Esdra 7:14 Commento

Ezra's precious name saluted us, at first, in the title of the book, but in the history we have not met with it till this chapter introduces him into public action in another reign, that of Artaxerxes. Zerubbabel and Jeshua we will suppose, by this time, to have grown old, if not gone off; nor do we hear any more of Haggai and Zechariah; they have finished their testimony. What shall become of the cause of God and Israel when these useful instruments are laid aside? Trust God, who has the residue of the Spirit, to raise up others in their room. Ezra here, and Nehemiah in the next book, are as serviceable in their days as those were in theirs. Here is, I. An account, in general, of Ezra himself, and of his expedition to Jerusalem for the public good (Ezr 7:1-10). II. A copy of the commission which Artaxerxes gave him (v. 11-26). III. His thankfulness to God for it (Ezr 7:27, Ezr 7:28). The next chapter will give us a more particular narrative of his associates, his journey, and his arrival at Jerusalem.

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 7 In this chapter we have the lineage and character of Ezra described, Ezr 7:1, his expedition to Jerusalem, and of many others with him, Ezr 7:7, a copy of the commission King Artaxerxes gave him to execute, Ezr 7:11, and his thankfulness, Ezr 7:27.

And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem. In the temple built there; for the service of which, either for purchasing and procuring vessels that were wanting in it, or for sacrifices to be offered in it, the king and his nobles had made a voluntary contribution, and intrusted and sent Ezra with it. And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem. In the temple built there; for the service of which, either for purchasing and procuring vessels that were wanting in it, or for sacrifices to be offered in it, the king and his nobles had made a voluntary contribution, and intrusted and sent Ezra with it. Ezra 7:16 ezr 7:16 ezr 7:16 ezr 7:16And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon,.... Not that he might take it wherever he found it, whether the owners of it were willing he should have it or not; but whatever was freely offered by them, as Jarchi, that he was allowed to take, whatever he could get in that way: with the freewill offering of the people; of the people of the Jews, who thought fit to continue in the province: and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; those freewill offerings, whether of the natives of Babylon, or of any of the Jewish nation, for the service of the temple at Jerusalem, he had leave and a commission to carry with him.

For you have been sent from the presence of the king and his seven advisors, etc. And in the book of Esther, we read that it was the custom of the Persian kings to use the counsel of seven wise men in all matters to be done or decided. The faithful use seven advisors when in all things they do, they follow the precepts and decrees of the divine Scriptures. Of which the Psalmist says: The words of the Lord are pure words, silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times (Psal. XI). This is perfected by the holy sevenfold illumination of the Spirit. But if anyone finds it incongruent that something good could be figured in the holy Church from the advisors of that Persian king by whom the people and prophet of the Lord are released from captivity and sent back to their homeland, let them read the small works of the Fathers, who figuratively said that the holy actions of our Redeemer were designed through the actions or cases of reprobate kings Saul and Jeconiah: namely, Saul anointed as king but killed due to his own crimes, interpreted as the innocent death of King Christ: and Jeconiah's translation from Judah to Bethlehem, which he held due to his sins, relating typologically to the grace of our Redeemer, by which He deemed it worthy to migrate for the salvation of nations around the world, leaving the Jews behind due to their perfidy. They taught that the actions or deeds of Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar should be understood typologically in relation to the enemies of the Church. For example, Pharaoh commanded the male infants of God's people to be killed in the river, but to spare the females; because the devil desires to extinguish strength in us and nurture what is frail and weak. Likewise, Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the peoples subject to him to bow down and worship his statue upon hearing the sound of symphony and music. And the devil strives to bend the hearts of mankind away from righteousness through the allure of earthly pomp and toward following desire, which is the servitude of idols, deceiving their hearts. Therefore, if the evil deeds of the reprobate happened as a figure not only of evil but also of good, why could not the good deeds or words of the good, contained in the prophetic volume, prefigure the good acts of their followers? Also, let us consider the works of Saint Augustine, who said that even the seven men of one woman who died without children, about whom the Sadducees, denying the resurrection, tempted the Lord, have a certain figure of ecclesiastical sacrament, as well as the woman, her sterility, and death. He also taught that the deaths of those same men were figures of memorable things since neither the Lord Himself nor any of the evangelists narrated this story from their own perspective; but the evangelists included in their writings what the impious had spoken against the Lord with blasphemous lips because of the most sacred response of the Lord. Thus, Ezra is sent from the presence of the king and his seven advisors to visit Judea and Jerusalem. And since the leaders of the world have been converted to faith and are also strengthened by the exhortations of the holy Scriptures, they desire Christ the Lord to come to save His Church and to gather from the nations through daily aid, which the name Ezra signifies, shouting earnestly: O Lord God of hosts, come back, look down from heaven, and see and visit this vine (Psal. LXXIX). That You may visit, he says, Judea and Jerusalem in the law of Your God, which is in your hand. For the law of God was in Ezra's hand; since he not only preached it with his tongue but fulfilled it in action. Likewise, our Lord, appearing in the flesh, had the law in His hand, not only because He followed the precepts of the law in all things but also because He had the decrees of the law in power; and truly He once established it through Moses as He willed, and now He changes it as He wills and transfers it to more perfect things. Hence He said: You have heard that it was said to the ancients, but I say to you. And it is remarkable how the word, which the prophets used, is found in the letter of Artaxerxes, stating that the law of God is in the hand of His servant. For it is written: The word of the Lord came through the hand of Haggai the prophet; and the Lord did what He spoke through the hand of His servant Elijah; and, The Lord bore witness in Israel and in Judah through the hand of all the prophets (Haggai I). For indeed the prophets not only preached the things of God by speaking but also by acting.

