Ezra 7 (Part 1) Bible Study (Ezra Sent to Teach the People) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Ezra chapter seven, and perhaps you are already there. Let's turn now to Ezra chapter seven. And before we begin this new chapter, it's important to remind ourselves of some things that we've studied up to this point. Number one, when the Babylonians removed the Jews from Jerusalem into exile, that took place in three major waves over a period of time. In like manner, when these same exiles would return to Jerusalem, it would also take place over three successive cycles over a period of time.

And that's what we've been looking at these Friday nights. And if you didn't know, everything that we have covered from Ezra chapter one to Ezra chapter six occurred during the first wave of refugees coming back to their native land. And what we are going to discover now in this new chapter is the second major group of Jews who will make their way back to their homeland as well. Now in that first wave between chapters one to chapter six, this was an initiative led by a man named No. Zerubbabel.

Zerubbabel who was a selected governor to oversee the Jews and to also oversee the reconstruction of the what? The temple. Very good. Now as we come to this chapter, we're going to witness once again the second major group heading their way back to Jerusalem led by a man by name of Ezra. Very good.

Ezra, the very same Ezra that this book is named after. So for the first time in this book, we are finally going to encounter Ezra the man. And he's gonna take up the subject of our study tonight. Now we have to establish the historical setting for this pivotal moment. It is generally believed that from the completion of the second temple to this moment here, sixty years had passed.

In other words, the end of chapter six to the beginning of chapter seven, in that interval of time, around six decades have occurred, have advanced. So we're fast forwarding quite a bit of time here, and this is something for us to consider. During the same period of time, the story of Esther took place, which is a fascinating thought, isn't it? Moreover, we also are about to learn that Darius the king of Persia, who was the last king that we've been studying is no longer alive. And now a king by the name of Artaxerxes is going to rule the Persian Empire, and he's also going to provide help to Ezra and the rest of the Jews who follow him by providing substantial support in the advancement of the restoration of God's people in Jerusalem.

So keep this in mind, what we are reading here with Ezra is sixty years after the temple was completed. And eighty years after the first Jews under Cyrus's reign went back to Jerusalem. So with that background clarified, let us begin to read Ezra chapter seven verses one down to verse five. Are you with me there? Now after this what's the after this?

The completion of the second temple. But also sixty years, nearly sixty years forward. Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Sariah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shalom, son of Zadok, son of Ahitab, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, son of Abishua, son of Phineas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest. It's interesting, isn't it? The first thing that we're introduced to as we encounter Ezra is his genealogy.

And it's a very detailed one, though some names are omitted. Now why is the Holy Spirit beginning this chapter by informing us about the lineage of this man? Well, we learn from it that Ezra is what by way of occupation? He's a priest. His family line traces back to Aaron.

And again the reason why God wants us to know this from the outset is to establish that Ezra's spiritual leadership is legitimized. It is authorized by God himself. You have to remember when we looked at the first genealogy in the book of Ezra, remember in Ezra chapter two all those list of names. Among that initial group were some Levites who could not validate their ancestry. And because of that, they were excluded from the priesthood.

But what we're discovering about Ezra is that he was not among them. He's he was someone who could indeed prove that he was from the priestly line and therefore, his function as the spiritual leader of this generation was legitimized. It was approved. It was sanctioned by God. Now that is the main takeaway from these first five verses.

But there are wonderful applications to glean from them and I want you to consider a couple. Number one, from this list of names that relate to Ezra, we learn this or at least we're reminded of it. God requires credentials from those who aspire to be leaders in his kingdom. Thankfully, under the new covenant, to be a spiritual leader, the priestly role is not limited to a specific bloodline or a tribe or a nationality as we see here with Ezra. Now instead, one of the glories of the new covenant is that the privileges that were once reserved for Israel, even tribes within Israel are now shared with the Gentiles.

And that's why Peter has the audacity to write to Gentile believers and say something like this in first Peter two nine. You are a chosen race, A royal priesthood. A holy nation. A people for his own possession. For the longest time that was language and those were titles exclusive to the people of Israel.

