Ezra 7 (Part 2) Bible Study (Ezra Sent to Teach the People) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Book of Ezra Series)

So let's turn in our Bibles now to Ezra Chapter 7.

Ezra 7 · chapter mention

And if you're already there, place your finger at verse 11 of

that chapter. As you know, Ezra Chapter 7

Ezra 7 · chapter mention

introduces us for the first time, the man Ezra.

The man Ezra, we know that he's the author of this book, but we

are now seeing him in action for the first time in this section

of scripture. And we learn much about Ezra in

the 1st 10 verses of this chapter.

If you were there a couple of weeks ago, you will remember.

And one of the main things that are highlighted about this

significant individual redemptive history is that he is

from the line of Aaron. The Holy Spirit records for us

in great detail his ancestry. And the reason why we are

supposed to know his lineage is because the author wants us to

be certain that there is divine approval behind Ezra's spiritual

leadership, especially as he is now planning to make his way

back to Jerusalem and guide and instruct and inspire the remnant

who had preceded him. And so Ezra wants us to know

that God has called them to be a priest and that God has called

them and given the authority to operate as a spiritual leader

for this moment. But that is not the only

approval that Ezra wants us to know about for the remainder of

this chapter. He's about to inform us that he

also received commendation. He also received consent from

the king of the Persian Kingdom, who's known as Arctic Xerxes.

In fact, that's really what's going to be found here.

And the rest of these verses. It's going to be a decree, yet

another letter from a foreign king who is going to spell out

his significant support for this man, Ezra, as he is planning to

make his way back to the Holy Land.

Now here's a question I have. Why do we need to know about it?

Why is it important for us to see a copy of the letter that

King Art Exertes gave to Ezra the priest?

And I believe the answer is quite obvious.

The Holy Spirit, through Ezra, wants to show us, especially the

immediate audience, the extent of God's approval of this man's

mission and ministry. In other words, more than Ezra

informing us that he comes from the priestly line, he wants to

also show that the king of the Persian authorities is backing

him up as well. That.

God sovereignly working on behalf of Ezra to this extent.

And the result of that, at least the desired outcome, is that the

people of God would have greater confidence in Ezra's leadership

as they hear about this testimony.

Oh, not only is he coming from Aaron's line, but even

Artaxerxes is offering generous support and a grant and, and all

this backing for him to do exactly what he hopes to do.

And I'm aware that up to this point in our study, we've looked

at a couple of decrees from royal individuals, right?

We saw Cyrus's decree, the opening of the book of Ezra in

chapter 1, and then we saw Darius's edict in Chapter 6.

And so now we come to another one.

And the temptation is that this is quite similar as you're about

to read to what we've already discovered.

And so maybe we'll just skimp Passover it.

And you've been here at this Bible study long enough to

understand that you should never, ever do that, even with

texts that seem repetitive because there are unique

qualities in this specific charge.

And I want to highlight at least one major difference between

this one and the ones that we've already looked at.

So if you're there in Ezra 7, I told you to plant your finger at

verse 11, but scroll back to verse 6 for a moment.

We've already covered this couple of weeks ago, but let's

look at it again. Ezra 7, verse 6 reads this.

Ezra 7:6

Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was ascribed, 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.

So this summary is extremely helpful in clarifying the

background of this edict. Unlike the decrees of Cyrus and

Darius, Artaxerxes letter is a response to the prompting of a

request by a man, namely Ezra. In other words, when it came to

Cyrus and Darius, what moved them to move favorably for and

on behalf of the people of God was a direct work of God.

God himself intervened, and he did something in their inner

being to move them into action, right?

It was a clear sovereign thing. But when we come to this point

and and this letter and this king, we see something a little

bit different. Not that God is not at work.

We're going to see that God is at work here, but more than

that, everything that it's about to unfold and be set into motion

is due to the courage and the conviction of a single

individual. In other words, Ezra approaches

Artaxerxes, and what Artaxerxes is going to give him permission

for is a response to this man's faith.

