EZRA 7
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.
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.
PREPARING YOUR HEART
Ezra is a forgotten hero of the Bible, he was the priest who came back to Jerusalem to help the Jews rebuild the people.
This journey was a long one, it would have taken months, but God’s hand was upon him.
Why was the letter given to Ezra, what made him qualified to not only carry that letter, but to teach the people?
Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, this man had set his heart to study the statutes of the Lord, but not only to study it, but to do it, you know we can study the word of God, but unless we do it, it is absolutely useless, in the new testament, look at what James says in Chapter 1 of his book:
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Study and meditating on the word of God are good, indeed writing about the word of God is good, but if there is no doing or obedience, then it is worthless.
If I constantly encourage people to read their bible and pray and don’t do it myself, what does that make me? That’s right, I am a hypocrite.
He could teach the statutes of the Lord, because not only did he study the word, he did what he said.
The people recognised it, the King recognised it. If you are true to the word of God and sit under its lordship, you will be able to share it with others.
Note the words in verse 10
set his heart to study the Law of the Lord
Ezra set his heart to study the word of God, he did not set his heart on how many friends he had on Facebook or how many likes he had to his posts, his whole focus was to study and intently know the word of God.
We sometimes ask, why haven’t I been given responsibility to share the word of God?
Maybe, you haven’t been studying and doing what the word of God says.
The word to you is Colossians 3:16, when God’s word takes up residence in your life, it can start to mould you, so like Ezra, you can teach the people, because you are a man who not only studies the word, but does it.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
JC RYLE SAYS THIS:
Doctrine is useless!
(J. C. Ryle)
“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” John 13:17
Doctrine is useless—if it is not accompanied by a holy life. It is worse than useless; it does positive harm. Something of the ‘image of Christ’ must be seen and observed in our private life, and habits, and character, and doings.
Practically speaking do we set our heart to study the word of God every day, especially when we go to church.
I often think that Saturday night is really important, it is then when we set our hearts on either good or bad things.
If we fill our hearts, with rubbish from the TV on Saturday night:
How do we expect to get anything from the Lord on Sunday morning?
That’s why so many Christians see their bible as a hot potato, they put it down as soon as they pick it up, reading a short devotion is not enough.
Study the word and then do it, like those in Berea
11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.
Note, searching the scriptures, led to believing, led to changed lives..amen.
Meditate, practice, pray
(Thomas Brooks, “The Unsearchable Riches of Christ”)
You must meditate and dwell upon what you read; otherwise your pains and mine will be lost.
The more any man is in the contemplation of truth, the more deep and firm impression is made upon his heart by truth.
Heavenly meditation brings out the sweetness that is in divine truths.
Not those who get most–but those who keep most, are richest.
So not those who hear most, or read most–but those who meditate most, are most edified and enriched.
You must also practice and live out what you read.
To read much and practice nothing–is to hunt much and catch nothing.
Ah! what cause have most to sigh, that they have heard so much, and read so much–and yet done so little!
You must also pray over what you read.
Many read much, and pray little, and therefore get little by all they read.
Galen writes of a fish called Uranoscopos, that has but one eye, which looks continually up to heaven.
When a Christian has one eye upon his book–the other should be looking up to heaven for a blessing upon what he reads!
Amen