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Ezra's Journey and God's Favor 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to stand on the word. Alright. Having finished the book of Esther, we now go back to Ezra. Today, we're gonna look at chapter 7 and 8, which comes in the year 40:22 57 BC. Verse 10 of chapter 7, for Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the lord and to do it and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. Now there's0:33 a 58 year interlude between chapter 6 and 7 here in the book of Ezra, which is where the events of the book of Esther took place. That's why we were reading Esther in the chronological order.0:45 Again, if you're new to this bible reading plan, I encourage you to get the the reading plan because it is chronological. You can find it at f r c dot o r g slash bible. Now the book of Esther concludes with the Jewish0:57 people finding favor with the general population as the people became fearful of the Jews. Now about 20 years after the closing of the events of Esther, the king of Persia funds a1:09 second wave of, almost 1500 captives returning to Jerusalem. It's actually 1496. They were pretty good at keeping records. Now Ezra is given the authority1:21 by Artaxerxes Xerxes to go to Jerusalem, beautify the temp temple, and bring spiritual and political order to the people. Now the chapter begins with a brief genealogy1:33 of Ezra, which goes back to Aaron through Phineas. Remember Phineas? He was the priest who saved the nation from the plague that broke out just as they were about to cross into the promised land because they1:45 worshiped the Baal of of Peor. That's back in Numbers chapter 25. Verse 7, chapter 7. Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the1:57 gatekeepers, the Neph and them came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of king Artaxerxes. Now the journey took place in 4 57 BC. Now the journey from Babylon2:08 back to Jerusalem took 4 months. Verse 8. And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. On the first day of the first month, he began his2:20 journey from Babylon. And on the first day of the fifth month, he came to Jerusalem according to the good hand of his god upon him. Now look at what that says. Okay? According to the good hand of2:32 god upon him. Now how many of you want the good hand of god upon you? I know I do. So why was the good hand of God upon him? Well, look at the next verse, verse 10.2:45 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Lord, the law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach statutes and ordinances in in Israel.2:57 In Matthew chapter 6 verse 33, a verse that I quote often, Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you. Now look where it started here for Ezra.3:09 Ezra had prepared. How? He studied the word of the Lord. Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord. He prioritized the word of God. And we're to do the same. First Timothy3:21 chapter 4 verse 15. Meditate, study on these things. Give yourself entirely to them that your progress may be evident to all. Over back over in Deuteronomy chapter 11 verse 19, you shall teach them3:33 to your children. How can you teach something that you don't understand yourself, that you don't know? Now the Holy Spirit will lead us in our understanding, but if we're gonna teach these3:45 as we've been instructed to do to our children, we have to first experience it ourselves. Speaking of them, when you sit in the house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. By the way,3:56 this is a part of our genesis of the, 21 day Bible challenge of, of challenging families for 21 days. Read the bible together through the book of Matthew. And I know4:08 you're already on the journey, but maybe your children, maybe have grown children, they have grandchildren. Maybe you wanna challenge them to join in this journey, or maybe you should take this to your small group or4:19 your Sunday school class or your pastor. And for 21 days, see what happens when families come together and read the word of God, which is what we've been instructed to do.4:31 He focused on the word of God. In Joshua chapter 1 verse 8, when Joshua was about to cross into the promised land leading the people in and he took over his leader, he was instructed,4:44 the book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. I mean, how can we obey the word of4:56 god if we don't know the word of god? And how do we not how do we know the word of god if we don't read it? For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Now it5:07 didn't stop, Ezra. It didn't stop with him just reading it and knowing it. We have to live by the word of God. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of5:19 the lord, and look what it says, and do it. See, the word of God is the source of life. Matthew 4 4, and he answered and said to them, it is written, man shall not live by5:31 red alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. It's a daily undertaking. You know, Jesus said in in Matthew 6, give us this day our daily bread. Well, if we need5:43 bread every day to eat, to nourish our bodies, Just think how much more we need the word of God. It's it was the it's the direction for life. Psalm 1 195:55 1 0 5, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path. In James 1 22, it says, be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,6:07 he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. So knowing it, doing it, prepared Ezra6:19 to what? Teach others. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. This is where we need parents.6:30 This is where we need grandparents. This is where we need pastors. This is where we need Sunday school teachers. This is where we need to be as believers. We need to search,6:42 seek the law of the Lord, to apply it to our lives so then we might teach it to others. See, we teach the word by instruction in Exodus chapter 18 verse 20, and you shall teach them6:54 by the statutes and the laws and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Deuteronomy 6 7. You shall teach them diligently7:06 to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. And then in first Timothy, the New Testament, Paul writes in, first Timothy 4 11,7:19 these things command and teach. And then we we not only teach by instruction in in in Ezra as well. We are to teach the word by example in7:30 Exodus 18 20, and you shall teach them the statutes and the laws and show them the way in which they must walk in work the work they must do. You see,7:43 this this call for us is to know the word of God, to seek the word of God, to do the word of God, and to teach the word of God. Now is this instruction just for Ezra because he was a priest?7:55 I mean, this has no application to us. No. Guess what? If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you