So here's what this means for us.

There are going to be moments for the church and for

individual believers where God will sovereignly intervene in a

situation apart from our initial involvement.

And in those moments we have to recognize that He is opening a

door and He is creating an opportunity to advance His

purposes. And we as believers have to

develop the alertness and the discernment to seize those

moments when they come right. We have to recognize that God at

times will pave a way, and we have to step on it and walk

ahead lest we forfeit an opportunity.

But then, on the other hand, there are times when the Lord

will only move when we move first.

That's exemplified by Ezra. His example reminds us that

there are certain things that will not happen unless we

initiate, initiate prayerful, scripture, informed and wise

actions that demonstrate what our faith that manifests what

our eagerness. So listen very carefully.

There are going to be times where you and I have to wait on

the Lord because there's nothing else you can do.

Like I've done everything. I've exhausted all my options.

And so God, you have to come through and they're going to be

other times where God is actually waiting for you and

things will not take place unless you understanding who God

is and what he asks of you. Step out.

In obedience, step out trusting the Lord.

And what we're about to witness in the rest of this chapter is

God honoring the faith of this priest who had a desire that was

awakened by his study of the Scriptures to play a part in

God's work in Jerusalem. So I hope that one observation,

we'll excite you to explore the rest of this letter.

And we're going to seek to do that by reading it in sections.

It's a fairly long 1. So what we're going to do is

just take it bit by bit, stop, meditate and reflect as we go

through. So let's begin in Ezra Chapter

Ezra 7:11

7, verse 11 down to verse 16. Engage your minds, don't allow

yourself to be distracted at the reading of God's Word.

And let's see what the Lord will say to us.

Now this is a copy of the letter that King Arctic Xerxes gave to

Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the

commandments of the Lord and his statutes for Israel, Artaxerxes,

king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of

the God of heaven. Peace.

And now I make a decree that any one of the people of Israel or

their priests or Levites in my Kingdom, who freely offers to go

to Jerusalem, may go with you. For you were sent by the king

and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and

Jerusalem, according to the law of your God, which is in your

hand. And also to carry the silver and

gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered

to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem.

With all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole

province of Babylonia and with the free will offerings of the

people and the priests vowed willingly for the House of their

God that is in Jerusalem. So we're going to learn that

Artaxerxes make several demands in the case of Ezra and the

people of God, and many of them are very familiar to the ones

that we've already explored in previous decrees.

But there is one that stands out from the verses that we just

read, and it's highlighted there in verse 14.

Look at it one more time, Artaxerxy says.

For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make

inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law

of your God, which is in your hand.

Here's how this translate translates.

Ezra, I'm commissioning you and whoever wants to go with you to

go and investigate those who preceded you into Jerusalem.

And I want you to figure out their spiritual condition.

I want you to see if they are living up to the standard of

God's revealed will. Now we have to remember that Art

Exertes is giving permission and approval to what Ezra had

requested. Remember that, right?

Verse 6, That's how we're going to have to frame this letter

with that as our basis. This is Art Exertes responding

to a list of requests that Ezra himself made, which tells us

what is Ezra's top priority as he seeks to go back to Jerusalem

before anything else. What Ezra longs to do is to

determine that after all these years, if the people who went

ahead to Jerusalem are still abiding in God's law.

And this already tells us what Ezra's main mission is.

When we looked at Zerubbabel between chapters one and six,

who went with the first wave of people from Babylon back to

Jerusalem, He was called by God to focus on the rebuilding of

what? The temple.

Good. We're going to study Nehemiah

after we finish Ezraim, we're almost done.

What's Nehemiah's calling? What?

What was it laid upon his heart to focus on the rebuilding of

the walls? Ezra, the one in the middle, his

concern, his passion, his drive is to build the.

People, the people of God. And that shows here in this

letter. Go and inquire and see if the

people are still abiding by the law, if they're still observing

it. And this actually teaches us

what true spiritual leadership looks like.

