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Ezra 8 · a question people ask

Was it wrong to accept soldiers from the king? Nehemiah did.

In the text

Ezra gives his own reason for not asking: "For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is on all those who seek him, for good”" (8:22). He tells what he did and why; he doesn't make it a rule for others. Nehemiah later writes, "The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me" (Nehemiah 2:8), and "Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me" (Nehemiah 2:9). The Bible sets both down and doesn't say either man was wrong. Both speak of the good hand of their God on them (8:18; Nehemiah 2:8).

The verses

“For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is on all those who seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath is against all those who forsake him.””
Ezra 8:22 · World English Bible
“According to the good hand of our God on us they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and his brothers, eighteen;”
Ezra 8:18 · World English Bible
“and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I will occupy.” The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me. Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.”
Nehemiah 2:8-9 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Ezra 8

Ezra 8: The hand of our God on us

Ezra 8 turns on something Ezra had already said: having told the king, "The hand of our God is on all those who seek him, for good" (8:22), he was ashamed to ask for soldiers, so the company fasted at the river Ahava and God "granted our request" (8:23). Then every gift was weighed out, kept on the road, and weighed again in God's house.

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions