"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 7:10
“For Ezra had prepared his heart.”
Preparing our hearts for worship, service, study, and devotion is always time well spent. Did you ever go to your church on a Sunday morning and feel like you were out of place? The songs you sang seemed flat, and the preaching did not stir your soul. And then you remembered that your Saturday was anything but a pursuit of spiritual things. The busyness kept your mind occupied with mundane things all day. And dealing with family issues during the evening didn’t help your mental state either. By the time you crawled into bed, you were just looking for some needed rest. When Sunday morning came, you were out of sorts and weren’t exactly thinking about worshipping the Lord. You went to church, but your mind was elsewhere. Sadly, I’ve been here before. The morning service went off smoothly just like it always did, same music, same Bible preaching, but you didn’t get a thing from it! It must be the song-leader and preacher’s fault they must not have prepared well… Or, could it be that you didn’t prepare your heart to seek the Lord before you went to the service? The scriptures teach us the need for a “prepared heart” before going after our “spiritual pursuits.”
Can you remember these passages and these men from your Bible classes?
King Rehoboam grew up in his father’s Godly King Solomon’s home, yet he did evil when he went to the throne. Why?
“And he did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD” (2 Chronicles 12:14).
He tried to be king without the Lord! He failed.
But then godly King Jehoshaphat did good for his people, why?
“Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God” (2 Chronicles 19:3).
He tore down the pagan places of worship and followed the Lord personally. He led his people well.
And there was godly King Hezekiah who followed the Lord. When he prayed for his people who had sinned, the LORD heard his prayer for those who were “ceremonially unclean” but ate the Passover anyway. God answered Hezekiah and healed them. Why?
“But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary” (2 Chronicles 20:18b-19).
God showed favor to those who had prepared hearts to seek Him.
Dear friends, let’s “prepare our hearts to seek the Lord” before our spiritual activities begin each day.
“To seek the law of the LORD.”
Learning the Word. For God’s Word to have its full impact on us, we must be diligent in our learning of it. We need to be walking with the Lord so that we are genuinely fellowshipping with Him as we grow. To learn the Word is –
“To search and find out the true sense and meaning of it, and thence to learn what sins or errors were to be reformed, and what duties were to be performed” (Benson).
In other words, it is God’s Word that will teach us the way our lives need to be lived out for His glory.
Do you want to understand the Word of God? God says you can learn it; He will teach you if you search for it.
“Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:3-5).
Ezra’s “…reigning desire had been to study the divine law—its principles, institutions, privileges, and requirements; and now from love and zeal, he devoted himself, as the business of his life, to the work of instructing, reforming, and edifying others” [1] (JFB).
Ezra was determined inwardly to know the Law of God. As He learned the Word –
“And to do it.”
Doing the Word. And this is a crucial point. Ezra didn’t learn the Word so that he could look “spiritual,” win arguments, or lord it over others! He sincerely purposed to do whatever the Lord taught him to do. We need to take note that Ezra didn’t tell others to do what he was not already doing himself! So before sharing the Word with others, we understand that we must be doing it — already — ourselves!
A practical consideration: Why should God teach us more of the Word if we are not doing what He has already taught us?
King Asa understood this when he –
“… commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers and to do the law and the commandment” (2 Chronicles 14:4).
As we learn the Word, we do it! And after this, if God is willing, we may –
“And to teach in Israel.”
Teaching the Word. Ezra had the assignment to teach Israel, Gods’ Word. This was the Old Testament priests’ chief duty (Deuteronomy 33:10). God expected that nation to be well instructed in His Law and obedient to it.
God commands believers to teach His Word to their children. But please consider this. If I teach my child to do what God said, but I am not doing so myself, aren’t I raising a skeptic (or worse)? If my child sees me hypocritically feeding them the Word, why should they believe it? My child needs to see me obey God so they can see that God’s Word and my relationship with Him is real. How sad when a child leaves a Christian home and turns their back on God! [2]
Why do we teach the Word? This point is simple to understand, we learn it, and we do it so that we may teach it to others so they might know God and His Word – so they can know it, and do it, and be able teachers of it to others. This sounds so much like personal discipleship.
“Statutes and judgments.”
Ezra did not teach Israel his opinions, new ideas, or the latest trend that the synagogues were doing now. No, his teaching was straightforward. They needed to know God’s opinion. Ezra lived the Word and taught it to them.
“‘Statutes’ are the appointed rules or regulations of conduct or ceremony, ‘judgments’ are the duties and rights determined by equity, authority, or custom” [3] (CB).
Could we say it this way? Ezra taught Israel what God’s rules for living in their world were. This way, they could understand His expectations for them and their family’s lives.
I have heard the question asked, “why don’t ‘Christians’ live as the Bible says?” Could it be that many people never see what a genuine Christian is because they hear what they say but don’t see it lived out in their lives? Do you want to follow that kind of “Christian?” I can assure you that I don’t either.
Today, God’s Church needs a whole host of Ezras! Men with backbones of steel who obey God’s Word, no matter come what may! And not just preachers, but godly living men who will stand up in this generation.
Quote: “Ezra’s greatness is seen [in] his resolve to study … obey, and teach God’s law to God’s people” [4] (CSB).
[1] JFB, Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 292.
[2] There are many reasons why a child may turn their back on their parent’s God. But parents, our hypocrisy in bringing up our child should never be the reason that they walk away from the truth. Lord help us live righteously and honestly for Him before our family!
[3] CB – Cambridge Bible, the electronic Bible notes in eSword.
[4] CSB, Carl R. Anderson, “Ezra,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 711.