| Show enthusiasm OF FAITH ezra was born during the captivity of lame israel in babylon he was a grandson of Se seraiah the chief priest one of those who were slain when jerusalem was taken b by but although although living far away from the land of his fathers in a strange idolatrous country where the songs of zion no longer sounded his heart was full of love to god an and d to his hta brethren he studied the word of god became an able instructor I 1 in ti the law of moses and was in the hand of god the chief instrument in bringing the poop people e back to the land of romise promise he remained in babylon f for or many years after the first corn com pany had bad left but tany finally nay joined h in the holy land bringing with him a second company for about twelve years he was at the head of the government in jerusalem and died at the age of by the jews ezra is esteemed second only to their great prophet moses his H Is book covers a period of 79 years from to before christ the journey of ezra from babylon to jerusalem with the second company of jewish saints displays an instance of roble coble courage heroic faith and pure integrity the excellence of which cannot be too much lauded or admired but it happens that we have the event recorded only by ezra himself and the humble language of the author makes us in reading the passage almost almo forget the vastness of the fact recorded thereby adding to it another excellency true greatness is always humble tt needs no boasting and hates it like poison it is petty insignificance only that must always be loudly talked up in order to make its non important presence known actions like ezras may by the wise of the world be termed enthusiasm but if the term is proper at all it is true enthusiasm the enthusiasm of faith well worthy of imitation in this age of chilly philosophy EZRAS TESTIMONY from ezra vill vili 22 it is clear that the devoted servant of god had used his influence in babylon to convey to the king Arta xerxes a right knowledge of the character of the god of israel he had told the king what great wonders god had anciently performed how he had liberated libera teci his people from egypt saved them from the hands of the mighty pharoah commanded the waters to divide before them and the rocks to give water he had told him how nothing would withstand his and purposes but that all things must serve A him im he had bad told him that the god of israel never changes but remains th tha same in power in love in holiness and he had most solemnly declare declared 3 that the hand of god is over all those who seek him for good but that his power and auger anger are over all who forget him these great truths ezra had learned from his diligent study of the word of god he did not hesi tate to talk of them and with his testimony honor his god it is not however in this verbal testimony that we find anything peculiarly or exceptionally heroic ezra was living under a friendly government and had many opportunities of exalting the power of god his position asa as a public teacher of the law for such he was rather than a scribe gave him every desirable opportunity eunity to bear this testimony and not to have done so would have been a most strange and criminal indifference As far as the verbal testimony goes it is 18 most excellent but it will be perceived that there are thousands of preachers right in our own age who know all this about god and are saying every sunday like ezra that god is with his people in order to help them let us therefore leave this point and go a step farther EZRAS TRIAL it is only right that a man who talks much of faith in god should be afforded an opportunity of proving that liti he himself at least believes what hat he says such an opportunity port unity ezra had bad given to hini him the event was this in his advanced age ezra had a great desire to join his brethren in ID order to investigate the law of god more fully and also to instruct his brethren he therefore sent a letter to the king asking for permission to emigrate and his majesty in a most gracious communication granted the petition in the following language Arta xerxes the king of kingst kings to ezra the priest and instructor of the law of the god of heaven perfect peace I 1 have given the corn com mand that everyone of the people of israel and the priests who are in my king tom lorn and are willing shall go with thee thou art sent from the king and his government to investigate the conditions of judah and jerusalem according to the law of thy god which is in thy hand and to bring with thee gold and silver contributed by the kang and his bis government to the god of israel whose dwelling is in Jeru jerusalem and also all the silver and gold gola that thou canet find in the whole province of Baby babylon lons and such contributions as thy people may be willing to give towards your gods house in jerusalem and by me king Arta xerxes shall the commands be given to all treasurers treasur ers on the other side of the river that all what thou may require shall be given unto thee 1 see bee ezra chap 7 according to this liberal loyal corn command ezra gathered a company of 1496 many members the number of the women and children not being given this company WO we now find gathered at the borders of the great empire by a river and WO we may take a look at the camp there is many a young man who has never seen the landof land of his fathom fathers and whose heart beats beata rapidly in ill anticipation of the joy that awaits him there are also men with white beards and sliver silver hair who can efta 4 hardly realize the fact that they are on their way home they have still a vivid impression from their early childhood of the sacred valleys where their cradles were rocke dand now they go to lay