The Hand Of God Was With Ezra

In Ezra 7 & 8, Ezra successfully a led great caravan of thousands of returnees and a vast treasure given by the king for the temple at Jerusalem on a dangerous four month journey across a wilderness to go home. He credited God for the achievement. He attributed God being with him to his conscious decision to know, follow and teach God’s law.  As he explained:

Ezra 7:9,10“For on the first 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.

10For Ezra had set [prepared – KJV, NKJV] his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.”

The safe passage of the caravan was far from the only success Ezra had. He was successful in accomplishing great and lasting things in every incident recorded of him, and in other tasks where his name is not directly mentioned. He always attributed his success to God, repeatedly saying that it was “because the good hand of his God was upon him.”  (Ezra 7:9,28, 8:18,22)

Ezra understood the basic principle that success and victory belong to the Lord. As the wisdom writer said, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the LORD” (Prov. 21:31; Ref. 2 Sam. 23:10,12; 1 Chron. 29:11; 2 Kings 5:1; Ps 98:1).  God gives victory and success to those who are with Him.