And now Peter is ascribing this to Gentiles. And I don't think even a Christian can fully appreciate just how radical of a shift this is unless they have first familiarized themselves and expose themselves to the long pattern of the old testament. It's been one way for so long and once Christ enters onto the scene and inaugurates the new covenant, so much now has changed. This is why it was so scandalous to the Jews and it was so difficult even for Jewish believers in the Messiah to understand how these Gentiles are now grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel. And it would have been equally shocking to the Gentile.

You're telling me that we now are a part of this? It's just really one of the marvels that the gospel makes possible. However, however, this inclusiveness in the gospel does not mean that God has changed his standards for those who are to be leaders in the church. So in the old covenant, a candidate to be a leader, specifically a priest, had to prove his eligibility through genealogy. Right?

That's what Ezra is doing here. I wanna let you know the reason why I can do what I'm about to do in this story is because I come from the ironic line. In the new covenant however, a leader in the church primarily validates his candidacy through three things. Three things. Number one, character.

How do you live? Is it consistent with the truth? Is there habitual sin? Are there things that you are doing that disqualify you? Character is the first thing.

The second thing is conviction. What do you believe? Is it in alignment with the truth? Is it in alignment with Orthodox Christianity? Does it contradict the Word of God?

If you're gonna be a leader especially an elder, you're gonna be teaching. So what do you believe? So character, conviction, and thirdly, capacity. Do you even have the gift to lead others? Do you have the ability to instruct and to inspire your fellow man?

And so these are the things that are considered by way of summary in the new covenant. And here's how this applies to all of us. I believe that all of us in here, at least I hope to believe, that all of us in here are serious about the local church. And if we are serious about the local church, then we should also be aware that we can never, under any circumstance, lower the standard for what God demands for leaders in his church. Never.

You got to remember, in Ezra's time, they were rebuilding their spiritual identity. For so many years they had lost their their temple and their priestly functions and their sacrificial system. That that was done away with because of their their sinfulness. And now they're trying to restore it. And there was a temptation there perhaps for just anybody to almost fill that role for the priest.

But right from the beginning of Ezra, we learned that they never ever overlooked or dismissed what God had required for those who would serve as priests. They protected that. And what you find in a lot of churches is that out of desperation or even frustration, they'll they'll kind of just put anybody who is like half qualified to serve in a leadership role just to fill that role. That is disastrous. That is disastrous for the person who takes that role and for those who are under that person's leadership.

And so what we reminded here even in Ezra's story is, no, God has requirements and we have to honor them. And we also have to trust that God is the one who ultimately raises up leaders from a community. Listen, as we study the rest of the book of Ezra, we're going to see that one of the ways that God blesses his people is by giving them leaders. Good leaders, holy leaders, insightful leaders, learned leaders. And that's what Ezra really is.

And it's the church's duty, including ours, that as by God's grace we continue to grow and want to align ourselves to his word. To understand God's sovereignty even in the establishment of leadership and to recognize such leaders prayfully and scripturally. God takes leadership seriously and so should we. But that's not the only takeaway from this genealogy. Another thing that we can draw from this is that, yes, Ezra was a priest but also how his role connects to the meaning of his name.

Does anybody know what the name Ezra means? The Hebrew speaking men, I'm sure know. Or brother Christian, brother Christian is here, he should know. The name Ezra? Help or helper.

It's very simple but so beautiful. And think about it now, in this moment of redemptive history, God sends a priest to help his people. And the very name of this priest reflects that mission. And this should remind us that centuries after this, God would send another priest, a high priest, a greater high priest who would offer greater help to those who would put their faith in him. Do you and I remember the words of the author of Hebrews in chapter four where he says in verse fifteen and sixteen, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Do you realize that no matter the nature of our need, Christ Jesus, our great high priest beckons us to come to him because he is ready and eager to help us always? He is a strong high priest. He is never burdened by the frequency of our requests. He is never overwhelmed by how many of us come to him at once with our different needs.

