The Good Hand of God
NEHEMIAH WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL
| For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was upon him. – Ezra 7:9 (NASB) |
The Good Hand of God
There are many people whom God has blessed, and their stories are spread throughout the Bible. But the story of Ezra contains a powerful key that we can all apply to our lives.
Ezra was a scribe. In Old Testament times, a scribe would be appointed by God to act as secretary of state, and to prepare and issue decrees in the name of the king. Ezra was also a reformer who was involved in the rebuilding and restoration of the temple of Jerusalem, and also of the people of God.
Ezra 1:1-4 records a remarkable event. God stirred up the spirit (heart in some translations) of Cyrus King of Persia, to commence the restoration of the house of God in Jerusalem. Cyrus even directed the non-Jewish people to assist with the restoration.
Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah, mighty men of God with hearts burning for the restoration of their people, oversaw the entire rebuilding process. Their priorities were firstly to restore the place and the practice of worship, then to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and finally, to restore and rebuild the people (Ezra ff.; Nehemiah ff.).
These were massive undertakings, and surely not possible to achieve using natural strength. The narratives of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the opposition that came from many quarters – but – over and over again we read “the good hand of his God was upon him.”
This statement regarding the hand of God being upon Ezra occurs more than 8 times in related passages of Scripture.
The question is – why was “the good hand of God” upon Ezra?
The following verse tells us.
| For Ezra had firmly resolved to study the Law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. – Ezra 7:10 |
Ezra loved the Word of God. He loved to study it, practice it, and share its precepts with all people.
The connection between Ezra and the Word of God is mentioned multiple times in the Book of Ezra.
How does this relate to us? While not many of us are called to be scribes, we are all called to bring Kingdom reform to the marketplace, just as Ezra was.
And we are all called to proclaim the decrees of the king – Jesus Christ, the King of Kings – just as Ezra was.
As we firmly resolve to study God’s Word, to practice it, and share it with others, the “good hand
of God” will also be upon us, and great blessing, success, and growth will be the result.
| (The king) has extended favor to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty officials. So I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God that was upon me. – Ezra 7:28 (NASB) |
This devotional is written by Pastor Steve Harris, the founder of Global Influencers, an organization that trains and equips leaders and emerging leaders to establish anointed communities that transform nations by restoring Kingdom culture from grassroots to government in the villages, cities, regions, and nations of the world. He is also the Content Development Assistant in the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community
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