In Good Hands

Brian Carroll / General Adult

Work in Progress / Ezra 7:1-28

 

Introduction

• Before Dean Winters became the embodiment of mayhem for Allstate Insurance in 2010, the insurance giant had a much tamer approach to advertising.

• Actor Dennis Haysbert, with his calm but authoritative voice would always ask viewers the question, “Are you in good hands?”

• You may not realize it, but the slogan that Haysbert made memorable has been part of the brand’s identity from all the way back to 1942.

• The Allstate Corporation provides the following history lesson about how the “In Good Hands” slogan came to be.

• It happened when Davis Ellis was hired as the company's Educational Director. Ellis' job was to recruit and train female insurance agents during World War II. 

• Before coming to Illinois, Ellis started his career in 1923 as a partner in a general insurance agency in Marion, Indiana. Under his leadership, the agency soon became one of the largest in the state. 

• Ellis was instrumental in several lasting changes at Allstate, and he eventually became Senior Vice President of Sales. One of his biggest contributions was the concept of the Good Hands. 

• Detailed correspondence from Ellis' 1962 retirement found in the Allstate archive sheds light on how the concept came about. It describes a pivotal moment in 1950 when Ellis' daughter got sick:

• "… Dave's daughter JoAnn fell victim to hepatitis. She was an honor student at Evanston High School, the valedictorian of her graduating class, the 'baby' in the Ellis family, and the apple of her parents' eye. 

• Things didn't look too good to Dave one morning as he started to work. The family physician, Dr. Cummings, had advised the Ellises that [JoAnn] was a pretty sick gal but that he was calling in a specialist, a Dr. Keyser. 

• That evening a weary Ellis returned from Allstate. As he walked in the door, his wife, Helen, rushed to him, threw her arms around her husband and delightfully reported: 'Dave, the specialist has examined [JoAnn] and Dr. Cummings tells me that JoAnn is in good hands with Dr. Keyser.'"

• JoAnn recovered. The 1962 correspondence goes on to note that, at that time, she was married to Bill Williams, an assistant vice president in Allstate's investment department.

• Later in 1950, Ellis was part of a group working into the night to plan Allstate's ad program for the coming year. The group included Bob Gorman, vice president in charge of advertising, and ad agency representatives. 

• The sun had set, and slogan after suggested slogan was falling short of mutual approval, when Ellis recalled the incident during his daughter's illness. 

• He remembered how his anxiety eased when hearing those words: in good hands. He suggested using it as a slogan, along with an illustration of a pair of hands cradling a car. Both of Ellis' suggestions were adopted immediately. 

• While it was easy enough to decide on the slogan "You're in good hands with Allstate®," picking the hands themselves was another matter. The correspondence from Ellis' 1962 retirement shares the story of the first hands to represent the good hands. 

• "…hundreds of photos and illustrations were examined showing a pair of human hands in various poses. It was then that we learned of the qualities which different pairs of human hands have. Some hands suggested greed, others humility, etc.

• After examining many, many hands, it was decided that the hands of an artist on the staff of Allstate’s advertising agency were THE hands for Allstate. The individual selected for this honor happened to be an artist whose name was Anderson. He drew his own hands. The work was executed in color."

• Shortly thereafter, the first advertisements using the Good Hands® elements appeared in the September 23, 1950, issues of The Saturday Evening Post and Collier's. 

• Since 1950, the look of the Good Hands® Beacon has evolved into what it is today – and it's become synonymous with the Allstate brand.

• Just to be clear, today’s sermon is not sponsored by Allstate…however, if they’d like to offer the church a deal on our insurance policy, we might consider it.

• Insurance is a funny thing.

• Nobody likes it until they need it - and then they either really like it or really don’t like it.

• And when you need it, you really do hope that their good hands are actually as good as they say are

• However, our text from Ezra 7 today speaks of hands that are even better than Allstate’s.

• We finally meet the likely author and namesake of the book.

• Ezra has finally arrived, and he will be a key figure for us going forward.

• But it isn’t Ezra’s charisma, charm, or legal expertise that makes him so important.

• He’s got an even greater characteristic…

• I’ll be taking a look at the entire chapter, but for our scripture reading, I’ll only be sharing vv. 6-10.

Scripture Reading

Ezra 7:6–10 ESV

⁶ this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

⁷ And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants.

⁸ And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

⁹ For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him.

¹⁰ For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

• We get to Ezra 7 and we first need to recognize that a considerable amount of time has passed between the end of ch. 6 and the beginning of ch. 7.