There. There is a characteristic here

that reveals the heart of a true leader in God's house.

Conforming to Christ like this is not just a personal goal for

a leader. They also possess the ambition

for others to pursue it as well. They have this this drive,

desire, passion that those who are under their care would grow

consistently in Christ likeness. And with that concern there is a

commitment to help them pursue that.

And I was looking at this and thinking about Ezra, who not

just had a passion for God's Word, but had a passion for

others to love it. And I began to just survey the

New Testament especially. Is there any trace of that in

spiritual leadership found in the New Covenant?

And I mean Paul alone. And this verse sprung up in my

heart. Do you remember what he said to

the Galatians? In Galatians 4, verse 19, it

Galatians 4:19

says, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish

of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.

What a remarkable thing for somebody to say.

This man, Paul, had this unbelievable sense of turmoil in

the depths of his soul to such a degree that the only way that he

he can explain it is by relating it to one of the most painful

things a woman can endure physically, and that is

childbirth. And what was the reason for this

inner pain, emotional distress, this spiritual angst?

What was the reason for it? Well, he learned that the

Galatians, the people that he led to Christ, have now pushed

the Lord aside and have made other pursuits more central.

And in their case it was legalism.

You know, there are some professing Christians, even

genuine Christians, who will venture off into lawlessness,

others into lukewarmness. And there are some, like the

Galatians, who become attracted to.

Legalism, and this was the problem with.

With this church and here, here's the core concern for Paul

as revealed in that one verse. The formation of the truth and

the character of Christ came to a standstill among these

believers. And he he's, he's being very

transparent here. Up to this point in Galatians,

he was very theological. He's making all these different

arguments and cases about justification by faith and

trusting in the finished work of Christ.

And then he he gets very personal here.

And what's remarkable is that the reason why he felt this pain

is because he related to these Christians as a father with his

children. Isn't that how he identifies

them? My not just children, little

children. I mean, if your children are

grown, you relate to them differently than when they were

young. So he's very specific.

He says, my little children, Can you imagine a spiritual leader

addressing those who he ministers to in such a way?

My little children, why is he speaking this way?

Because he wants to convey something.

You don't have to be a parent to know that when somebody has a

child, everything in their life revolves around that child.

And all the parents said, Amen. Any loving mother, any loving

father understands that all their activities, all their

responsibilities, all their plans orbits around the

well-being of their child. And what Paul is saying here to

them is that's how I feel about you.

Listen, I saw you come to Christ and it's as though he's saying

through my preaching, my ministry, you were born again.

And I want to let you know something when you were born

again, something was born in me. A love and a care for you as a

father would cherish their own offspring.

And listen, any loving parent can also testify that they would

not remain settled. They would be deeply disturbed

if their child never grew at a proper rate.

Well, let's think about it physically.

How would you feel if your son, your daughter never developed in

their stature? They remain at the same height,

the same weight, the same eating habits, at a fifth grade level

or at five years old. Then when they were five months

old, wouldn't that shake you? Wouldn't that keep you up at

night? Wouldn't that spring you into

some kind of action? Well, let's let's think about it

mentally. What, what would you do if one

of your children who was supposed to be in the eighth

grade class is still in the third grade class sitting at the

same desk because they show little interest, no interest in

education and studying and developing.

That would do something to you as well.

And here's what Paul is saying. I'm concerned because the

formation of Christ that should be developing in you is not

something has stunted your growth, and it is the spiritual

diet of false teachers who have crept into your churches.

So you see what he's saying here?

He's showing that he deeply loves them.

He deeply cares for them. He's concerned not just with

their salvation, but their growth.

And I'm saying all of this for you and I to be able to properly

identify who who is a true biblical godly leader, because

there's all these strange ideas of what a leader in God's house

should be. And one of the marks of a true

leader is found in the same context where Paul says my

little children. So just a few verses back, he

says in Galatians 416, have I then become your enemy by

telling you the truth? That's the same breath.

