Devotion for Today "Receiving it Back" Ezra 1: 5-11

Devotion for Today "Receiving it Back" Ezra 1: 5-11

Scripture Passage:

5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.
7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods; 8 and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9 This is the number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver platters, twenty-nine knives, 10 thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of a similar kind, and one thousand other articles. 11 All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem."

Devotion

Have you ever received something back or had anything returned to you that you had forgotten about? Back in 1979 I think I remember loaning a friend some money- about $500.00. They had recently lost their job and needed to make a payment on a car. I thought I had made it clear that it was a gift, but we each went our separate ways when we each had gotten married and moved out of state. Twenty-five years later, I received a check for $1000.00 from this person. He said he thought he had understood that I loaned him the money, and that was it plus interest. I told him it was a loan only to protect his dignity- not that I ever expected to receive it back again. I had all but put it out of my mind, but it came at a good time since my family was moving back to the states from overseas.

Ezra must have felt something similar to this as he prepared to return, with the king's edict, back to Jerusalem. King Cyrus made found the treasury of Israel which was plundered by the Babylonians and issued it all to Sheshbazzar (the king's representative) who was in charge of the new colony returning to the land of promise. Ezra probably had little if any memory of this sum, nor was he in a position to know it at the time until the king revealed it to him. It would take a lot of money just to get settled- to say nothing of what it would cost to rebuild the Temple and other buildings back in Jerusalem. It was certainly a welcome surprise. When I think of this I wonder what could have prevented King Cyrus from pocketing the money for himself? I am sure he had a lot of bills to pay in military expenses after the war with ancient Iraq. Yet the funds had been so carefully catalogued by Israel's former captors- probably to protect it from corruption seventy years before. It was a miracle in itself that it was still there.

This was not just a lapse of memory or something "falling through the cracks." It was not even a banking error in Israel's favor. This the hand of God and how He works in the affairs of men. Though our memory lapses and fades, God never forgets and keeps careful records, and restores and rewards us when we most need it.

Prayer

Thank you God for providing for me today. I know that you are keeping careful accounts of what I have done in the past to ensure your provision at another time. Often I know or can remember nothing about it. Thank you, Lord, for looking out for me and helping me when I most need it. Lord I pray that you will help me also to be a good steward of what you have provided for me.

In Jesus Name, Amen.