In fact, fundamentally the need that is in view here is when we are enduring any kind of temptation. That's the context. Which means what? That in any place, at any time, no matter the urge, I can come boldly not squeamishly, not hesitatingly, not nervously. I can come confidently in my weakness before my great high priest and expect him to impart mercy and grace to endure it until I escape it.

And this is just one of the reasons why Christ Jesus is a greater high priest who offers greater help than what Aaron or his descendants offered to God's people. Our high priest is always available. He was he is constantly accessible and he never runs out of supply to empower us in our moments of weakness. Let's come back to Ezra now and look at the verses we didn't read. I'm sure there's much more we can learn from these names.

It's clear that Ezra comes from a very rich spiritual heritage. But let's read verse six now. This Ezra this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel had given, and the king granted him all that he asked for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. So now listen, we go from Ezra's genealogy to learning about his ability and audacity.

His ability and his audacity. His ability is clearly indicated by the description that he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses. Now, there are different kinds of scribes in the Old Testament, but Ezra represents the religious scribe. What was the responsibility of a religious scribe? Very simple.

He spent most of his energy copying scripture very carefully, very meticulously. It was a grueling process for a scribe. But from copying it, they would also interpret it. They they developed, especially from Ezra's time on, they would develop the reputation of knowing the word of God and teaching it to others. And they were essentially protectors of the law.

They were students of the law. And listen, you and I should be grateful to God for these scribes because they were imperative to the preservation of the scriptures that you and I are benefiting from today. In fact, we are benefiting from the work of Ezra the scribe now. This is his work. Interestingly, this professional class of trained men would continue up to the days of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And by then, they were highly respected by the common Jew. They were very knowledgeable of the word of God and they presented themselves as obedient to it. However, how many times we find in the gospels the Lord Jesus Christ rebuking such men? Because they have become hypocrites. They have become self righteous and even more than that, they have infused man made tradition to the point that it eclipse the supremacy of God's word.

And so Christ constantly challenged not just the Pharisees, not just the elders, but the scribes. Those who were students and those who were interpreters and copters of the written word of God. Now let me ask you a question. So that is the general kind of contention that we find in the gospel. Is there any place in the New Testament where Jesus refers to teachers in his kingdom positively as scribes?

I see some heads nodding. If you know the answer, where do we find that? That? Where do we find Jesus referring to teachers in his kingdoms as scribes in a positive way? Any idea?

Well, I hope you never forget it after tonight. Matthew 13, let's turn there. Matthew 13. You know what Matthew 13 is primarily about? Short parables about the kingdom of heaven.

And at the end of these short parables, Jesus looks to his disciples and he asks them a question. I want you to see the question he asked them in verse 51 of Matthew 13. The Lord Jesus says and asks, have you understood all these things? They said to him, yes. Pause for a moment.

Don't you appreciate that? Jesus Christ wants you to understand his word and it's understandable. So he looks at the disciples and says, hey listen, before we move on, have you understood all these things? They said, yes. So now look how he follows it up.

Verse 52. And he said to them, therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. So Christ, after acknowledging that they understood what he was teaching, identifies his disciples as scribes. As knowledgeable of the word of God and listen, faithful transmitters of divine truth. And I know that he is referring to the apostles in context, but this also applies to anybody who teaches God's word in this way.

In the same way that a scribe in the Old Testament was intensely devoted to knowing the law, A Christian minister must be equally devoted to knowing all of God's revelation. Listen very carefully, especially for those who are in this place and aspire to be a teacher of God's word in God's house. A pastor is not to be preoccupied with politics. He's not to be primarily caught up in culture wars. He's not to be one who is a philosopher or an expert in psychology.

A pastor, a minister in God's house is to be a specialist of the scriptures. That is the subject matter of his expertise. That is what he is supposed to be trained in. And he is supposed to be dependable on. In Jesus's own words and what we just read, every single person who's a minister should own a storehouse of truth.

They should have a treasure trove of divine revelation stored up through weeks and months and years of preparation and training and sitting at the Lord's feet with this word before them. And they're supposed to, from this storehouse continually bring out articles in order to benefit those within the household of faith. And Ezra is a wonderful model for a righteous serious minded God fearing scribe. In Ezra seven six, notice again that it says that he was skilled. He was skilled in the law of Moses.

