Good Hands

Ezra 7:28

(He) has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king's powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

Late last night, I savored a very pretty sight: my two boys were at the big dining table, one with an iPad, the other with his sketching mats, and each with a knee up to their chest. The mix of their quietness and the busyness of their hands amaze me. Once again, I fell in love with their artistry and how they were so passionate about it. I was just praising God for how He blessed them with good hands. I felt like Mary pondering it all in. I was proud and humbled at the same time.

Chapter 7 opened with the name Ezra, finally. The first verses gave us the list of his lineage, which was from Aaron, signifying his rightful place in the priestly office. It was a notable status - - if they weren’t in Babylon as captives. But Ezra was able to rise above their situation. His name became known and favored by Artaxerxes himself. Verse six noted ‘The king granted him everything he asked’. Further down the chapter, he was promised with government treasures and was given power to appoint magistrates and judges. He was even allowed to promote his faith amongst his people. I’m sure all the Jews during his time were so proud of him and rejoiced with him for all these favors.

So what’s behind the success story? Ezra was said to be a scribe well versed in the Scriptures. While everybody else were possibly whining and worrying and wandering around, he devoted himself to the study, observance and to the teaching of the Word. He became so good and skilled with it that his integrity reached the palace grounds and they soon sought God’s grace through him. But was it competence that brought him up there?   Ezra himself acknowledged it was the hand of the Lord on him. The good hands who created the world and who cares for everyone in it. The beautiful hands who formed my husband’s artistry and my son’s heart for it. Apart from His hands, there wouldn’t be any success story. Not one. This implies that if we have stories to tell, feats we achieved, heights we reached - - it wasn’t ours to glory in. We are to praise the Hands who did it all and deserve it most.

Be Careful With Success

2 Chronicles 26:16

But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

Polymaths are multi-talented people who have a cut in every field of study they ran into. The likes of Isaac Newton who was a mathematician, physicist, theologian, astronomer, alchemist and philosopher; and, Paul Robeson who, aside from singing and acting, also excelled as a professional athlete, writer, multi-lingual orator, scholar and lawyer.  I can imagine their names always on the guest list because they can sensibly give inputs to everybody’s delight. They have the respect, the honored seats, and the power to influence decisions. Many would do anything and everything in exchange for that life. Even in today’s era of specialization, we wish to have that spotlight - - a.k.a. the pride of life. Now, be careful what you wish for.

It may not be outrightly what King Uzziah aspired for. Maybe he was just hoping for Judah to rise up again from the destruction that Jehoash left behind.  But because he did what was right in God’s eyes, he was given success left and right. As Commander-in-Chief, he found himself with a powerful, well-trained military force armed with war machines that caused his fame to spread far and wide. As Chief-Ruler, he further succeeded in attending to Judah’s welfare by building high towers and deep cisterns, to expanding the livestock, fields and vineyards. As a politician, he sure did ably in state affairs considering he was Amaziah’s heir.  And being under Zechariah, he too was a student of the word.  There was no place in the land where his genius had no direct hand. All except God’s temple. Maybe he thought, ‘Why can’t I? My credentials are far better than those priests. Maybe I can even reinvent the system and make it more relevant. And as king, why should my sins be made known to them? They are my subjects here!’  And so with a censer and much confidence in his heart, he trespassed the priestly office.   

As we grow old, with our education, experiences and inevitably gray hairs, there’s that sense that wisdom has fully set in. We bombard our youngsters with our ‘been there, done that’ quotes which somehow elevates us to becoming their authorities. And the mindset go with us everywhere. We offer unsolicited advice to already-stressed new parents; we meddle even in church financial decisions; we publicly malign our government system; and we think we’re smarter than our spouses. All these because God graciously gave us more years to our lives and more life to our years? We often pray for God to bless the work of our hands and be an influence to more people. But have we ever stopped to consider what we'll do with our successes? Are we sure to follow God's lead and give Him all credits? Because if it not, that pride will be to our downfall, like Uzziah’s leprosy ‘til his deathbed - - a tragic end that discredited all his good years.