official inspection tour on behalf of the Persian government.”
What is different here is that Darius had given permission for this fundraising to take place in the Trans-Euphrates for the earlier order. Now Artaxerxes gives permission for the Jews to collect funds from a province well within the boundaries of Mesopotamia. In fact, with some irony and the hand of God upon his words, Artaxerxes now commanded the Babylonians, who had exiled the Jews in the first place, to be taxed in order to pay for the Jews to return home once again.
Even Ezra’s studies were to be funded in this way, since the King’s words in verse 14, “You are sent… to make inquiries… about the law of your God” use the second-person pronoun “you” not in the plural, referring to the exiles, but in the singular, referring to Ezra personally. Ezra was being paid to seek and to study and to learn about the Lord (“make inquiries” is an infinitive of purpose).
In verse 17, the reader might misunderstand the command of the King. He is not commanding that the sacrifices must be made, as if to take credit for them. He phrases the decree in such a way that an enemy cannot use it against the Jews; it protects the sacrifices in every part of the process, even right up onto the altar, so that no one can say, “You were permitted to buy them, but not to offer them as sacrifices.”
A specific sin uncovered by this passage is the unwillingness among many Christians to diligently learn about the word of God. The steps that descend from avoiding Bible study in the church to avoiding Bible study at home and then avoiding Bible study altogether are narrow, slick, and so rickety that to touch one means quickly touching all three in quick succession. I had a front stoop that behaved this way outside an apartment I once rented. The landlord seemed incapable of caring, so I propped it up with some little stones that pleased the other tenants. Avoiding Bible study might be propped up a little bit with the little stones of passages and bits of the Catechism that we have memorized. I’ve often wondered how much of God’s Word I would remember if I were stranded on an island or imprisoned in cell without the comforts of any books. But that is not the life we lead. What kind of fool would starve himself and deprive himself of water just to see how long he could survive? What kind of fool would do that with the Word of God? We have the word of God right now. We can confess our absence from studying his word, we can be forgiven by our loving, inviting, and gracious God, and we can, like Ezra, “seek and study and learn about” the Lord our God and Savior.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Ezra 7:11-17 Permission to tax Babylon