and weighed to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God, which the king, his counselors, his princes, and all Israel there present, had offered. I weighed into their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver, one hundred talents of silver vessels; one hundred talents of gold, twenty bowls of gold weighing one thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright bronze, precious as gold. I said to them, “You are holy to Yahweh, and the vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a free will offering to Yahweh, the God of your fathers.
Show the surrounding paragraph
Ezra 8:25-28 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Then I set apart twelve of the chiefs of the priests, even Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them, and weighed to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God, which the king, his counselors, his princes, and all Israel there present, had offered. I weighed into their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver, one hundred talents of silver vessels; one hundred talents of gold, twenty bowls of gold weighing one thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright bronze, precious as gold. I said to them, “You are holy to Yahweh, and the vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a free will offering to Yahweh, the God of your fathers. Watch and keep them, until you weigh them before the chiefs of the priests and the Levites, and the princes of the fathers’ households of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the rooms of Yahweh’s house.”
Parallel Translations
-
and weighed to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God, which the king, his counselors, his princes, and all Israel there present, had offered.
I weighed into their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver, one hundred talents of silver vessels; one hundred talents of gold,
twenty bowls of gold weighing one thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright bronze, precious as gold.
I said to them, “You are holy to Yahweh, and the vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a free will offering to Yahweh, the God of your fathers.
-
And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:
I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;
Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.
And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers.
Show all 3 translations
-
and weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his princes, and all Israel there present, had offered;
I even weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels a hundred talents; of gold a hundred talents;
and twenty bowels of gold, of a thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright brass, precious as gold.
And I said unto them: 'Ye are holy unto the LORD, and the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill-offering unto the LORD, the God of your fathers.
Cross-references (19)
- Leviticus 22:2-3 (v28) “Tell Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they make holy to me, and that they…
- Leviticus 21:6-8 (v28) They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, the bread of…
- Ezra 7:14-16 (v25) Because you are sent by the king and his seven counselors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God…
- Ezra 8:33 (v25) On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah…
- Ezra 1:8 (v25) even those, Cyrus king of Persia brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of…
Show all 19 cross-references
- Numbers 4:4-15 (v28) “This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting, regarding the most holy things. When the camp moves forward, Aaron shall…
- Numbers 4:19-20 (v28) but thus do to them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint…
- Numbers 7:13 (v28) and his offering was: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according…
- Numbers 7:84-88 (v28) This was the dedication offering of the altar, on the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve silver platters, twelve…
- Deuteronomy 33:8 (v28) About Levi he said, “Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one, whom you proved at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters…
- 1 Kings 7:48-51 (v28) Solomon made all the vessels that were in Yahweh’s house: the golden altar and the table that the show bread was on, of gold; and the lamp…
- 1 Chronicles 23:28 (v28) For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of Yahweh’s house, in the courts, and in the rooms, and in the purifying…
- 2 Chronicles 24:14 (v28) When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, from which were made vessels for Yahweh’s house,…
- Ezra 1:7-11 (v28) Also Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of Yahweh’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house…
- Ezra 1:9-11 (v26) This is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, one thousand platters of silver, twenty-nine knives, thirty bowls of gold, four…
- Isaiah 52:11 (v28) Depart! Depart! Go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Go out from among her! Cleanse yourselves, you who carry Yahweh’s vessels.
- Lamentations 4:2 (v27) The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how they are esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
- 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 (v25) We are avoiding this, that any man should blame us concerning this abundance which is administered by us. Having regard for honorable…
- Philippians 4:8 (v25) Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv26–27 Read 1 Kings 9:14.
Read 1 Kings 9:14.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv25–28 Ezr 8:25 And weighed unto them the silver, and…
Ezr 8:25 And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, [even] the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel [there] present, had offered:
Ver. 25. And weighed unto them] Heb. I scaled it out unto them; Cyrus counted it out to Zerubbabel, Ezr 1:1; Ezr 1:9, &c.
Read full note →
And his lords] Called mighty princes, Ezr 7:28; see Isa 10:8.
