No. 22 of Returning Home (Second Return)
Ezra accepted his work for God with courage and gratitude, but he did not have an easy time of it. Ezra records the names and number of the returning people of God in this second expedition (read chapter 8:1-14) and describes how he got this count.
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.– Ezra 8:15ESV
Ezra and the people have already packed up and left their homes. They have encamped for three days near a river to get an accurate count of their party only to realize, with the exception of Ezra, they have no Levites in their number. This is strange indeed for people to go on a religious pilgrimage, paid for by the emperor, with nary a spiritual leader of God among them! It looks like this expedition isn’t going anywhere!
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, 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. – Ezra 8:16-17ESV
Ezra doesn’t throw up his hands and walk away. He calls on Jewish leaders in Babylon who have the insight to persuade the leaders at Casiphia to send Levites to return to Jerusalem with them. The location of Casiphia is unknown, as well as the reason for a group of Levites and temple servants living there. But it does depict for us how the Nethinim — those temple servants installed by Joshua as “forever” servants — were still serving the priests of Levite even in captivity. Ezra’s appeal to his priestly brothers doesn’t go unmet.
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; also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 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. – Ezra 8:18-20ESV
The clans of the priests total twenty souls. This seems a small number in comparison with the seventy-four Levites of the first expedition, but the number is proportional when we remember over 42, 000 people returned the first trip. There were approximately 1500 men in Ezra’s record of the second return, meaning their party was smaller in number. It is believed by some that the Hebrews returning to Jerusalem may have come in trickles after the initial return permitted by Cyrus. While this may be true, Ezra’s words of verses 21 and 22 show the danger of making such a journey without protection.
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” – Ezra 8:21-22ESV
The passage to Jerusalem was not going to be easy. In fact, there was no direct, mapped-out route, and they would be exposed to the enemy. The King James Version translates “children” as “our little ones.” Ezra’s caravan included vulnerable family units, the seeds of the next generations in Jerusalem. So, Ezra finds himself in a predicament. The king has offered no military assistance. If he asks for soldiers, it will contradict his avowal that Jehovah God is going to protect them. Traveling with children in his party, a plea for Godly assistance is so necessary. But this Hebrew leader knows that one man’s faith does not supply the faith of the whole congregation. He proclaims a fast to beg God’s aid, and in this way shows his people the danger they are undertaking and the value of God’s protection and provision. It is a personal faith that draws each of these souls to abstain from eating in order to express their dependence on their Heavenly Father.
Sometimes we state that God is our Protector and Provider; but when the needs are weighing, we tend to rely on the physical protections we can see. It is easy to believe we depend on God until the things we falsely put our trust in are stripped away. Then, in our panic, we realize we are vulnerable and haven’t been depending on the Lord as our strength. Yes, He provides for us through physical avenues, giving military protection and good-paying jobs and insurance, but we should never put our trust in those temporary things. We should value the Provider over the methods of His provision. We should depend on the One who grants blessings for our every need. We should call on Him in full confidence that He will show us the way to go. That’s what Ezra and the people did, and our loving God responded:
23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty. – Ezra 8:23ESV