Contemplative Bible Reading

Ezra 8:21-22 (New International Version 2011)

²¹ There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. ²² I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.”

Ezra is about to begin a long journey from Babylon back to Jerusalem. This isn’t like driving from Florida to California today. The journey would take months and there was the reality of “highway bandits.” Safe travel wasn’t a matter of driving defensively. There was a lot of prudence in it. The king would provide Ezra and his party a military escort to guarantee safe passage. Should Ezra request and receive such an escort? He had told the king that God would be gracious and grant them safety.

Would an escort show trust in the sword?

Should they instead show trust in the Lord?

We face similar questions today. We send missionaries to a foreign country. Do we make detailed preparations and raise enough funds to support them for five years before sending them? Do we have them pack a single bag and have faith that money will come when needed and all will be safe? Do prudent preparations shows a lack of faith? I don’t have answers for these questions.

Ezra? Oh his party arrived safely. They carried large amounts of silver and gold – prime targets for highway bandits.

³¹ On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. ³² So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.