And all Israel there present] Heb. There found at that time, or that had found in their purses, found in their hearts.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v27 Heb. desirable as gold; not that it was of…
Heb. desirable as gold; not that it was of equal price and worth with it, but for its incomparable excellency in its kind, and for its great rarity, for which cause there were only two vessels of that sort.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv25–28 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred fifty…
I even weighed unto their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver,.... Which, according to Scheuchzer (a) amount to 975,000 imperials, and, of our money, 2,229,450 pounds sterling: and silver vessels one hundred talents; which came to 35,300 pounds, or 50,000 imperials; according to Jarchi, there were one hundred vessels, and every vessel weighed a talent, and so Aben Ezra, which, with Brerewood (b), was three hundred and seventy five pounds:
and of gold one hundred talents; which, according to Scheuchzer (c), were equal to 1,222,000 ducats of gold; the value of gold now is above 14 and a 3d to the value of silver, by which may be judged the difference between one hundred talents of gold and one hundred talents of silver; according to David de Pomis (d), there were two sorts of talents; common talents, which weighed sixty pounds, and the talent of the sanctuary, which weighed double to that.
Read full note →
(a) Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 651. (b) De Pond. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 4. (c) Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 651.) (d) Tzemach David, fol. 57. 3.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v26 Verse 26. Silver vessels a hundred talents] That is,…
Verse 26. Silver vessels a hundred talents] That is, The weight of all the silver vessels amounted to one hundred talents; not that there were one hundred vessels of silver, each a talent in weight.
Reckoning in round sums, 650 talents of silver at £450 the talent, amount to £292,500 sterling. Silver vessels, 100 talents, amount to £45,000; gold, 100 talents, at £7,000 per talent, amount to £700,000 independently of the 20 basons of gold, amounting to 1000 drachms. Now the golden drachm or daric was worth about 1£. 2s., therefore these basons were worth £1100; the whole amounting to £1,038,600 sterling. But these different weights and coins are variously computed; some making the silver talent only £353 11s. 10 ½d., and the talent of gold £5057 15s. 1 ½d., calculations which I have elsewhere introduced.
Read full note →
Two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold] What these were we cannot tell. The Syriac translates [Persian] nechoso corinthio toba, to be vessels of the best Corinthian brass; so called from the brass found after the burning of Corinth by Lucius Mummius, which was brass, copper, gold, and silver, all melted together, as is generally supposed. But it was probably some factitious metal made there, that took the polish and assumed the brightness of gold, and because of its hardness was more durable. There is still a certain factitious metal of this kind, made among the Asiatics. I have seen this metal often made; it is as bright and fine as gold, takes a most exquisite polish, and will scarcely tarnish. I have kept this exposed to every variation of the air, even among old iron, brass, copper, c., for twenty years together, without being scarcely at all oxidized. It requires much art in the making, but the constituent materials are of small value. Vessels of this metal, because of their lustre and durability for ornamental and domestic uses, are in many respects more valuable than gold itself. The only difficulty is to get at first the true colour, which depends on the degree of heat, and the time employed in fusion but there are, however, proper rules to ascertain them. This metal is widely different from the or molu of France and England, is less expensive, and much more valuable.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv25, 26, 28 Ezr 8:25. And weighed unto them the silver and…
Ezr 8:25. And weighed unto them the silver and the gold — Because he expected to receive it from them again by weight. In all trusts, but especially sacred ones, we ought to be punctual, and preserve a right understanding on both sides. In Zerubbabel’s time the vessels were delivered by number, here by weight, that all might be forth-coming, and it might easily appear if any were missing.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v27 Twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams -…
Twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams - Not of a thousand drams (i. e., darics) each, but worth altogether a thousand darics. As the value of the daric was about 22 shillings of British money, each basin, or saucer, would have been worth (apart from the fashioning) 55 British pounds.
Of fine copper - The word translated “fine,” which occurs here only, is thought to mean either “yellow” or “glittering” (see the margin). Probably the vessels were of orichalcum, an amalgam which was either brass or something nearly approaching to brass, but which was very rarely produced in the ancient world, and, when produced, was regarded as highly valuable.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv26–27 A hundred. Hebrew adds, "talents," vessels of silver. (Haydock)…
A hundred. Hebrew adds, "talents," vessels of silver. (Haydock) --- Some Rabbins suppose there were only 100, each of this weight, which is not probable. All the silver vessels, of different sizes, weighed 100 talents. There was the same quantity of golden vessels. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v27 two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold--Almost all…
two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold--Almost all commentators agree in maintaining that the vessels referred to were not made of copper, but of an alloy capable of taking on a bright polish, which we think highly probable, as copper was then in common use among the Babylonians, and would not be as precious as gold. This alloy, much esteemed among the Jews, was composed of gold and other metals, which took on a high polish and was not subject to tarnish [NOYES].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv25–28 25. Weighed unto them — Took a careful inventory…
25. Weighed unto them — Took a careful inventory of all the offerings that had been given, and consigned them to their care, that it might be shown at Jerusalem that nothing had been lost or stolen by the way.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv25–28 25. and weighed] Money was still for the most…
25. and weighed] Money was still for the most part reckoned by weight (cf. on Ezr_7:22).
the silver, &c.] The offerings referred to in Ezr_7:15-18, and the vessels given by the king and others Ezr_7:19; Ezr_7:27.
