Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday. I apologize for not doing this study last week but I was not feeling well and unfortunately I am not feeling the best right now either, but I am better than I was. Praise the Lord! So, let's dive into chapter seven in the book of Ezra. It is located in the Old Testament between 2 Chronicles and Nehemiah. I have thoroughly enjoyed this Bible study so far and I hope you have been getting some good study time in as well. I always encourage you to read the chapter if you have not already done so. I will be breaking this chapter down into four sections, but I do not do a line by line study so it will be helpful if you have read through it. You may want to have a notebook handy for notes, and you can also keep your Bible open nearby. Let's begin.
Verses 1-10 Ezra Sent To Jerusalem
Ezra's lineage goes all the way back to Moses' brother Aaron the priest. Ezra was gifted as a scribe and he not only read the law of the Lord to study it and know it, but also to practice it and teach others how to obey it. During the time of the Exile while they were in Babylon, the two jobs of priest and scribe were combined to become one position. Ezra was both priest and scribe. It is possible he worked in the courts on behalf of the Jews. He was copyist, preserver, and interpreter of the Law. After the Exile the Jews were still trying to grasp their identity. Many were not doing the things God wanted them to do. Many stopped hallowing the Sabbath day, discontinued paying their tithes, began divorcing their spouses, and marrying pagans. They were so influenced by the society in which they lived, but were without strong religious leaders. They needed help getting back on track. Ezra and Nehemiah were instrumental in guiding the people back to their religious roots and served the people administratively.
Ezra left Babylon to go to Jerusalem. Some of the children of Israel went along, including priests, Levites, singers, porters, and the Nethinims. In verse six it says the king gave him everything he asked for according to "the hand of the LORD his God upon him." God gave Ezra supernatural favor to get everything he requested. In verse nine it references the hand of God upon him as he came to Jerusalem from Babylon as well. The key is in verse 10. "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments." Have we prepared our hearts for that? If so, then we can trust and believe God has His mighty hand upon us just like He did Ezra.
Verses 11-20 Artaxerxes' Letter To Ezra: A Mission
King Artaxerxes was a foreign leader. He did not serve God like Ezra but God was with him and the king gave Ezra a mission. He granted Ezra permission to ask about the things pertaining to God's law in Judah and Jerusalem; to carry silver and gold freely offered by the king and his counselors, and all silver and gold they could find in Babylon from freewill offerings of the people and the priests there who chose to give for the building. He instructed him to quickly purchase meat for the offerings and drink offerings that were to be given as a sacrifice to God on His holy altar in Jerusalem. Anything they had in excess of what was needed, they were given permission to use it however God saw fit. He continued the letter with offering the vessels for the service of the house of God and anything they lacked was permitted to be taken from the king's treasury! What a wonderful way God worked all of that out. They had fought hard to keep the temple going and they finally did it and now Ezra was granted a special mission by the king. We should feel hope starting to bubble up in our spirits. We know that if we prepare our hearts to seek God's law in order to obey it and teach others to obey it, then He will keep His hand on us and we will have missions and assignments given to us, even at the hands of those in government authority. Do not think anything is too hard for our God!
Verses 21-26 Do Whatever Ezra Commands
Now the king gets serious!! The letter continues that any treasurer beyond the river was to give Ezra anything he needed and to do it quickly! They were told to give up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of oil, and salt without limit! He demanded diligence with this matter. He feared the wrath of the great God Jehovah. Further, the king declared no musician, guard, temple servant, or any other temple worker will have to pay any kind of taxes. He told Ezra to make some of the people judges beyond the river to judge those who knew the laws of God, and for those who did not know the laws, Ezra was to teach them! And if anyone decided they weren't going to do that, the king threatened them with confiscating their possessions, banishing them, imprisoning them, or killing them. The king had the authority to decree the matter and God made sure it was settled!
Verses 27-28 Ezra Praises God
How would you feel if you were Ezra? He prepared his heart for this. He wanted to know God's law so he would please Jehovah God. Ezra was elated! He immediately blessed God and gave Him all the glory, honor, and praise. He said this was God's plan. God made this happen. God gave me mercy and allowed the king to order all these things be done to beautify the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. I love that as he is praising God for the mercy He had shown to Ezra, he says this: "And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me." Isn't that awesome? He said God strengthened me as His hand was always on me. God had his back! He has ours, too. If He wants us to do something for Him, big or small, He will provide like He did for Ezra. What a mighty God we serve and He gives us strength as He helps us and paves the way for us to be successful.I never knew Ezra was such an encouraging book! Did you? I am enjoying this study so much. It is a beautiful reminder that we need to keep going. We need to press on and prepare our hearts to learn God's law and obey every word! If we will keep our eyes on Him, we will feel His hand on our shoulders and we will feel the strength that only comes from God. What a wonderful way to end this chapter.
Lord willing, I will be back next Wednesday to share more insight from Ezra chapter eight. Go ahead and read through the next chapter before next week. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Some are not comfortable sharing online, in the comments below, but you can always email me or text me any comments you have. I love the things you all share with me because it encourages me and gives me a different perspective. We can all learn together as we help each other Home!
Well, I pray something I have shared today has lifted you up. It has been a journey for me this year to just trust and obey. I was encouraged from today's reading and study. I hope that something I have said today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you. Please continue to pray for me and I will do the same for you friends.
~Bridgett Owens
No comments:
Post a Comment