That's the same context. So Paul, if you put this

together wants to let them know that him confronting them in

their error to them they translated as you don't you

don't love us and you don't care for us and you're not gentle

with us. And a few verses later he goes

you're you're my children. And any loving parent would

prescribe what is beneficial to the health of their children,

even if they're flesh doesn't enjoy it in the moment.

So how do you know if a spiritual leader truly loves

you? How do you know if a true, a

spiritual leader is truly committed to your sanctification

and your walk with Christ? They're going to speak the truth

to you. They're going to they're going

to develop an understanding of God's Word first for it to be

developed in them and then for it to be communicated to you.

And it's amazing that Paul, even in this, we can't get into it.

He contrasts himself with the false teachers and he admits

that the false teachers were the Galatians were very invested in

them, but for a different purpose and a different motive.

Listen, there are false teachers out there who will intentionally

avoid the truth and they may come off as loving and gentle,

compassionate by doing so. And I want you to hear me very

carefully. A person who manipulates, who

massages, who avoids things that will benefit God's people in the

name of a pseudo love. They don't really love you.

They love themselves. They care about themselves.

They they don't care about Christ being formed in you.

They want you to benefit them. And if they have to avoid the

truth, sometimes the hard truth in order to achieve it, they

will do it to win an audience. And Paul, you're reminding them,

listen, I love you enough to speak the truth to you, to wield

the scriptures, to apply the the truths of the gospel and holy

writ, even if it disturbs you in the moment, if it shakes you, it

convicts you. If it cuts you, so be it.

I care for you. And so I bring up Paul because I

see something similar in Ezra. I see Ezra who is requesting

something of the King of Persia. And one of the top things is,

oh, let me go back to check on them, on their growth.

According to the law, here's Paul saying, you belong to me

and I care for you and am I now your enemy because I speak the

truth to you? You want to know who who really

loves you? Who's really called by God for

your benefit? What do they do with the truth

in your life? A leader is more than somebody

who just spends time with you. A leader is more than somebody

who just answers the phone at the late hours of the night.

Those things are wonderful, but sinners can spend time with you,

and sinners can help you in a time of need.

But sinners don't care about Christ being formed in you.

True leadership does. And they will always use the

word of God first in their own lives and as a reflection of

their own encounter with it into the lives of those around them.

But Ezra is not just going back to examine the spirituality of

the Jews in Jerusalem. He's also returning with an

outstanding financial aid signed off by Artaxerxes.

We already read it in verse 15 and 16, but he continues.

So come back to the main text in Ezra 7.

Look at verse 17. We'll read down to verse 20.

He goes on to say, with this money then you shall with all

diligence buy bulls, Rams, and lambs, with their grain

offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer

them on the altar of the House of your God that is in

Jerusalem. Whatever seems good to you and

your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you

may do according to the will of your God.

The vessels that have been given you for the service of the House

of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem.

And whatever else is required for the House of your God, which

a fault which falls to you to provide, you may provide it out

of the King's treasury. So this seems almost like an

echo of the previous decrees, right?

Whatever you need financially, whatever you need for your

offerings, whatever need for your worship, we'll back it up,

we'll support it, We'll provide the means for it for you to be

able to worship. But like what we just read

earlier, there is something that stands out and it's in verse 18.

Look at it again, Artaxerxes says.

Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the

rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of

your God. This is amazing.

Artaxerxes tells Ezra that any surplus remaining from the

donations is left to the discretion of him and the

leadership of how it should be spent.

That's what he's saying here. He's really trusting in Ezra and

you get the sense that he's developed a relationship with

Ezra for him to be able to do this.

So we're just going to give you all of this and whatever is

extra. Well, we just trust that you'll

be able to know what to do with it.

But there's an important caveat. What is it?

The last part of verse 18 according to the will of your

God. So those are the guardrails.

Those are the boundaries. Now remember, art exert sees as

we're about. To find out by the end of this

letter he's being moved by the Lord.

To give these commands. So that's just something about a

principle that God is laying out.