Read full note →
the offering of the house, &c.] R.V. the offering for the house. A dedicatory offering (t‘rûmah), as is described in Exo_35:24. Literally ‘the offering of’, as in Exo_30:15, ‘the offering of the Lord’, or ‘heave offering unto the Lord’, Num_18:26; Num_18:28-29; Num_31:29; 2Ch_31:14, ‘the oblations of the Lord’. Here ‘the offering of’, i.e. ‘belonging to the house’ is equivalent to ‘the offering for the house.’ The expression does not occur again.
his counsellers] cf. on Ezr_7:14.
his lords] R.V. his princes; as in Ezr_7:28.
and all Israel there present] Literally ‘and all Israel that were found’. A peculiar phrase, occurring also in 1Ch_29:17, ‘thy people which are present here’ (lit. that are found here); 2Ch_5:11, ‘all the priests that were present’ (lit. that were found).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv25, 27, 28 (25) And weighed.—The gold and silver were in bars.…
(25) And weighed.—The gold and silver were in bars. According to the best computation, the silver would amount to a quarter of a million of our money, and the gold to about three-quarters of a million.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv25–28 And weighed unto the the silver, etc. We may…
And weighed unto the the silver, etc. We may gather from this that the silver and gold were in bars or ingots, and not in coined money. The Persians had coined money at this tin. e, but the Treasury kept the bulk of its stores in bars (Herod., 3:96).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v28 Ezr_8:22; Ezr_8:28
Ezr_8:22; Ezr_8:28
For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers.
Read full note →
Ezras confidence in God
I. Confidence in God avowed.
1. In His providence.
2. In His providence as efficiently promoting the interests of His people.
3. In His providence as opposed to those who forsake Him.
II. Confidence in God tested.
1. By their need of guidance.
2. By their need of protection.
III. Confidence in god maintained.
1. In not seeking guidance and defence from the king.
2. In seeking guidance and defence from God.
IV. Confidence in god vindicated.
1. In their inward assurance.
2. In the outward result. (William Jones.)
Ezra and his times
I. Ezras language was in striking contrast with the general state of opinion around him. He knew he was right, and could afford to be singular. At particular crises of public opinion it devolves upon some men to go into the land of the enemy, that they may bring truth out of captivity. Such men have no ultimate fear for truth; they know its vitality. Such men never change sides. The world wonders at their eccentricity, and recommends them to beg or borrow a band of soldiers and horsemen to assist them in their progress; but they are ashamed to think of such a thing. If they could make truth successful to-morrow they must do it with truths weapons and her weapons only; but they cannot advance the liberation of truth by any unworthy means, or by any unnatural alliance.
II. Ezras situation afforded him an opportunity for asserting this great principle under very trying circumstances. Christs whole life illustrates Ezras principle of confidence in God under circumstances of great temptation. (W. G. Barrett.)