You know what that means? It's a word in the Hebrew that is rarely used in the Old Testament. It means that he was an expert. He he mastered the word of God. And what moves me about this concerning Ezra is that he did not become skilled after he arrived at Jerusalem.

Like it didn't take Ezra to see the temple and draw inspiration from it. He didn't have to have his feet planted in the promised land to find the motivation to get into the law of God. He became skilled in Babylon of all places. So what what does that tell me practically? Here's what that tells me, that Ezra was able to push away all the worldly distractions, to not be discouraged by the limiting circumstances and he devoted his life to knowing the word of God.

And that made him prepared for God to recruit him and send him to be a leader among the second group of exiles. And he reveals one of his major motivations for doing so in this very same verse in Ezra seven six. Did you notice how he speaks about the word of God? Look at it again. This Ezra went up from Babylonia.

He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel had given. Remember, Ezra is the one who's writing this. And this is how he speaks about God's written word. God had given it. You know how you could translate that?

God's word is a gift from God. I can tell you with absolute confidence that this same revelation was one of the main motivations for me to read the whole Bible when I first walk with Christ. Even though a lot of it I did not understand, the thing that kept me going through books that are often neglected like Numbers and Leviticus and other prophetic books was this simple understanding. I really believe that this is God's word. That out of all the things that he could have said throughout history, he has compiled this book.

I wanna know everything it has to say. I'm not gonna be choosy with it. How can I neglect a part of it? How can how can I rest satisfied in my Christian walk not at least looking at the entirety of God's word once? And some people haven't done it once and they've been coasting through their Christian life for years.

Ezra understood this thing about God's word. It was given by God. So I'm going to receive it as a gift and I'm going to open it up and look at every compartment of it and not miss out on one facet. You know honestly, if some Christians gave 50% of their energy from looking at conspiracy theories and the news to the word of God, they would explode in their growth between now and the 2026. Ezra in Babylonia with all the distractions and all the comforts and all the ministerial duties stripped away.

Remember there is no temple in Babylon. He still found it within himself to say, I I wanna know what God's word has to say. Surely scrolls were carried from exile into Babylon. Surely over time people brought morsels and portions of the scrolls of Sacred Scripture to make it available for men like Ezra. Here's what will happen, even if you don't understand everything, God will give you understanding.

As you dedicate yourself to knowing it and realizing this is given by God for my soul, God has given this to me to know him. Oh, there will be greater illumination and with that illumination there will be greater transformation which leads us now from Ezra's ability, he was skilled, to his audacity. Audacity means boldness and courage to some degree. Where is his audacity found in this verse? Look again.

He approached the king and asked them for certain things. Here's what I mean. This second wave of returning exiles seems to have been triggered by Ezra personally petitioning to the king to be released and to receive support. Do you see that phrase there? And the king granted him all that he asked.

What does that mean? That at some point, Ezra walked up to Artaxerxes and made a plea for him and a new wave of Jews to go back to Jerusalem. Now here's what I'm thinking as I'm studying this. Why didn't Ezra do this sooner? Is that a legitimate question?

For me it is. Why do it now? Why at this juncture? Now we're not given an answer. Here's what I believe though.

There is a correlation between Ezra knowing the word of God and him making this move and approaching the king for permission to go back to Jerusalem. In other words, one way of of getting an answer to why now is that as Ezra was studying and studying and studying the word of God, he realized certain things about God's future promises for the people of Israel. And that emboldened him to go before the king with the prayerful hope that he would be released and that Ezra with his own eyes would behold the very will of God in his lifetime and that he would be an active participant in it. So already we're seeing that we're seeing something in Ezra's character, are we not? He was not just skilled in the law of Moses.

He wasn't just studied, he actually believed what it said and he applied it. You'd be amazed to know how many people teach the Bible but when it comes to stressful situations, persecution, trials, temptation, I've met some of them, they don't really believe what the bible has to say. They collapse. And sometimes in those conversations, you just have to ask, do you really believe what you've been preaching all these years? Now now it comes to a real life scenario.