are a part of the royal priesthood. Peter8:07 talks about that. First Peter 2 verse 9, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of8:19 darkness into his marvelous light. This is for all of us. Alright? We need to seek the word of God. We need to do the word of God, and then we need to teach8:31 and share the word of God. Verse 11, now this is a copy of the letter that king Xerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandment of the8:42 Lord and his statutes to Israel. Now a couple of observations. I'm not gonna read the whole letter. You can read it. A couple of observations, though, from this letter. Number 1, God's provisions. Look at verse 20. And8:53 whatever more may be needed from the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide pay for from the king's treasury. He's saying, alright. You you that they take9:05 they're gonna take back, and and and we'll look at this later, but they took back, over 300000000 dollars in today's value of gold and silver. But the king gave them a letter saying if you need anything9:17 else, you just give it to the the king's treasury beyond the river, the treasurer. That's God's provision. Verse 24, here's a principle that is found in our own tax system9:29 today. Now we we see this. If you look, people say, well, you know, there's nothing in our system of government that suggest that we're a Christian nation. Now we were not founded as a9:41 nation that is a theocracy, and that's what's meant by those saying we're a Christian nation. We are a nation founded on biblical principles. Alright? These Christian yes. We're9:53 Christian in that sense that we are a nation founded on biblical principles. You can see those throughout our constitution. Okay? For instance, there's a principle in our own tax system today here. Verse 24, also10:05 we inform you that you it it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, or servants of the house of God. Now that that's there is a,10:17 a pastoral, exemption for taxes today, and that's been in our system from the very beginning. And it goes back to this. Verse 25 notice verse 25. And you, as according10:29 to your God given wisdom, set up magistrates and judges who will judge all the people who are in the region beyond the river, all such as know the laws of your God and teach beyond the river, all such as know the laws of10:37 your god and teach those who do not know them. Whoever will not observe the law of your god and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death or10:48 banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment. So why is this gentile king giving instructions to a Jewish priest to set up civil leaders who11:00 know the word of God. That's what he's telling him to do, set up a government, set up civil leaders who understand the word of God. Here's why. A people governed by their11:12 God would be less of a problem for him. You see, this is something that many of our leaders fail to understand today as they drive God and the Bible and prayer out of the public square11:24 is that if we have a people who are submitted to a holy God who sees and observes everything, guess what? They would be less of a problem for the civil11:35 leaders. They undermine their own authority and power by denying the authority and power of god. Now how encouraging is it when our lives are in11:47 alignment with God where his favor can be upon us individually and collectively as a nation? Verse 27. Blessed be the God of our fathers who has put such a thing as this in the11:59 king's heart to beautify the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king's mighty princes. So I was12:11 encouraged as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me. Now a couple of observations from chapter 8, which really12:23 provides a roll call of who went up, they're very good at keeping, inventory names, records. Very good. Now they had made their plans,12:35 but they needed God's direct hand of guidance and protection. Verse 21. Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river, Ahava, that we might humble ourselves12:47 before our God to seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and12:59 horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road because we had spoken to the king saying the hand of our God is upon us, all those for good who seek him, but his13:11 power and his wrath are against those who forsake him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and he answered our prayer. So they they were going back, and it was, this 4 month13:23 journey took them through, some very dangerous places. There were a lot of bandits, and and he didn't wanna boast about God being for them and13:34 with them, but then asked the king, hey. Can you send some, soldiers with us to protect us? I think this is a great passage. Now in verses 24 through 30, he separates 12 leaders of the priest and13:46 divides up the valuables, which would minimize the loss if they were attacked by raiders. And as I mentioned, this was over 300000000 dollars worth of gold and13:58 silver in today's value. This is a lot of money. They were carrying back a lot of valuables. So was dividing this up among the leaders a sign of a lack of faith? I mean, they here they14:10 were praying to god, protect us, bring us back, but then he also took these steps to divide up these valuables among the 12 leaders. Well, you know what? I don't think so. I think it14:22 was an example of doing our part, what god has given us the wisdom and the ability to do, but then trusting god with the rest. What a great passage. This is really and it's gonna get even14:34 better. The next, the next couple of chapters are even better. Father, thank you for your word, and we thank you for the insight and the understanding that we can gain from your word. Your14:46 lord, as the psalmist wrote, your word makes me stronger and wiser than my enemies. Lord, I pray that the holy spirit would lead us in this journey, that we would glean from this the14:57 truths and the principles of your word and how they apply to our lives into this world in which we live. And I pray like Ezra that we would seek to know your word. We would seek to do your word,15:09 and we would seek to instruct others in walking according to your word. And, father, I pray like Ezra and as we've seen with others and as we'll see with Nehemiah in the days ahead.15:22 Lord, may your favor be upon us. Lord, we need your favor and your guidance. And as we humble ourselves before you, seeking you, lord, may your15:34 favor rest upon us in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Until next time. Keep standing on the word.15:44 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you15:56 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Ezra's Journey and God's Favor
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