Ezra an example in business
I. His humiliation.
II. His faith.
III. His prayer.
IV. His holy jealousy.
V. His success. (R. Cecil.)
Heroic faith
Our text gives us a glimpse of high-toned faith, and a noble strain of feeling. Ezra knew that he had but to ask and have an escort from the king that would ensure their safety till they saw Jerusalem. It took some strength of principle to abstain from asking what it would have been so natural to ask, so easy to get, so comfortable to have. The symbolic phrase the hand of our God, as expressive of the Divine protection, occurs with remarkable frequency in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and though not peculiar to them, is yet strikingly characteristic of them. It has a certain beauty and force of its own. The hand is, of course, the seat of active power. It is on or over a man like some great shield held aloft above him, below which there is safe hiding. So that great hand bends itself over us, and we are secure beneath its hollow. As a child sometimes carries a tender-winged butterfly in the globe of its two hands, that the bloom on its wings may not be ruffled by its fluttering, so He carries our feeble, enamoured souls enclosed in the covert of His almighty hand. As a father may lay his own large muscular hand on his childs tiny fingers to help him, or as Elisha put his hands on the kings hands, that the contact might strengthen him to shoot the arrow of the Lords deliverance, so the hand of our God is upon us to impart power as well as protection; and our bow abides in strength when the arms of our hands are made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. That was Ezras faith, and that should be ours. Note Ezras sensitive shrinking from anything like inconsistency between his creed and his practice, and we may well learn this lesson--to be true to our professed principles; to beware of making our religion a matter of words; to live, when the time for putting them into practice comes, by the maxims which we have been forward to proclaim when there was no risk of applying them; and to try sometimes to look at our lives with the eyes of people who do not share our faith, that we may bring our actions up to the mark of what they expect of us. Especially in regard to this matter of trust in an unseen hand, and reliance on visible helps, we all need to be very rigid in our self-inspection. Faith in the good hand of God upon us for good should often lead to the abandonment, and always to the subordination, of material aids. Each man must settle for himself when abandonment or subordination is his duty. We ought to work into our lives the principle that the absolute surrender and forsaking of external helps and goods is sometimes essential to the preservation and due expression of reliance on God. What shall we say of people who profess that God is their portion and are as eager in the scramble for money as anybody? What kind of commentary? Will sharp-sighted, sharp-tongued observers have a right to make on us, whose creed is so unlike theirs, while our lives are identical? Do you believe that the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him? Then do you not think that racing after the prizes of this world, with flushed cheek and labouring breath, or longing, with a gnawing hunger of heart, for any earthly good, or lamenting over the removal of creaturely defences and joys, as if heaven were empty because some ones place here is, or as if God were dead because dear ones die, may well be a shame to us, and a taunt on the lips of our enemies? Note further that his faith not only impels him to the renunciation of the Babylonian guard, but to earnest supplication for the defence in which he is so confident. So for us the condition and preparation on and by which we are sheltered by that great hand is the faith that asks and the asking of faith. We make God responsible for our safety when we abandon other defence and commit ourselves to Him. He will accept the trust and set His guards about us. So our story ends with the triumphant vindication of this Quixotic faith: The hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way; and we came to Jerusalem. The ventures of faith are ever rewarded. When we come to tell the completed story of our lives, we shall have to record the fulfilment of all Gods promises, and the accomplishment of all our prayers that were built on these. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Fear of inconsistency
I. Ezras conviction.
1. He was convinced that there were some men who sought God, and others who forsook Him. There were some who sought--
(1) The knowledge of God.
(2) The favour of God.
(3) The glory of God.
But there were others who cared for none of these things. So it is still. There are some who read the Bible and listen to the gospel with an earnest desire to know God, and who feel that to have God for their friend is to have the business of life accomplished; while there are others who turn a deaf ear to the invitations of Divine love, and who never seriously ask regarding the requirements of the law of God. The conviction of Ezra is that of every thoughtful good man. There is also the further conviction that this is the grand distinction. He who thinks of one neighbour being a seeker of God, and another a forsaker of God, looks at a distinction of the soul, and one which will prove lasting and important as the soul itself.
2. Ezra was convinced that Gods hand for good was on the one class, and that His power and wrath were against the other.
(1) The Bible declares this in the plainest terms (Gen_18:23-25, etc.).
(2) This is illustrated by the history of the Jews and of others with whom they had to do.
(3) This truth is as evident now as it was then.
Sloth and intemperance and profligacy lead to ruin, while diligence and sobriety lead to respectability and competence.
3. Ezra was convinced that he and his companions were among those who sought God, and on whom Gods hand was for good. He calls Jehovah our Lord. His language was intended to convey that they were in a state of favour with God, and that they knew this. From this we learn that a man may assure himself of Gods friendship.
II. Ezras declaration of his conviction. This declaration was probably made when he requested authority to make his proposed journey to Jerusalem, At such a time he would feel under peculiar obligation to declare his belief in God, and his hope that Jehovah was his own Father, Protector, and Guide. This obligation every good man ought to feel. Christ requires us to confess Him. Such a profession is made by the observance of outward and positive institutions. When a man calls his family around him, sings a song of praise, and reads a portion of Scripture, and presents an offering of supplication and thanksgiving, he is telling his children and neighbours that he is a disciple of Jesus Christ. When he engages in the exercises of public worship, and especially when he takes his place at the communion-table, he is making an open and decided declaration that he is a disciple of Jesus.
III. Ezras anxiety lest he should do anything inconsistent with this declaration. Two instructive points require to be looked at.
1. There was real and great danger.
2. The inconsistency from which he shrank was more apparent than real. A good man believes that God renews the face of the earth, and covers the valleys with corn, but he does not neglect to plough and sow; he believes that God is a refuge and a strength, a sun and a shield, yet he takes food when he is hungry and medicine when he is sick; he does not expect that God is to protect and bless him apart from such means as prudence and experience may dictate. If Ezra had asked for a guard of soldiers, the request would not have been inconsistent with confidence in the power and faithfulness of God, but it would probably have appeared so to the king and his nobles, and he feared lest in this way the character of God should suffer. Things which are in themselves lawful are at times inexpedient, and a Christian man by doing such things may greatly injure both his comfort and usefulness. A. sacrifice of principle and a wise consideration of times and circumstances are very different things, and to confound them shows only ignorance and folly. (J. B. Johnston, D. D.)
