SERMON OUTLINE
TRANSCRIPT
Let us turn this morning to Ezra chapter 7 as we continue our study. Let me read this chapter as we begin. Ezra 7:1-28,
“Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:
This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.
Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;
And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem: That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house.
And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily, Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them. And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not. And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem: And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.” Amen.
We've moved on now from the reign of Cyrus and Darius to the reign of Artexerxes some decades later. Now we are introduced to Ezra who will lead a second return from Babylon back to Jerusalem. And again, there's a great deal for us to learn from the example of Ezra to apply to our own service to the Lord today.
Two things especially, I think, we can learn from this chapter. We can learn firstly from Ezra's preparation — Ezra's preparation to serve God. But as we look at this chapter, we see that Ezra's preparation comes in light of God's preparation. God's work in Ezra's life, and even before that, to prepare the way for Ezra's service.
Then, secondly, we can learn also from Ezra's perspective. But here again, as we look at this chapter, we see that Ezra's perspective comes in light of the perspective of the Persian king. So that Ezra's perspective is brought out by way of contrast. Ezra sees things not the way that the Persian king sees them. And that will be helpful for us also.
So, these two things, Ezra's preparation and Ezra's perspective.
I. Ezra’s Preparation
First of all, Ezra's preparation. And again, this comes in light of God's preparation. And we begin to see that already in the genealogy at the beginning of chapter 7. Again, these genealogies are not redundant, they're not irrelevant, insignificant. They are meaningful. And this genealogy in chapter 7 traces the line of Ezra.
Of course, this is not a comprehensive list of all the people, all the names in the lineage of Ezra. The point is not to trace his lineage comprehensively, but to show the continuity of the priestly line. And there are some names here that are significant.
In verse 1 of chapter 7, Ezra the son of Seraiah. Seraiah was the high priest under the last king of Judah, Zedekiah. Seraiah was the high priest when the temple was destroyed. Seraiah was killed by the Babylonians. His son Jehozadak or Josedech was taken into captivity. And Jeshua, the son of Josedech, was the high priest when Zerubbabel led the first return and began the rebuilding of the temple. That's what we've been looking at in the previous chapters.
So, Seraiah is Ezra's link to the priesthood before the Exile. Just before the Exile. Then also, Hilkiah, the end of verse 1. Hilkiah was the high priest in the time of Josiah when the temple was restored from corruption. Hilkiah was the one who was involved in finding the book of the law in the time of Josiah, reading it before the king, which caused Josiah to recognize the wrath of God that was upon them for their disobedience, for their idolatry and apostasy. (2 Kings 22) That's Hilkiah.
And then, Azariah in verse 3. This Azariah was the high priest when the first temple was built in the time of Solomon. Azariah was ministering in that first temple. (1 Chronicles 6:10) And then, of course, Aaron at the end there of verse 5. Aaron was the first high priest who ministered in the tabernacle in the wilderness. (Exodus 40:17-33)
So, there is a continuity from the tabernacle to the first temple, the destruction of the first temple, and then the rebuilding of the second temple. There is a line of continuity in the priesthood. And Ezra is a priest in that same line and tradition. And he's a legitimate priest. He can prove his lineage. Not like those in Chapter 2, as we saw, who were not able to show their descent from the priestly line. They were put from the priesthood as polluted. But not Ezra. Ezra can prove his legitimacy by tracing his genealogy.
There is continuity. God preserves his people. God preserves their lineage. God preserves their families. God preserves their religious institutions. And so, God's people continually have legitimate priests to minister to them, to offer sacrifices for them, to teach them the law of God. All these things are preserved by God.
Again, this is after 70 years of captivity in the Exile. And yet, all these institutions are still there, preserved by God. The priestly line has not been lost. It has not vanished. God has preserved this. And all of this comes down to God's covenant faithfulness. He never abandoned his people. And this is part of God's preparation for Ezra.
Ezra's mission to go back to Jerusalem is part of God's plan and God's provision for his people. God's people in the land in Jerusalem need to be taught the law of God. They need the priests to minister to them, to teach them the law. They have to be established not just geographically in the land, not just materially in terms of having places to live and so on. They need to be established spiritually. They need to be there as a spiritual witness for the Lord. They need to know His law so that they can live by His law and obey it. And that's Ezra's mission.
