Ezra 8:21 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Ezra 8:21

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The purpose of the fast was affliction – pleading with the Lord, seeking and asking. They wanted to feel their need and their weakness, even in their hunger. They wanted to feel and to be able to express in prayer their need for the help of God. ‘To seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.’ The reference to ‘all our substance’ there, seems to refer to the money they were carrying: the gold and silver, the contributions to rebuild the city, which were given to start the worship and provided for it in Jerusalem. It was a vast amount, and now they want a right way, the proper route, the best and safest route, for the preservation of themselves, their children, and the treasure that they are carrying. So there is a fast. You note that they have got there at least some Levites, thirty-eight, but they want to be guaranteed that they have the Lord, so they go to prayer. Here is Ezra establishing these things, and setting up these things, and leading the way. So there was this demonstration of weakness, and self-abasement, this repudiation of self-trust.

Application

Fifty-one years to when my wife and I came to the Tabernacle, there was a not very large group here. They had now got their proclaimer, but what was the good of that without the Lord. Just as the returnees had to go to prayer, so in the Tabernacle we had to go to prayer, and therefore we separated the prayer meeting. Prayer Meeting and Bible Study had become amalgamated into one meeting, but we went back in history to just before the war. The Tabernacle had always had a separate Prayer Meeting, and had always believed in that. But wartime had brought it to an end and it had never been resumed; it had just been amalgamated with the Prayer Meeting. How strongly Spurgeon spoke against that! We separated the meeting out again, and resumed the dedicated church Prayer Meeting. That is vital. It is no good having a proclaimer without having the Lord, and having dedicated prayer.

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Ezra 8:21 Commentary and Bible Study