The good hand of God
It is a glimpse into a spiritual history which our text here presents to us. Of Ezra himself we have but a vague and shadowy idea; he has long since passed to the realm where storms and struggles are ended, and the mystery of life gives place to the clear sunlight of Gods love. But within that strong, devout soul a great struggle was once fought out. The anxious questioning of his troubled and perplexed spirit was real enough then. And while it is possible to miss the true lesson and to push the teaching to a dangerous extreme, it will, if we penetrate to the spirit of the story, supply an answer to a modern problem and a truth fruitful for our modern lives. Ezra sought to satisfy the old equation between the Divine power and the human agency. He put to himself the familiar question--Is the use of means any the less a trusting in God? may not the means fall within the compass of Gods plan of deliverance? And the issue of the struggle was this: at every hazard he must stand right with God and with his own heart, and therefore he refused to resort to an arm of flesh at all. We appear to have here a plain and blank refusal to use means. Some would have said--Surely we may trust in the good hand of God, and the soldiers of the king. But to Ezras scrupulous faith it presented an alternative. One or the other but not both. One or the other he must elect to have. He refused, not only because of the nature of the instrument, but also because it was an instrument. He said in effect, Both we and our enemies are in the hands of God; it is His work, therefore, and not ours, to secure our safety and our welfare. Let us not suppose that we have here a unique instance of complete trust in God. It was when Jacob saw no human way of escape, and God had showed him his utter helplessness, that he went forth with a calm face and a brave heart to meet his brother Esau. It was when the horsemen were hard upon the children of Israel that the Lord began to trouble the Egyptians. There is nothing grander in this Book than the calm tramp of Moses on through the wilderness, with no attempt at self-defence, only the simple assurance, The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. Let me remind you of the boy who went to meet the mightiest of living warriors with a sling and a stone. Perhaps there were some who said, Surely you can trust in God and put on the armour of Saul as well. But David felt that the armour was unnecessary if he had the shield of Gods power. In all these examples we find a faith which rested in God and not in means of deliverance. We may find it hard to understand Ezra, because our Christian character is often composed of one part of faith and ninety-nine parts of common sense, while his contained ninety-nine parts of faith and one part common sense. We trust in God, but feel safer if the mail-clad warriors are at our side; we know the twelve legions of angels are around us, but we are glad to feel the two swords concealed beneath our cloaks; we believe that the manna will fall day by day, yet we like to take bread with us lest it should fail to come. At the same time it is important to observe that it is the spirit of this incident we are to copy and not the form. As an instance of the rejection of means it is not an instance for all times and for all circumstances. Our Lord Himself taught us not to trust in God to do that which we may do for ourselves. The jars of water at Cane, the net cast into the sea, and the stone rolled away from the sepulchre, teach us that God will work through earthly instruments. But we maintain that failure oftener results from trusting in the means more than in God than from trusting in God and not in means. It i| the deepest truth for the Christian worker that our churches, our ministrations, our methods, are but channels for the grace of God. We want not so much the eloquent tongue as the bended knee; not so much the crowded church as the crowded prayer meeting; not so much the beautiful temple as the glory of the Lord within. The great need now is not for better and more perfect machinery, but for a more consecrated spiritual life, and for a profounder trust in God, who can work with or without our machinery. It is, moreover, the secret of peace for the Christian life. But further, not only had Ezra the earnest longing to be right with God, but also to seem right. He was unwilling to put any stumbling-block in the way of the king. Though Artaxerxes might grant the request, might it not lessen his conception of the goodness and power of God? This age, which more than any other demands reality in its religion, demands the most careful seeming also. Tell men that we are pilgrims, and then let them see us making our habitations here; tell them that we are laying up the incorruptible riches, and then let them see us intent on the corruptible gain; tell them our confidence is in God, and then let them see us as hard in sorrow, as cynical in disappointment, as unbelieving in distress as themselves; tell them that we live for the unseen and the eternal, and then let them mark us caring for nothing we cannot see and clutch with our fingers; tell them that we confess a higher allegiance, and bow before a higher will, and then let them see us conforming our lives to their cold, worldly maxims, and we may say what we will, but they will treasure up our words as among the hollow falsities of a false creed. Let us be on our guard not to offend a watching world by the broad gulf between the spoken word and the visible life. (J. H. Shakespeare, M. A.)
