Prayer – Lord, please give me insight into Your word, the way it has been studied, and the way You want me to study.
This
Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the
God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel. He came up to Jerusalem from
Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious
hand of the LORD his God was on him. Some of the people of Israel, as well as
some of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants,
traveled up to Jerusalem with him in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes'
reign. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in August of that year. He had arranged to
leave Babylon on April 8, the first day of the new year, and he arrived at
Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was
because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the LORD and to
teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel. Ezra 7:6-10 NLT (Underlined for
emphasis.)
Meditate.
Consider obedience.
Ezra had
been in captivity in Babylon and now he was free to go back to Jerusalem. He was
obedient to God, to the letter of the Law. As a scribe Ezra would have known
the law because he had the opportunity to study it for himself as he copied the
text. He had to know the law inside and out in order to teach it to the
Israelites. Having lived in Babylon in captivity the general Israelite population
was not familiar with the Law and the religious regulation like they would have
been had they lived in Israel all their lives. There was no Temple in Babylon
and religious commitment was not the same in Jerusalem. Headed back to
Jerusalem after seventy years in Babylon, Ezra was determined to know the Law
so that he could teach it to the Israelites as they returned. He valued the God,
the Torah—the Law—and the people returning to Israel. His desire to please God gave
Ezra a good motivation to obediently study the Law and teach the regulations to
the Israelites. 
The Temple was rebuilt.
Ezra taught the Israelites
new respect for the Law.
Model of the Temple in Jerusalem.
What is
your motivation to study God’s word? I read and study God’s word—to learn more
about Him—so seek His approval. Being loved and approved of is the most
important thing in anyone’s life. That is good motivation. Would you choose to study
like Ezra did?
Verses
of Salvation (rescue) ~ Give me a helping hand, for I have chosen to follow
your commandments. O LORD, I have longed for your rescue, and your instructions
are my delight. Let me live so I can praise you, and may your regulations help
me. I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not
forgotten your commands. Psalm
119:173-176 NLT
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
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