The Pulpit Commentary — Ezra — Section 124

worth e.tte.cking while prosecuting their journey. On the otl,er hand, they were in a position of much responsibility, being intrusted with the care of many treasures for God's house. These were the two things Ezra had to see to before they actually moved. The plane he adopted in doing ao are very characteristic and instructive, and me.y be employed to exhibit to ua, in the first place, an example of C(YUrage, and in the second a model of caution. I. EznA's COURAGE. Aa we have partially noted already, the danger was great. The travellers were possessed of some "substance" (ver. 21). They were carrying trust-treasures a.a well. They were also bound on a route where persona so circum• stanced were exceedingly likely to be attacked. At the same time, as a company, they were by no means organised for defence, being little more, in fact, than a large family party, with many women and "little ones " ( ver. 21) among them. Almost like Luke x. 3. How natural, in such circumstances, to think of military protection! How readily obtainable, also, such protection in this case I Ezra seems to feel (nat:urally enough under the terms of his commission, eh. vii. 12-26) that he had only to ask £or this to obtain it. Instead, however, of going out of his way at all to obtain it, he rather goes out of his way to avoid it. He turns {rom the king to Jehovah. Refusing to ask at all in the one case, he asks with al his heart in the other, and prepares to go forward armed with nothing whatever but promise and prayer. How conspicuously great, therefore, his courage ; more so even than that of David in 1 Sam. xvii. 39, 40, 45; still more so than that of Jacob (Gen. :xx:x:ii.), and almost a contrast to Nehemiah (eh. ii. 9). The secret of this was to be found (1) in his confidence in God's power. Whatever the king could do £or him in the way of protection, God could do more (comp. Rom. viii. 31; Pa. xx. 7; Pa. xlvi. 1-3, 7, 11). (2) In hie confidence in God's faithfulness. Here was just one of those cases in which God might be expected to exert his great power. His well-known promise (see 2 Chron. xvi. 9) to defend all those who sought him in truth had been openly referred to before the king (see end of vcr. 22). I£ Ezra, in such circum- stances, had now asked for an escort, he would have unsaid what he had said already, and put an open reproach on God's truth. On the other hand, if God, when thus appealed to, had not granted his protection, may we not almost say that he would have brought a reproach on himself? It was Ezra's conviction of this being au impossibility which gave him his great courage at this time. But chiefly, perhaps, that courage was due (3) to his confidence in God's mercy. God's protec- tion was ready for those who sought it. Sought it on what terms? Sought it (a) with becoming earnestness, as shown by their "fasting" or turning aside from ordinary pleasures and occupations in order to be wholly occupied in this seeking (comp. Isa. lviii. end ver. 3; Acts xiii. 2). Sought it (b) with proper humility, as shown by their " afflicting" themselves on account of their sins, and not asking this great favour e.s though they in any way deserved it. Sought it (c) with a profound sense of hie goodness, as being One concerned much £or the "little ones" (ver. 21 ; comp. Gen. xxxii. 11 ; Jonah iv. 11) of his people, and far from unconcerned also even as to their "substance" or temporal welfare at large (comp. Pa. xxxv. 27; Matt. vi. 25, 26, end 32 ; Luke xii. 7). These were the kind of thoughts which made these companions of Ezra as we find them pictured to us here in ver. 23, viz., with Babylon left behind them, a perilous journey before them, yet all the defence they sought for found in fasting and prayer (see Pa. xxxvi. 7). II. EznA'B CAUTION, As we have already intime.ted, he was in a position now of great trust. The mere money value of the trust was exceedingly large, amounting in silver alone, if we take the talents as Hebrew talents, worth £375 each, to £650 X 375 + £100 X 375. It was also valuable as being contributed by many of the chief personages of Persi11 (the" king," &c., &c.), and by all the elite of Israel in those parts (" all Israel there present"). And it was especially precious as being in- tended for the most sacred, as then known, of all purposes, " the house of the Lord." It was truly requisite, therefore, for such a steward not only to be "faithful," but to be" found" so (1 Cor. iv. 2; 2 Cor. viii. 20, 21). Accordingly, Ezra took care, first, to transfer the safe-keeping of this precious trust to other hands than his own, thus avoiding all ground for mistrust or possibility of scandal in one important direction. Next. he selected for this purpose, out of the two classes most suitable by office £or EZRA, X  130 THE BOOK OF EZRA. [ CH. VIII. 21-36.