Where's the word of God in your heart? Here's what I see in Ezra. He's studying it. He's mastering it. He's specializing it and it so moves him that he says, I'm going to the king and I'm gonna ask him if we can go.

And I'm gonna go with faith and I'm gonna go believing what God said about restoring his people. So let's see what happens. That's what's that's what's happening here. And if you're somebody who truly believes what God says in his word, I'm not saying this with a hint of exaggeration. You too will be able to stand before kings.

If you really comprehend who God is, the God that you worship, you will be able to stand before anybody No matter their status, no matter their authority, it won't mean a thing. You will not fear any man if you stand in the presence of God living under the banner of his divine truth. So we read so much here in verse six but let's continue in verse seven down to verse nine. And there went up also to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers and the temple servants. And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

For on the first day of the first month, he began to go up from Babylonia. And on the first day of the fifth month, he came to Jerusalem for the good hand of his God was on him. So now, Ezra is giving a summary of when he left Babylon and made his way to Jerusalem. And here's what he says, it happened in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, but he took off when? In verse nine, the first day of the first month.

And when did he arrive there? The first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem. So how long was that journey from Babylonia to Jerusalem? Four grueling, dangerous, testing, challenging months. And this gives us an idea of why it was unattractive for many of these exiles to make their way back to Jerusalem.

And it wasn't just the long duration, it wasn't just the dreadful time and all the things that you had to endure on the way, it was also because it was very very dangerous to do so. I mean, four months on foot, yes, that's unappealing. Four months with children and elderly, that that is not something that you're gonna be willing to sign up for unless God does a work in your heart. But on top of all of that, just a natural course of action, Ezra gives us more detail about the dangers of this journey. So go to chapter eight, the next chapter and notice what he says here in verse 21.

Ezra eight twenty one, then I proclaimed the fast there at the River Ahava that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way. You see that? They had to deal with enemies on the way. Not just the hot sun and not just the cold desert nights.

There were people lurking, robbers, people who hated the Jews. Satan working through people to try to hinder the Jews coming back to their rightful place. Against the enemy on our way since we had told the king the hand of our God is for good on all who seek him and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him. So we fasted and implored our God for this and he listened to our entreaty. Ezra was going to be used mightily by God in Jerusalem.

He is going to be a pioneer for a sweet, sweeping historical revival because of his influence back home. But all of that wonderful testimony would come at a cost. And we saw it. The distance, the timing, the dangers, the fasting, the praying, the consoling. Who knows what else he had to do in order to make it a successful journey for him to get to where God wanted him to be.

And here's what this teaches you and I, any of us who yearn to be used by the Lord cannot cannot cannot not idolize comfort or convenience and expect to be used by God in a meaningful way. Ezra paid a price and those who followed him. And what this teaches us is that if we want to see God do something special, if we want to move beyond just mediocre ministry, it's gonna require sacrifice. It's gonna require consistency through adversity. It's going to demand a constant watchfulness to resist the temptation of coasting through this life with the pursuit of ease.

There are some people even professing Christian God help them, who their main ambition in life is to live an easy life. You can't have that mindset and expect God to recruit you and I to do something significant for his kingdom. They're irreconcilable. And Ezra shows us that here to an extent. And it's very likely that many in Babylonia refused to follow Ezra when he decided to go back for that reason.

Look again at verse seven. There's a very important word in Ezra seven seven. I'm sure you'll pick up on it. And there went up also to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king some, that's the word, some of the people of Israel. And in the ESV at least it's repeated again, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers and the temple servants.

Some, not all. So even with the second wave, we already saw with the first wave that not everybody who were in Babylon decided to go back. Now we come to the second opportunity, where you have the backing of the king at the time saying go, and here's all the resources to help you and still, still some. Wrap your hand around that one. But I wanna look at it from Ezra's perspective.

