Does trust in God preclude human effort? (Ezra 8:21-36)

In a church I attended in the UK, an African student finished his studies and was looking for a job in engineering. After several unsuccessful interviews, stressed about his expiring visa and how to support his family, he decided to stop all the frantic activity and wait on God. Several Brits in the church were scratching their heads wondering if he should not have persevered. Would not God help him through these human means? This is a question we face, whether looking for a job, a spouse, facing illness or the potential for accidents (insurance). What does it mean to trust God, and does it preclude human action?

We encounter this issue in our passage as well.[1] The exiles’ journey was to take three-and-a-half-months (19 April – 4 August) and cover 900 miles or almost 1500km.[2] Robbers were common on caravan routes, so there is real danger to life and property. Add to that the sizeable donation that Ezra’s group will be carrying (Ezra 8:26-28) and the stakes become even higher. What does trusting God in these circumstances mean?

Trust in God – Ezra does not ask for an armed escort

On the one hand, Ezra does not ask for royal protection for the journey. He clearly believes that God supports them, evident in the way the preparations were coming together (Ezra 8:17) and publicly testifies of his faith to the king that God looks after those who seek Him (i.e follow Him and do His will; Ezra 8:22). Having nailed his colours to the mast, he now feels that asking for human help would undermine his testimony in God’s power (v.22), a sentiment that many share who opt to stand still and wait for God’s deliverance.

Trust in God – Ezra safeguards against theft through human means

On the other hand, Ezra takes active measures to protect the donations in another sense. Setting apart the priests and Levites is a form of consecration – they are described as holy, along with the vessels (Ezra 8:24, 28) and this is not purely a formality. Holiness is a powerful category for Israel – inappropriate encounter of the holy by the unholy or unclean means death and destruction (e.g. laymen looking into the ark; 1 Sam 6:6-7). Those carrying the donations are thus reminded that pocketing some of it would be theft from God Himself (see Achan’s story who stole from the spoil of Jericho consecrated to God; Josh 7:11, 20). The meticulous recording of the number of items, their weight, and value (Ezra 8:26-27) further underlines the point that trusting in God need not preclude doing what is necessary to ensure accountability and the safe arrival of these valuables.

More than one way

Thus, there is no strict formula about the way we should handle a situation; our passage itself shows us two alternatives. Ezra’s apologetic tone about not being able to ask for an armed escort may suggest that he is not against it in principle, and by comparison, Nehemiah has no qualms in having army officers with him on a later journey (Neh 2:9). There may be times when we feel it is necessary and appropriate simply to wait on God’s deliverance, like the African man in my opening story, who found a job shortly after stopping his efforts. Yet the Bible’s testimony is that God frequently uses human means and effort to achieve His purposes.

Holding our views with humility

It seems to me that humility is key in whatever view we hold. On the one hand, it is striking that despite his faith, Ezra does not presume God’s automatic protection, nor think that their group is invincible against marauding troops. Rather, he calls everyone to humble themselves and pray for several days (Ezra 8:21). In other words, He acknowledges that God is sovereign to act as He will; we cannot force Him to do our bidding ‘by faith’, nor assume as sinful people that our assessment of His being on our side is always correct. In fact, it seems that Ezra put himself in a tight spot through his testimony to the king. Yet, God honours his faith, and the group is ‘delivered’ from enemies on the way (Ezra 8:31-32), whether this means that they were attacked, and God saved them or that they were spared any incident in the first place. On the other hand, when we do what is in our power as we work towards a goal, it is important that we look not to our own efforts but to the Lord who indeed graciously helps those who seek Him.

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[1] I am indebted to H.G.M. Williamson who raises this issue in connection with the passage though from a slightly different angle. Ezra, Nehemiah, WBC 16 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985), 123-24.

[2] Ezra’s group would have travelled north-west along the Euphrates River, then turned south through Syria and probably followed the coastline before turning east towards Jerusalem. The route is roughly the driving distance from Auckland to Dunedin, or London to Vienna, or New York to Nashville, TN. The exact dates of travel can be worked out from the Jewish lunar calendar: the journey started on the 12^th of the first month and concluded on the 1^st of the fifth (Ezra 8:31; 7:9).

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