Ezra 7:1-10

Notes

FCF: (inverse of the positive text) We often neglect the word of God (which leads to discipline)

CFC: God has given us his word and people to teach it, so we ought to commit ourselves to it. (

God is using people committed to His Word to restore his people

One time I was in Shenandoah National Park down in Virginia with my wife and a couple of friends, and as we were driving along a road into the park, we saw something that almost made us turn around. There was a massive pillar of smoke coming out of the forest, which naturally led us to assume that a wildfire had sprung up around us. Before I had enough time to turn around and drive away from the fire, I saw a sign on the side of the road that said “controlled burns this week.” I had no idea what that meant at the time, but it gave me enough peace to trust that it wasn’t unsafe to be there, and afterwards I looked up what a controlled burn was and why someone would do it.

A controlled burn is when those charged with the health of the Park plan a time to light fires in the woods. They specifically pick times where the forest isn’t too dry to minimize the risk of the fire spreading beyond their control. The reason they do this is because as dead leaves, fallen tree limbs, and harmful insects build up in the forest, they can pose the threat of harming the environment. Lighting fires on their terms allows conservationists to eliminate those potential threats in order to prevent the entire forest burning down later. In addition to that, the ash that results from the burn serves to nurture the plants and trees that survive, allowing the forest to flourish and be healthy.

As I was considering Ezra 7:1-10, I thought of this controlled burning method and how it relates to what is going on in Israel at the time.

If Israel was once a large and healthy forest, we see that over time it began to fill with deadness and parasites. It has been razed to the ground as the people were defeated by their enemies and sent into exile. The once-great forest was primed for a wildfire, and God used their enemies to do a bit of “controlled burning,” and out of the ashes has sprung a small sapling. The people of God have been mostly returned to their place and have started growing once more. This sapling Israel needs to be nurtured, and in this passage we see that God is going to send a second wave back to Jerusalem. In this wave will be the man that the book is named after, Ezra the priest, along with other skilled servants who will play a part in the restoration of Israel. This passage shows us that God loves to use men and women committed to his Word to nourish his people. This is relevant to us in this room because I believe that we as a church, Much like Israel in Ezra, are in need of restoring. Just like Israel, we have a tendency to be filled with dead leaves and fallen branches and harmful parasites. We tend to be filled with sinful thoughts and actions, and we all desperately need a restoration project, and this passage will help us to see how that restoration takes place. I want to spend the majority of our time considering these two elements and how they relate to our spiritual restoration as God’s people: the first being men and women and the second being the Word of God.

Point one: God restores his people through people

a. Preserves a remnant (Of the line of Aaron) verses 1-5

State First, we have to recognize that the first half of these ten verses is committed to showing that Ezra is descended from Aaron, the chief priest. This might initially come off as one of those clumps of verses that we just read past- a list of names that mean nothing to us. But to do that would be to pass up the opportunity to see how God has been at work- even through the dark times in Israel. Through this lineage we see that even though there has been a burning fire in Israel that has wiped out a lot of deadness, it has been a controlled fire that has kept the lineage of Aaron alive. Aaron was the chief priest that God had appointed a long time ago, and from his line God is now appointing a priest to minister to and restore Israel. Though it may have seemed as though Israel had left God, and lost their home and their place of worship, Ezra is living proof that God was keeping alive for himself a faithful priest to restore his people. Even though destruction was everywhere, God was clearly doing preserving work leading to Ezra being in the position that he is in.

Illustrate

Apply What does this mean for you, and for the church today? The church is faced with all kinds of difficulty, both internally and externally. We know that the statistics don’t look great for the church in America today. Many churches are closing their doors, even more are deserting the gospel. It seems like we’re losing allies constantly, and being a conservative Christian is becoming less and less popular. If we aren’t careful, this could become a seriously discouraging thing for us today. But let’s learn from what God is doing through Ezra- the people of God will never fail completely. Though the church at large might be shrinking and turning from the gospel, we can have full confidence that God will always keep for himself a faithful remnant that loves him and is committed to his people. Our call is to stand firm in the gospel and remain faithful to God, even if it seems that the walls are pressing in around us.

b. Using the influence of culture verse 6a

State This passage doesn’t only show us that God preserves a remnant from the corruption within his own people, but that he also chooses to use outsiders to aid in restoring his people as well. Here we see the King of Babylon, Artaxerxes, aiding in the restoration of Jerusalem.

