The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Scribe” it comes from the Hebrew Word “sopher” which means “scribe, one skilled in the law.”
A skilled scribe arrives in Jerusalem, sent by the king himself to teach God’s law. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Ezra 7.
After these events, during the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, Ezra, a descendant of Aaron traced back through a long priestly lineage, comes up from Babylon, a ready “scribe,” “sopher” in Hebrew, in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given, and the king grants him everything he requests, since the hand of the Lord his God is upon him.
Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, to do it, and to teach statutes and judgments in Israel, and Artaxerxes issues a letter granting Ezra authority to lead any willing Israelites, priests, and Levites back to Jerusalem, along with silver and gold freely offered by the king and his counselors for the God of Israel’s house, and commands the royal treasurers beyond the river to supply whatever else Ezra requests for the temple, up to specified amounts of silver, wheat, wine, and oil, with salt without limit.
Artaxerxes also grants that anyone skilled to teach the laws of Ezra’s God should teach those who do not know them, and exempts the priests, Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, and other temple ministers from paying tribute, toll, or custom. Ezra blesses the Lord God of his fathers, who put such a thing as this into the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, and who extended mercy to him before the king and his counselors, giving Ezra courage to gather leaders from Israel to go up with him.
Ezra’s careful preparation, seeking the law, doing it personally, then teaching it to others, in exactly that order, models the proper sequence for genuine spiritual leadership, personal obedience always preceding public instruction. Artaxerxes’ remarkably generous letter, granting Ezra such extensive authority and resources, again shows God working through foreign rulers to accomplish His purposes for His returning people.
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