Ezra’s Mission to Jerusalem

Ezra 7:1-11

The name Ezra means “help”. God through His providence found a perfect help to send the Jews in Jerusalem some sixty years after the Temple was rebuilt. Ezra was a noted priest and skilled scribe of the Law. In 458 BC Ezra traveled some nine hundred miles in four months to Jerusalem with a few thousand Jews. Ezra was not just a book bound intellectual. He was a worker who was willing to get up and go apply his knowledge and abilities to help others. Ezra was the right man for the mission because of his genealogical pedigree, authorization by the government and personal preparation.

Genealogical Pedigree

Some priests who returned to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel did not have proof of their lineage. Ezra shows his priestly qualifications by listing his genealogical pedigree. This is not a complete genealogical record. It is compressed compared to the lineage recorded in 1 Chronicles 6:3,14. Ezra lists some of the more prominent ancestors in his lineage. Keep in mind the phrase “son of” often means “descendant of” in these genealogies. Hilkiah was high Priest when the Temple was being restored and the Book of the Law of discovered and sent to King Josiah. Zadok was the High Priest who first served in Solomon’s Temple. Seraiah was High Priest when the Temple was destroyed, and he was killed by Nebuchadnezzar. Finally, Aaron was the very first High Priest who served God in the Tabernacle.

Government Authorization

The dates mentioned equate to April eighth to August fourth which means Ezra was traveling during the hottest time of the year. This trip would have lasted fourteen weeks and covered nearly a thousand miles. This indicates his strong desire not to delay his trip to Jerusalem, so he could begin his work as soon as possible. The term “skilled” includes the concept of speed. Perhaps, originally it was used to imply that the scribe was a quick and accurate copyist. Ezra knew the law so well that he could with great speed rapidly apply the Law to any given situation. He could do this without long delays while he searched for answers. The phrase “the hand of the Lord his God” is repeated again in verses 9 and 28. Ezra uses the same phrase again in 8:18,22,32; Neh. 2:8,18. The King may have commissioned Ezra. Ezra may have prepared himself and traveled to Jerusalem to fulfill his mission.  But make no mistake about it, God’s divine hand of favor was the real reason this all came about.

Professional Credentials

Ezra was instrumental in bringing a remnant back from Babylonian captivity to the city of Jerusalem and carrying out a series of religious reforms in about 458 B.C. Some of these reforms are included in chapters nine and ten. In order to effectively accomplish his mission, Ezra had to prepare his heart for the task. This could also be translated “he made firm his heart.”

Ezra prepared his heart to…

  • Seek God’s Word

First, verse ten informs us Ezra had to prepare his heart “to seek the law of the Lord…” He was recognized as an expert in the Law of Moses by the King Artaxerxes (7: 25). The Amplified says “to inquire for it, and of it, to require and yearn for it.” The margin of the NKJV says “to study.” We are to study or give diligence to have God’s approval in correctly handling God’s Word (2 Tim. 2:15). “Law” refers in verse ten to the Law of Moses. The term “law” is found eight times throughout this chapter. This demonstrates the authority behind the mission of Ezra to Jerusalem.

  • Submit to God’s Word

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “If our knowledge of the truth doesn’t result in obedience then we end up with a big head instead of a burning heart…and truth becomes a toy to play with, not a tool to build with.” Ezra set his heart on obedience: Ezra’s obedience was a ready obedience and a complete obedience. This brief comment on Ezra’s life, encapsulates the divergence between those who will do the will of God and those who will not comply. Obedience, or the will to do, begins in the heart.

A doer of the Word of God responds immediately to the commands of God. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22-25). King Hezekiah is of the some mold as Ezra. “And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered” (2 Chron. 31:21).

  • Share God’s Word

We first seek knowledge, then do accordingly, and finally teach what we have learned. Ezra set his heart to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. The old adage “The best way to learn is to teach” is so true. But you cannot accurately teach until you learn. Ezra was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses (7:6). An expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of his statues to Israel (7:11).

Ezra’s teaching was with clarity. No better explanation of this is found than in Nehemiah 8:8, “so they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense and helped them to understand the reading.’” He was to teach “statutes” and “judgments” meaning all of the Law not just part of it. Ezra is believed to have become a model for priests who would follow his example. Scribes who specialized in the study and understanding of the Law would figure prominently in the New Testament times during the ministry of Jesus and the mission of the apostles. However, by that time the scribes were more concerned with politics and the mere outward observance of the Law that they could not understand how to properly apply the Law to everyday life or even identify the Messiah.

The chapter concludes with the heart felt gratitude of Ezra being expressed to God for making all of this possible for him. First, Ezra was grateful for God using his great hand of providence to move the king’s heart in favor of the Jews. Second, he feels the Jews have been blessed with the mercy of God. Finally, he is thankful for God’s encouragement in this mission.

– Daniel R. Vess

2024-08-11 - Jesus’ Willingness to Help
2024-08-25 - Are the Dead Speaking to You?
Categories: The Forum