The Ezra Fast

The amazing story of Ezra and God’s chosen people leaving Persia to travel to Jerusalem is a good one to read this week. They had been in captivity in this country and were now ready to leave. Last evening we looked at this account in depth. In Chapter 8 you will read…

Ezra 8:22-23 – The Living Bible
For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and cavalry to accompany us and protect us from the enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king that our God would protect all those who worshiped him, and that disaster could come only to those who had forsaken him! So we fasted and begged God to take care of us. And he did.

The great problem they faced was the danger that was along the way. In Ezra’s day you didn’t travel anywhere without an armed escort. It was possible that they could have had one from the scripture’s account – but they told the King that God would look after them. They put themselves out on a limb so to speak – where God was the only one that could or would take care of them. A step of faith some would call it.

Elmer Towns in his book on Fasting for Spiritual Breakthroughs, pointed out that the people that Ezra was leading had been taken into captivity to Persia when they were poor farmers in their own land. While in Persia they had moved into different kind of occupations including shop keeping. Most importantly they were blessed. As they were leaving Persia to head out for Jerusalem people gave them gifts on top of all the things that they were carrying with them of their own possessions.

The account in Ezra says…

Ezra 8:24-29 - The Living Bible
I appointed twelve leaders of the priests-- Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten other priests - to be in charge of transporting the silver, gold, the gold bowls, and the other items that the king and his council and the leaders and people of Israel had presented to the Temple of God. I weighed the money as I gave it to them and found it to total $1,300,000 in silver; $200,000 in silver utensils; many millions in gold; and twenty gold bowls worth a total of $100,000. There were also two beautiful pieces of brass that were as precious as gold. I consecrated these men to the Lord and then consecrated the treasures-- the equipment and money and bowls that had been given as free-will offerings to the Lord God of our fathers. "Guard these treasures well!" I told them; "present them without a penny lost to the priests and the Levite leaders and the elders of Israel at Jerusalem, where they are to be placed in the treasury of the Temple."

Elmer Towns points out that the gold actually was about 7,500 pounds. That is terms of today’s gold prices is about $70 Million worth.

Now from a practical point of view – it would take a transportation system to move that much weight across the countryside in that day. With no tractor trailers of today you would need to rely on slowly moving animals plodding along dangerous trade routes – carefully watched by robbers and thieves. In other words you are easy picking.

They realized their problem and the fact that they had not asked the King for help. That is the best reason to turn to God. In fact just turning to God for help is the first thing any of us need to do.

The Ezra Fast is a fast that encourages a whole church or group to take up, when important and even dangerous events are in front of us. It is not blind spirituality –but rather intelligent and rational steps taken towards an answer. If you can read Ezra chapter 8 completely – but in particular verse 15 to 32 – you will catch the different steps that Ezra leads them through.

As you read this portion of scripture look at what Elmer Towns suggests with the following…

Prescription for the Ezra Fast

• Step 1: Choose those to be involved
• Step 2: Share the problem
• Step 3: Fast Seriously
• Step 4: Fast before attempting a solution
• Step 5: Fast on Site with Insight
• Step 6: Fast for Step-by-Step Guidance

Applying this Ezra Fast to the “fast pace of 2006” is almost difficult to imagine. But we are willing to try.

In our discussion of last evening we are looking at an Ezra Fast for the summer of 2006 as we face an interesting fall season. We are looking at a possible growth spurt in our church. But there are some dangers ahead as well. We have wisdom and good leadership – but before we move forward we are gathering together to ask for God’s guidance.

How could you use it in your life? How could you join with the rest of us as we seek God’s protection and guidance in some important areas of our church life? Finally – will you join us in this great step forward?