“Panic not, fear not, worry not, blame not, complain not, condemn not and criticize not, BUT Trust God, Have Faith, Be Hygienic, Stay home, socially distance, Mask Up, Pray always, love people, worship God, reach out and Serve society” Isaac De-Graft Takyi
“Self-discipline is the ability to give yourself a command and keep it” unknown.
Key Scriptures:
9 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. 10 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. Ezra 7:9:10
9 He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. 10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. Ezra 7:9-10 NIV.
How does a person survive during crisis days? Uncertain days like this covidic era? I believe the difference will be to have the precious hand of God on our lives. How do we ensure that? I want to submit through this article that we can follow the example of the priest called Ezra. He devoted himself to study the word of God, obey the word of God and teach the word of God to others.
Let us begin with some definitions of terms:
- Study: The devotion of time and attention to acquiring knowledge on an academic subject. A detailed investigation and analysis of a subject or situations. The ability to give serious thought or consideration to, or the careful investigation and examination of, something or somebody. Archaic-English—The acquisition of a fortune
- Obey: Comply with the command, request, or direction of, submit to the authority of, to behave in accordance with, a principle, a law particularly, God’s law—God’s Word.
- Teach: To show or to explain to someone how to do something. Encourage someone to accept something as a fact, a principle, or the truth of Scripture. To teach is to inculcate both the ceremonial and the moral precepts[i]
Let us jump in:
The trip, by way of Carchemish, would have been some eight or nine hundred miles. It was a long, hot, dangerous trip (8:21–22), but it only took the group a little more than three and a half months to travel to Jerusalem, averaging about ten miles a day. Again, we have the author’s emphasis on God’s providence in working out all the details and in protecting Ezra and those with him. The next verse explains why God’s hand was upon Ezra.
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STUDY: STUDY THE WORD OF THE LORD:
7:10 “Had devoted himself to” is literally “had set his heart on.” Ezra had dedicated all of himself and all his life to this wonderful ministry. In “study, observance of the Law … and to teaching” we have the secret of Ezra’s impact. He loved God’s Word and God’s people. He had “devoted himself” to the three things mentioned, but not as a hobby or pastime activity. He had devoted himself to the “study” of God’s law, to its “observance,” and to “teaching” it.
Ezra was not just an editor; he devoted himself to “study” (from dāraš, “seek,” describing a careful search) God’s revelation, which had been handed down from his ancestors. All the Bible emphasizes the “Word of God.” By His word He created everything, by His word He directs history, and through the inspired word of His prophets He has chosen to reveal himself. God has seen fit to give special place to His written Word. This Word is shaper and powerful than any double edge sword.
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OBSERVE: OBEY THE WORD OF THE LORD
Ezra also dedicated himself to the “observance of the Law of the Lord.” Ezra put emphasis on God’s commands, on the legal content; but the “law of the Lord” must include at least all of the Pentateuch (see Introduction). Study is of little value if one does not also obey God’s will, which is made known in his Commandments. The Old Testament does not look upon the law as a heavy weight or something negative but as a guide to a healthy society. It is truthfully the royal law of liberty, a divinely inspired ethical guide. Most of the legal material in the Pentateuch shows the application of these ethical principles to specific life situations. It is in the area of ethics where theology most affects everyday life. To study or “seek” the law means to determine its implications for daily life. As McConville has written, “The model teacher in Ezra is a doer. And the doer can be no mere demonstrator. He must be what he would have his disciples be.”
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TEACH: TRANSFER THE WORD OF THE LORD
God’s people always need “teaching.” A great percentage of the work of the church is discipling, nurturing, teaching. More than just the imparting of facts, this involves training in righteousness and motivating believers to love and obey God. It includes learning what a biblical view signifies for practical life today. As followers of Christ we show our love, devotion and commitment to God by the study, obeying and transferring the truth to other people.
Study observe (obey), then teach is the correct order. God’s revelation has for its purpose the ordering of His people’s lives. There are no easy solutions or quick recipes to solve life’s problems. God needs men and women who will devote their lives to this ministry. These three aspects of ministry are interdependent. One called by God to teach must also study and obey.
CONCLUSION
It is noteworthy that Ezra’s little summary of the expedition gives no hint of the initial disappointment and delay, the fasting and prayer, and the dangers of such a journey, which will emerge in the full account. Here, however, we learn the length of time involved (four months, verse 9), and in verse 10 the secret of Ezra’s lasting influence. He is a model reformer in that what he taught he had first lived, and what he lived he had first made sure of in the Scriptures. With study, conduct and teaching put deliberately in this right order, each of these was able to function properly at its best: study was saved from unreality, conduct from uncertainty, and teaching from insincerity and shallowness.[ii]
In trying times be devoted to study, obey and teach God’s word daily.
Let us read the scriptures again in another version:
7-9 Many ordinary people as well as priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple workers traveled with him. They left Babylon in the middle of March in the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes and arrived at Jerusalem in the month of August; for the Lord gave them a good trip. 10 This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the laws of the Lord and to become a Bible teacher, teaching those laws to the people of Israel. Living Bible
[i] Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Ezra (p. 102). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
[ii] Kidner, D. (1979). Ezra and Nehemiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 12, pp. 70–71). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
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