• It begins with “Now, after this…”

• But the calendar is now showing 458 BC…that’s about 58 years after the events contained in chapter 6.

• This means that most of those who came back under Cyrus’ original decree have passed away and the population in Jerusalem are their children and grandchildren.

• That’s why Ezra’s arrival is so important.

• It isn’t that the people haven’t had instruction or haven’t learned the ways of the LORD.

• But these new generations need a teacher - and Ezra is just the man for the job.

• Why Ezra?

• If you look through all of chapter 7, you’ll see on three different occasions (vv. 6, 9, 28) that God’s hand was on Ezra.

• This has been said of some important individuals throughout the Bible.

• Elijah (1 Kings 18)

• Isaiah 8 says that the strong hand of the LORD was upon Isaiah.

• Ezekiel was another prophet that often had the hand of God upon him.

• John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, had the hand of the LORD upon him.

• The whole church in Antioch is described this way (Ac. 11:21)

• Which leads to the question - what does it mean for the hand of God to be upon someone? What are the characteristics of a life that is marked by the presence of God’s good hand?

• Thankfully, Ezra helps us understand this.

• I think we can see three distinct characteristics of a God-touched life with Ezra.

• It begins with v. 10.

• Ezra 7:10 “10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”

• The first characteristics of a God-touched life is found in…

Preparation - A Heart Set on the Word (v. 10)

• Ezra would become an important leader in the history of the Jewish people.

• This chapter makes it very clear that he had earned the favor and trust of the King.

• But he wasn’t born that way.

• V. 10 is one of the greatest biographical statements that could be said about someone.

• But notice carefully what it says.

• The first thing that it says is that he set his heart to study the Law.

• To set one’s heart means to establish a goal and commit oneself to the goal.

• It isn’t a casual commitment to something.

• When you set your heart to something, that means there is very little that is going to get between you and that thing.

• Here, Ezra has set his heart to study the Law.

• We don’t get to look behind the curtain to see what that study looked like, but it’s safe to say that was an expert.

• Previously in v. 6, it says he was a scribe skilled in the Law.

• That means if you had a question, Ezra had the answer.

• That should define a life that is marked by the hand of God.

• A steadfast commitment as a student of the Word.

• Not a casual, on-again, off-again relationship - but a serious student of the Word.

• That only comes from clocking-in and doing the time.

• But that’s not all.

• Notice that Ezra wasn’t just content to study the Law.

• V. 10 goes on to say that he DID the law.

• For Ezra, his study wasn’t purely academic.

• His study overflowed into his life of obedience.

• This was James’ caution in James 1:22 “22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

• Paul agrees - Romans 2:13 “13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”

• If your study of the word doesn’t impact your actions, then you’ve reduced the precious Word of God to a history book or an academic textbook.

• It is so much more than that.

• A clear indicator of a God-touched life is one that is marked by obedience to the Word.

• But that’s not all

• V. 10 also says that Ezra was committed to teaching God’s word.

• When you have set your heart to study and obey, the natural outflow of that is to want to compel others to do likewise.

• That doesn’t mean that everyone is a formal “teacher” or preacher.

• But it’s only natural.

• When you set your heart to dig into the Word of God.

• And you build your life on obeying the Word of God.

• Then you’ve clearly bought into the whole truth.

• And when you’ve bought into the whole truth, you can’t help but want others to know the same thing you know.

• But all this happened before Ezra ever got tapped to lead anything.

• It just serves to remind us:

• The hand of God rests on those who prepare when nobody is watching or paying attention.

• God certainly wants to use us to shape others, but we first have to be shaped.

• A second thing we see about Ezra that shows us what a God-touched life looks like:

Purpose - Ezra’s life was directed by God (vv. 11-24)

• We get a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra explaining his mission and defining the king’s support.

• One of the things that we see in books such as Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther - we notice a lot of God’s providence on display.

• There are pieces set in motion that a secular mind might look at and chalk it up to coincidence or politics or statecraft.

• But the spiritual mind sees these things and recognizes that it is the sovereign hand of God working and moving to accomplish his purposes.

• Ezra saw the hand of God at work even in the dictates of a pagan King.

• He clearly saw God’s purpose in this work.

• One of the signs of a life marked by God’s hand is a keen awareness of the fact that our lives are not our own.

• We have all kinds of agency in choosing the direction of our lives.

• But it is important that we understand that our lives are marked with divine purpose.

