“A Ready Scribe with a Prepared Heart”

 

Text:     Ez.7: 6-10

Intro.:   The book of Ezra records the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity and the rebuilding of the Temple.  The first group of Jews returned with Zerubbabel in 536 B.C. Some years later Ezra led another group with him from Babylon to Jerusalem.  He was a descendant of Aaron the high priest and a ready scribe in the law of Moses (Ready - mentally skillful, prepared in mind and to act immediately, expert). 

Ezra is one Biblical character that has not received proper recognition.  He was a descendant of Hilkiah, the priest, who found a copy of the law during the reign of Josiah (2 Chr.34: 14).  As a priest, he was unable to serve during the captivity, but he gave his time to a study of the Word of God.  He was a revivalist and a reformer. The revival began with the reading of the Word of God by Ezra (Neh.8). In Ezra ch.9 we find that he offers one the great prayers of the O.T. which compares to those offered in Dan.9 and Neh.9.  He is believed to be the author of 1 and 2 Chr. and Ps.119, which exalts the Word of God. 

We find a remarkable description of Ezra in chapter 7: 10.  He prepared his heart to seek the Word of God and he did what it said and taught others to do the same. He sets before us a great example of what all of us ought to do.  May all of us have a prepared heart that is ready to obey the Word and teach others to follow!  We see first of all that Ezra had . . .

 

A)                A Prepared Heart: “For Ezra had prepared his heart . . . ” (His heart was firmly anchored on the Lord and His Word and he wasn’t changing his mind, He prepared his heart by holiness of life!)

1)                  1 Sam.7: 3 - We must turn from sin to prepare our heart!  2 Chr.19: 1-3 Teaches the same truth.  Jehoshaphat had taken away the groves and as a result he was preparing his heart to seek the Lord.

2)                  2 Chr.12: 14 says, “And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.” and 2 Chr.20: 33 says, “Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.”  So we see that sin will keep us from having a prepared heart.  We therefore must repent of our sin and turn to God that we might have prepared hearts that God can fill and use for His glory!

3)                  Those who have a prepared heart will go to prepared place! (Jn.14: 1-3)

4)                  How about you?  Are you willing to repent of your sin that your heart might be prepared to seek the Lord and His Word?  Ezra was!

 

B)                 A Perusing Heart: “...to seek the law of the Lord . . .”

1)                  Ezra may have written Ps.119 and in v.45 he says, “And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.”  True liberty comes to those who walk according to God’s Word.  The unsaved say, “It’s a life of bondage. You can’t do this.  You can’t do that.”  In reality they’re in bondage to sin and don’t even know it!  The first lie propagated promised liberty from having to do what God required.  Eve swallowed the lie and Adam was the first victim of the liberty she had found.  The human race was plunged into bondage!

2)                  It was the priests (like Ezra) job to seek the law of God and to teach it to the people,

but they were not doing it.  Neither are many preachers today! (Mal.2: 7-9).

3)                  During days of apostasy (like we’re living in today) the Levites left their homes and went to Jerusalem along with others who had seeking hearts (2 Chr.11: 14-16).  There will come a day when it will be too late to seek the Word of God! You’d better seek it while you still can! (Am.8: 11-12).

4)                  The Lord Jesus admonished us, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God . . . ”(Mt.6: 33).  And Col.3: 1 tells us to “. . . seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

5)                  How about you?  Are you seeking after the Word of God and the God of the Word?  Are you seeking the right things?  Do you really have a seeking heart?

 

C)                A Practicing Heart: “...and to do it . . . ”

1)                  In Deut. and other O.T. books God reminded His people continually to do His commandments (Deut.4: 1-2, 5-6; 5: 1, 32-33; 6: 1, 3, 18, 24-25).

2)                  Mt.5: 19 cf. Ac.1: 1 - DO Precedes Teach!

3)                  Phil.4: 9 - Paul admonished Philippians to do what he did and what he taught!

4)                  Jas.1: 22-25 - “But be ye doers of the word . . . ”

5)                  So many of God's children today are going from counselor to counselor, conference to conference, and bookstore to bookstore, to find a way out of their personal predicament. At the danger of sounding overly simplistic, how much easier and timesaving it would be if they would simply, do right. It would take care of 99% of the problems in our homes, churches, and personal lives.

It has nothing to do with I.Q. or spiritual maturity, from the smallest child, to the oldest grandparent; from the intellectual to the illiterate . . . all can do right. There may be many things that a Christian does not know about in this life, but there is never a case in which God has not shown His child the right thing to do. Our great hindrance in doing right is that we always prefix it by things such as "What will it cost me," or "How will it affect others," if I do the right thing?

6)                  God is not as interested in your “talk” as He is in your “walk!”

7)                  “Your talk talks, and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks!”

8)                  And as Bob Jones Sr. used to say, “DO Right, though the stars fall!”

 

D)                A Preaching Heart: “...and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”

1)                  Remember “DO” precedes “TEACH!” - Ezra practiced what he preached! (Ac.1: 1).

2)                  The world hates preaching - Ac.4: 8; 5: 28; 1 Cor.1: 18; 2 Ti.4: 3-4.

3)                  Nevertheless we are commanded to teach and preach the Word! - Mk.16: 15; Ac.5: 42; 8: 4; 2 Ti.4: 2.

4)                  We are told who to preach (Christ Jesus the Lord - 2 Cor.4: 5) and what to preach! (The gospel of Jesus Christ - Ro.1: 16)

5)                  Like Ezra, pastors are to be “apt to teach” (1 Ti. 3:2) to be “instant in season and out of season” (ready at any moment); reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine! (2 Ti.4: 2) And they are to commit the truth to others that they in turn may be able to teach others (2 Ti.2: 2)