Ezra 7:6 (ESV)

the king granted him all that he asked

This is the king of the pagan nation that initially destroyed God’s people and brought them into exile. There wasn’t a more hostile place on Earth at the time. The nation of babylon, and especially its leadership, were constant reminders to the Israelites of their opression and separation from God. And here the King was giving Ezra everything he asked for. In the midst of one of Israel’s darkest times, even the godless culture they were exiled to was instrumental in the restoration of God’s people.

Illustrate

Apply Its no secret that culture today is straying further and further from where the gospel is calling us to be, and it is becoming increasingly hostile towards the church specifically. Though we don’t face persecution to the degree that the Israelites were at the time of their exile, anyone who faithfully affirms Christian values is viewed by many as hateful and bigoted. We’ve come to a place where our culture is not very welcoming of us, and they often are opposing the work of the gospel we are called to be doing. Again, if we aren’t careful, this could also be very discouraging. But let’s also learn this lesson from Ezra: There is no culture in the world hostile enough to stop God from restoring his people. It doesn’t matter if its Donald Trump, Joe Biden, or Vladimir Putin. It doesn’t matter if its pride month, or if people are burning down buildings, or if we decide to dedicate a whole month to hating Christians specifically. God is in control of our culture, and he has proven that he will use even the most hostile of places to aid in the restoration of his people.

c. The hand of God is on him verse 6b

State So the church being in a state of decline wasn’t going to stop the restoration of God’s people, and the culture being in a state of decline wasn’t going to stop the restoration of God’s people, but how is that the case? The only answer that can give us confidence that this is true is that God himself is in control of all things and desires for his people to be restored. At the end of verse 6, Ezra explains that the reason he was in the position he was in and the reason that the culture couldn’t prevent him from accomplishing his mission was because “the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.” While Ezra is skilled in the Law of the Lord and has likely dedicated his life to it, he’s also recognizing here that he wouldn’t even be alive and present at all had it not been for God’s work of preserving his people. While the king was giving Ezra everything he asked for, Ezra recognizes that this wasn’t just because the king was a nice guy, but because the hand of God himself was orchestrating all of this from the beginning. In verse 9 we read,

Ezra 7:9 ESV

For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him.

he was able to make the trip from Bablyon all the way to Jerusalem in only four months. Even the travel time is dictated by God, and so he can be trusted with all of it.

Illustrate

Apply for us, this means that we can have faith that God will restore us despite the state of the world around us. This means that ONLY God can do that, and so we should be looking ONLY to God. We cannot have confidence that we will be victorious because of our own abilities or holiness, or because of our arguing in Facebook comment sections, or because of our cultural relevance, or any of that stuff.

If we want to see the Church of God restored, we must look to God and God alone as the source of our restoration.

If we want confidence that the church will not ultimately leave the gospel, we must be on our knees asking that God would save us from that fate.

If we want confidence that the culture won’t bully the church into submission, we must be on our knees asking God to save us from that fate.

If we want confidence that God will restore us to where we ought to be, we need to spend less time arguing on social media and more time praying in utter dependance on God. We need to spend less time consuming the media we’re inundated with and more time consuming the Word of God, which is the means that God has promised to use to restore us.

Point two: The Primary Means of Restoration: Word of God

Which brings me to my next point I want to make, which is this: while God uses people to bring restoration to the church, it is specifically people that are committed to the Word of God. The Word is absolutely central to this restoration that is coming for God’s people.

Just as the ashes from the controlled burns in the forest help to foster life for new growth, so the Word of God will be the soil out of which the people of God grow once more. This was the case for Ezra, who we were told was both skilled in the Word and set his heart on the Word.

a. Ezra was skilled in the law (verse 6a)

Ezra 7:6 (ESV)

this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given

State To be skilled in the Word of God is something that is vital for the church. The people of God have always placed the word of God at the center of life and worship, and in order to do that, we need to have people that understand the Word. In a time where there were few of God’s people that could understand his Word, Ezra had committed his life to becoming skilled in it. While others were chasing after other things, or had passively allowed their skill in the Scriptures to wane, Ezra was training in them. He knew more than just a few verses he could throw around, or how to find his place in one of the scrolls. Ezra had a more mature knowledge than simply clinging to a couple of pet doctrines that he gravitated towards. Ezra was skilled in the Law, which meant that he understood all of it at a deep level.