God has been preparing the way for Ezra to go back and minister to the people. Ezra's mission is no accident. It is part of God's plan and part of God's covenant faithfulness to His people. And this is something that we see throughout our study of the Bible, throughout our study of the Old Testament, in the history of Israel. We see God's hand at work on this large scale. We see God working through the generations to accomplish His plan, to provide for His people. And this continues also today.
God raises up men and women to serve Him in various ways. He works in their lives on this grand scale. He works through the generations to prepare the way for us, for our generation. God has been at work long before, preparing the way for us. And again, this is part of our recognition of God’s providence as we look back, not just at our own lives, but in the lives of our parents, in the lives of those who have gone before us. We see how God has prepared for us to be here, for us to minister here and serve Him here. God has been working in this marvellous way.
For example, in 2 Timothy, we see how the Apostle Paul recognised this great providence of God working through the generations. In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul says, “I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." God was working through the generations, preparing the way for Timothy. 2 Timothy 3:15, "that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures," How is it that Timothy was able to learn the scriptures from the time he was a child? Because of his mother, because of his grandmother. That was God's work. That's not a coincidence that Timothy was born into this family, that Timothy had two generations of godly women to teach him, instruct him in the Scriptures. That's part of God's provision.
And so, in light of that, Timothy is commanded, instructed by Paul in 2 Timothy 2:2, "the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." There is a passing on, there is a continuity.
Today also, even though we are not Israel, we are not a nation, we're not a political entity, still, there is this sense and principle of continuity, of passing down. This is part of how God works by His providence. That's one of the reasons why the family is so important. That's why it's so wonderful for us to be here. So many families here, so many young children being taught the Word of God from a young age. It's not a coincidence. That's not an accident. That's God's providence because He wants to be at work not just in our lives but in the lives of our children and, if the Lord tarries, our grandchildren. God has a plan for them. God has a purpose for them. God is using us to prepare the way for them and how they will serve the Lord. This is again the perspective of God's providence that we need to have.
God is preparing the way generation after generation for His kingdom to advance, for His work to be done. And so, this is an encouragement for us, I think, as parents, as we teach children and grandchildren. It's not easy. Sometimes it can seem very overwhelming being a parent and having to deal with all the things that are involved in raising a child.
But this is our encouragement: to remember that this is part of God's plan. It's not just some biological imperative to have children. We do it consciously, knowing that God has a plan for our children. Sometimes the days are very full of things that seem very mundane: changing diapers, preparing lunchboxes. And at the end of the day, we feel like we've done nothing. But all these little things that can seem so insignificant: ‘what have I accomplished today?’
But if we have been with our children, if we have prayed with them, if we have spoken to them the Word of God, if we have borne witness by our own example of the truth of the Gospel, that's a great and wonderful thing. And God uses that. God works, not just in us, but preparing the way for our children to serve Him. So it was with Ezra.
God was preparing the way for Ezra. Ezra's lineage was no accident. God had been at work all along, preparing the way for Ezra to return. This Ezra went up from Babylon. This Ezra was prepared by God already to do this work that God desired him to do. God is sovereign in all these ways and working in all these ways to preserve His people.
And then also, we see here how God has been preserving His word. Again, Ezra 7:6, "This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given:" The law of Moses was still there. The law of Moses had been preserved by God all through the years of the captivity, all through those years of the exile when Jerusalem was destroyed, when the temple was destroyed, when the people were there in a foreign land. Yet, they still had the Word of God. They still had the law of Moses. God gave the word through Moses, and that word was still there. It was Ezra's mission to teach that word, the law of Moses which the LORD God of Israel had given.
Ezra still had access to that very same law. Nothing had been lost. The authority still there, still unchanged. It is still the law of Moses which the LORD God of Israel had given. It was God who moved the king's heart, but Ezra recognised that this was God's hand at work so that His law could be brought back to Jerusalem and taught to His people. This is God's covenantal faithfulness to preserve His people, to preserve His word for the life of His people.
