The Benefits of Wisdom: Unusual Honor

The Benefits of Wisdom: Unusual Honor

And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently…Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons…? And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them. Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment. – Ezra 7:21-26

We are back to our former series on the benefits of wisdom. Today, we will consider the unusual honor that comes from being wise. The custodian of wisdom on whom this privilege was conferred in the Bible was Ezra, the priest and scribe of the law.

Ezra lived during an era when the nation of Israel was no more, having been sacked and turned to ruins by other kingdoms because of the unrelenting sins of the Israelites. Also, the smaller nation that was remaining from the debris of the old Israel, the nation of Judah, which had only two tribes, had equally been overrun by the Chaldeans and the people taken into captivity to work as slaves. Only a few of the people of Judah were left behind, and those were mostly the wretched, the old, and the feeble who could not travel the long distance on foot.

Meanwhile, Ezra, a Levite in captivity in the Persian kingdom, found favor in the eyes of King Artaxerxes, who allowed him to return to Jerusalem to fulfill his mission of rebuilding the temple of God that had been destroyed during the war that led to the land’s captivity. Ezra did not just find favor in the eyes of the king, but he was also given a free hand to do as he pleased and take whatever resources he needed to complete his project from the king’s treasuries in nearby colonies.

The esteem with which King Artaxerxes, a pagan king, held Ezra was obvious in his letter to the province leaders managing his treasuries across the vast Persian empire. The Persian kingdom was the undisputed world power at this time. King Artaxerxes told his lieutenants to give Ezra whatever he needed to execute his assignment. He also expressed why he made such a decree, as he was afraid failure to do so might result in harm to him and his family. Thus, his statement, “Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?” (Ezra 7:23).

Further, another honor the king accorded Ezra was to command that whoever did not worship the God of Ezra, the God of Israel, be punished by death or banishment (Ezra 7:26). This way, Artaxerxes might have made Judaism the official religion of the Persian empire for which there shall be retribution to whoever does not comply. What greater can one get that his God and his religion were declared the universal worship?

Wisdom did that much for Ezra. It can do the same or much more for you too.

You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:

• The Ordinance of Firstfruits (Conclusion): Modern-Day Practical Applications
• Men in the Bible: the First Mighty Man
• The Profile of Jesus
• Moments of Grace… Moments of Love and Healing (2)
• Just Tell Me One Thing

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