Lessons from the life and times of Ezra the scribe.
In 1994, new teacher Erin Gruwell arrived at her Long Beach high-school and was immediately challenged by the racial turmoil within her diverse classroom. Her first strategy was to lecture her students on the wages of Nazi politics in Europe half a century earlier, which had resulted in the deaths of over six million Jews in the Holocaust. The only problem was that, whereas all of her students were familiar with gang warfare, almost none of them had even heard of the Holocaust! Undeterred, Gruwell taught them from the ground up, taking them to museums and inviting Holocaust survivors to share their experiences with the class. Inspired, the students journalized their own experiences growing up in the ghetto, compelling them to leave their violent gang life behind.1
Enter Ezra
In the fifth century BC, a new teacher by the name of Ezra2 arrived in Jerusalem from Babylon, having “prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (Ezra 7:10). A descendent of Aaron through Zadok, he was a “ready scribe” in the Law of Moses (vv.?1-6). It is said that if the Law had not been given by Moses, it would have been given by Ezra.3 Credited with authoring the Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, Ezra is also responsible for arranging the Psalms in their current order and introducing the square-shaped Hebrew script still in common use today. He was acclaimed by both God and man—including the heathen king who essentially wrote Ezra a blank check for the temple provisions (v.?20)!
Upon arriving, Ezra was shocked to encounter a generation of Jews who had all but forgotten the merits of the glorious revival that had taken place half a century earlier under Zerubbabel. That first wave of returned exiles had rebuilt the Temple, restored the Passover, and separated themselves from the filthiness of the people of the land (Ezra 1-6). Nonetheless, those that Ezra encountered, including the priesthood, had not separated themselves from the people of the land as their grandparents had (Ezra 9). The result is a wonderful account of patient leadership by a man who, instead of forsaking his people in their time of crisis, identified himself with them and appealed to God on their behalf. Consequently, Ezra played a key role in not just one, but two more revivals. Such a display of character, though, was the fruit of a heart prepared for the Lord’s service.
A heart prepared to seek the Word
We’re told specifically that Ezra had prepared his heart. It’s not simply that he prepared his mind—Ezra’s agenda went far beyond academic pursuit. The Pharisees in the time of the Lord Jesus could claim to have memorized the Law in detail, but that wasn’t enough as far as the Lord was concerned—they were spiritually dead. They may have hidden the Law in their minds, but they did not hide God’s Word in their hearts (Ps. 119:11). As the heart pumps the lifeblood of the body, so the spiritual heart of man is first converted by the Word of God and then empowered to live by it (see Rom. 10:8-10).
Like Ezra, we cannot expect to teach others about the Lord unless we are willing to make a tremendous investment in the Word of God. Although we can’t trace our lineage back to Aaron, New Testament believers have a godly heritage as the children of God (Jn. 1:12). Do we take this for granted or are we going to take full advantage of it? Peter exhorts us to “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15). Such a charge requires us to invest in God’s Word daily. We don’t read of Ezra’s hobbies outside of his devotion to Scripture. We may find ourselves having to sacrifice our recreational time in order to become better acquainted with the Bible.
Also, Ezra’s expertise was in the Law which was given by God to Moses (Ezra 7:6). The lesson for us here is that if we want to see revival in our midst, no other pattern will do other than that which the Lord has given. Sadly, in the post-modern age we inhabit, many see the absolute claims of Scripture to be antiquated, out-of-touch, and even offensive. For Ezra, revival was not about introducing new philosophies but going back to God’s pattern. Any claims of revival outside of God’s pattern are not of God but of man.
A heart prepared to live the Word
Just as one cannot expect to teach truths concerning the Lord without investing time in the Scriptures, we cannot expect our message to be taken seriously if our personal lives are not patterned after the Word.
What would have been the reaction of an Israelite confronted with the defilement of the inhabitants of Jerusalem as Ezra was in Ezra 9? For many, a scathing rebuke would have seemed appropriate and well-deserved. Perhaps a quick U-turn back to Babylon would have been in order for others. Nevertheless, this man who had become intimate with Word of God had also become acquainted with the very heart of God. Upon hearing the devastating news about the sins of the people, Ezra rent his clothes, plucked his hair, fell to his knees, and offered up an intercessory prayer, confessing the sin of the people as his own.
Regarding dealing with the faults of others, R.C. Chapman once said, “We partake in the guilt of an offending member of Christ, until we have confessed his sin as our own, mourned over it, prayed for its forgiveness, and sought in the spirit of love, the restoration of the erring one”.4
As a result of Ezra’s prayerful weeping, the people “wept very sore” (Ezra 10:1), resulting in their national repentance as the heavens rained down (vv.?9,?13). We cannot expect to see God’s people restored to Christ unless we ourselves are prepared to shed many tears on their behalf.
A heart prepared to teach the Word
What’s interesting is that, although Ezra is identified as a teacher from the very beginning, many commentators believe that the duration of time between his arrival in Jerusalem and ascending the pulpit in Nehemiah 8 was approximately twelve years. This might remind young men with an interest in the public teaching of the Scriptures that an invitation to the pulpit should never precede the prep school for the heart—seeking and living the Word of God. When the time came for Ezra’s teaching debut, what a message he had in store!
Nehemiah 8 states no fewer than six times that Ezra’s expository discourse of the Law was intended for the people’s understanding (vv.?2, 3, 7, 8, 12, and 13). The goal for all aspiring teachers of the Word—be it a mother teaching her child or a preacher to thousands—is that their listeners would not only hear, but understand. The repentance of Ezra’s listeners resulted from conviction and gladness (Neh. 8-9). If we truly believe that the Holy Spirit enables every believer in this age, shouldn’t we expect Him to yield even greater results among His people today?
Finally, when we examine the character of Ezra, how can we not be reminded of our blessed Lord Jesus? Luke wrote all about what He did and taught (Acts 1:1). As we’re called to follow in His footsteps, may we not only be hearers of the Word but doers also (Jas. 1:22). Have you enrolled your heart in His prep school?
1. Scholastic Instructor, “The Freedom Writers” November/December 2004. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0STR/is_4_114/ai_n9483842/
2. The diminutive of Azariah, meaning “YAH has helped.”
3. Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993), p.7.
4. Frank Holmes, Robert C. Chapman: 70 Years of Serving the Lord (Grand Rapids, MI: Gospel Folio Press, 2008), p.110.