And there's a wonderful picture of that in verse 6, just in the names, "The LORD God of Israel." The LORD Jehovah, the covenant God, “the LORD God of Israel”. But also, at the end of verse 6, the LORD God of Ezra, “the hand of the LORD his God upon him." The LORD God of Israel and the LORD God of Ezra. God who is faithful to His covenant corporately on a corporate level to all His people, but also on an individual level to each one of His people, to each one of His servants here.
God directs all these events to prepare the way for Ezra as His instrument, as His servant to go back and fulfil His purpose for the nation of Israel. And again, it's the same for us when we serve the LORD today. We recognise how He has prepared the way for us, how He has been at work even in previous generations preparing the way so that we don't take it for granted. So many of the blessings that we have, God has been at work in all these ways.
We acknowledge, we praise Him, we thank Him, and we serve Him in light of this, with confidence and with joy, in light of this.
But as we see here, God's sovereign work, God's preparation does not negate our responsibility. Rather, it brings out our responsibility. God has worked, God has prepared, God continues to work, but He calls us to be part of that work. He calls us to be part of the fulfilling of His sovereign purpose. He calls us to be part of what He is doing.
Again, that's our great privilege, as we saw right at the beginning. Our privilege to serve the LORD, because He calls us to serve Him. Calls us to serve Him not as puppets, but as His people. He deals with us in this wonderful way, in this gracious way, so that we exercise our responsibility. We serve Him consciously, deliberately, joyfully, willingly. Yet it is His purpose that is being worked out, and that's what we see here.
God gave the Word. It was the law of Moses that the LORD God of Israel had given. God preserved the Word so that it was there in Babylon, and Ezra had access to it. And yet, Ezra exercised his own responsibility. He was a ready scribe in that law of Moses. That description gives the idea of diligence, a diligent, skilful, careful student of the Word of God. Diligent in studying it, in seeking to understand it, in considering how to apply it.
Again, 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed," That was Ezra. Yes, it was God's work to give the Word and preserve the Word, but that didn't mean Ezra could just sit back. Ezra was a careful student of the Word that God had given and God had preserved. God's work, God's sovereignty, brings out our responsibility. Because God has been at work in this sovereign and marvellous way, therefore, all the more, we must exercise our responsibility to study what God has preserved and handed down to us.
Then also, it was God who moved the heart of the king, but it was Ezra who made the request. Verse 6: "the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him." God was the one who moved the heart of the king, but Ezra, out of his own desire to serve the LORD, made the request, asked for permission, and it was granted. Ezra was the right man for the job. God had prepared the way all along in his lineage, but Ezra's own heart and own desire was to serve the LORD.
Ezra was exercising his own responsibility. It was God who called, but it was Ezra who recognised that call and was committed to fulfilling God's purpose. Ezra saw his own lineage. He recognised that he is a priest. He recognised that it was his duty as a priest to teach the law of God to God's people, and he desired to fulfil that responsibility, to carry out that duty. And out of that desire, faithfully, prayerfully, he asked the king for permission, and God moved the heart of the king to grant that permission.
Ezra was doing what he was supposed to do, and God was fulfilling His purpose through that, through that faithful exercise of responsibility. And that's a lesson for us, to be prepared in this way to serve the Lord, to recognise our responsibility in light of God's sovereignty, in light of His call, in light of His purpose, to prepare our hearts to serve the Lord and to do His will.
And what is it that Ezra was prepared to do? We see here in verse 10, “Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD,” That was Ezra's preparation: to seek the law of the LORD. He was prepared to seek it even there in the heart of the Persian Empire. Again, it's God's work to give the Word, to preserve the Word, to make it accessible to us. It's our responsibility to seek it. God has made it available for us, but it's our part to seek that Word, to seek the law of the LORD.
And how much more is this the case for us? Ezra was there in the middle of the Persian Empire. He didn't have his handphone with his Bible app in it. It wasn't easy for him to have access to the Word of God. He had to go out and look for it, find it, and study it by candlelight perhaps, if we may imagine. How much easier it is for us! We have it so readily available to us. We have Bibles in the stores, we have Bibles on our phones, we have Bibles everywhere we go. Many of us, I'm sure, have multiple copies of the Bible in our homes. Everywhere we go, the Bible is right there. That's God's work. That's what God has done. God has worked to make the Scriptures so readily available to us.
