Ezra, Zealous for Pure Worship
EZRA, the Levite scribe of the fifth century B.C., had faith in God. He was not like the countless multitudes of Christendom today, who, by their course of ignoring God and his laws, manifest that they have said in their hearts, “There is no God.” Believing that God is, and that he rewards those that diligently seek him, Ezra manifested a burning zeal for the pure worship of Jehovah. God prospered that zeal, just as he is prospering the zeal of his faithful servants today.
The land of Palestine had lain desolate seventy years, even as foretold by Jehovah through his prophet Jeremiah. At the end of that time about fifty thousand devoted servants of Jehovah took advantage of the liberation decree of Cyrus and returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple. A malicious conspiracy on the part of their envious neighbors, however, caused an official ban to be placed on that work. So it happened that twenty years went by before the temple was finally completed.
Fifty more years pass and Ezra appears on the scene. He was a direct descendant of the high priest Aaron and “had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach in Israel [Jehovah’s] statutes and ordinances”. (Ezra 7:10, Am. Stan. Ver.) Ezra was far different from the hypocritical self-appointed would-be teachers of God’s law described by Jesus who “say and do not”, who “bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger”. (Matt. 23:3, 4, Am. Stan. Ver.) No, he not only sought to know and to teach God’s law in Israel, but also to do it himself. He had a genuine zeal for the pure worship.
It was with a clear conscience, therefore, that Ezra summoned up courage to petitioning Artaxerxes for permission to return to Palestine to advance the pure worship there. That the king noticed his zeal and sincerity is very apparent from his reply to Ezra’s request. Whoever of his own free will wished to return with Ezra was authorized to do so. Ezra might accept contributions for this purpose from any of the Jews as well as from anyone in Babylon, the king and his seven counselors also contributing thereto. If, after all things needful for the carrying on of the true worship had been obtained, some funds were left, Ezra and the Jews with him were to use them as they thought best, and if more funds were needed Ezra was to requisition them from the king’s treasury. The governors of the provinces beyond the River were notified that Ezra might request of them “up to a hundred talents of silver, a thousand measures of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of oil, and salt without reckoning”. (Having a value in our day of close to a quarter million dollars.) “Whatever is commanded by the God of the heavens, let it be faithfully done . . . for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king?”
Further the king’s decree provided that no tax, tribute or toll might be imposed on any of the priests or on any other temple servant, regardless of how lowly his assigned tasks might be: “Moreover do you Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your grasp, appoint governors and judges . . . all such as know the laws of your God, and instruct any who do not know them.” Finally Ezra was authorized to punish with fines, imprisonment or even death, any who refused to obey the law of his God.
No wonder that Ezra blessed Jehovah, “the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart.” Being strengthened by this evidence that Jehovah’s blessing was upon his efforts to advance the true worship in Palestine, he gathered the leading men of Israel to return with him.—Ezra, chapter 7, An Amer. Trans.
The repatriates assembled on the banks of the river Ahava, where Ezra made a three-day check on who was returning and where he saw to it that among those returning were those who were qualified to be “ministrants for the house of our God”. As he mentions the “little ones” that were with them, and lists 1,754 males of the various tribes, it is quite likely that well upward of 5,000 men, women and children were in the party.
Always acknowledging Jehovah in all his ways, Ezra then proclaimed a fast “that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek of him a safe journey . . . For I was ashamed to ask of the king an armed force and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, ‘The hand of our God is with all who seek him for good, but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him.’”—Ezra 8:17, 21, 22, An Amer. Trans.
Ezra then carefully weighed and counted the treasure, some four million dollars in value, and, with a solemn injunction, entrusted it to twelve of the chief priests. After a journey taking about four months, Ezra and his band arrived safely in Jerusalem. Again Jehovah had prospered Ezra’s zeal for the pure worship. After offering sacrifices of bulls, rams, lambs and he-goats for all the twelve tribes of Israel, Ezra learned of the transgression of the people in the matter of taking heathen wives. To one so jealous for the pure worship as was Ezra, this news of the widespread infiltration of pagan worshipers caused the greatest consternation and amazement. “I tore my garment and my mantle, and pulled the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled . . . until the evening oblation.”