And one of the things that we can take from this is like the

redeem in Ezra's day. We must be mindful of the will

of God even in our finances. And when Christians think about

the will of God, seldom does money become a consideration.

So many other factors rush into our minds when we think about

what is God's will for my life. But I see a reminder here in

this story with Ezra. I see that God not only has a

revealed purpose for our purity, for our worship, for our

relationship, for our spiritual gifts, He actually has a plan

for what you and I should do with our possessions.

And it's very simple. Know what God's will is, right?

That's all Ezra and his brothers needed to know.

What, what would God have us do with how God sovereignly and

kindly and providentially places into our pockets, places into

our bank accounts? And so you and I, I take this as

a cue to develop and to train ourselves to be mindful of God's

will. In that area, in that area, let

me just offer a very. Practical point of discipleship.

I would encourage you to regularly pray and tell the Lord

in that time of fellowship that all you have belongs to Him.

Say it, confess it, admit it, and if you're married, do it

with your spouse from time to time.

Lord, all that we have is yours. Every piece of furniture, every

corner of this house, every dollar in our bank account,

everything that we're saving up for our children, it's all

yours. I'll tell you something that

will overtime give you the proper perspective of your

materials, of your possessions and go beyond that.

Once you acknowledge that joyfully and with excitement,

with faith, ask Him from time to time, OK, Lord, what would you

have us do? With our money, what would you

have us do? And this is just.

One simple act that will help you and I detach ourselves from

the things that want to grip our hearts and our affections.

And more than that, you'd be amazed to know how the Lord will

impress your heart to invest in His Kingdom and for eternity.

If you're serious about this, if you want to excel in this grace,

also invite the Lord into it. Invite the Lord into it and you

will know a holy joy and delight in an area that you thought

might have been stressful or tempting.

Oh, it can become glorious. So even Ezra here was told by

the king who ultimately is being instructed by God.

I'm giving you this. And there are some things that

you have to with non negotiables, confront and deal

with. But even what's extra, keep

God's mind and will in your mind and in your will, and that will

make you and I that much closer. To being conformed to all that

God has for us. Well, we would think that our

observities will not move on from these orders regarding

financial support, but he still has more to say.

In fact, it's the majority of this letter.

So let's read from verse 21 down to verse 23.

And I, art exerxies the king, make a decree to all the

treasurers in the province beyond the river.

Whatever Ezra the priest described of the law of God of

heaven requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, up

to 100 talents of silver, 100 cores of wheat, 100 baths of

wine, 100 baths of oil and salt, without prescribing how much.

Whatever is decreed by God, by the God of heaven, let it be

done in full for the House of the God of heaven, lest his

wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons.

Now again, this seems repetitive.

We've seen this with Cyrus, we've seen something similar

with Darius and this is impressive.

For a Gentile to be this generous should move us.

You would wish if you were there when we were studying 1st and

2nd kings, that this would be the pattern for the kings in

Jerusalem and Israel, but that wasn't the case, right?

You actually have more kings bankrupting the House of God,

withdrawing from the House of God, then investing into it.

And here you have a Pagan and he says let's support this, let's

get behind this. However, that's not what we're

supposed to take from this. I think what's worthy of

meditation is Artaxerxes motivation for his contribution

to the House of God. The last part of verse 23 look

at it again, lest his wrath be against the realm of the.

King and his sons now. Some will look at this and

applaud Artaxerxes. Here's a man who understands

that if a nation, if a government, if a land rebels

against a true God, then they open themselves up to his

discipline, which is true in many cases.

But I don't think that's what we're supposed to take from

this, at least primarily. I believe Arctic Xerxes is

revealing what's stimulating him to do this, and he has a very

narrow, limited understanding of the God of Israel.

He does acknowledge that he is more powerful than all these

other deities. You can debate if he had his

faith and trust in this God, but there's actually greater

evidence that he probably sees Yahweh as a local deity more

than anything else. But notice he sees his

contribution as an insurance policy more than anything.

