Having recently finished the book of Ezra, I was greatly encouraged and convicted by this Old Testament priest’s example. He clearly had a genuine heart for the Lord.
Let me give you a little background on Ezra. While the people of Israel were in captivity in Persia, God put it on the heart of Persian King Artaxerxes to have the temple in Jerusalem rebuilt. How cool is that?! God can use anyone for His purposes. After the temple restoration was complete, Ezra was sent by the king to teach the people living in Jerusalem about the Law of God.
Those circumstances alone are pretty amazing to think about and could be expounded upon for an entire blog post. For now, I would like to share a couple of verses that stood out to me and what I gleaned from them. These are some truths that I believe are applicable to us and our culture today.
Zeal for Scripture
As Ezra set out on his task to instruct Israel (a people who had been far from God for a very long time) he was firmly rooted in the Word of God.
“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.” Ezra 7:10
Ezra’s hope, obedience and message were rooted in the Word of the Lord in order to lead both him and his people. How vital this was for Ezra — and how crucial it is for us today.
As we are faced with monumental circumstances in our world (both moral and cultural) we must be rooted in the Word of God. This doesn’t mean using the Bible to justify our personal or political leaning. It isn’t for wrongfully using Scripture to fuel hate, division and bigotry. Also, it doesn’t mean using Scripture to show self-righteousness or intellectual superiority.
Furthermore, we need unwavering, unapologetic devotion to Truth. It is important that we align ourselves with the Bible. We need to pursue a full, well-rounded theology that spurs us into action to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” as Micah 6:8 calls us to. We must run after the “three things that will last forever—faith, hope, and love” — especially love. Like Ezra, we must strive to be doers of the Word.
Contrition for Israel’s Sin
After Ezra learned of Israel’s disobedience, he took it upon himself to seek the Lord in repentance on behalf of his people. Ezra went so far as to identify himself with the people’s sin, even though he did not participate in it.
“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted to the heavens.” Ezra 9:6
Which sin of the people comes to your mind right now? Sadly, there are quite a few ways that we, as the Church, have become numb to sin in our world today. Some of them are spoken about and others not as much. Even as individuals, there are certain ones that we champion while others we’re less earnest about.
I’m not here to politic or tell you what to think; that is not my desire or calling. However, as your brother, I want to encourage us all (as Christians) to be able to stand up and call what God says is wrong, sin, and what God says is good, right. We need to do this despite what our culture, friends, political party or our own preconceived notions tell us to think. We must be ingrained and constant in God’s Word in order to stand for Truth.
I am greatly convicted by Ezra’s humble heart for the Lord. My prayer is to grow in my zeal for God’s Word. I yearn to have my eyes opened and my heart pricked for the sin that so pervasively creeps in.
May the Lord help set our hearts to study His Law, to do His will and to teach His statutes.
God bless you, Church ~
Posted in A Word from the Pastor