Last time we met we learned what we can learn from a genealogy, today we’ll learn from Ezra 8:15-20.
15 I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi. 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight, 17 and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God. 18 And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18; 19 also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20; 20 besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.
I have to admit, I’m feeling a bit lost here. I shouldn’t be, but none-the-less I am. That being the case, let me do what I always do when I am on lost… keep rereading the passage until something clicks.
Okay, reading this passage now for the fourth time. 🙂 Ezra has all these people gathered together who came to join them, they are camping out at the river that runs to Ahava. They are camping there as he figures out who all has come to join them and notices am important fact… there are no sons of Levi with them!
This leads Ezra to send off for some “ministers for the house of our God.” And… here Ezra acknowledges God for “by the good hand of our God” a “man of discretion” was sent to them. Neat eh? Sherebiah came along with his boys and his family, Hashabiah and Jeshsisah and their people came too. 220 temple servants came along as well. Therefore they have the people that they need.
Neat eh?
Ezra saw a need. Took the appropriate action. God sent them the people they needed.
Isn’t that just the way it is? God sending folks when they are needed? He didn’t send them before the need was apparent, but once it was apparent the people were ready.
I sometimes wonder… if people don’t notice a need… does God meet it? Like if Ezra had not noticed the missing Levites….would God have sent them? I know in my own life that sometimes I don’t recognize a need for something until it’s pointed out to me or until my need is so “in my face” that I cry out to God for help. When my need is like that…help is right there waiting for me. Here Ezra noticed a need it was immediately fulfilled and Ezra recognized it was God at work.
Which of course brings me to another thought… do we always recognize God at work? Do we see what he is doing in our lives? How he answers our needs? It’s too easy to forget isn’t it? We mustn’t. You know that I write that to myself eh? I mustn’t forget God’s ready and able help. I need to be like Ezra and recognize it quickly.
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