Finally, we have Ezra appearing in the book that bears his name. Chapter 7.
• We ended chapter 6 with the completion and the dedication of the Temple of God, led by Zerubbabel and Jeshua, under the reign of Darius.
• This was made possible because of the move of God (1) through the preaching of His prophets Haggai and Zechariah, and (2) also because of His sovereign control over the Persian kings.
We have been seeing the outworking of the will of God. God works to fulfil His will, right from the start with King Cyrus in chapter 1.
Chapter 7 begins with King Artaxerxes. 7:7 says Ezra and the second batch of returnees came to Jerusalem in the 7th year of Artaxerxes’ reign (458BC).
• In order words, from the end of chapter 6 (completion of the Temple of God in Darius 6th year, 515BC) to the start of chapter 7, 57 years have passed.
• After King Darius, we have King Xerxes and then King Artaxerxes. So the story of Esther comes between Ezra 6 and 7.
• Clearly God watches over His own, whether in Jerusalem or Susa in Persia.
We are now standing in between the completed Temple and the soon-to-happen rebuilding of the city walls under Nehemiah.
• God raised Ezra to meet a spiritual need for a generation that had spent 70 years in exile and restore them to the true worship of God.
• This man Ezra cannot be any ordinary leader but someone steeped in the understanding of the Law of Moses (the Law of God) and therefore the ways of God.
• That explains why Ezra was introduced to us in a very thorough way. Who is he? From 7:1-5. He is the son of… son of… son of… all the way to “son of Aaron the chief priest.”
It traces Ezra’s family lineage back through 16 forefathers to Aaron the chief priest, brother of Moses. We can sense the purpose for this – to authenticate Ezra’s credibility.
• There are some gaps in between but the point of the genealogy is to show that Ezra came from the priestly line, a direct descendant of Aaron.
Not only is he a priest, he is a teacher, skilled scribe (NKJV, ESV). 7:6b “He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given.”
• 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
• 7:11 – “Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the LORD for Israel.”
God raised this man to fulfil His purpose. He has been doing that all the time - with Cyrus, Zerubbabel, Haggai and Zechariah, with Ezra now, later with Nehemiah.
God works to fulfil His will. Ezra emphasizes this.
• 7:6 - The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.
• 7:9 - He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.
• Having shared with us what the king’s letter said, Ezra says, 7:27-28 - Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring honour to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way 28and who has extended His good favour 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.
This phrase appeared 3 times in this chapter (7:6, 9, 28), and another 5 more times in the rest of this scroll – Ezra x 3/Nehemiah x 2 (8:18, 22, 31; Neh. 2:8, 18). 8 times in all.
• Just in case we are carried away with the thought that this success has to do with Zerubbabel or Ezra or Nehemiah, or for that matter, anyone who is serving God and experiencing success and thinks that it’s him…
• Ezra reminds his readers that it’s all of God! It’s the gracious hand of God that makes all of this possible.
Look at the letter and be amazed at what the King granted Ezra.
• The King did not become a worshipper of Israel’s God. He was just following the Persian’s policy (from Cyrus) of appeasing all foreign gods so that their Empire would be blessed.
• That’s politics but God works through politics. He works through kings and kingdoms. “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will.” (Prov 21:11 ESV)
The pagan king “granted him EVERYTHING he asked” (7:6).
• (1) He gave Ezra permission to go back to Jerusalem and asked him to teach “the laws of your God” to anyone who do not know them (7:14, 25).
• (2) He provided the silver and gold to buy the bulls, rams and lambs and other offerings needed for the worship of God in the Temple (7:15-20).
• (3) He commanded the treasurers of the province (Trans-Euphrates) to supplement anything else that Ezra needed, up to a stated budget, except for salt (7:21-22).
• (4) He exempted the Temple officials from taxation (7:24). No taxes, tribute or duty is to be collected from the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers in this house of God.
• (5) He authorized Ezra to set up the judicial system, to appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice for the whole region and punishing violators (7:25-26).
Imagine all these coming from a pagan king. Whatever his selfish reasoning, God has His will and He sovereignly executed His purposes through the Persian king.
• And Ezra knows that. He recognises the hand of God in this. Do we? Can we?
What did Ezra contributed? He just asked; he made the requests and the king “granted him everything he asked” (7:6 NIV) (KJV all his requests, ESV all that he asked).
• “… FOR the hand of the Lord his God was on him.” They were GRANTED by the GRACE of God. They come FROM God and FOR His glory.
• So remember to stand aside when we taste success in ministry. It is never about us. It comes FROM God and it is FOR God’s glory.
God works to fulfil His will and He raised Ezra for a time like this.
• It was significant because the ultimate purpose of the return wasn’t to give them a new address, just a geographical change of address.
• It was not about giving them a new home or a new city, or even a new Temple.
• God wants to reform His people and give them a new heart. It is about bringing His people back (not to Jerusalem per see) but to Himself.
This is what the Lord says to Prophet Ezekiel, who saw through the fall of Jerusalem.
• Ezekiel 36:24-28 "`For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
And for that to happen, God raised EZRA, the man of the Word of God.
• 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. (KJV/ESV do it, NAS practice it)
• He studies the Law, observes the Law (he does it) and he teaches it.
This order is important. All three are important and they must be in this order.
• We cannot teach correctly without studying. We cannot study and teach, without doing it; we lose the right to teach. And you cannot obey what we do not know.
The connection between Ezra and the Law of Moses was emphasized many times:
• 7:6 - Ezra was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given.
• 7:10 - Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
• 7:11 – letter given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the LORD for Israel.
• 7:12 - Even in his letter, the King addresses “to Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven.”
• 7:14 – the king says you are sent to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.
• 7:21 – asking the treasurers to provide whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of them.
• 7:25 – telling Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of his God, to administer justice to all his people - all who know the laws of your God, and teach any who do not know them.
Each time his name was mentioned, it was connected to the Word of God.
• He was known to be a person who KNOWS the Law and LIVES by the teachings of the Law of Moses, and therefore most qualified to TEACH others to do the same.
• Even a pagan king trusted Ezra’s integrity and wisdom in managing the resources and organising the judicial system, looking at the authority he has given him.
• Ezra’s life exemplifies the truth of God’s Word.
Spiritual reformation of the people of God will take place with a return to the Word of God. This is the work of God.
In closing, let me just recap. Looking at the book of Ezra so far, this is what we see…
• We see the unfolding of the WILL OF GOD. He started it all.
• We see the WORKS OF GOD through the 7 chapters we have covered so far (spanning 80 since 1st return); we see the gracious hand of God in fulfilling His will.
• Now we are going to see the WORD OF GOD being brought back to the lives of His people.
This is God’s will. Let us go back to God’s Word and walk in God’s will.
• To know God is to know His Word. We study it and obeys what God says.
• Life change can only come through the Word of God.
• May our lives tell of this great and gracious God, and point people back to Him.
Sing ANCIENT WORDS
The only Word that we are called to trust, obey and live by.
