Ezr 8:22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”
Ezra was preparing to lead a group of returnees from Babylon to Jerusalem. Having obtained the greenlight to travel back to Jerusalem from king Artaxerxes, he was faced with a major dilemma – whether or not to ask for security guards during the journey.
He had already declared to the king the supremacy of God and how his hand was good to all those who seek Him and how His wrath was against those who forsake Him. Therefore going back to the king to ask for protection would be inconsistent with his earlier declaration.
Ezra was ashamed ( holy shame) to request for escort because he had confidence in God. That the good hand of God would be upon them to help and protect them against their enemies as they journeyed back to Jerusalem to reconstruct the temple and restore worship.
The good hand of our God is still upon our lives today. Even in the face of real danger, perils of all kinds, sicknesses and diseases, the powerful hand of God is upon all those who seek Him. His good hand is efficiently promoting the interests of His people.
Additional readings:
Exo 6:1
2Ch 32:8
Jer 17:5
🙏Blessed Sunday🙏