Faith and prudence
Ezra felt what Christian people still often feel, the conflict between prudence and faith. We observe--
I. That as a grand rule in the Christian life faith and prudence must go together. The Scriptures give no countenance to presumptuous reliance on supernatural intervention. As a rule of life they bind us to take all human precautions against the various forms of mischief we have reason to apprehend. In this unbelieving generation there is not much reason to speak against excessive faith, but there is some reason. The workman gave as his reason for not going to church, That religious people were hypocrites because they called the temple Gods house, and yet put upon it a lightning rod. This worldly workman could not see that Gods Church ought to recognise Gods law, and act agreeably thereto; but he thought that he saw a glaring contradiction in this union of prudence and piety. And some noble men in the Church sympathise with this workman, and reject the securities which prudence would counsel. They have no faith in the band of soldiers. They leave their property uninsured; in times of disturbance they will not claim the protection of the magistrate; and in times of sickness they will not call the physician. That is, to a large extent, a serious mistake. As a rule we are to accept the band of soldiers which Ezra, in peculiar circumstances, rejected. We must not rashly cast ourselves into peril on the idea that angels have charge concerning us. We must not tempt the Lord our God. If devout men do not attend to the dictates of prudence they must suffer for it; and not only so, but they injure Christianity likewise. The truth of religion is based on false issues, and thus brought into suspicion or contempt. As the rule of life we must march through the desert with the hand of soldiers. Our religion is not fatalism. The good man guideth his affairs with discretion. Yet there are times--
II. When faith in God must supersede the provisions of ordinary prudence. When faith and prudence gave different counsel, Ezra chose to walk by faith, and we must all feel that he did right. The question is: When are we to go beyond merely prudential considerations and venture all on the unseen power of God? When are we justified in neglecting policy and appealing to the higher law? We are shut up to faith when--
1. Prudential action would most probably be construed as a denial of the Divine government. Ezra had told the king that the hand of God was upon all them for good who feared Him, And now he considered that to reveal any anxiety for a guard of soldiers would appear to the heathen king like a practical denial of the overshadowing providence of Jehovah. On this ground he elected to brave the perils of the wilderness without the military escort. A band of soldiers would have hidden the Shepherd of Israel, Artaxerxes alone would have been seen; and so Ezra, with a fine spiritual instinct, saw the hour for simple trust had come, and by declining the soldiers left open the full view of God and His gracious and glorious government. A line of action is marked here for ourselves. To remove the scruples of the few we are not to take the lightning conductors from our temples and essay similar reformations; but we must seek so to act that we satisfy the world generally that we do believe in the Divine superintendence and care. A worldly man believes only in the band of soldiers; and to let him know that we believe in something beyond we must sometimes be Willing to act without the soldiers altogether. Are we not too anxious about material helps end visible securities? Has not the Church, by clinging so feverishly to visible resources and helps and defenders, given some sanction to the worlds unbelief? Ezra blushed to ask Artaxerxes for help that might seem a denial of the power and presence of God. Are we sufficiently sensitive on this matter? Trapp says, It is the ingenuity of saints to study Gods ends more than their own. And if we are very jealous for the honour of God, and seek to uphold His government in the eyes of the world, we shall sometimes be ready to imperil our personal interest and safety for His sake; and let us be assured that when we act in this lofty spirit of faith and self-forgetfulness, we shall not be confounded. When--
2. Prudential action would cause us to lean on worldly associations and resources. Artaxerxes was an idolater, and Ezra was anxious not to ask too much at his hands. It seemed inconsistent to Ezra that he should be soliciting a band of pagan soldiers to protect Gods people and the treasures of Gods temple. Policy drove him to find assistance in a suspicious quarter, and so he retired to the higher ground of simple trust in God. Here again we have a line of action marked out for us. We are the confessed servants of the Holy One of Israel, and prudence must not lead us to worldly alliances and dependence upon sinful circles. In our personal life we must observe this. We must beware of compromises with the world for the sake of our personal safety and aggrandisement. And in regard to Gods Church we must observe this. Policy would often direct us to expect great things from the greatness, wealth, or wisdom of unregenerate men for the Churchs sake. So far from seeking their assistance, we ought to be shy of their gold and their patronage. Thus did Ezra. And thus acted Paul and Silas (Act_16:16-19). When prudence would lead us to seek for much, either for ourselves or for the Church, at the hands of unbelieving men, we must pause and follow the path faith indicates. Let us dare anything, suffer anything, rather than compromise our own character and the character of God in the eyes of the world by linking our fortunes and the fortunes of the Church with those who are joined to idols. When--
3. Prudential action might embarrass the progress of Gods kingdom. If Artaxerxes had detected any inconsistency in Ezra he might have ceased to be favourable to his cause and have prevented or delayed the return to Jerusalem. Rather than endanger the popularity and progress of the cause of God, Ezra was prepared to run great risks. Here another line of action is marked out for us. If prudence would circumscribe, fetter, or destroy the work of God, the time has come to appeal to loftier considerations. Calculating, cautious piety would condemn the act of Ezra as imprudent; but many imprudent things have been done or there would not have been so much Christianity in the world as there is; and many more imprudent things will have to be done before Christianity fills the world. Let us remember that Gods kingdom is a supernatural one, and in its promotion we must often act with a boldness which could not be justified in the court of prudence. There is a holy venturesomeness in evangelisation which carries with it a far higher guarantee of success than do the pondered schemes of a rationalising statesmanship. Thus, then, there are times when we must renounce the counsellings of worldly wisdom and, stepping boldly into the darkness, cry with Ezra, Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on Thee.
