King’s Decree on Behalf of Ezra
11 Now this is the copy of the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, [d]learned in the words of the commandments of the Lord and His statutes to Israel: 12 “[e]Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now 13 I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 Forasmuch as you are sent [f]by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand, 15 and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 with all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; 17 with this money, therefore, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings and offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 18 Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God. 19 Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. 20 The rest of the needs for the house of your God, for which you may have occasion to provide, provide for it from the royal treasury.
21 “I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the [g]River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently, 22 even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 [h]kors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt [i]as needed. 23 Whatever is [j]commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons. 24 We also inform you that it is not allowed to [k]impose tax, tribute or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim or servants of this house of God.
25 “You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may teach anyone who is ignorant of them. 26 Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for [l]banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.”
The King’s Kindness
27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to adorn the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, 28 and has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me, and I gathered [m]leading men from Israel to go up with me.
It is quite the amazing thing to see the provisions that Ezra was given. Then above and beyond the king sending silver and gold, he decreed that the treasurers were to provide Ezra with provisions above that for restoring the temple and the service of God.
I’m not sure what Artaxerxes had heard about God, whether he knew of Daniel and his friends, but he certainly had a healthy respect and fear of God. The king commanded Ezra and anyone who would go with him to be diligent and to be exacting in the task that was before them.
The king’s generosity did not seem to be a gift to be taken lightly, nor to be used foolishly. And that reminds me of a story that Jesus once told about three servants (you can find it in Matthew 25). More so than the king, Ezra was accountable to God in all that he would do. Ultimately, this was a blessing from God, and it was to be used wisely.
Whatever gifts and blessings we have, they are not solely for our enjoyment, and they are not to be taken lightly. God gives with purpose, and He desires that we live with purpose. He expects that we use our talents, our time, and our finances to further His kingdom. When we do that, there will always be enough left over for us to use. But we must “seek first the kingdom of God” if we want to find fulfillment and peace in our lives.