To Seek the Law of the Lord

In addition to Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, the third major figure in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah is Ezra himself, the scribe who wrote the book bearing his name and likely helped with the book of Nehemiah. A scripture help tells us this about Ezra: “About 80 years after the first group of exiles returned to Jerusalem, King Artaxerxes of Persia granted Ezra permission to lead another group of exiles back to the city. Ezra was both a scribe and a priest…. Ezra’s roles as scribe and priest, along with his commission from the Persian king, made him an influential leader in Jerusalem. Ezra’s reforms made a lasting impact on the people and contributed to the religious climate that existed during the life of Jesus Christ.” The chronology in our Bible suggests that Ezra received his commission from the king of Persia to go back to Jerusalem in 458 BC, about 14 years before Nehemiah became governor of Jerusalem. The first six chapters of the book of Ezra describes the first group that went back to Jerusalem from captivity under Zerubbabel, and then Ezra’s journey was described in this verse: “This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.” I love this description of this scribe who loved the law: “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 7:6, 10). Ezra’s work is a powerful example of commitment to the word of the Lord.

            Two events highlight Ezra’s dedication to the law of the Lord. The first is his reaction to the people’s marriages outside the covenant that he found when he arrived in Jerusalem. He was told, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands.” He was extremely troubled as he described in these words, “And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.” He knew they had not followed the words and commandments in the law, and he prayed in anguish, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens…. O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this” (Ezra 9:1-4, 6, 15). He was overcome with sorrow because of the way they had broken the commandments of the law: “Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore…. Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away” (Ezra 10:1, 6). He subsequently gathered the people and helped the people make a covenant to obey His law. He was fully devoted to helping the people of God stay true to His law.  

            The second event that highlights Ezra’s commitment to the law is when he taught the law to all the people. We read, “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding.” The people were gathered together outside and he read to them so they could understand: “And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose…. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.” He read the words of the book of the law to them and made sure they understood it. And this lasted multiple days: “Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days” (Nehemiah 8:1-6, 18). Ezra was so committed to the words of the Lord that he stood outside for hours day after day to read to the people the commandments of the Lord to Moses. His example should inspire us to similarly spend time each day by ourselves and in our families studying and working to understand the words of the scriptures. Like Ezra, we should commit our “heart to seek the law of the Lord.”