Our responsibility is to seek it. Because if the Bible is there and we never open it, if the Bible is there and we never study it, then God has done His part but we haven't done ours. We have not prepared our hearts to seek the law of God. And that's our problem. That's our failure. God hasn't failed. It's not that God has hidden His word away, it's not that God has made it so difficult for us to find His word. The problem is with us. We are not willing to seek it, we are not prepared to seek it. We are so easily distracted.
The Bible is there in our homes, but so are all those other things that call to us. If only we would recognise the preciousness of God's word. ‘Sweeter than honey in the honeycomb, more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold.’ (Psalm 19:10) “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul." (Psalm 19:7) We don't see it that way. We take it for granted. In fact, the ready accessibility of the Word of God sometimes makes us despise it. Sometimes makes us treat it like it's not important. Because it's so easy, it's become something that we can't be bothered to do. That's our own foolishness, and that's our own corruption.
We have access to the law of God, the Word of God, which tells us of eternal things. It tells us about God, our Creator. It tells us about His eternal plan and purpose. It tells us what the world is really like. It tells us who we really are. It tells us where we are headed, where we have come from. It tells us the meaning of life. The greatest questions are answered in the Word of God. And yet, we will not seek it. How much more precious is God's word, how much more significant it is than all the vain and passing fancies and entertainments of the world.
Again, this is an area where we are called to exercise our responsibility. It's very foolish for us to expect half-hearted efforts, careless efforts to yield lasting fruit in this endeavour. We have to prepare our hearts to seek the law of God, to study, to be a ready scribe in God's word. This is not a magazine, the kind that you find in waiting rooms, it's not meant for you to just flip through. You're not meant to study those magazines, right? They're just there to pass the time.
Nowadays, I suppose you don't even need magazines because you have your phones and you scroll through this and that. You're not really thinking about what you're seeing. God's word is not like that. You can't just flip through it and expect to get much out of it. It's there for us to study. That means we have to prepare our hearts to seek the law of God, to search the Scriptures, to study His word.
Remember in Matthew 13, the Parable of the Sower. Matthew 13:3-9, "Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched: and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
The “good ground”, those are the hearts that are prepared to seek God's word. That's where the Word falls and takes root and bears fruit because the heart is prepared. (Matthew 13:8)
So often we are like the “way side”. ‘The seed falls by the wayside and the birds come in and pluck it up, snatch it up, and carry it away.’ (Matthew 13:4) Matthew 13:18-19, "Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side." Don't think that that failure to understand is not that person's fault.
Don't read that and think, ‘Oh, this poor person couldn't understand the word, it wasn't his fault he couldn't understand it.’ No, this failure to understand is a matter of responsibility. This is someone who was not prepared to seek God's law, to meditate on it, to consider it, to study it. This is someone who did not put in the effort to understand it, he didn't care to understand when it goes in one ear and out the other ear.
We see here how the Devil is prepared and ready to snatch the Word away. We may not be prepared, but the enemy is prepared. Realise that every Lord's day, every church camp, every time the Word of God is being preached, there is someone who is ready and prepared, even if we are not.
The Devil is prepared to snatch the word away, to catch it out of our hearts so that it does not take root and does not bear fruit. He does not want the Word of God to have its work in us. He does not want us to be sanctified. He does not want us to be instructed. He does not want us to be built up. He wants us to perish. ‘My people perish for lack of vision; Where there is no law, the people perish.’ (Proverbs 29:18) That's what the Devil wants. He wants to snatch the word away, and he is ready even if we are not. That's our foolishness because we are not prepared to seek the law of God.
The seed that fell by the way side, the wayside is that hard ground that is not plowed. The farmer plows the ground in order to break it up so that the seed can sink in, so that it doesn't just stay on the surface, so that it can go in and put out roots and then grow healthy and strong. But when the ground is not plowed, when the ground is not prepared, then the seed just lies on the surface, and the birds can come easily and eat it up.
