God given wisdom

And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them. Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment. – Ezra 7.25-26

With all these exciting stories it is sometimes easy to forget that not only did he Jews have enemies in Jerusalem, but they were already living amongst the enemy in Babylon. Most of them had never known freedom. For decades they had been trying to live as God’s people in a foreign land.

Some of them lived and served amongst government officials. Some even served in the government. The developed reputations based on their testimonies. They had become a part of culture and society there in Babylon.

But still they needed to go back to their land. They may have been well treated captives, but they were still captives. They lived as strangers in a strange land.

While they were there they made an impact. People saw their faith in God and they saw the kind of godly character they had.

Here King Artaxerxes had issued a decree that Ezra be permitted to return to Jerusalem with another group of exiles and reestablish worship in Jerusalem. The King was very generous with funds and support.

Toward the end of the letter Artaxerxes addresses Ezra himself and acknowledges that Ezra had ‘God given wisdom.’ Artaxerxes takes it a bit too far when he issues a law that involved the death penalty for anyone who did not follow God. There is however no doubt that Ezra’s faith and God given wisdom and testimony had a huge impact on this powerful king.

The people around Ezra knew that there was something special about him. They knew, including the king himself, that his wisdom could only come from God. Do people even notice the difference in us as we live as strangers in a strange land?