Ezra's Example: Devotion to the Scripture

Ezra was a godly man whom God used to guide his people when they returned to Jerusalem out of captivity in Persia. As such, his life provides us with valuable lessons for our lives today. One way that he gives us an example is the way he responded to the Word of God.

He prepared his heart to seek the law of Yahweh (Ezra 7:10).

He had become a skillful and experienced scribe during the exile (Ezra 7:6). Not only did the people of Israel respect his in-depth knowledge of Scripture (Ezra 10:3-4; Neh 8:1), but Artaxerxes, the pagan king of Persian, also respected him in this way (Ezra 7:25-26). Ezra had chosen to devote extraordinary time and effort into developing this skill. It required him to master the Hebrew language and to study the Law of Moses intensively, while other Israelites pursued a variety of other pursuits. To him, this was more than a hobby or part-time endeavor. He engaged in this endeavor full time.

He prepared his heart to do the law of Yahweh (Ezra 7:10).

He did more than accumulate knowledge. He practiced what he learned. Wisdom a skillful application of the law, not a rigid adherence to a set of rules, recognizing that while core, underlying principles remain constant, applications for various situations may differ. What makes this point especially important is that Ezra did not live in Israel under a Jewish king. He lived in a foreign empire under the reign of a pagan king surrounded by idolatry and ungodly values. What’s more, there was no Temple or sacrificial system, requiring Ezra to give special attention to how the teaching related to these things would apply in this foreign situation.

He prepared his heart to teach the law of Yahweh to the people in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

As a result, Artaxerxes gave him the opportunity to do so (Ezra 7:25-26). What’s more, the people of Israel repeatedly gave him the opportunity to do so (Ezra 10:3-4; Neh 8:1-8). When he did this after the completion of the wall, we get a glimpse at what proper biblical teaching looks like.

• Men and women gathered together to listen as a large group. This group included anyone else (esp. children) who were able to pay attention and understand what he said (Neh 8:2).
• He read the words of Scripture publicly for all to hear, with the help of thirteen other trained scribes (Neh 8:3). This may seem like a boring and monotonous approach, but it is necessary, nonetheless.
• Ezra and the other men also “read distinctly,” “gave the sense,” and “helped” the people “to understand” what they had read. The people needed help beyond just hearing the words which had been read to them. They needed help with translation, explanation, and application. Ezra was reading to them in Hebrew, but the people were no longer familiar with this language and spoke Aramaic instead.

Since Ezra had trained himself for this purpose, he was able to help them understand the Bible in a clear and accurate way. He was also able to help them apply the Law in their new situation, having returned to Jerusalem from exile. As you can tell, this was neither an entertaining nor a dramatic event. Instead, it was informative, thought-provoking, easy to understand.

Applications for Today

Pastors should take a similar approach to Ezra and should also invest themselves into training additional pastors for the future (2 Tim 2:2). This should be true of the way that they live as well as the way that they teach the Word of God to others (1 Tim 4:12-16; 5:17; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:14-17; 4:1-2). People should expect their pastors to pursue extensive training in a full-time way that other members cannot do so that they can pass on the fruits of their study to the church. The depth and value of the Word of God demands this kind of approach.

Even today, for instance, we speak a language different from the Hebrew and Greek of the Scriptures. Though we thank God for the many good translations into our language that help us understand the meaning and the sense of the original words, we should also expect our pastors to do the hard work of learning those original languages so that we can understand the Bible even more clearly as a result. No one translation does this perfectly

Believers who are not pastors should also pursue a more accurate understanding of the Scriptures. At Faith Baptist Church, we strive to be a church that equips you to do this (Eph 4:11-16). Not only does this aid you in your personal understanding and application, but it also aids you in your ability to teach others. While pastors carry a larger share of this responsibility by nature of their roles, we all share this responsibility to some degree (Heb 5:12-14; cf. Jam 3:1). What’s more, those who are spiritually gifted by God as teachers should especially develop their gift for the benefit of the church (Rom 12:7).