III. The separation of faith from prudence must be effected only in the spirit of sincere and earnest dependence upon heaven (verse 23). No precipitancy, no levity, no presumption. By fasting and prayer they obtained the assurance that God would honour their faith and preserve them. Not lightly must we discard ordinary defences and helps. When we can do no other we must humbly, solemnly rest ourselves in the hands of God. The times come to us all when faith and policy give contradictory counsel. When such times come let us not be found wanting to our profession and our God. In many circumstances simple trust in God will prove to be the truest policy. In Heb_11:7 Noahs conduct in preparing the ark is spoken of as prudence. By his believing obedience he came to be at last the one who was truly prudent. A truth of great practical importance. He who like a child blindly follows the will of God, regardless of all consequences, is the one who is truly prudent, for he builds on the Eternal, and He will never allow His own to come to shame.--Ebrard. And on the contrary, policy leading Gods people to rest on worldly men and means and measures, finally demoralises and betrays them (Isa_31:3). (W. L. Watkinson.)
Alliance with God
We are like William of Orange, with a few followers and an empty purse, making war against the master of half the world, with the mines of Peru for a treasury. But like William, too, when questioned concerning our resources, we can reply, Before we took up this cause we entered into a close alliance with the King of Kings. Those on the Lords side are on the winning side. He never has, and never will, lose a battle. (David Gracey.)
Gods protection
Pastor Oncken was forbidden by the burgomaster of Hamburg from holding religious meetings. Do you see that little finger? said the burgomaster; as long as I can move that finger, so long will I put down the Baptists. Yes, said Oncken, I see your little finger, and I see also the great arm of God; and whilst that arm is lifted on our behalf, your little finger will have little terror for us.
Want of faith in God manifested
Mr. G. J. Holyoake, in his Sixty Years of an Agitators Life, gives an interesting account of the Zulus who converted Bishop Colenso. Robert Ryder, a secular carpenter, was employed by the bishop to build his church and school-house in Natal. Ryder sent Mr. Holyoake several photographs of the actual Zulus who accomplished the conversion, long before the change was heard of in England. The Zulu workers under Ryder were conversed with by the bishop daily. They were remarkably shrewd in argument. They remarked upon the fact that the bishop had a room built in the rear of his church, in which he stored an eighteen-pounder. They knew what that cannon was for, and they thought that the bishop, fair-spoken as he was, did not place his ultimate reliance on the Good Father, in whom he told them to trust.
Faith in God
A century ago William Carey entered Nottingham with the thought in his heart, from which he preached the following day in a sermon which really originated the Baptist Missionary Society: Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God. It was a very simple thing. It was very memorable. It was one of those inspirations that illumine as by a single flash the whole realm of thought. Expect great things from God. Looking back over a hundred years, it was interesting to note upon what Carey based his expectations. Not on human resources, not on wealth, not on eloquence. Those few men who gathered together at Kettering had no worldly backing. They were obscure men in the extreme. With scarcely an exception they were quite unknown outside their own immediate neighbourhood. The wise and prudent in the Christian world doomed the enterprise to ignominious failure. With one exception, there was not a man of any mark in London who would have anything to do with it, and when a meeting was held to consider the advisability of forming an auxiliary, the idea was negatived by an overwhelming majority. But Carey believed in God. Doubts, unlikelihoods, impossibilities, vanished from his mind. And what has been the result of this faith? During the last hundred years, wherever the missionary had gone God had given testimony to the word of His grace by signs and wonders as marvellous as miracle. As in no former age the world lay open, aye, and opened-minded to the Gospel. (J. Culross.)
