We’ve all heard the phrase, “God works in mysterious ways.” But why does God do that? And what does it mean for those who are following Jesus?
Scripture:
Ezra, chapters 7-8; Luke, chapter 20
Ezra 7:11-20 (CEB):
This is a copy of the letter that Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, a scholar of the text of the Lord’s commandments and his requirements for Israel: Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Instruction from the God of heaven. Peace! And now I decree that any of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom who volunteers to go to Jerusalem with you may go. You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to investigate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Instruction from your God, which is in your hand.
You should bring the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, together with any of the silver and gold that you find in the entire province of Babylonia. You should also bring the spontaneous gifts of the people and the priests, given freely for God’s house in Jerusalem. With this money you will be careful to buy bulls, rams, and lambs, as well as their grain offerings and their drink offerings. And you will offer them on the altar of God’s house in Jerusalem.
As long as it is God’s will, you and your colleagues may do what you think best with the rest of the silver and gold. You will deliver the equipment that has been given to you for the service of God’s house to the God of Jerusalem. If anything else is required for God’s house that you are responsible to provide, you may provide it from the royal treasury.
Observations: God Works in Mysterious Ways
Artaxerxes, the king referenced in this passage, was the son of Xerxes (the king from the book of Esther). Thus, the events referenced in this passage took place after those narrated in Esther. God’s work as described in Esther apparently laid the groundwork for Artaxerxes’s favorable view of the God of Israel. Earlier in chapter 7, we learn that these events took place “in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes” (Ezra 7:7). This “seventh year” was 458 BC; these events took place about ten years before those described in the book of Nehemiah. Ezra’s work in Jerusalem thus set the stage for what Nehemiah would do later in rebuilding the city of Jerusalem.
I mentioned Artaxerxes’s favorable view toward the God of Israel. The provision which the king made for Ezra’s journey and his work is very impressive!
- Bring the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered (v 15)
- Together with any of the silver and gold that you find in the entire province of Babylonia (v 16)
- Also bring the spontaneous gifts of the people and the priests (v 16)
- If anything else is required for God’s house…you may provide it from the royal treasury (20)
So, the king and his counselors – all Persians – have freely offered silver and gold. In verse 16, the phrase any of the silver and gold that you find probably refers to articles which had been taken from the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar about 140 years earlier. These items belonged to God and His Temple, and the Persians wanted to be careful not to offend Israel’s God.
Mysterious Ways – God Works through “Outsiders”
I think it’s important for us to also notice Artaxerxes’s attitude toward his gifts and his provision. As long as it is God’s will, you and your colleagues may do what you think best with the rest of the silver and gold. Generally, when people contribute to a ministry or a project, they want a strict accounting of the funds. They also often want to direct how their gifts are used. But Artaxerxes obviously trusted Ezra to discern God’s will and to use his gifts wisely. Think of how awesome that is: A powerful king chooses to trust a man of God rather than try to control him!
Application: God Works in Mysterious Ways
This passage from Ezra 7 is part of a letter issued by King Artaxerxes. Presumably, it accurately reflects what the king said and meant. That’s what makes this so amazing! In those days before Alexander the Great and the eventual development of the Roman Empire, Persia was the primary power in the Middle East. From the days of Cyrus, the Persians had generally respected other religions. God clearly used that tendency on their part to assist His people in their return from exile.
Why would God work through a Persian king like Artaxerxes? Why would he have used Nebuchadnezzar to punish Judah by taking the people into exile? The prophets asked questions like that; people today ask questions like that. So what’s the answer? If we’re honest, we admit that we don’t fully understand. How could we? How could finite humans understand everything about the infinite, all-powerful God?
“Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith means that we accept God’s ways even when we don’t understand them. We believe God’s Word even when it doesn’t seem to make sense. God has shown us and told us enough for us to believe, but He doesn’t compel us to believe. Sometimes, God works in mysterious ways because that’s the best way for Him to achieve His purposes!
Prayer:
Father, thank You for reminding us that Your ways are not our ways. We certainly cannot understand everything about You – but we can understand enough to believe. You often work in mysterious ways because you don’t work the way we would. We think we have things figured out, but You understand so much more, and so much better than we do. Help us to trust You enough to embrace the ways that You are at work. Teach us to join You in that work whenever and however You think best. Amen.
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