Then falling upon his knees and spreading his hands out to Jehovah he made a moving confession in the presence of the assembled Israelites, “all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel.” Confessing the wrongful course of his people from the days of their fathers to the present time, he recounted the punishment that they had received because of it, and how God had again extended mercy to them by permitting them to return. They had been punished with less than they deserved, and “shall we again break thy commands, and make marriage alliances with the peoples who perform these abominable rites? Wouldst thou not be enraged with us until thou hadst consumed us, until neither remnant nor survivor was left?”
On behalf of the people one Shechaniah spoke up and counseled that all enter into a solemn agreement to straighten this matter out, and, urging Ezra, said: “Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and act.” Ezra then made all the people swear that they would be submissive to Jehovah’s will in the matter, and they were commanded to return for this purpose within three days. All those refusing to do so were to be banished and their goods confiscated.—Ezra 9:3-10:8, An Amer. Trans.
Accordingly all the people came together in Jerusalem on the twentieth day of the ninth month. This was therefore no small assembly. “And all the people sat in the open square in front of the house of God, trembling on account of the occasion itself and also because of the pouring rain.” It was seen that the entire matter could not be taken care of then and there because of the great number that had transgressed, so after instructions’ being given by Ezra arrangements were made to take care of the matter gradually at appointed times. By the end of the next three months all the pagan worshipers had been cleared out.—Ezra 10:9-17, An Amer. Trans.
Without doubt this action caused much suffering to all concerned; the overdue remedying of violations of God’s laws often does. Neither is it at all likely that the heathen neighbors round about who were involved particularly welcomed the return of these grass widows, with the added burden of their children, nor that they appreciated the issue of pure worship that was involved. But the servants of Jehovah must decide whether they will be primarily concerned with pleasing Jehovah or with pleasing this world. Ezra was determined to ‘know, teach and do’ God’s will and law regardless of what others thought. The servants of the Lord today likewise cannot be governed in their decisions by whether or not the people of the world appreciate the issue in regard to such questions as the flag salute, military service, or understand God’s will in the matter of blood transfusions, etc. But, back to Ezra.
Thirteen years pass, and it is the first day of the seventh month when we next hear of him. In the meantime Nehemiah had returned, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and was serving as governor of the land. Again we see Ezra manifest zeal for the pure worship by instructing the people in the law of Jehovah. We see him stand on a platform that was raised high above the people so that all could see and hear, and after a prayer to Jehovah he reads from the law from day dawn till noon. For that convention the people had gotten up early! As the law or word of the law was written in Hebrew and the people in general no longer understood it but spoke Aramaic, it was necessary that others interpret it for them; hence “they read in the book in the law of God distinctly [that is, gave the Aramaic paraphrase], and gave the sense [by dividing the words according to the sense], and caused them to understand the reading [by giving the traditional pronunciation of the words]”.—Neh. 8:8.
As the people heard the words of the law read they wept, but they were told not to weep, but to rejoice, that this was a time of joy and feasting, “for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.” “And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.” On the next day the people again gathered for Bible education, “even to give attention to the words of the law.” Learning of God’s commandment to celebrate the feast of tabernacles, they immediately went out to the forests and gathered boughs and made themselves booths or tabernacles and dwelt in them. “And there was very great gladness.” Ezra continued to instruct the people: “Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly.” (Neh. 8:9-18, Am. Stan. Ver.) Great as was the joy of the people, Ezra’s joy was, without doubt, still greater; for is it not more blessed to give out the words of God’s law than to receive them?
In addition to orally instructing the people, Ezra showed his zeal for the pure worship in other ways. He wrote the book bearing his name as well as the two books of Chronicles. Further, there is every reason to believe that Jehovah’s spirit directed his zeal to compile the Hebrew Scripture canon; collating the various books of the Hebrew canon while still in Babylon and then putting them into final form and adding his own writings after he returned to Palestine. The evidence at hand is quite conclusive that the Hebrew canon was complete in his day, with perhaps the single exception of the book of Malachi.
The time of Ezra also saw the making of many copies of the Hebrew Scriptures for the use of the Jews in the synagogues, scattered far and wide. Without doubt Ezra’s zeal for pure worship caused him to pioneer in this work and also to supervise it. Thus in various ways Ezra manifested his zeal for the pure worship of Jehovah, and not only did his contemporary brethren benefit from it but all of Jehovah’s servants since have profited from his resolve to know, teach and do Jehovah’s law. And in this he also set a good example for all servants of Jehovah today.
I will give thanks unto Jehovah with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvellous works.—Psalm 9:1, A.S.V.