God's Choice for Leadership
Living as Exiles for our Faithful God • Sermon • Submitted
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Ezra (7) is a new section in this story of Ezra. There is actually around 60 years between the ending of chapter 6 and the beginning of chapter 7. We read in verse 1 that the context is the “reign of Artaxerxes” and this is the Persian king Artaxerxes I who reigned from 465-424. This would make the rebuilding of the temple under King Darius, led by Zerubabbel in 516 BC. Verse 7 tells us it was the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes and so Ezra returned to Jersualem the year of 458 BC.
A recap of dates would look as so:
The first wave of Jewish exiles return under Zerrubabbel 539 BC
Temple foundation is laid 537 BC
Temple work resumes after stoppage 520 BC
Temple work completed 516 BC
Second wave of exiles return under Ezra 458 BC
I. Lineage (vs. 1-5)
I. Lineage (vs. 1-5)
People in our lineage
There is an emphasis in verses 1-5 on the lineage of Ezra. This validates Ezra as a leader of the people because he is from the lineage of Aaron. Ezra traces back that lineage, obviously skipping some generations along the way and yet still tracing his lineage back to Aaron who was the appointed priest under Moses.
There are some names here I want to highlight as we consider this lineage before us of Ezra:
Aaron we know as the brother of Moses and the lineage which the high priest office was established through him and his offspring. His son Eleazar is also mentioned and became a great high priest for Israel. What is astounding is that this is the same Aaron who led the people of Israel to idolatry when they made the golden calf at Mt Sinai.
We also have Hilkiah who was high priest during the reign of Josiah in 2 Kings. We know this story as a story of reformation in Israel’s history when they rediscover the law of God that had been neglected for so long in the kingdom. They literally find copies of God’s word neglected and hidden away which testifies of the rejection of God’s word in Israel’s day./ Hilkiah is able to read the words of the law to the King Josiah and swift reforms took place through this time in Israel under their leadership.
Interpretation of our lineage
Earthly Lineage DOESN’T MATTER: Good or bad, the lineage is important to the Jews as its testifies not about the people in the lineage but instead about the power of God to continue a lineage of faithful priests in the line of Aaron. Aaron had his failures as a human being and in his fallenness, God shines bright as the one who looks not at a person’s heritage in consideration of his use of that person God’s glory. Ezra is a faithful priest and scribe, not because he is from Aaron’s line, but because of his love for YHWH and and obedience to His word.
As you consider your ability to be a Christ-honoring leader, you must understand your past does not matter. Don’t let the previous decisions of your family tree define your present, because you are not responsible for what your descendants have done. You are not in bondage to their history, you are responsible to the history that God is writing in and through your life.
Spiritual LINEAGE ALSO DOES MATTER. The truth is that we are all descendants of Adam and therefore the best we can hope for in this earthly life is that Adam’s sin has been passed on to all humanity. If our lineage determines our future, then life is hopeless.
Romans 5:12 “12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”
But Jesus came to transform or lineage from Adam to Christ through his death and resurrection. Now, when we put our faith in Jesus, he bears the weight of our sin and our lineage changes....through our adoption in His name.
Romans 5:18-19 “18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
Eph 1:5 “5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”
Our Leadership then IS dependent on the lineage that we have in Christ as his sons and daughters. This is where we rest in Him as our Lord and who we find our value in. Satan wants to accuse us based on our past lineage and point us to all the failures we have committed or our ancestors have committed, that would disqualify us from being good leaders in our home or community. If your parents were abusive, negligent, or unkind, what does that have to do with a young parent who love Jesus and follows his word in re: to leading in holiness in the home.
Ezra was a good leader because of his faith in YHWH to use him mightily for his glory and that should be our
II. Responsibilities
II. Responsibilities
(vs. 6, 10)
(vs. 6, 10)
Now we look at the second aspect of God’s choice for leaders and that is there individual responsibilities before them. In all, God chooses leaders to accomplish his purposes in this world, and so God’s leaders should have a healthy and clear understanding of their roles given by God. I have a joke with my boss at work who hasn’t yet to give me a list of job responsibilities since I started 5 years ago so that there is no obstacles to what he asks me to do. I can never say, “that is not in my job description.” Whatever avenue of leadership you possess, be reminded that first and foremost followers of Jesus are called to accomplish those tasks each day for the glory of God.
1 cor 10:31
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
eph 5:5-8
5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Even though Paul writes to servants in the context of Ephesus, the principle still applies that the church living in holiness in the world, should accomplish our responsibilities in this world in order to please God and not men.
TRANSMISSION: Ezra was given the role of Scribe.
A scribe in history has an evolution of responsibilities as you look at the landscape of time. Scribes were originally copyists and were tasked with the transmission of words in written form. History does not show a literate people and therefore Scribes were able to read and write down important data of historical, kingly and religious significance. You can imagine that with such an important task, these Scribes were given more and more authority over time. Scribes were known to become advisor of wisdom for kings as they were needed for the success of empires and kingdoms.