That's what our hearts are like when we are not prepared. Again, that's an exercise of our responsibility. God has given the Word. We have to be responsible to study in our devotions, in our quiet time. We have to be diligent. We have to be prepared. We have to come thoughtfully, conscientiously, not just rushing through the last couple of minutes while our eyes are already closing and heavy with sleep, ‘Oh, I haven't read my Bible today. Just flip somewhere, read a couple of verses.’ That's not enough. We have to study. That's our responsibility. And again, when the Word of God is preached, when we come, we must come prepared, prayerfully, ready, and waiting for God to instruct us through His word. That's our responsibility.
Again, God has worked so marvellously to make His word so available to us. Not just the physical copies of the Bible, but the preaching of the Word. It's not something to take for granted that we are able to gather in freedom to hear the Word of God preached. We don't have to hide, we don't have to meet early in the morning in the woods where no one will catch us. We can come so readily, and there are so many messages available for us to hear good, faithful preaching of the Word of God. It's so easy for us, and yet we don't come prepared, not prayerful, not with hearts ready to receive God's instruction.
That's where the example of Ezra is a rebuke to us, and it's the LORD's grace to give us such examples so that we can learn. If we want to serve Him, our hearts must be prepared. We must be diligent, thoughtful, and prayerful to seek the law of God. That was Ezra's preparation, and he was prepared also not just to seek but to do. Ezra 7:10, “Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it,”
There are those who seek, or appear to seek, out of mere curiosity. It's just something new, like the Athenians remember on Mars Hill, again in Acts 17, when the Apostle Paul went there to preach. (Acts 17:22) Many gathered to hear him, but why? Why were they interested? It's just because it was something new, because the Athenians were like that. That's all they cared about, they just wanted to hear some new thing. Their interest was in the newness. (Acts 17:21) There are those who are like that today also, they just want something new. But that's not truly seeking the law of God.
There are those who seek, who study, but really they're doing it only to promote themselves, to elevate themselves, like the Pharisees in the time of the Lord Jesus. They were students of the law, but they were studying it to make themselves look great. They thought highly of themselves.
John 7:49, they despise the people, "this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.” ‘We are better than them because we know the law, they don't know the law. We study, we memorise. Look how great we are.’ How many times the Lord had to rebuke them, ‘Have ye not read? Have ye not read? Go and learn what that meaneth, I’ll have mercy, and not sacrifice. If ye had known what that meant, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.’ (Matthew 12:5-7) They studied, but they were not seeking in order to do. They were not seeking in order to submit themselves to the will of God. They were seeking to promote themselves. It's not a true seeking of the Word of God.
Ezra was not like that. He had prepared his heart to seek and to do the Word of God. That's what it means really to study the Scriptures. We study in order to do. Otherwise, we are not truly studying at all. Otherwise, it is self-deception, as James reminds us in James 1:23-24, ‘those who hear the Word and don't do it, they deceive themselves, like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and then goes away and forgets what manner of man he was.’ When you look at your face in the mirror, you see all the things that are wrong, right?
When I look at my face in the mirror, I see all the patches that I missed when I shave, and then I have to do something about it. Otherwise, what's the point? If I look and I see everything that needs to be changed and then I don't do it, I'm just deceiving myself. It's like someone who searches the Scriptures, who looks through the law of God, who studies it, but then doesn't apply it.
The Word of God rebukes us, ‘This is what I need to change, this is what I need to correct.’ But then we forget, and we don't do. That's not truly studying the Word of God. The Word of God is given for us to obey. It is the word of life, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) This Word is our life. We're meant to apply it.
So when we study the Word of God, that must be our question, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? What are You saying to me through this word? What do You want me to do? How do You want me to live? What do I need to change? How can I bring myself more into conformity with the Word of God? How can I be more faithful?’ God speaks to us and deals with us. He has given us His word for that purpose, but we are called to exercise this responsibility: to thoughtfully and prayerfully study and apply the Word to our lives. We have to be asking ourselves this question, ‘What does God want me to do?’