So he understands this. This God is powerful.

I even admit that he's the God of heaven.

He says that more than once. And so just to play it safe and

just to protect me and my Kingdom and my family, I'll do

what I can to show my support. In other words, Artaxerxes is

ultimately moved by fear, fear of punishment.

Can I tell you something? There are a lot of professing

Christians. Who serve, who give, who abstain

with similar thinking. They do what they do for God

because they fear they will be punished by God if they don't.

And that's all that gets them going.

That's all that keeps them. That's all that holds them back.

From venturing into this or into that dread, this looming sense

that at any moment God will press that red button and he

will strike my life with some kind of plague, some kind of

disaster. And so day in and day out, week

after week, service after service, they're afraid.

They're afraid of God. And you know, I was looking at

this and I thought about even the numbers that are registered

here of what Artaxercis gave to the House of God.

And I thought back to another person who gave to the House of

God, but with a completely different ambition in mind, with

a completely different motivation in mind, David.

Now we study first and Second Kings.

We didn't look at the entirety of First and Second Chronicles.

But one of the things that stand out of at the end of First

Chronicles is you have this extensive display of David's

investment before he dies into the House of God.

And when you look at some of the verses, especially in chapter

29, it so stands in contrast with what we find here with

Artaxerxes. Let's go there.

First Chronicles 29, look at verse 10.

I mean, we're just getting a sample in First Chronicles 29.

Look at verse. 10 It says here, therefore David blessed the Lord

in the presence of all the assembly.

And David said, Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel,

Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness

and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty.

For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.

Yours is the Kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as Head

above all. Both riches and honor come from

you, and you rule over all in your hand our power and might,

and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to

all. And now we thank you our God,

and praise your glorious name. A different tune, wouldn't you

say? Whole different perspective,

wouldn't you say? Well, let's look at it a little

bit more. Look at verse 17.

I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure and

uprightness in the uprightness of my heart.

I have freely offered all these things and now I've seen your

people who are present here offering freely and.

Joyously to you, why is David doing what he's doing?

Oh, it's gratitude, pleasure, freely, with a revelation of who

God is and what He has done, how He is the fountain.

Of all the blessing that David has enjoyed.

And you see what David is saying here?

Me giving back to God isn't anything.

It's all from him anyway. So yet he has this deep

awareness that God is the source of everything good and this is

his response to God's goodness. And you and I will never know

the joy and delight that Christ wants us to have in our walk

with him. If anxiety about judgement is

the grounds of your godliness, is there a place for us to have

a holy fear of God? Yes.

But for you to live in this trepidation, in the sense of I

don't know if God loves me today and you're more convinced that

God is wanting to judge you, then love you and embrace you

and bless you. Things got to change, my brother

and sister. The misery that you're managing

is not the will of God. That is not Christianity.

And there's something else that I find in this chapter.

We actually have the detailed account of what David gave when

he contributed to the first house.

Look at verse three of First Chronicles 29.

Moreover, in addition to all that I've provided for the Holy

House, I have a treasure of my own gold and silver, and because

of my devotion to the House of my God, I give it to the House

of my God. 3000 talents of gold of the gold of offer, and 7000

talents of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the

house and for all the work to be done by Craftsman.

Gold for the things of gold, and silver for the things of silver.

Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to

the Lord? I don't want to read too much

into this, but I wonder if there's something to be said

about the grandeur and the extravagance of David's giving

because he was operating under a different revelation than Arctic

Xerxes. And if that is true, then what a

profound lesson for all of us, that desiring to please God

because of who He is, because of what He has done first, will

produce more worship and more sacrifice and more obedience

then you and I simply being in dread of Him.

We love because He first loved us.

I mean, that's the order we are responding to what God has done

first, that He set His love upon us while we were sinners, while

we were dead, while we were enemies.

And you constantly have to remind yourself of that.

You and I, as much as we should express our love to the Lord,

our contentment in the Lord, our desire to please Lord, that's

all wonderful. That's biblical.