I mean this man, as we're gonna see in the rest of the book of Ezra, he's remarkable. He is godly, like he's consistent. He's righteous. When he sees the people going back into sin, he's gonna weep. He's gonna fast over it.

He's not casual about this. This is his life. And he's so insightful in the word. I mean, when we're gonna look at the revival that he's gonna lead, all he's really doing is reading the scriptures and people are gonna be cut to the heart. And yet as influential and as insightful Listen, Ezra couldn't convince everybody.

Some. And let this be an encouragement to those who are despondent because you can't seem to figure out why everybody in your world doesn't share in your passion for God and for his word and for the ministry and for the local church and for the lost. I've received some wonderful God sent advice throughout my life especially in ministry. And one of the things that I appreciated from somebody is that they said, resist the urge of focusing on those in the church who don't even really want to be there to begin with. Don't don't get so caught up in those who are not coming to church.

Reserve your energy and your service to those who do come. Don't gear your messages to those who are not paying attention during the service. Look at those who have come with an open heart and open Bible and focus on them. And in the same way, you and I, no matter what our height of holiness is. Right?

Ezra here in only bringing some doesn't discredit his walk with the Lord. It doesn't mean that he wasn't faithful to the truth. It just means every person has a choice. And listen, there are some people who no matter what you say to them or how you live, who don't want the things of God. And what you need to determine is, God give me the grace to serve and to reserve what you've deposited me for those who do want it.

And to help them and bless them and equip them. So as Ezra makes his way, there are some who are going to follow him. And I want you to notice something else because we're almost finished here. There's a phrase that it appears now twice in this chapter at the end of verse nine. Did you see it?

Look at it again. For the good hand of his God was on him. As we advance in the three remaining chapters of this book, that same phrase is going to appear four more times. The good hand of the Lord, the good hand of God was upon them upon him. So clearly whatever this means it's an integral part to Ezra's testimony, but what does it mean?

If you look at that phrase throughout the scripture, both in old and new, it sometimes means God is about to execute judgment. That the the hand of the Lord was upon this or that and there is gonna be terrible wrath. But if we just work with Ezra and and factor in every single time it is mentioned, we have a different conclusion of what this means. And it's not a contradiction, it just means that this this this phrase involves other conclusions. It's very inclusive.

And here's what we discover. This is a metaphor. This is a metaphor for God's power, provision, protection and providential guidance resting upon a person's life. In other words, for God's hand to be upon Ezra means that his favor and blessing is overshadowing him resulting in some form of success. And here's what's so exciting, you find that in the New Testament.

You find the same thing that's happening here with Ezra in the new covenant. Let me give you one example. Go to Acts chapter 11 and notice what happens here at this point when the gospel is going beyond Jerusalem and is touching the neighborhood. The gentile surroundings. Look at acts 11 and verse 20.

Acts eleven twenty reads, but there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who in coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also preaching the Lord Jesus and the hand of the Lord was with them. Do you see it? And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. So even in the new covenant, we find the hand of the Lord at work. The hand of the Lord blessing and moving upon and through his people bringing about success.

The true cause for success in the ministry of the church here is because God's hand remember a metaphor of his power and protection and provision and providential guidance resting upon his people. Here's what that tells me. At least two things. Number one, even in the New Testament this concept of God's hand is available. Right?

Number two, if that's true then we should seek after it. We should seek after it. Perhaps you've heard somebody say that. Perhaps you've said that. We've heard a minister or you look at somebody's life and you say God's hand is on that person's life.

That's a biblical term. But I want it to be a reality in my life. I don't know about you. And here's what's so wonderful about this. If you wanna do your own personal bible study in Ezra, look at every time the hand of God is mentioned in this book and draw a conclusion of what is the fruit of that.

It's a wonderful thing to see what God's hand on somebody's life produces. It's so glorious. In fact, it can be a sermon. Might be a sermon, one of these days. But here's where it gets even more exciting.

We're actually told by Ezra how one way that we can have God's hand received and resting on our lives. And it's arguably found in the most famous verse in the book of Ezra, Ezra seven verse 10. Let's go there, shall we? For 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. How many of you here have heard of that verse, quoted that verse before reading it together here tonight?