Ps 45:1 “1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.”
The term “ready” in this Psalm 45 is the same Hebrew word used in Ezra 7 that describes Ezra as a “skillful scribe.” You can imagine that as a scribe there had to be a readiness for the task whenever those whom you served need the transcription of something.
INTERPRETATION: For the Jews, scribes also grew to do more than writes down the words of the prophets given by God. They began to be look at as interpreter of those words and students of the Scriptures. The Hebrew term mentioned earlier carries with it more than just a meaning of being swift to copy words but to be skillful with the words being written and studied. Therefore, the Scribe became a student of the word, more than ever in the period of Post-exile. This is where scribes really developed as interpreters of the law for the people. This takes us then to verse 10, where we read
Ezra 7:10
Ezra 7:10 (ESV)
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 the scribe determined, by the responsibilities given to him by God, to become a student of the law of God. He began that journey as a commitment in his heart. He knew that the study of the law of God begins in the heart that longs and yearns for God’s word, to understand it is to know God more clearly than before.
Psalm 19:7 (ESV)
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
There has to be clear understanding of the power behind these life giving words given to humanity by God. His word, or law, is that which “revives the soul” and that which makes the “simple man more wise.” That spiritual change happens because the word of God is living and breathing and the Lord is constantly working through it in all of humanity.
For the follower of Jesus today, we muse acknowledge and believe in the sufficiency of the word of God to bring about change in this life. When we accept God’s words as what we need for spiritual life change and transformation in godliness (2 Peter 1:3), then we will becomes students of the word whereby we dive deeply into all that feeds our souls. Many years ago my wife was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and we learned that there were two ways to go about treatment. There was radical path that included aggressive drugs similar to chemotherapy that would annihilate her immune system and potentially cause similar harm to her body. There was also a more natural way, that included a strict change to her diet. I watched her over the last 10 years, become a student of her body and the foods that she put into it. She studied labels, medical journals, websites all because it was a way for her to be healthy and live a longer life. She did whatever was necessary to learn and grow in this area for the sake of her physical well-being.
Church, I am thankful to see your love for God’s word and your desire to grow into his likeness by the deep study of God’s truth. Your faithfulness to God’s word as students of the Scriptures blesses the hearts of the elders who labor over feeding God’s word to you. Don’t give up. Press forward to learn and grow more and more by his word knowing that as you study, the Lord is making your simple mind wise according to his word.
INSTRUCTION: Ezra was not only committed to transmission, and interpretation, but finally instruction. Starting with Ezra and moving forward in time to Jesus day, the Scribe became not just a copyist, not just an interpreter, but a teacher of the law. The authority of the Scribe became significant moving forward and that authority was seen in the teaching ministry of the Scribe as he helped the people understand what God had given.
ezra 7:10 “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.”
If you look further down into next week’s text, even the King recognized this importance of teaching the statues of the Lord to the exiles in Jerusalem.
Ezra 7:25-26 “25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. 26 Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.””
As a teacher of Israel, the Scribal office was important like the office of pastor in the church today. He was tasked with rightly studying the word, obeying the word and teaching the word effectively. I want to challenge you this morning to consider the fact that as leaders in different spheres of this life, you too are called to pass on what you have learned. You may not be called formally to be a teacher in the church but as leaders who follow Christ, God has placed those around you who need “to be taught the words of God.” In the great commission, the implication is not just for the apostles to “teach them to obey all that I have commanded you” but all followers of Jesus to make disciples by teaching them God’s word.
As parents you are tasked to teach your kids the word of God. That primary responsibility falls upon you and you alone. Your church elders are in turn tasked to equip you for that task but that only goes so far as you listen to the preached word of God, as you dive deeper in God’s word with small group study and in your personal daily time in God’s word. Also, there may be opportunities for you to teach God’s word at your workplace, to co-workers who are seeking a deeper study and understanding of the Scriptures. Whatever opportunities you have, make sure to have a proper understanding of that text for God holds all teachers of His word accountable. Therefore, know what you teach well so that you don’t pass on heresy to others.
III. Character
III. Character
(vs.7-9)
(vs.7-9)
Thirdly, in relationship to Godly leadership, there is the aspects character. There is a strong emphasis throughout Scripture that leadership from God’s people must begin with their character. How do they act and live as followers of God in this wicked world?
Our passage deals with two characteristics of faithful leaders: obedience and courage.
Obedience : We see again in verse 10 that Ezra was one who studied the law of God, but also obeyed it personally in his own life. This is an important aspect of the godly character God requires in all his people, but especially those who teach it to other people. I would say that the greatest challenge in the study of God’s word for me, is not jumping into teacher mode before I first transition though Christian mode. I am a teacher by nature and I first must allow the Scripture to pour over my own soul before I can truly and passionately teach it to others. As I studied this passage this week, I reflected on questions like: How am I studying God’s word and applying God’s truths to my life? Am I seeking the obedience of God’s word before I call others to obedience?
