Ezra and Nehemiah Funny Useful Difference
Ezra and Nehemiah were coworkers and knew each other. Fron the Bible, we see they used different methods to accomplish things, and God took care of both.
Ezra and Nehemiah both traveled separately with thousands of people across Mesopotamia where there was risk of being attacked by robbers. Both prayed but quite differently.
Ezra 8:21-23 Ezra was ashamed to ask the King to help, so asked God to protect.
21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.
Nehemiah 2:7-9 asked for help after praying did this.
7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
So both men trusted God and prayed, but Nehemiah needed courage and grace to ask for help and get it. Ezra needed God to personally guard him. Finally, both men made it safely across the distance.
Then, both men noticed a problem with intermarriage of Israelites and non Israelites. They chose opposite ways to face the problem. Amazing that both men focused on hair.
2 They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”
3 When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.
23 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.
Ezra and Nehemiah So Different!
Ezra pulled his hair out in front of the people. Nehemiah, in publc, pulled other peoples’ hair out! Nehemiah even prayed God would punish them more.
Unbelievable to see pulling hair was their common behavior. But what a difference.
Both men loved God and trusted him. Both men recruited people and took them on the long journey to Jerusalem. Furtherm Both wanted them to follow God with their whole heart. However, when they faced the same problems, they took diametrically opposite paths, and God was with them in their work.
Walking with God does not appear to be a bulls eye that we must hit. God made each of us different and we will choose different ways to do the same thing. We are still on the same team with God.
I am not saying we should pull ours or others peoples’ hair out, but apparently it was OK for them and showed their committment to God.
Let’s pray and trust God like Ezra and Nehemiah. May we also bless people who also use very different means to accomplish the very same things. We should never break God’s law in how we approach life, but we can take heart in knowing God accepts our different ways.