Nobody? I hope, yeah. Few? Okay. So I'm gonna assume that everybody who didn't lift their hand never heard of this verse before.

If you haven't, this is one of the most famous verses in the book of Ezra. But unfortunately, it's because it's so powerful, people isolate it. Because it's a it's a just a strong statement on its own. But remember, we're trying to discover how what we just read here in verse 10 relates to making the reality of God's hand on our lives more of a possibility. How do these things relate?

Well, if you again pluck it from this chapter, it doesn't relate. But if you keep it in its context, then you understand that what we have in verse 10 is the answer to what we just read at the end of verse nine. How do we know that? Because there's a connecting word. It's the word for at the beginning of verse 10.

Do you see it? For. In other words, let me just do this. Look at the end of verse nine again. It says here, for the good hand of his God was on him for.

In other words, the reason why God's good hand was upon Ezra is because of what we're gonna read in verse 10. Four, three things. He had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. That's why. So don't make this mistake in thinking, oh, okay.

God's hand, his power, provision, protection, providential guidance was resting on Ezra because he was a scribe. That's not what the verse says. The verse doesn't say that he he was a scribe. It says because his heart was set to study God's word, to do God's word, and to share God's word. And this is an inseparable equation.

If you and I want to live this life with God's hand over us, this threefold passion must be ours. And so this is what we have to determine tonight. On what level does studying God's word, doing God's word, and sharing God's word occupy in our hearts. Because he had set his heart. Now if you remove that then you would think that was just this was just mere duty.

Ezra studied, did the word, taught it. That's not what it says. It says he he prepared his heart. It was his all consuming passion. And listen, again, I know how we think.

We might dismiss this because, well, I'm not a scribe, I'm not a theologian, I'm not a pastor. Remember what Psalm one says? Did the psalmist say blessed is the preacher who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night, who delights in the law? No. It's blessed is the man.

Blessed is the man. And equally true, blessed is the woman who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. Not the preacher, not the scholar, not the faculty member at your local institution. The man, the woman. And God's will for each of us is to know him through his word.

But more than that, you have to be willing to study it. And you're thinking, hold on. I know a lot of people who have a very familiar and strong awareness of the content of the Bible, but their lives are a mess. And you know what I wanna say in response to that? I know them too.

Because what many people who pursue knowledge in God's word fail to do is honor the equation that Ezra sets out in this verse. They come to the word of God excited to know it so that they can teach it. And listen, you should be if you're especially if you're a teacher, there should be a level of excitement of gathering truth in order to share it with others. But there is a priority that you should be just as excited to do it before you teach it. What came before teaching what you learned?

Doing it. He said it's hard to know, to do it, and then to teach it. You can't skip the middle part and expect God's hand on your life. In fact, that's a recipe for personal disaster. To study it, just to tell other people about it.

No, Ezra was so careful. I mean, he's a scribe for those who are I mean that that moved me. Doesn't that move you? Think about it. That when I approach the word, my heart should be pumping first to discover what God has to say so I know how to live.

How many people approach the Bible that way? Even for teachers, sometimes you can get excited because you know you're preaching this Sunday and you can't wait to share the golden nuggets that you find in God's word. Hold on. Before you get there, you should be just as enthralled by the realization that God's about to speak to you in your life before you tell other people how to live. That's sobering to me.

Does my heart get excited to come to the word to say, okay God, what are you gonna say to me as a dad? What are you gonna say to me as a husband? What are you gonna say to me as a business owner? What are you gonna say to me about my private life? What are you gonna say to me about my engagement with the world?

What are you gonna say to me about my relationship with the money? Does that ever cross your mind? If it doesn't, don't expect God's hand to rest on your life. Because this is what God is saying. God help us.

So please don't misunderstand me. I'm not merely advocating greater knowledge of the bible. I'm speaking about inspiring your affections and governing your decisions to the point that it actually moves you to be unashamed to share it with your spouse and to deposit it in the hearts of your children and to extend it to your friends and at the right time to shine it before the stranger. It's this way of life for the man or the woman who can expect God's hand to rest on that life. Let me say one final thing before we close.

