Earlier in the book of Ezra we saw how some of those who were sure they were descended from priests had not been able to demonstrate their Aaronic lineage (Ezra 2:62), but Ezra himself could, listing 17 generations back from himself to Aaron (7:1-5). And he didn’t just have a strong pedigree: “He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the Lord God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.”

We learn in today’s reading that the book as a whole comes from Ezra himself, as the narrative shifts from third person descriptions about “they” and “them” and “he” and “him,” to a first person account using “I” and “me” – “I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me (7:28; see also 8:1, 15, 21).

We also get to catch glimpses of Ezra’s character beginning to be revealed. For example, we get to hear the king’s testimony regarding Ezra’s wisdom and judiciousness (7:25), and we see Ezra’s willingness to fast and pray, and to encourage others to do so (8:21). Especially notable is his gratitude to God: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of our ancestors, to put such a thing into the heart of the king, to glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem” (7:27).

There is a particularly human touch as well, in Ezra’s struggle between fear, piety, and embarrassment. “I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and cavalry to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king that the hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him” (8:22). Ezra believed that God would protect them; but it would be nice to have a military escort as well; but he had implied to the king that they wouldn’t need one; so even though he was clearly anxious about the dangers of the trip, he would have to go forward, praying and trusting that God would indeed keep them safe (8:23). We should note in this that courage is not being unafraid; courage is when you are actually afraid and nevertheless press forward to do a dangerous task.

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You give us great blessings, O Lord, and set great tasks before us: and yet you don’t give us absolutely everything we want, so that we will need to trust in you as we press forward. We pray for wisdom, piety, and courage, so that we may steadily fulfill the assignments you have given each of us.

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