Ezra
A scribe in the land of captivity, honored in the land of his parent's sentencing. He is compelled to be dedicated to a thorough investigation of the law, to learn, to do and to teach. In the first part he tells of the first wave of migrants, but in the second half he becomes the teacher to those who are living in Jerusalem. He becomes a missionary to those he probably thought were much further along, and of course I do not say that for certain since I am not, but often our zeal is not shared. I remember as a young man, meeting someone I knew when I was a little boy, and her being somewhat of an enigma to me. She had never married, was older than my mom, a missionary, always happy, not wealthy, but always concerned with the things of God. I liked to be liked, found the Bible interesting but never like that and the worst thing about her was that she could see through me. As we talked, I wanted approval, that knowing what I knew was enough, but also that living how I lived was okay. For her there was no knowing that did not lead to personal evaluation and change, which led to love and a desire to share the gospel. There are only a few times in my life that I remember standing before a genuine article like that, and I knew then that I was worldly, but the easier thing at the time, seemed to be avoiding all such confrontations. Ezra, I imagine was like that, the real thing, he studied to know, but came to do God's will, and to teach it.
In chapters 3 and 4 we see the joy of returning to the place of worship, like that song I use to hear in country churches, "give me that ole time religion, it's good enough for me." This is the mountain that God chose and the place they had come to rebuild the temple. The people there offered to help, and I was a bit torn here, for in the past it was a good thing to see the people of many nations working towards the gathering of supplies and the building of the Temple of the only true God. What was different about these? Those returning from exile were bringing things given to them by a gentile king, buying cedars from Lebanon and with no recorded reservations. I think it is the heart and intent, the apostasy of those living in the land, claiming to worship the true God. They were a lot like me, wanting to be recognized as a fellow Christian by a sincere believer, but not desiring to be sincere myself. "I am a Christian, but."
I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler.With such a man do not even eat. 12 What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?…1 Corinthians 5:10-12
Those claiming to have the most in common with them actually defied the God of Israel, they would only have God on their terms. The people returning from captivity were very cautious at first and those in the land proved to not have their best interest at heart, first offering to help but then writing a letter condemning them. The work on the temple was brought to a stand still.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12
In chapter 5 we see them pick up the stones and chisels yet again. The work must continue, and though we find the wilderness for a while, the mountain top for a bit, yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow, God is still there. The first letter stopped them dead in their tracts but the second letter was sent and held as the work continued. It was worth building the temple, seeking God's face, though I fall a million times, it is worth crying Abba, please forgive, remove my sins from me. Find the floor and start building once again. Fathers, return to your children, start simply like this:
- Read the word, study and pray quietly alone to God.
- Read the word and pray with your children, teach them how to study. Church and society starts at home.
- Wash your wife in God's word, praying that you are to her as Christ is to the church and that she is an honor to Him.
- Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, know other believers, go in humility and love, ready to serve.
Your life will never be the same, Who did you believe for eternity? It is the same God there as it is now, trust Him even now.
“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 7:25-28
Enter the dragon, he has been commissioned, and Ezra will do all these things, set up judges and magistrates according the laws of his God. He will bring the law and teach those who do not know. When he does this though, God has gone before him and plowed the field, there is a response, a desire to come clean and be honest, to bear fruit.
