True & Beautiful Things About the Bible--Old Testamentනියැදිය

Ezra: God’s Bible Guy

You might not know his name, but you’ve likely been blessed by his ministry.

·If you’ve been blessed by singing worship in a church service…

·If you’ve been blessed by Psalm 119 and the mention of God’s Word in every verse…

·If you’ve been blessed by the prayers and spiritual perspective of 1 & 2 Chronicles…

·If you’ve followed the storyline of the books of the Old Testament . . .

Then you’ve been blessed by the ministry of Ezra, the scribe (or Ezra, the editor). God used his passion for His Word in many behind the scenes initiatives that we still benefit from today. Ezra 7:10 could have been his mission statement: Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Study it. Obey it. Teach it. Ezra’s life revolved around the Word of God.

But Ezra the scholar, editor, and writer was also Ezra the leader, bringing thousands of God’s people back to Israel around 458 b.c. after they were released from exile. Along the way, he reintroduced the Torah to them, teaching them the first five books of the Bible. As the temple was re-built (every Jews’ priority mission at the time), he started a system for synagogue worship that is the basis for our style of church today.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Ezra wrote down the story of how God kept His promise to keep Israel alive and how He brought them back to the land. He could have titled it, “How We Will Begin Again” since God was giving them a second chance to be His people. It was a sad truth that for a thousand years they had struggled with His first commandment, “You shall have no other god before me.” Now, after a time of discipline and time-out in a foreign land, they were ready for a new beginning. A beautiful fresh start.

This new beginning was also the first time that Israelites are called “Jews,” as in, they were from the tribe of Judah, and from the land of Judea. It was also a new season in their relationship with God. Their addiction to idols and lesser things had been broken by the exile, never to return again. They were ready to listen.

And Ezra was ready to teach them what it meant to walk with God in His Word.

Next: The beauty of a God-given opportunity