Ezra means help. Right? And God is gonna send him to be a help to the remnant in Jerusalem. If you and I want to really be of help to those around us, we need to apply the same kind of equation. We need to know God's word.

We need to live it and be willing to share with others. Then we can really be of help to ourselves, to the church, and to a dying world. We're only getting started with Ezra here in this study. There's so much more to learn of him. But for now, let us just sit with these truths and ask God to make them real to us.

Can we do that? Let's pray. Your word, Lord, is amazing. It is so sharp. It is so precise, so filled with promise.

And Lord, we've heard the clear application of this section of scripture. We all desire your hand to be upon us. We desire your hand to remain on Maranatha Bible Church and every ministry represented here. And we know that the way to that wonderful reality being secure is by setting our hearts upon your word. We've learned Lord that you and your hand on our lives is determined by how we handle this book.

And so Lord, we we ask for a renewed passion to know it for ourselves. First, so that we can change and then by your grace be a means for others to be changed. We pray Lord that if this word is not primary in our lives that you would change us Lord. That you would help us understand what Ezra saw, that it was given to us. You have placed this word in our lives and we live in an age where we have so many resources to study it.

But Lord, we need your help to do it. And we pray Lord that you would give us the boldness and the love to tell others about it. Lord, it is my prayer with my brothers and sisters that our friendships would be seasoned by conversations around the scriptures. That we would never shy away to declare the word of the Lord in a culture that hates it. And Lord we pray that if there's anybody here who aspires to be a spiritual leader in your house, that they would meet the credentials, they would honor your qualifications, and that you would help this church and every other church here recognize future leaders so that they would be a help to your people.

Lord, thank you for this man Ezra and thank you more importantly for your son, the Lord Jesus, who is the greater high priest who offers greater help. And his priesthood is greater than that of Aaron's. Even in this, Lord, we need your help to understand. Lord, we stand to worship you tonight. In Jesus name, amen.

Amen. Let's stand and let's sing to the Lord together. You know what? So touches my heart when Jesus asked his disciples, do you understand these things? And they said, yes.

He called a bunch of unlearned, mostly fishermen, some running their own businesses, scribes. Scribes. And I think that gives us hope, doesn't it? I hope your heart is burning as much as mine was throughout this bible study that there is a way of life that is unlocked when one person decides to study, do, and share God's word with others. And listen, if you're saying, what do you mean share?

Well, look, you can't really get excited about sharing it unless you first know it and do it. Right? And taste it for yourself. But more than that, that is accessible for any of us. You don't need formal training to imitate Ezra.

The disciples didn't have it. I mean, they had the greatest teacher in the world for three years, but they were outside of the the protocol of the training of their day in the religious system. And here's the thing, that's true for you and I. Listen. In my life, some of the most insightful people I know with the word of God didn't have to go to seminary.

They didn't they didn't I'm not against those things. I went to Bible school. But you don't need it. You don't. And so leave here with inspiration that I have this book and hopefully you go to a Bible preaching church and you know people who can help explain things, and more importantly the Holy Spirit in you for you to be able to pursue this way of life that more and more will cause God's hand to rest upon you.

That's my desire for each of us. So, Lord, we just pray that we would leave here with a fresh ambition to study your word. Show us what book to start in. Show us to be faithful, how to be faithful from book to book. Give us the right resources.

Protect us from the wrong resources. Help us do your word more importantly to to meet with your word saying, god, what do you wanna say to me? And, lord, from there, may the word do such a work in our hearts that it overflows through our mouths and we talk about it over dinner, and we we share it with our elders. And then, Lord, we begin to experience the blessing of your hand on our lives the longer we live and abide in your word. We love you, Lord.

Continue to guide us through Ezra. It may be a lived reality for each of us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. Only three chapters left in Ezra.

Don't miss a week. God bless you. We'll see you next week if the lord wills. Take some time to fellowship with one another before you leave. We'll see you Sunday if the lord wills as well.

God bless you.