And then also, Ezra was prepared to teach. And I think the order there is significant. Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgment. To seek, to do, and to teach. Ezra could not teach what he did not know, what he had not studied. Ezra could not teach what he was not doing, otherwise he would be a hypocrite. So Ezra had prepared himself in order to be a teacher of the Law, as was his calling as a priest. He had prepared himself to seek, and to do, and then to teach.
And let us not think that it is only people like Ezra who are called to teach. Yes, there is an ordained ministry of teaching in the church (Ephesians 4:11-12), just as in Israel (Leviticus 10:11). But there is also a sense in which all of us are called to be teachers.
In Hebrews chapter 5, the Apostle rebukes us when we are not prepared to teach. ‘For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again what be the first things.’ (Hebrew 5:12) All of us are to be teachers.
As parents, we are to teach our children. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Ephesians 6:4) How can we teach our children what we don't know? How can we teach our children what we don't do? If we are parents, we have a calling to teach. Therefore, we must prepare our hearts to seek, and to do, and to teach.
And all of us are called to exhort one another, that is, to teach one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 10:24-25). For those who are less mature in the faith and those who are younger in the faith, those of us who are a bit older and a bit more mature, must be prepared to teach, to guide, to exhort them, to show them how the Word of God applies to them, to encourage them, to correct them (Titus 2:2-6) lovingly (Ephesians 4:15).
All of us are called in some sense to teach. Therefore, we have to be prepared, just as Ezra was prepared. God has done the work, God has prepared the way, but we have a responsibility, and we must faithfully exercise that responsibility. This is one important lesson that we can learn from Ezra.
II. Ezra’s Perspective
Then also, we can learn from Ezra's perspective. But again, as we mentioned, this perspective comes in light of the king's perspective.
And we see the king's perspective in this letter from verse 12 of Ezra chapter 7. This is a reproduction of the letter that Artaxerxes had given to Ezra authorising Ezra to go back to Jerusalem, defining the scope of Ezra's mission. And this shows us the king's perspective. See how he thinks of himself? Verse 12, "Artaxerxes, king of kings," He thinks of himself as the king of kings. He is the one with supreme power and authority. He is the one who is sending Ezra, verse 14, "Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellers." ‘I am king of kings. I am sending you.’ That's the king's perspective.
His understanding of God is very localised: He's the God of Israel. Verse 15, "the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem," Verse 19, "the God of Jerusalem." ‘He's over there, God. God deals with that. The God of Israel, the God of Jerusalem. I am king of kings. God is local. My power, my authority is broad. I rule this whole empire. God is God only of that little place, Jerusalem.’ That's the king's view.
And even when God is called the God of heaven, we are not to think that Artaxerxes recognises or acknowledges God's sovereign authority over everything on earth. In verse 12, when Ezra is called “a scribe of the law of the God of heaven,” it seems that Artaxerxes is using that as a technical name for the God of Israel, for what he sees as a local God, who just happens to be called the God of heaven. We see this in the way that the Babylonians and the Persians speak of the God of Israel, as we look through these passages in scripture. They use it as a technical name. But Artaxerxes sees God, the God of Israel, as confined to Israel's affairs, Jerusalem's affairs.
So, Artaxerxes is doing this out of his own power, his own authority, for his own ends and purposes. He is willing to be magnanimous. He's willing to give all these provisions. He wants to prevent any kind of revolt, any kind of disturbance or trouble in his realm. Verse 23, "why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?" So, he's willing to do all this. That's the way he sees things.
Ezra's perspective is entirely different. Ezra realises and knows the Truth, and he keeps this perspective in mind. We see how Ezra views himself: He is sent by God, not by the king. Ezra's mission comes from the LORD, not from Artaxerxes. Ezra recognises that the way is prepared by God's good hand, "the hand of the LORD my God was upon me," verse 28. The king's favour, the favour of the king's princes, the success of his mission even in those early stages, getting commission from the king, all of that Ezra attributes to the good hand of God. And he recognises the privilege of serving the LORD.
