…the Good Hand Of His God Upon Him

Ezra was a priest, but he was not able to serve in the temple because the temple had been destroyed. This could be why we do not hear a lot about Ezra. He was not a temple priest.

Ezra is noted for other things, such as:

• He studied the Word of God. In Ezra 7:6, we read that he was, “A ready scribe in the law of Moses.”

• He was a revivalist. The revival began with Ezra reading the Word of God. We see that in Nehemiah 8.

• He was probably the writer of 1 and 2 Chronicles.

• He is believed to have been the writer of Psalm 119

• He was the founder of the order of scribes.

As you look at the life of this great man of God, you see that it was built around the Word of God. In fact, the theme of the book of Ezra is, “The Word of the Lord.”

God’s people had been in captivity in Babylon. The first group of Jews are seen going back to Jerusalem.

• In Ezra 1, with the permission of King Cyrus, Zerubbabel led them.

• In Ezra 3, we see the altar rebuilt, and worship established. Also we see the temple foundation laid.

• In Ezra 6, we see the temple completed and dedicated.

Now we come to Ezra, returning to Jerusalem with the second group of exiles. His return is authorized by King Artaxerxes.

Ezra and Nehemiah worked together. Ezra was a priest, and Nehemiah was a builder and a leader. Along with Haggai and Zechariah, they set out to rebuild the temple. But the Bible tells us specifically, that the good hand of the Lord was with Ezra.

WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES WHY THE GOOD HAND OF THE LORD WAS WITH EZRA.

There are four parts to our text, and they are in a logical progression:

I. EZRA’S PREPARATION FOR THE WORD OF GOD

Look at verse 10. We read, “For Ezra had PREPARED his heart…”

Ezra leaves Babylon on the first day of the first month, and arrives in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, “...according to the good hand of his God upon him.” (7:9)

Our text tells us why the good hand of God was upon him. Remember, it is believed that Ezra wrote 1 and 2 Chronicles.

Look what God inspired him to write. We read in 1 Chronicles. 29:17a “I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness.....”

The good hand of the Lord was upon Ezra. But the good hand of the Lord is not upon everyone.

Why? Because God’s hand is never on a person unless they have PREPARED THEIR HEART to be used of God.

Illus: Listen, we have some today who live a worldly life. All week long they have:

? Run with the devil’s crowd

? Thought the wrong kind of thoughts

? Done the wrong things

? Spoken the wrong words

And now they run into the house of God, and want God to use them.

Ezra knew that God does not work that way.

Many Christians live A WORLDLY LIFE all week, and then they rush into the house of God on Sunday to try to get a quick blessing.

IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PREPARED HEART TO RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE.

Some, when they cannot get a blessing, want to blame the church, like it is the church’s fault they cannot get a blessing.

Illus: We need to remember the account of the woman in the New Testament, who in the midst of a large crowd, reached out and touched the Lord, and the Lord stopped and said, “Who Touched me?”

It is not the place that determines our blessings, IT IS THE CONDITION OF OUR HEART. Ezra had a PREPARED HEART.

WHAT IS A PREPARED HEART?

A PREPARED HEART consists of four things.

A. IT IS A PURE HEART

Look at Psalm 24:4,5. “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

B. IT IS A PRAYERFUL HEART

We read in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

C. IT IS A PERFECT HEART

Psalm 101:2 says, “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.”

D. IT IS A PEACEFUL HEART

In John 14:27 we read, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”