But we should find greater satisfaction in singing about

Christ's love for us, what he's performed on our behalf, and how

he has pursued us. You know, I was speaking with a

friend the other day and we were having a conversation about this

very thing, about how to arrive to a place in your walk with

Christ where you can shake off the condemnation once and for

all. And then you can live under the

light and the truth and the glorious reality that I am truly

loved by God. He loves me.

He died for me. He actually has affection set

upon me. It's not just this contract.

It's not just this mere. Duty.

And although God is motivated ultimately for his glory, yes,

don't cancel out the glorious truth that He actually loves you

and He loves me, and He wants us to be fueled by that, not just

in accepting it, but living for Him.

Yes. Do you remember the last words

that Jesus said to the woman who was caught on adultery in John

John 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8? Does anybody remember what was

that statement? It's very famous.

What did he say before that? Neither do I condemn you.

Go and sin no more. What came first?

The revelation that Christ no longer condemns her, that Christ

doesn't condemn her. And from that understanding she

would be able to sin no more. You're not condemned.

If there was anybody in that moment who is worthy and

authorized to pick up a stone and Stoner, it was Christ.

He had no sin. Everybody in that crowd was a

Sinner. Christ wasn't.

And yet in that moment He gives her grace.

And from that experience says, now go and sin no more.

Is that why you don't sin? Is that why I don't sin?

Because I realized that I'm forgiven, that I'm redeemed,

that He paid my debt, that he, he set his love on me when I was

rebelling against him. Only then, only then will you

know new heights of holiness and adoration and ministry and

dedication. Artix, Xerxes, Look, I'm we're

doing this just so we don't want trouble with this guy.

And that's how some Christians live.

You're doing what you're doing just so you don't get in trouble

with God. No sense of fellowship, no sense

of endearment, no sense of relationship.

Oh, that's not God's will for you.

Run away from that. Don't settle for that.

Ask God through His Word to help you live in the light of His

life. His Majesty, yes.

His Holiness, yes, His purity, yes, but his kindness and his

goodness toward us who don't deserve it.

Oh, I can go on and on, but there's still more to this

letter that we have to explore. So let's come back to Chapter 7

and let's look at verse 25 as Arctic Xerxes concludes his

thoughts here he gives his final remarks addressing Ezra directly

again. So he says in verse 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 don't know them,

you shall teach. 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. Interestingly.

Artaxerxes highlights how Ezra possesses the wisdom of God in

his hand. Did you see that in verse 25?

It says here that he has the wisdom of God according to the

wisdom of your God that is in your hand.

That should remind us of what he said earlier in verse 14 when he

highlighted the law of your God, which is in your hand.

Artaxerxes understood that the law of God was an expression of

the wisdom of God. I mean, he had that

comprehension. And I think that's amazing.

I think there is wisdom to be found in the Old Testament law.

That's at least a nudge. It's no less true today.

And if anything, this should be an encouragement for us to look

at the mind of God in every. Portion of his word I mean you

look at Psalm 119. What is the psalmist rehearsing

rejoicing in the law, the law, the law he's not talking about

Ephesians, right he's not talking about the gospel of

John. We have the privilege of, you

know, the completion of God's revelation, but the law even in

the law. Yes, don't don't avoid those

things. Seek God's mind principles in

God's law even and you'll be wiser.

But we we must move on. Look at verse 27.

This is interesting because in the same chapter that introduces

Ezra, we find them writing in the first person for the first

time. Blessed be the Lord, the God of

our fathers. So the letter is done.

It's it ended at verse 26. Now Ezra speaking, blessed be

the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as

this into the heart of the king to beautify the House of the

Lord that is in Jerusalem and who extended to me his steadfast

love before the king and his counselors and before all the

kings mighty officers. 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.

So this is strong evidence that Ezra is the author of the book

of Ezra. He's writing in the first

person. He is now giving his own

commentary and he chooses to give it at this juncture of this

account. I love it.