“God has extended mercy unto me before the king and his counsellers," in verse 28. Ezra recognises the sovereignty of God. God is not localised. He's not the God only of the Jews, the God only of Israel or Jerusalem. He is the God of heaven and earth. He is the Lord of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17) and King of kings (Daniel 2:37), the true King of kings. He is working and moving even the heart of Artaxerxes. And Ezra recognizes the covenant faithfulness of God: verse 27, "Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart," Ezra sees his mission in light of God's great plan, God's covenant purpose, God's covenant faithfulness.
Ezra's conception of God, we may say, is not localised, either in space or in time. He is the God of the whole earth, the God of past, present, and future, God of our fathers, the God of all that is to come. He rules and reigns over all. Everything is subject to God's supreme and sovereign will and decree. And that's a perspective that we need to learn from as we seek to serve the Lord in this world.
We also are surrounded by a godless culture that sees itself as sovereign. Man sees himself today as sovereign, and the world sees God as the God of the Christians. ‘The Christian God for you, not for me. Your business, not mine. God has no say in my life. You can listen to Him, you can follow Him, but I go my way. God doesn't control me.’ That's the way the world thinks. But we recognise that God is sovereign over all. We are His servants, willing and joyful servants, but all serve Him, all bow to His sovereign will and purpose. The LORD moves and works even in the hearts of kings to direct them according to His will.
And when we recognise that, when we have that perspective as Ezra did, then we can serve the Lord faithfully. We can serve the Lord with confidence and this hope. We can deal even with kings, just as Ezra did. Ezra made his request to the king boldly, confidently because, again, he was trusting in the sovereign providence of God. It's not because we are great, but it's because the God whom we serve is great and truly sovereign. And this was all part of Ezra's witness also, which we will see a bit more of in the next chapter.
But we can see it here already that Ezra clearly was highly esteemed by the king, even by Artaxerxes. Look at the description again in verse 25, "thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know not." Ezra is given great leeway, great authority by the king. Clearly, the king thinks highly of Ezra. This was part of Ezra's witness and testimony because he had prepared his heart to seek, and to do, and to teach the law of God.
And that's a pattern and an example for us. When we have the right preparation, when we have the right perspective, when we serve the Lord faithfully in these ways, then we bear witness to the glory of God, and others can see and glorify God. That's our calling. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
The king could see in Ezra someone who was faithful, someone who was sincere, someone who was trustworthy. And the world should see that in us also. It's our calling to bear a good witness and testimony for the Lord. But all of this, this perspective that Ezra had, requires the right preparation, a faithful preparation, as well as a faithful perspective in order to serve the Lord in this world. These are some of the things that we can learn from Ezra. Let's close now with a word of prayer.
Our gracious Father in heaven, we thank You again for the example of Ezra. We thank You for his faithful preparation, how he was able to serve You, fulfil Your covenant purpose for Israel at that time: to seek, and to do, and to teach the law of God to Your people.
We pray You would help us as we seek to apply these things to ourselves today, that we also may have the right preparation. We may not take for granted how readily available Your word is to us. We pray You would help us to be good students, true and faithful students of Your word, seeking to apply it to our lives and seeking to teach others as You give us the calling and opportunity.
We pray once again, You would grant us the right perspective to recognise Your sovereign hand at work in all things, and to serve You faithfully, confidently in light of that. We commit all this once more into Your hands. We pray You will work in us by Your word and by Your spirit. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EZRAMessage 1: Privilege and Promptness in ServiceMessage 1: Privilege and Promptness in ServiceEzra 1:1-11Message 2: Precept and Praise in ServiceMessage 2: Precept and Praise in ServiceEzra 2:1-3:13Message 3: Perseverance and Protection in ServiceMessage 3: Perseverance and Protection in ServiceEzra 4:1-5:5Message 4: Prudence and Providence in ServiceMessage 4: Prudence and Providence in ServiceEzra 5:6-6:22Message 5: Preparation and Perspective in ServiceMessage 5: Preparation and Perspective in ServiceEzra 7:1-28Message 6: Purpose and Prayer in ServiceMessage 6: Purpose and Prayer in ServiceEzra 8:1-36Message 7: Piety and Penitence in ServiceMessage 7: Piety and Penitence in ServiceEzra 9:1-10:44
