Now after these things, in the
reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of
Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of
Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of
Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest: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. And there went up some of the children
of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the
porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes
the king. And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh
year of the king. For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up
from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. 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 (Ezra 7:1-10).

 

Ezra is introduced by tracing
his genealogy back to Aaron (w. 1-5). He was one therefore entitled to all the
rights and privileges of the priesthood (see chap. 2:62). Moreover, he was a
ready scribe in the law of his God and thereby was qualified to be the
instructor of the people in the statutes of Jehovah. (See Lev. 10:8-11; Mal.
2:4-7.) He became a priest by birth and consecration; but he became “a ready
scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given," only
by personal study of the Word. Inherited office therefore, even among the Jews,
could not bestow the qualifications for its exercise. These could come only
from individual acquaintance with God through the Scriptures; for, while by
virtue of consecration the priest was entitled by grace to minister before God,
he could minister acceptably only when all was done in obedience to the Word,
and it was impossible for him to teach unless he himself were acquainted with
the mind of God. It was neglect of this second part of its office that led to
the failure and corruption of the priesthood; for so completely was the Word of
God forgotten in the days of Josiah, that the finding of a copy of the law in
the temple became an epoch in his reign.

 

It is therefore of surpassing
interest—like finding a beautiful flower in the midst of a sandy desert—to
discover in Ezra one who, while he cherished his priestly descent, found his
joy and strength in the law of his God. In verse 10 the secret of his
attainments is unfolded:he had "prepared his heart to seek the law of the
LORD, and to do it." Let the reader ponder this significant and
instructive statement— "Ezra had prepared his heart." To this end the
Apostle prayed for the Ephesian believers, that the eyes of their heart
(heart is the right reading) might be enlightened, that they might know
what is the hope of His calling, etc. (chap. 1:18). Yes, it is to the heart
that the revelations of God are made, even as it was to the heart of the
Magdalene that the Lord manifested Himself at the sepulcher, rather than to the
intelligence of His disciples. Nor can we attach too much importance to this
truth. Preparation of heart (and this also comes from the Lord) is everything,
whether for the study of the Word, for prayer, or for worship. (See 1 Cor.
8:1-3; Heb. 10:22; 1 John 3:20-23.)

 

There is yet another thing. If
Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, it was first and foremost
that he might do it. It was not, therefore, to increase his knowledge or to add
to his repute as a teacher, but it was that his heart, life, and ways might be
formed by it—that his own walk might be the embodiment of the truth, and thus
well-pleasing to the Lord. Then followed teaching:"and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments." This order can never be neglected with impunity, for
where teaching does not flow out of a heart that is itself subject to the
truth, it is not only powerless to influence others, but it will also harden
the heart of the teacher himself. This is the secret of many a failure in the Church of God. The saints are time and again startled by the sudden departure from the
truth of, or by the fall of, those who had occupied the place of teachers; but
whenever the state of the heart is overlooked, and the activity of mind is
permitted upon divine things, the soul is exposed to some of Satan’s most
subtle temptations. A true teacher should be able in measure to point like
Paul, to his own example and to say, as he did to the Thessalonians, "Ye
know what manner of men we were among you for your sake." (See also Acts
20 and Phil. 3.)

 

It is evident, moreover, that
Ezra was in communion with the mind of God as to His people. His heart was upon
them, for we learn that he had sought permission of the king to go up to Jerusalem, and that "the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of
the LORD his God upon him" (v. 6). What he desired, therefore, was the welfare,
the blessing of his people, the people of his God, but being under subjection
to the king, he had to obtain his leave; for the Lord will not have us,
even for His own service, slight the authority under which we are placed. If,
however, the Lord put the desire to serve Him in the heart of Ezra, He would
influence the king to answer His servant’s request.

 

How good it is to leave
ourselves in His hands! We are tempted often to overleap the barriers which man
may place in our path, to force open the doors which the hand of man may have
closed; but it is for our comfort and strength to remember that the Lord can
make His way plain before our face whenever He wills, and that our part is to
quietly wait on Him, ready to go forward when He shall speak the word. The
recognition of the hand of God upon him was a characteristic of this devoted
servant (see v. 9; chap. 8:18, 22, 31, etc.), and it was at once the source
both of his patience and of his courage.

 

FRAGMENT
  No doubt the best way to correct defects in the lives of others is to be
before that person the living expression of the power of Christ in the very
thing in which he fails. You see a vain person:well, walk before him without a
bit of vanity. You see a proud person:walk before him in humility. You need
not tell him that he is proud:let him see what grace can do in you, and thus
you will become a voice to him that will be better than any rebuke.