Ezra Went Up from Babylon - Ezra 7:6

In the book of Ezra, Ezra said, “Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest ...”, and in chapter seven and verse six of Ezra, Ezra shared how, “Ezra went up from Babylon” where we read,

This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

The verse reads, “This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given:” Ezra began with the words, “this Ezra” which means “the selfsame Ezra whose name means help” “went up from Babylon” which means “ascended, departed and withdrew separate and apart from Babylon whose name means confusion (by mixing) and was known as Babel or Babylon which was the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates River”; “and he was a ready scribe” or “and he, Ezra, existed as a prompt, skilled and diligent recounter, enumerator, secretary and learned man” “in the law of Moses” which means “within the direction, instruction and body of legal codes belonging to Moses whose name means drawn out and was the prophet and lawgiver who lead the people out of Egypt in the Exodus”, “which the LORD God” or “that Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God and is the Supreme Deity” “of Israel had given” which means “belonging to Israel, whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and nation of descendants of Jacob, gave, granted and bestowed”. Ezra shared how he left the area of “Babylon”, and he served as a diligent enumerator and recounter within the commands of “Moses” who received them from Jehovah God the Supreme Deity of “Israel”.

The verse goes on to say, “ … and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.” Ezra continued with the words, “and the king granted him” which means “and the royal ruler and leader gave him, Ezra” “all his request” or “each, every, the whole and everyone of his, Ezra's, petitions and entreaties”, “according to the hand” which means “in keeping with the strong and mighty hand” “of the LORD his God” or “belonging to Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God, his, Ezra's, Supreme Deity” “upon him” which means “on him, Ezra”. Ezra shared how the royal ruler of Persia gave him everything he asked in keeping with the power and might belonging to Jehovah God who was Ezra's Supreme Deity. 

When we meditate upon Ezra's words in this verse, we discover his departure from “Babylon”, his position as a “ready scribe”, his proficiency in “Moses' law” and his favored relationship with the “king” of Persia. God put “Ezra” in this position, and He gave Him favor and ability in his field. God loves the people of Israel, and He was involved in restoring their city, the temple and the worship of Him which would benefit the people of Israel. God loves us as well, and He provided His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. When we submit to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us an understanding that our lives, abilities and favorable positions are all provided by God so we may be of service to Him in His Kingdom as we share His gospel of salvation with the world. 

Next time Ezra shares how, “there went up some of the children of Israel”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".