by Ian McKee (Northern Ireland)
There is a period of 58 years between Ezra chapters 6 and 7. This was a time of considerable political significance when the expansion of the Persian empire was checked, in the west, by the Greeks at the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis. Of this, nothing is recorded in Scripture.
However, the Divine record does bear testimony to the exercise and faith in this period of the devout Jew Mordecai who, under the hand of God, preserved from annihilation all Jews throughout the Persian empire. That story is recounted for us in the book of Esther. It is commended as associated reading because the history from Ezra chapter 7, and in Nehemiah, is a direct result of Mordecai’s, and Esther’s, faithfulness and courage at the Persian court. Using them, God preserved the Jews, including Ezra, Nehemiah and all their worthy contemporaries.
The events we will now consider occur at Babylon "in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king," Ezra 7.7. This is BC 458, some 78 years from Zerubbabel’s return in the reign of Cyrus, Ezra chapter 1. Although Artaxerxes Longimanus, the son of Xerxes I who married Esther, is an important historical figure, Scripture focuses only on his association with Ezra’s and, later, Nehemiah’s expeditions to Jerusalem. It is also important to note that it is not Artaxerxes’ genealogy and the history of the Persian dynasty that is here recorded, but Ezra’s lineage from Aaron.
Ezra’s ancestors (Ezra 7.1-5)
Ezra was a direct descendant, probably a great-great-grandson, of Seraiah the High Priest who had been executed by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kings 25.18-21. Now, 129 years after that day of infamy, Ezra is preparing to return to Jerusalem. In his genealogy he could also count Hilkiah the High Priest who "found the book of the law in the house of the Lord", which was instrumental in revival in the reign of King Josiah, 2 Kings 22.8. Also in his lineage was Zadok, who remained loyal to David in both the Absalom and Adonijah rebellions and was rewarded with the position of High Priest in place of the treasonable Abiathar, 1 Kings 2.35. Further back still was Phineas who used the javelin to oppose Israel’s compromise with the Midianites and stay the plague from Israel, Num.25.7,8. Also there was Eleazar and Aaron. What illustrious lineage!
The secret of Ezra’s greatness (Ezra 7.6-10)
However, it was not his links with noble forebears that determined Ezra’s greatness. "He was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given", Ezra 7.6. A man of the book, he interpreted, unfolded and taught the meaning of God’s Word to God’s people. He was learned in the Scriptures, having made the written law the subject of detailed investigation. Ezra was the principal example in his time of the type of men we long to see raised up in our day: those who give themselves to the study of God’s Word, who become expert in the understanding of its meaning and skillful in its teaching.
But what was it that developed these abilities? Simply this, "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. First of all, he recognised that the Scriptures had been given by the Lord God of Israel. This gave him a reverential appreciation of the sacred text. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him", Psa.25.14. And our appreciation should be no less than his because "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works", 2 Tim.3.16,17.
Secondly, with self-judgment he sought to acquire the highest possible knowledge of God’s mind and will through sacrificial, diligent, methodical study of the Scriptures. This required whole-hearted, resolute, personal application. He was not only devoted to the study of God’s Word in a general way, but was disciplined to seek its precise meaning and purpose. "O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day", Psa.119.97.
The third aspect of the secret of Ezra’s greatness for God was in his preparedness to apply those same Scriptures to his own life "and to do it". It was not a matter of academic study to secure a reputation for knowledge and ability. Rather he aimed to scrupulously obey God’s Word, become the embodiment of those truths and fulfil the will of God. "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine", John 7.17. This attitude brings its own reward. "Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word, this man shall be blessed in his deed", Jms.1.25.
It was only after he had applied doctrine to himself that Ezra would "teach in Israel statutes and judgments". Thus he had moral authority. Without such authority, teaching is powerless. But where moral authority exists, it will have influence upon succeeding generations. "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also", 2 Tim.2.2.
Let us not pass over this lightly for men of this calibre are rare and greatly needed. Ezra became a great man for God in his day because of his single-minded, thoughtful, character-forming exercise in the secret place. What he became was in direct proportion to the quality and quantity of the time he spent in private in God’s presence with God’s Word. Surely there is a lesson here for us?
—to be continued (D.V.)