"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
Ezra sought the law of the Lord. Newer versions translate "study" instead of "seek," and study is, of course, the way we seek it. God's will is not found by contemplating or getting in touch with our inner impulses. "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:19-29). We must study! And study takes time.
When we really know what God has revealed to man, we know something helpful and worthwhile to teach. When we teach what is helpful and valuable, people will listen and learn. Remember, not even hogs will keep coming back to an empty trough. Study! Seek the Word of the Lord, so you may share and teach others.
Ezra did the law of the Lord. Unlike the scribes of Jesus' day, who said but did not (Matthew 23:2), Ezra practiced what he studied. Studying the Bible is not just an academic exercise. We must not be forgetful hearers, but doers, in order to be blessed (James 1:23-25). We may pride ourselves on knowing the truth, but Jesus did not say "This know and thou shalt live." He said, "This do and thou shalt live" (Luke 10:28).
Ezra taught the Lord's statutes and judgment in Israel. So must we. "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Every man therefore that has heard, and has learned of the Father, comes to me" (John 6:45). What we have learned we are to teach to others, so that they can teach others also (2Timothy 2:2). We are to teach to convert and then we are to teach the converted (Matthew 28:19-20). Ezra set his heart to seek, to do, and to teach the law of the Lord. No one accidentally becomes a faithful servant of God! We will only be good students, faithful workers, and effective teachers to the extent we decide to be, and deliberately lay aside things that hinder us.
God gave us life ~ but He cannot live it for us! He can teach us through His Word ~ but He cannot make us learn. As you set your heart and mind to read His Holy Word, then, and only then will the Holy Spirit reveal His truth to you so that you may share it with others. May God bless you as you set your goal to Ezra's.
Love in Christ Jesus, Sandy |
