The Pulpit Commentary — Ezra — Section 110

the king," as the king, "delighted to honour" and help at that time (see Esther vi. 11) . . May we not, therefore, learn here-I. The ncble.st WJe of world,ly advantages, viz., to help, either directly or indirectly, in the great work of acquainting men with God and his will., under which we include, of course, his way of salvation, liis way of love. Of all the things the various kings of Persia ever did with their wealth and power, what was really wiser and more illustrious than to use them as we read of here? Are not those three names, therefore, in the end of eh. vi. 14 the three greatest of all? Compared to such uses, also, what were Ahab's "ivory house" (1 Kings mi. 39), and Nebuchadnezzar's "great Babylon" (Dan. iv. 30), or Solomon's "apes and peacocks" (1 Kings x. 22), or all his royal luxuries (Eccl. ii.), or even his deserved reputation for wisdc;n (ibid. end ver. 9), if regarded as any- thing more than means to a better end, but vanity and vexation ? It is one principal part of God's will that his will (i. e. his "way," Ps. lxvii. 2) should be "known upon earth." All else in the world is but transient; but he that helps in making this known doeth that which, like God himself," abideth for ever" (1 John ii. 17; also Dan. xii. 3). To this, perhaps, may be applied the language of 1 Cor. iii. 9-13. How great a mercy that it is possible for us thus to build for eternity with the things of time I How great an insanity, that being so, to neglect to do it I (See Luke xii. 21; xvi. 9; 1 Tim. vi. 17-19, &c.) 2. The noble.st ideal of human life, viz., like Ezra here, to devote oneself and all one's days to this "use" (comp. 2 Cor. xii. 15). Who is the true "king" in this passage? Not A.rtaxerxes, whatever he calls himself (ver. 12); not .Artaxerxes, with all his court, nor even with all he does here for God's service through the instrumentality of Ezra; but Ezra himself, as the man whom A.rtaxerxes and bis seven counsellors and his mighty princes are proud to honour and help. What, in fact, is this whole decree, thus regarded, but their homage to him? So true is that ancient saying, " Whose service is perfect freedom ; " or, still stronger and truer and more to our present purpose, as we read it in the original Latin-" Cui servire regnare est." Vera. 27-28.-The reformer's psalm. Very abruptly, even in our translation, does this short psahn of praise come in. Still more so in the original, where the writer here passes suddenly from Chaldee to Hebrew ; that being, in his case, the natural language of such praise (Ps. cxxxvii. 3). This makes the p,salm all the more valuable to us as an index of inward feeling. Carefully studied forms of expression may or may not be the language of the heart. Sudden and unpremeditated expres- sions, words that escape from the lips before the speaker has had time to attend to their appearance, cannot be anything else. We may take these words, therefore, as giving us a peculiarly life-like picture of Ezra's feelings, both when first receiving this decree of the king, and also when afterwards committing it to writing. Thus seen they teach us specially-I. His true piety; and, 2. His sincere humility I. EzaA's TRUE PIETY. The fact, to begin, of his offering and also recording any such sudden praise to God under the circumstances is some distinction in this direc- tion. Not every one would have done so. "Were there not ten cleanl!ed? But where are the nine?" His piety is shown, however, still more-1. By the subjed of kis tlwughts, viz., Jehovah himself(" Blessed be the Lord"). Also, Jehovah nlone in this sense, others being only referred to either as helping to describe him more accurately (the God of our fathers), or else as being influenced by him for good (the king, &c.), or else as having received blessings from him (Ezra himself). This is a great characteristic of true piety (Ps. xvi. 8, contrasted with x. 4; xiv. 1). God bas far the first place in a really good man's thoughts, both in order of time (comp. two tables of Decalogue, and structure of the Lord's prayer) and also in that of im- portance (Ps. lxxiii. ::!5 ; Phil. iii. ~)- This also is specially _exemplified on_ all occ~- sions where the heart 1s much stirred, such as here, e. g. m very great JOY, or m great temptation (Gen. xxxiL end ver. 9), or in deep sorrow £or sin (Ps. Ii. 4), or in very extreme danger (2 Chron. xviii. 31). In a heart fully under the influence. of God's grace (Acts vi. 5 ; xi. 24), the more deeply that heart is penetrated, thE> m-0re you discover this to be true. 2. By tlie subject of his ~aiBe, viz., first and fore- most, that the result of God's special interference in this mstance should be for the " beautifying" of God's own house ; and next, that "morciee " and help should OH, VII. 11-28.] THE BOOK OF EZRA.