S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Ezra was the second of three key leaders to leave Babylon for the reconstruction of Jerusalem. Zerubbabel reconstructed the temple (Ezra 3:8), Nehemiah rebuilt the walls (Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2)...

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July 01 2013 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College & Dallas Seminary graduate, Pentair

Ezra was the famous scribe and the priest descended from Hilkiah the high priest (Ezra 7:1-25). As a priest, he was descended from Zadok and from Phinehas (Ezra 7:1-6). I chose to answer this question, “What should we learn from the life of Ezra?” because in my youth I had memorized Ezra 7:10.

Ezra was the Prepared Priest Ezra 7:1-5
He was—
a Servant and a Master
a Student and an Administrator of the Law
a Supreme authority, and yet a Subordinate
He became—
1 An Interceding Priest who had a Pedigree Ezra 7:1-5. He was a man deeply grieved over the sins of the people (Ezra 9:3; 10:6). Ezra had been in Jerusalem about 4½ months (Ezra 8:31; 10:9) when the officials brought the problem of mixed marriages to his attention (Ezra 9:1-4; see Deut. 7:3-4 also). The sin had plagued Israel before (Judg. 3:5-6) and would again later in the time of Nehemiah and Malachi (Neh 13:23-28; Mal 2:11). Ezra inflicted signs of mourning on himself (cf. Lev 10:6; Isa 50:6; Neh 13:25), fully realizing the gravity of the situation. 

Ezra fell on the ground in front of the temple, crying and praying as a crowd gathered. Certainly, he was a man who spared no pains to bring the people to repentance.

2 An Instructed Scribe who knew the Law Ezra.7:10, 11; Matthew 13:52 "He said to them, 'Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.'"

For ‘Ezra prepared his heart’ (Ezra 7:10) 
to seek the law of the Lord —he searched the Scriptures (Jn 5:39)
to do it —he regulated his life by the Scripture
and to teach its statutes and judgments —he taught the Scriptures to the people
He was a student and as such had a duty to himself to study the will of God as revealed in His Word, that he might hide it in his own heart (Ezra 7:10).

He clearly was THE MAN WHO HONORED SCRIPTURE.

Apply yourself to the Scriptures
and the Scriptures to yourself.

Will H. Houghton espoused the Ezra 7:10 approach, encouraging each of us to:
Lay hold on the Bible until the Bible lays hold on us.

3 An Inspiring Preacher who taught the Law Nehemiah 8:2-5 (He was an interpreter with a duty to his own generation in teaching his fellow exiles what he had learned. In this way he gave the “sense” of the Word (Neh. 8:2-8).)

In summary, who Ezra was and what he became was all based upon the 10th verse of the 7th chapter of Ezra: 

For ‘Ezra prepared his heart’ Ezra 7:10
to seek the law of the Lord: he searched the Scriptures
to do it: he regulated his life by the Scriptures, and to teach its statutes and judgments: He taught the Scriptures to the people.
(He was a student and as such had a duty to himself to study the will of God as revealed in His Word, that he might hide it in his own heart (Ezra 7:10; Ps 119:11.)) He had a strong personal relationship with God, which he drew from to lead the people (Ezr 7:10.) In other words, Ezra was authentic.

May 15 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report