their bones boncato ta rest where their fathers sleep all A ishoy is joy and ancl anticipation in the little e camp As prisoners prisoners riso ners in chains israel was 11 led away from hogug laden with gold and silver ellder the contributions of wealthy babylonians ians once their captors and oppre opples sors they now return home no wonder they have brought thelt their carefully caie fully tuned harps with them 80 00 of the rivers 01 leng ing neglected by babylon for now they can agaid sing the songs of zion look ing about us in this striking joyc camp one thing is very striking there is not a soldier in the camp bow is that the tha company has a journey of four months before them through rough a country swarming with rh people ople whose business is robbery bey ey are well supplied with gold and silver so as to attract the attention of robbers and yet no so sol dibrel why did the king not send with them a few hundred armed men ten to see them safely through the wilderness it will never do and not even an experienced dragoman w to guide them the shortest way why by this company wil never come through alive not one soul of them will reach jerusalem such a thing was never heard of before as penetrating trat brating ilag the vast deserts without guide and guards we must see ezra ara about that let us fancy ourselves in the presence of the venerable leader sir if you will excuse us for the question how is it that we find neither either guide nor guard in your company ot of saints sainte surely you cannot have forgotten a matter of 80 great importance al 01 0 no it is not forgetfulness I 1 assure you gentlemen it has cost me m a hard struggle to resolve upon this journey without an armed guard guard and without a gu guilia ilij it has been een the great trial of my life I 1 I 1 was not the king willi willing dg to send some soldiers with you certainly he has stated expressly Vt essY that I 1 should get everything wanted for this journey and lie he was most anxious that I 1 should ottie coule safe through then we do not understand well gentlemen you see I 1 have SO 80 often told the king that our god was with us for good that I 1 was Mi anaed ted to ask for soldiers and guides dej from him I 1 have resolved to 0 o trust in god alone that he will show us our way and save us from the he enemy this is my reason gen bemen see ezra viii 2123 21 23 brave noble ezra we understand you you had so often spoke about your god as a mighty god that hat you would not contradict your self ae by asking a poor mortal king to descue rescue both you and your god from the ne hands of a few robbers what tit of practical faith is this thia baith alth indeed EZRAS arrangements ruman human understanding reckoning without a ir personal rhonal god tending eart I 1 affairs earthly y may sneer at tt the jh J h childe childlike ike faith of ezra and call 1 I his journey a mad ayag 8 but the whole narrative shows that at this servant of god knew well what he was doing he did not go unguarded guarded although human eye could discover soldiers no no bocea 1411 ces on the contrary for three days aya he fasted and prayed and we ry adwell ay well conclude did not move datil nul he was assured in his own keart wast that he really stood under dine vine protection having this assurance imilce su rance how much greater was his security rity than if he had had a whole clment ament of babylonians guarding guang alm tin 1 Is it madness to trust in god od who 0 o made the heavens and the r and ourselves or must w be trusted only when the dan gor wis Is not so great azra ara did not take this view he WE I 1 needed gods help and he sought it in earnest prayer tile the means which god has appointed for the reception of blessings having done this he simply trusted in god glod and went and was justified justified by the issue for we read and our gods hand was over us and he saved us f from rom the hand of the enemy on the way and we came to jerusalem not one was missing not a dollar had been lost on the way all was safely brought to the house of god here we see the tr of faith ezra acted as a true saint of god EZRAS FAITH STILL NEEDED one reflection or two human wisdom would undoubtedly have suggested and insisted on oil another course altogether she would have preached about the necessity of exercising ones judgment in such matters of taking all the precautions available and trusting in god forth for the erest rest she would have told us that we must not try or tempt god but take the kings soldiers as a help from god and by such soch sophisms sophi sms she he might have succeeded irr in ap appeasing n a less pure conscience than ezras we are willing to admit that there is such a thing as tempting god but we do not believe that anybody can do this with too much real genuine faith falth on the contrary the greatest danger of our sleeping time is too little faith where are the men who disdain to wait at the steps of worldly powers and humbly beg those to help them in carrying out the purposes of god where are those noble enthusiasts who dare not only to profess that god is with them but also to prove it by trusting god alone when there is danger and the world is willing to help such men god needs in these times when his great purposes are about to be accomplished for only through such accomplished can the t e honor bonor be his had ezra asked the king to help him the honor would have been the kings As it was it was gods through such faith moses led the children cli ildren into canaan through such faith jesus became the savior sa va or of the world through such faith the apostles overturned the heathen idols through such faith joseph smith became great in this generation and through such faith the millennia reign will be ushered in J M S HAIFA april 1889 |
