Ezra 7:6 (NIV) This Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

Ezra was a priest and a teacher who was a descendant of Aaron, the first high priest of the Israelites. He, along with the people of Judah, had been exiled to Babylon. After a while, the Persians overcame the Babylonians and became the supreme power in the land. As the Lord had foretold through His prophets, the Persian kings were favorable to the Jewish people and allowed anyone who desired to go back to the Promised Land to return. The exiles came in three different waves, with Ezra coming in the second group that returned. The Word of God tells us that the exiles were not only allowed to return, but that great favor was granted to them. They would not be leaving the land of their exile empty-handed. God would use men of God who had dedicated their lives to Him to lead the people of God back to the land that God had given them.

Ezra was one of those men that God used mightily during that time. He knew God’s Word well and applied it to His own life. Because of this, the “hand of the Lord” was on him. What exactly does that mean? It means that when someone depends on God for direction and for their very life, God favors them. When God favors you, then He causes people to favor you as well in order to fulfill His will on earth. The Lord is always looking to see who He can use for His glory. When He finds a heart that is devoted to Him, his righteous right hand is on that person (Isaiah 41:10). When His hand is on you, that is a glorious thing. Things that should not happen, happen, such as pagan kings from other lands caring about God’s people, His temple and about the land that He gave them. These kings were not devoted to the one and true God of all the earth. They served other gods. But because God’s hand was on certain men like Ezra, the favor of God would extend to the people of God as well.

The king of Persia at the time, King Artaxerxes, showed great favor to Ezra and the exiles. He decreed that the Persian Empire would provide everything needed for the trip back to the Promised Land as well as everything that was needed to build the temple of God. He sent huge amounts of silver, gold, building materials and even sent many animals for the sacrifices that would be made to God at the temple. He also sent back everything that King Nebuchadnezzar has taken from the temple when he took the people into exile to Babylon. All of the improbable and favorable things that no one could have guessed would happen happened simply because the hand of the Lord was on certain people to carry out His will and plan. So how do you make sure that God’s hand is on you? It’s simple. Just love Him with all of your heart and serve Him faithfully, then the hand of the Lord will be on you to accomplish His will and you will experience the glory of God’s favor in your life. I want the hand of the Lord on me! How about you?

Pastor Joey Vazquez