Fearlessness of the godly
I go up alone, General Gordon wrote, as he started from Cairo to Khartoum, with an Infinite Almighty God to direct and guide me; and I am so called to trust in Him as to fear nothing, and, indeed, to feel sure of success.
A lesson of faith
I was passing one of the busiest spots in the City of London, opposite the Royal Exchange. Here numerous turnings meet, and pour their mighty burden of vehicular traffic in bewildering streams. As the cabs, carriages, carts and waggons hastened along I could not help thinking what need there was for care in crossing, and how dangerous at that busy hour a false step would be. With such thoughts, nay attention was attracted by something that seemed entirely out of harmony with the whole surroundings. Right in the midst of the danger, at a time when the traffic was most bewildering, I saw a woman crossing the street. She was pushing a perambulator, not eagerly or excitedly trying to reach the other side, but with perfect calmness, and apparently without fear. What was the explanation? A City policeman held her arm, and she relied upon him. And shall we not place the same confidence in our Guide, and though dangers and difficulties, and trials and temptations surround us, shall we not trust Him perfectly who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us, faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy? Shall we not disdain to fear, knowing that we are protected and sustained by the everlasting arm? (Signal.)
Luthers courage
Luthers words in the first struggles of his public ministry have the sacred anxiety, the solemn confidence, and almost the language, of the apostle: I am compassed with no guards, but those of heaven. I live in the midst of enemies who have legal power to kill me every hour. But this is the way in which I comfort myself: I know that Christ is Lord of all; and that the Father hath put all things under His feet, among the rest, the wrath of the emperor and of all evil spirits. If it please Christ that I should be slain, let me die in His name. If it do not please Him, who shall slay me?
Definition of faith
Phillips Brooks gave a definition of faith so true and helpful to sinners needing salvation, that I reproduce it. Forsaking All, I Take Him. It will be noticed that the initial letters spell Faith; and what I want you to do to-night is to forsake all and take Him. It would be a good thing if every one present were to write on the fly-leaf of their Bibles those beautiful words, Forsaking all, I take Him. (W. R. Bradlaugh.)
The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him: but He power and His wrath is against all them that forsake Him.
Contrasts
I. A contrast of human character.
II. A contrast of divine treatment. Conclusion--
1. How solemnly mans destiny is in his own hands, or, more correctly, in his own choice. Deeds axe destiny; character is fate.
2. In this world character may be changed (Hos_14:1-2; Hos_14:4). (William Jones.)
Seeking the Lord, and its advantages
We are directed--
I. To seeking God and its advantages.
1. Seeking God denotes--
(1) A consciousness of our need of Him.
(2) Earnest and fervent prayer to Him Ezr_8:23).
(3) Coming to Him in the way of His appointment.
(4) To labour in all things to have His approbation.
2. The advantages to those who thus seek Him. The hand of our God is upon all, etc. The hand of His--
(1) Pardoning mercy.
(2) Delivering power.
(3) Providing goodness.
(4) Heavenly guidance.
(5) Sustaining grace.
(6) Manifest providence.
II. Forsaking god and its attendant evils. Learn--
1. The value of true religion.
2. The awfulness of apostasy.
3. The necessity of both vigilance and perseverance (Heb_3:12; Heb_4:10-13). (Jabez Burns, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv26, 28 650 talents of silver
650 talents of silver
"six hundred and fifty talents of silver." A talent weighs about thirty-three kilograms. You may convert this to a modern measure. AT: "22,000 kilograms of silver" (See: Numbers and Biblical Weight)
Read full note →
one hundred talents of silver objects
"100 talents of silver objects." You may convert this to a modern measure. AT: "3,300 kilograms of silver objects" (See: Numbers and Biblical Weight)
one hundred talents of gold
"100 talents of gold." You may convert this to a modern measure. AT: "3,300 kilograms of gold" (See: Numbers and Biblical Weight)
one thousand darics
"1,000 darics." A "daric" was a small gold coin that people in the Persian Empire used. You can translate this in terms of the number of coins or their weight. AT: "one thousand Persian gold coins" or "eight and one half kilograms of gold" (See: Numbers and Biblical Money)
bronze vessels
Bronze is a mixture of copper and another metal. It is stronger than pure copper.
translationWords
silver
gold
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv25–26 8:25 The items that the leaders were in charge…
8:25 The items that the leaders were in charge of transporting included offerings for the Temple and sacrifices. Because these gifts belonged to God and were holy (8:28), it was necessary that the priests care for them.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.