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September 25th

Today’s bible reading is in Ezra chapters 7-10.

“And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel....

‭‭Ezra‬ ‭6:14-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“then Ezra...the second Moses by Jewish tradition 60yrs later went up from Babylonia.

Ezra was a direct descendent of the first high priest in Israel, Aaron, and the last high priest before the exile to Babylon, Seriah. 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.”

‭‭Ezra‬ ‭7:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Everything else about Ezra is interesting, but the last thing mentioned is the main thing...“for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.”

And what did he do? He taught Israel the very words of God. More than any other man, Ezra’s teaching ministry stamped the people of Israel with its lasting monogram ...“as the people of the book”.

Scribes were more than just glorified secretaries. They were messengers of the will of God. They took the place of the prophets with one major difference: prophets were messengers of God’s new revelation to His people...ScrIbes explained and applied the old revelations of God to His people.

Of this order, Ezra was the founder of this type of messenger. Ezra would correspond to the churches’ elders, doing their best leading through their teaching of the word of God and applying it to the lives of the Christ-followers under their charge.

Remember what we read about Persia’s king showing favor toward Ezra by giving him all that he requested for his ministry in Israel. Certainly, the hand of God was upon Ezra.

“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. 3-4 months traveling 900 miles from Babylon to Jerusalem by way of the Euphrates River “for the good hand of his God was on him”. And Ezra gave God credit for his successful journey.

Now let us note the Godly intention of Ezra’s heart. .First, *Ezra set his heart to study the Law of the Lord. Second, *Ezra set his heart “to be a doer” of the Words of God. And Third, *Ezra set his heart “to teach” God’s statutes and laws in Israel.”

‭‭Ezra‬ ‭7:9-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

What a Godly intention for every disciple of the Savior God Jesus...

1. To dedicate our hearts to study the Word of God personally.

2. To dedicate our hearts to obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit from the word of God.

3. To dedicate our hearts to teaching the words of God to others...explaining it and applying it to their lives.

All three together is “Christian discipleship” in an Old Testament nutshell. Preparing our hearts to disciple others by studying, obeying, and teaching the words of God. And Ezra was living that discipleship 450 years before Christ called His first disciples.

So when the apostle Paul was encouraging Pastor Timothy to learn the will of God, to do it, then teach it to others so that they can live it and teach it to others also. That wasn't brand new, was it?

Now enjoy the rest of Ezra’s story...

Have a great day