Man on a Mission

O. T. #1023  "Man on a Mission"
July 14, 2017
Ezra 7
This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.  Ezra 7:6

LET IT GLOW

What a joy is has been to see 8 children com to know the Lord Jesus as Savior this week at Vacation Bible School. It certainly makes all the work and sacrifice worth it! One of those was my granddaughter, so you know I was shouting for Joy!

Almost 57 years passed between  chapters 6 and 7. Prophet Ezra is the author of this book. One thing to notice is that his writing changed from the third person to the first person. Now Ezra lead the second group of Jews back to Jerusalem. the first group rebuilt the Temple and reestablished worship of God and the Law. There were 1,754 Jews that returned out of the captivity. In the intervening years, those Jews in Jerusalem had slipped away from the Lord apparently. Intermarriage with foreigners posed a threat to their spiritual future as a nation of God's chosen people.

What do we know about Ezra?

• He was a descendant of the High Priest Aaron, brother of Moses. (verses 1-5)
• He was a scribe, dedicated to studying God's Word, committed to following and teaching it, and its application to life. (verse 6)
• He was sent to Jerusalem by King Artaxerxes (with a royal letter of permission) to evaluate the situation and set up a religious education system, then report back. This took 4 months to achieve.

He must have been a persuasive man, as he secured the king's help and convinced the people to leave their homes and security to make such a long, and dangerous return to an uncertain future. Can we call Ezra a "man on a mission," sent by the king?

So can we consider our self a person on a mission, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of heaven and earth? He is the only way to God, a bridge so to speak from us to God of the universe.



LET IT GROW

We see Ezra's wholehearted devotion to the LORD and His Word as he:

1. studied God's Law
2. obeyed God's Law
3. taught God's laws. 

The qualifications of Ezra included a priest, teacher, and scholar of the Law. Do we consider his willingness to study God's Word and practice it in his life. What faithfulness. (He wrote 1 and 2 Chronicles also.)
Will we make the commitment to serving God, even before we know details of the service? I have found that most of the time our area we are called to serve in is something we are interested in and enjoy doing. We can start out by applying the Biblical principles in our life.


LET IT GO

Study, obey, and teach God's Word as the opportunity comes.