Ezra, Restoring Worship among Repatriated

“And this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him…For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:6, 10, NKJV).

Today we look at Ezra, a scribe and priest who led the repatriated Jews in Jerusalem in restoring worship and returning again to God. Zerubbabel led in rebuilding the Temple. Nehemiah led in rebuilding the wall around the beloved city of Jerusalem. And to Ezra God gave the mission of teaching the law and restoring worship to the Jews who had returned from captivity to their homeland. Neither man had an easy task. But each recognized the call of God to his particular assignment. While Ezra was in Babylon, he had continued to study the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. Ezra’s own book calls him “a skilled scribe.” He also had the favor of King Artaxerxes and as the scribe left Babylon (about 457 BC) to travel to Jerusalem, he had a letter from the king giving him permission to go. This letter is in Ezra 7: 12-26.

As I read and studied about Ezra, this amazing teacher and leader of the people, I thought about the lessons we learn from history. The people were in great need of a spiritual leader. God had been preparing Ezra all along for the task of teaching the returnees the true meaning and requirements of the law. He led in various reforms, a major one of which was having the Jewish men put away (or divorce) pagan wives they had taken. How could this cruel treatment come about? In the light of the small remnant and returning to godly ways, it was important that the Jews remove themselves from pagan idolatry and foreign cultural influences. So a clean sweep, major reforms, were instituted. In our times, we hear from our missionaries how converts leave idolatry and voo doo, even “witch doctor” practices, to follow Christ and be true to Christian principles. In Ezra’s day, these major reforms paved the way to the people’s return to God. A good, dedicated teacher is always needed, one who holds steadfastly to the Word of God and is able to teach and interpret it to the people. Ezra was such a person at a very crucial time in Jewish history. His greatest contribution was his teaching of the Books of the Law and leading the people to worship God in a worthy manner. A great revival followed Ezra’s efforts. For those of us who have been called to teach the Word of God, we have a grave responsibility. As Ezra, may we be faithful to that holy calling.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, August 27, 2010