We will never obey perfectly, and therefore the standard is not perfection in us. Instead, we trust in the perfections of Christ who was obedient to God’s word in every way for us. From a legal standpoint, God calls all people to “be perfect as your Father in heaven in perfect.” Jesus obeyed perfectly because it is impossible for humanity to do so. Therefore, with his death upon the cross and his resurrection, the slavery to sin and disobedience is broken and followers of Jesus are given two important gifts: righteousness and power. The righteouness we receive is not our own, Jesus shares his righteous perfection with us so that God looks upon us as perfect.
2 Cor 5:21 “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Not only imputation, but empowerment. We are helpless and lack the desire to obey God before Christ saves us. Obedience is a mark of the path of holiness and spiritual change in you birthed by the Holy Spirit. You can fake spiritual change for a brief time, but not for long. What is naturally in you always finds its way outward for the world to see. If the word of God and His Spirit is within, then that comes forth and if the world is in you, then likewise it comes forth. Author Jim Hamilton writes,
“If the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to cause you to see Jesus, you will not be able to continue in unrepentant disobedience. Paul commended the Ephesian elders to God and to the word of His grace, and he explained that the word was able to build them up and give them their inheritance among the saints (Acts 20:32). The Word will have its way in you. You will find Psalm 119:104 at work in your own heart and life: “I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore I hate every false way.” If you study the Bible, and if you know God, you will obey.”
(Hamilton, Jr., James M.. Exalting Jesus in Ezra-Nehemiah (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) . B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. )
Courage: There is also courage demonstrated by God’s people throughout history. Its a supernatural courage that the Spirit gives typically fearful people because God’s word has declared God’s power to do the impossible. His power to rescue coupled with his power to save the soul of man for eternity gives followers of Jesus courage to do impossible and scary things for God.
Zerrubabbel had courage to stand against the opposition during the 1st wave of exiles returning. Now Ezra seems to demonstrate courage by going to Artaxerxes and seeking to return as well with another group. In 7:6 we read
Ezra 7:6 “6 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, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.”
It appears that the desire to return to his homeland manifested into a request by Ezra to the Persian king. Ezra even notes in
Ezra 7:28 “.. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.”
There is such a need for people of God to take courage in God at this moment in our history. As our religious freedom erode, there will come a time that the church will need to take a stand against the over-reach of this government and say, we are bound by our conscience and the laws of God and we will not move forward with your requests. We will be like Peter in the book of Acts who was told by local officials they could not preach Jesus as God instructed them to do. Peter declared courageously, “I must obey God rather than man.”
Church, take courage in this day and do not succumb to fear because of the loud voices in this society. You know God’s word and what it teaches. Please do not allow these evil voices to persuade you that God’s word has changed nor believe the narrative that hundreds of years of faithful interpretation of God’s word has been skewed or biased and there is some new hermeneutic to understand God’s word. God’s word does not change. Our command to love people and stand for truth has not changed. Let’s stand no matter the consequences that come to our doorstep. Remember the martyr Polycarp, a disciples of John, who faced being burned at the stake for his faith in christ. The authorities offered him an escape if he would renounce Christ in his old age of 86, he replied:
“I have served Christ eighty-six years and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King? I am a Christian.”- Polycarp
A. Cabaniss, “Polycarp,” ed. J.D. Douglas and Philip W. Comfort, Who’s Who in Christian History (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992), 573.
IV. Outcome (vs. 10)
IV. Outcome (vs. 10)
This leads to the final observation for my text and a theme repeated about Ezra as God’s choice for leader. Ezra was blessed by God. In Ezra 7:6 and verse 9 and 28, we are told that God blessed the work of Ezra because “his good hand was upon him.” First, it is important to focus on the outcome of good leadership foremost begins with praising and glorifying God. It was the good hand of God that causes the outcomes with Ezra. In God’s goodness, Ezra was a successful leader. It was not about Ezra’s goodness or his abilities. It was solely about God’s working in him to bring about his good purposes. Whatever accompliments that we have as leaders in our jobs in our homes or in our churches, SOLI DEO GLORIA. God saves our children from his wrath. God establishes the steps of success in our businesses and our trades. God opens doors of opportunity in our communities. God builds his church.
As God blesses he work of our hands, let’s us praise him and let us be encouraged. Laboring for the Lord as leaders is not an easy task but when we see fruit of that work manifested, let us stop and be encouraged in God’s grace that we were able to experience such a gift from him. God will bless his people and he will work miraculously through them. Do not be disheartened and do not neglect the small victories and outcomes that God reveals.
The danger is we are a culture with large expectations. We feed off of big crowds, big budgets, and big outcomes. But big is not always blessing. Big oftentimes reeks of the wrong side of God’s plan. Remember that God chose to use a small shepherd boy to slay a giant, a small nation to being forth the messiah, a small and uneducated group of disciples to start the church, a lowly manger to birth the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.