• If you are a parent, God gave you children for you to point in his direction.

• If you are a teacher, God gave you a classroom for you to use for his glory.

• If you are someone who works with their hands, you do so with the understanding that the work you do is for God.

• There are certainly people who are called to unique vocations in the Kingdom.

• There are those who are called to be pastors and kids ministry leaders and missionaries.

• But all of us - even if our lives are not set apart for unique, spiritual vocations - are called to have lives that are governed by God’s plan and purpose.

• I think we have tendencies to want to segment things.

• We want our lives to be like the game pieces in Trivial Pursuit.

• If you’ve never played, as you answer questions in different categories, you get a different colored pie piece.

• We’ve got our work segment, our home segment, our kids sports segment, our hobbies segment, our church segment.

• And we don’t want those things to overlap or touch.

• But that’s not indicative of a God-touched life.

• The God-touched life is one in which we look for God’s plan and purpose in all our endeavors.

• And if we have things in our lives that don’t really align with God’s purposes, then we look for ways to get those things out of our lives.

• The New Testament is very clear about this:

Romans 14:7–8 ESV

⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.

⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

• The last thing we see from Ezra in this chapter that paints a picture of a life that is touched by God is found in verses 27-28

• Ezra 7:27–28 “27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.”

• We see that Ezra is a man of…

Praise - His is Life Marked by Gratitude and Courage (vv. 27-28)

• He’s not unaware of God’s hand on his life.

• In fact, if Ezra did in fact write this book, he’s recorded it three different times in this chapter alone!

• He knows that Artaxerxes didn’t come up with this on his own.

• He knows that he didn’t earn the king’s favor on his own.

• And it wasn’t just the king - it would seem that it was the whole administration.

• All that came about because God was at work, moving the pieces on the board to bring about his purposes for Ezra, and for his people as a whole.

• A life touched by God is one that is filled with praise.

• Living under the good hand of God allows us to see him at work in all kinds of circumstances and situations.

• We can certainly see him at work when life is marked by success as Ezra’s was here.

• But we can also see him at work when things are hard.

• We see his hand at work during times of suffering and grief and pain.

• Because God doesn’t waste anything.

• I heard a dog trainer one time say that a dog doesn’t waste a move.

• I’m not sure I believe the trainer because when a dog gets the zoomies, that feels like nothing but wasted moves.

• I do think it can safely be said that God doesn’t waste a move.

• God’s actions are filled with purpose and intentionality.

• When we recognize that, then our lives can’t help but be marked by praise and gratitude.

• But here’s the thing - praise and gratitude bring about courage.

• Ezra was about to take the most harrowing journey of his life and take on the greatest challenge of his life.

• It would be easy to understand if he simply wanted to stay in his study in Babylon and continue perfecting his understanding of the Law.

• But that’s not what God wanted.

• Any fear he had was gobbled up with his gratitude.

• And he recognized that if he were doing what God said, he would have nothing to fear.

• I love how he words it here in v. 28…

• I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me.

• The phrase, “I took courage” is all about being strong and prevailing.

• But there is a sense in which it means to grasp or take hold of.

• It’s almost like Ezra is saying exactly that here - I took hold of the hand that was upon me.

• If that doesn’t give you courage, then I don’t know what does.

• When you recognize God’s hand on your life, how can you not be a worshipper?

• How can your life not overflow with praise?

• How can your life not overflow with gratitude?

• How can fear ever take hold in your life?

• Do you want to experience God’s good hand on your life?

• Then commit yourself to be prepared by your commitment to study, apply, and teach the Word of God.

• Then let your whole life be a vessel for God’s purpose…

• Your work, your hobbies, your family.

• All of it. Nothing is off limits.

• And let your response to God’s hand be marked as a worshipper.

• And if you need it summarized, the apostle Peter does a really good job.

1 Peter 5:6–7 ESV

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Invitation

• The chief indicator of a life lived under the good hand of God is a life marked by humility.

• That’s not low self-esteem, it’s simply recognizing how we fit into the grand scheme of things.

• It’s the position of John the Baptist when he says that he is not worthy to untie Jesus’ shoes.

• It’s the recognition that every good thing we have we have because God grants it.

• It is the understanding that we cannot contribute one thing to our own salvation.

• It is the attitude that all of the gifts, skills, talents, abilities we have are a gift from God.

• And it is the recognition that just as Ezra took hold of that hand, we have that same offer.

Taking Hold of Daddy’s Hand