Ezra 7:1-28: THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS WITH HIM- 10-28-18 devotional

Ezra 7:1-28                                   Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 7:6                             10-28-19

“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.” (ESV)

Dear Lord Heavenly Father, you are my strength, my Rock, my hope, my fortress. I depend on you each day. I pray that you help me to follow you each day. I pray for the KBC outreach at this year’s parade. May the Gospel go forth. Reveal your truth in my heart. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: A Teacher of the Word of God (1-10)

Verses 1-10, “Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 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.

7 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. 8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 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. 10 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.”

Some 60 years after the completion of the temple, Ezra led the second group of exiles back from Babylon. Xerxes ruled from 486 to 465 BC. Artaxerxes, his son ascended to the throne in 465BC. The hand of the Lord was with Ezra, and the king granted him everything he asked.

Who was this Ezra that came to Jerusalem? Look at verse 5b-6, “…. son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 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.”     First, he had a lineage that went all the way back to Aaron the priest, 15 generations. That means that he had a strong sense of identity of who he was and what he was called to do. It is like a person becoming a pastor, knowing that his dad and his grandfather and great-grandfather were all pastors. Having a calling and an identity as a servant of God is very important. We can get this when we are converted, even if no one in our family was a Christian we are still blessed with a strong sense of identity that we are not only children of God, but also servants of God. Spiritually speaking, believers come from a rich spiritual heritage, all the way back to Jesus and even all the way back to the Garden of Eden. But it is that much more of a blessing if our actually ancestors were servants of God life Ezra’s. The stronger the sense of identity, the better.

I need to hold onto my identity as a servant of God at each moment. God will open doors where we are called to represent the Lord. A day ago, a group of people at work learned about a devastating event. At that time, I felt the urge to stand up, speak some encouraging words and say a prayer. But I hesitated and failed to act as a servant of God. I am glad that God’s work does not fail because of my failings. I forfeited a blessing however. I pray for strength to make the right choices in the future so that Jesus may be glorified and to reveal to others around me where to turn to for salvation.

Ezra was also a prominent man in Artaxerxes’s’ court. He was able to ask for and receive a royal proclamation for his mission. But Ezra gave it all up in order to travel into a remote and even hostile region so that he could teach God’s to God’s people. Now that is faith! Don’t get me wrong. No everyone can go to a frontier region and preach God’s word. Some need to faith to stay behind and build up the church at home. I just hope that when God calls me on a mission, that I and Julie may have the faith to fully trust in God and step out of the comfort zone in order to follow God’s leading.

God’s hand was upon him as he engaged in the mission. Look at verse 9b, “… for the good hand of his God was on him.” Ezra answered the call of God. He went to Jerusalem to rebuild. But all of his efforts would have come to not, if he was only working with his own power and will. But he was not. God’s hand was upon him.

We can attempt to do many things for good. But If God’s hand is not in it, it will not bear fruit. Ultimately, it was be burnt up on the day of judgement. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 reads, “12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (ESV) This was not the case for Ezra. God was with him and blessing his efforts. His work makes a lasting legacy that will endure for eternity.

He was a very devoted and scholarly Bible student and Bible teacher. Look at verse 10, “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.” Ezra was a priest and a Bible teacher–and a shepherd. He devoted himself to Bible teaching, and helped the people put God’s law into practice. He could do so because he knew the importance of the Word of God. He knew how God works in this world. God works by his word and his Spirit. That is why Ezra focused on the Word of God during his ministry.

He was a student of the Bible. Ezra’s approach to the word of God definitely was not casual. He was determined and focused in mastering the Bible. He wanted the knowledge of the Bible to be a well hewn tool so that God would be able to work through him to reach others. To have such an attitude, practically means that a person needs to engage in a daily meditation of the word of God. I am inspired by my wife, Julie, who reads the entire bible every year for the last 29 years! What an inspiration to me. I pray that I can remain faithful to write devotionals, for they are a means for me to study the word of God. I also pray that God may help all the members of my church to keep on engaging in a scholarly study of the word of God.

He practiced what he preached. Look at verse 10b, “…and to do it…”. It is not right to simply study the word of God and not do it. If we do this then we will become self-righteous. We will become like spiritual ET’s, with a large head and small arms and legs. The study of the word of God must be coupled with obedience to the word of God. Then God can truly work through people. Think about John the Baptist. Why was his ministry so powerful and fruitful? His lifestyle matched his message. Jesus’ lifestyle matched his message in every way. We do not live a perfect life. There are so many sins and weakness and limitations in our lives. But we can have an attitude of obedience to the word of God and “do it”. NIKE was not the first to make up the motto, “Just do it!”. It came from the Bible. Ask God in prayer how you can practice obedience to his word in your life today.

He taught others. Look at verse 10c, “….to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” We need Bible teachers. We need people to teach the statutes of God to the people. This is not just the work of the trained pastors. It is not just the work of the elders. It is the work of everyone in the congregation. There is always a way to teach the word of God to someone else around us…someone else whom God has placed. Ask God in prayer to reveal who that person is.

Teaching the word of God is the basis of building the foundations the church, lives and families and even a nation. God was working through Ezra’s teaching to help build the foundations of a restored nation of Israel. Teaching the word of God, purely and simply, is the means to begin the restoration of the foundations of our lives, our families and our churches. The foundations of our nation can be shored up by God through the faithful teaching of his word.

Part 2: The King’s Mandate (11-28)

Verses 11-28, “11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the Lord and his statutes for Israel: 12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now 13 I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, 15 and also to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. 17 With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. 18 Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. 19 The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king’s treasury.

21 “And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, 22 up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23 Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. 24 We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. 26 Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.”

Ezra returned with the blessing and full support of King Artaxerxes. The king knew that rebuilding the moral foundations of the country was even more urgent than rebuilding the country materially. The king respected the God of Israel and sent Ezra back to Jerusalem to teach the Bible to the people, so that they could live and worship according to God’s laws. Ezra realized that the hand of God was on him, so he took courage and persuaded the leading men of Israel to go with him.

I can see God’s sovereign protecting his people and going on before them to secure the path. The writing of this royal proclamation is amazing! God was making this proclamation known to the right people at the right time through the letter! This is like missionaries ministering in First Nations communities getting a band council resolution to do so. God is our Sovereign Lord and he is watching over his people. Why are we afraid to step forward in mission? The hand of our God is upon us. He is leading us by his sovereign will. If God is for us, who can be against us? Even our failing become opportunities for the Gospel to shine forth.

Ezra honored God. Look at verses 27-28, “27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.” Ezra is being used by God to accomplish marvelous work of God. How easy it would be for him to take the credit for himself? But he did not. He knew the eternal truth that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. He knows that he is prone to sin and so many shortcomings. He feels the aches and pains of his weak body each and every day. It is obvious that all that is being accomplished is being accomplished by God.

I pray that I can always give glory to God for all that he has done in my life, family and ministry. On my own I can only work, eat and sleep. And even to do that I need many prayers for God’s strength. “Lord, grant me your strength to get up.” All that I am and have and am able to do, is all because of the Lord God Almighty. It is only right to give him thanks and praise.

Prayer: Lord, your hand is upon me. Help me to step out in faith and do your will. Help me to study your word, obey your word and teach it to others.

One Word: Study, obey and teach the Bible trusting God’s hand is upon you.