Illustrate

Apply We are too often content to be ignorant of the Scriptures. We are too often content to “leave it to the pastor” and ignore our own responsibility to personal devotions and bible study. Don’t get me wrong, not everybody is meant to have a seminary degree and learn the biblical languages, but everyone is called to develop a skill with the Scriptures. These are the words that will bring restoration to us, God’s people, and so we ought to be willing to put the time in to understanding them. This is one of the things that we believe as a church as well; while some churches really think that the average churchgoer isn’t able to comprehend or understand the Scriptures, we really believe the Scriptures to be plain and clear in all matters concerning salvation. We believe that anybody can pick up the Scriptures, read them, and understand them well enough to get by. Of course, we aren’t meant to just study them strictly alone, and we ought to also study them with the church and together in fellowship, but the point stands that we all must commit ourselves to becoming skilled in the Scriptures. We do this by attending church where we sit under the word preached, attend Bible studies to grow with fellow believers, do family worship at home with our loved ones, and spend personal alone time in the word and prayer as we seek to grow in understanding.

b. Ezra’s heart was for the Word (verse 10)

State But we need to be more than skilled in the Word of God. More than simply having a head that is full of knowledge about the Scriptures, we must also have hearts that are full of the Scriptures as well. Ezra had not only committed his mind to the intellectual practice of knowing doctrine, but he set his heart to study, do, and teach the Law of God in Israel.

Ezra 7:10 ESV

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

This is really the driving force behind the restoration that we will see taking place in Jerusalem. When the people of God are willing to commit their minds and their hearts to the Word of God, in order to study, do and teach it, we will see that God does amazing things.

Illustrate We actually have the benefit of an example of what this restoration is going to look like when Ezra does show up in Jerusalem. In Nehemiah chapter 8, the people of God are gathered in Jerusalem and they ask Ezra to bring out the Law and read it to them. He does, and he preaches to them from the Law from early morning all the way until midday. Ezra and a handful of priests declare the word that they have committed themselves to, and all the men, women, and older children sat attentively for the entire time. After the teaching was finished, we read,

Nehemiah 8:9–12 ESV

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

This is the type of restoration God is working through his people, and especially through his word preached to them. When Ezra, a child of God committed to the Scriptures, shows up, restoration blooms. The people are struck to the heart and are also rejoicing because of the joy of the Lord.

Apply As we commit ourselves to the word we will find so much more than an intriguing intellectual practice, more than a cohesive set of interlocking doctrines, more than a guide to help improve the culture, more than a self-help book, more than all the wisdom in the world- as we commit ourselves to the Scriptures we will find restoration because we will find nothing less than Jesus Christ himself. Because it is in the Scriptures where Jesus can be found today, and as we commit ourselves to the Scriptures we are reminded of him and filled with his love.

Its in the Scriptures that we learn of our miserable, sinful state.

Its in the Scriptures that we learn of our desperate need of salvation.

Its in the Scriptures that we read the countless promises of God to his people.

Its in the Scriptures that we learn that a Savior was promised to us

Its in the Scriptures that we learn that Jesus is that Savior, who was the fulness of God born of a woman into our miserable and sinful context. We read that he lived a perfect and sinless life- the only man who has ever done that. We read that he did it, not for himself, but to go to the Father and give us all the credit for his perfect life. He died as a sacrifice so that we wouldn’t have to and that God’s righteous judgement on evil would be satisfied. But we also read that death couldn’t hold him down and that after three days he rose again from the tomb, and it is only because of that historical fact that we know that we won’t stay dead either, but will experience the same resurrection life Jesus is experiencing. We know that he ascended back to the Father and is sitting there now at his right hand, and because of that we can have confidence that we will also return to our heavenly Father to dwell with him forever.

As we commit ourselves to the Scriptures, it is this living gospel that we are committing ourselves to. Not a dead tradition, not a lifeless series of lifeless and ancient scrolls, but to the living gospel that is sharper than any two edged sword.

As we commit ourselves to the Scriptures, we commit ourselves to Christ, and it is Christ that breathes life into his church. If we want to see restoration in ourselves and in the church and in the community, we must be dependent on God and committed to his gospel that is set down in the Scriptures. The church is always subject to some controlled burns, but God will always supply his with his Word as nourishment to raise us up and restore us. We must make sure that we are committing ourselves to that which will nourish us.