In the seventh year of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, Ezra goes up to Jerusalem; and with him certain of the priests, Levites, porters, and Nethinim: his character, Ezr 7:1-10. The letter and decree of Artaxerxes in behalf of the Jews, vv. 11-26. Ezra's thanksgiving to God for these mercies, Ezr 7:27, Ezr 7:28.

His seven counsellors - It is very likely that the privy counsel of the king consisted of seven persons simply. The names of these seven counsellors or chamberlains may be found in the book of Esther, Est 1:10.

EZRA GOES UP TO JERUSALEM. (Ezr 7:1-10) in the reign of Artaxerxes--the Ahasuerus of Esther. Ezra the son of Seraiah--that is, grandson or great-grandson. Seraiah was the high priest put to death by Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah (Kg2 25:18). A period of one hundred thirty years had elapsed between that catastrophe and the journey of Ezra to Jerusalem. As a grandson of Seraiah, namely, Jeshua, who held the office of high priest, had accompanied Zerubbabel in the first caravan of returning exiles, Ezra must have been in all probability a grandson, descended, too, from a younger son, the older branch being in possession of the pontificate.

sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors--This was the fixed number of the privy council of the kings of Persia (Est 1:10, Est 1:14). The document describes, with great clearness and precision, the nature of Ezra's commission and the extent of power and prerogatives with which he was invested. It gave him authority, in the first place, to organize the colony in Judea and institute a regular government, according to the laws of the Hebrew people, and by magistrates and rulers of their own nation (Ezr 7:25-26), with power to punish offenders by fines, imprisonment, exile, or death, according to the degree of their criminality. Secondly, he was empowered to carry a large donation in money, partly from the royal treasury and partly raised by voluntary contributions among his countrymen, to create a fund out of which to make suitable provision for maintaining the regular worship of God in Jerusalem (Ezr 7:16-17). Thirdly, the Persian officers in Syria were commanded to afford him every assistance by gifts of money within a certain specified limit, in carrying out the objects of his patriotic mission (Ezr 7:21).

II. The Return of Ezra the Scribe from Babylon to Jerusalem, and His Entry upon His Official Duties There - Ezr 7:1 In the seventh year of the reign of King Artaxerxes Longimanus, Ezra the priest and scribe returned with certain priests, Levites, and other Israelites from Babylon to Jerusalem, furnished with a royal commission to provide for the worship of God, and the observance of the law, according to the ordinance of God, by the community, Ezra 7 and 8. This mission he began to execute by sending way such heathen women as were married to Israelites.