The first time Ezra speaks in the first person in this book,

he's praising God. And all that we know about him

up to this point is that he studied the law.

He did it, he taught it. I mean, he was immersed in the

scriptures. He was a diligent scholar.

He, he, he found this to be his ultimate treasure and delight.

And then the first time he speaks in the form of writing,

he is worshipping One of the ways, you know, the word of God

is working in you. That is that it will lead you to

worship. I know some people who have an

incredible handling of the scriptures, but they're not

worshippers. They just have big heads.

But there isn't a tenderness about him, there isn't an

excitement in them, there isn't a passion, there isn't a sense

of song. It's just information stored up

here. And they know how to argue and

they know how to debate, and they know how to file these

things and connect these truths. Ezra, He spent years looking

into the word of God, and the first thing that we see about

him when he starts speaking is praise.

Enthralled. Moved.

By who this God is. But more than that, we learn in

verse 6 that all of this was a response to Ezra's request to

the king, that he had the audacity and he had the boldness

to say, I see. God's plan for His people, I

want to play a part of it. And so he goes up to the king,

and this is the result of it. And yet He gives God glory for

all of it, so he glorifies God. There is human agency at play

here, but He lets us know in the beginning of verse 27.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a

thing as this into the heart of the king.

This wonderful marriage between our ability to do things in

God's working sovereignly and providentially.

And there's so much that we can unpack from Ezra's personal

comments. I want to just leave you with

one inspiring and hopeful insight.

Think back to Artaxerxes attitude towards the things of

God and the people of God. I mean, if you were to summarize

it, it would simply be this. He respected God's appointed

service servants in it and supported them.

He didn't look down on the priest.

He didn't look down on the Levites.

He actually revered them to a certain extent.

He acknowledged the God of Israel and His law being

profitable and worthy to teach. He was generous and he was

willing to invest and beautifying God's house.

He recognized the value of worship and contributed to it in

his own way. And he saw disobedience as a

serious thing that he even put things into law for those who

would choose to turn away from God's word.

This is moving for a Gentile like Artaxerxes.

And the question I have is how did these concerns and

convictions captivate Artaxerxes heart?

Ezra gives us the answer. God.

Put him in there, God, put him in there.

Do you believe you can put it in your heart?

Think about it this way. If God was willing to deposit

such things in the heart of a Pagan, how much more for the one

who yearns for the Holy Spirit to rewire and realign?

And inspire. Your heart of mine.

Is he reluctant to do so? Is he hesitant to do so or is he

willing to do so? Oh, he is more than willing, if

God is willing to do such a thing in this.

Kind of a heart. What about the one who longs for

Christ? And longs for godliness and

holiness to become a greater reality.

He can listen. He can put it in your heart.

If you think that's just too good to be true, if you think

it's that simple, listen. It is more of a reality than you

have imagined. So again, I'm sitting back and

I'm meditating on New Testament examples of this.

And there's a simple verse in Second Thessalonians in chapter

3, in verse 5. It's a prayer that Paul prays

for these believers. You know what he says?

He says, may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God

into the steadfastness of Christ.

What does that mean? I'm praying that God would

maneuver your heart and mold it and shape it and clean it so

that it is more set on the love of God and on the steadfastness

of Christ. People debate.

Is Paul asking for their hearts to be more set on God's love for

them or their love for God? What about both?

Can he do both? He can do both.

And what I want to say to you and me at the end of the study

is, do not underestimate the power of coming before the Lord

regularly and asking Him to place His will, His desires, His

wisdom, and His affections in your heart.

He's willing to do it. He won't give you a stone if you

ask for bread. He won't give you a scorpion if

you ask for a fish. And if you want more of the Holy

Spirit, He's going to give you more of the Holy Spirit.

Let's ask Him for it, shall we? We thank you, Lord, that yet

again on another Friday night, You have convinced us that all

Scripture is breathed out by God.

So much was said, so much was read, and we trust that as we've

done all that we can for this study, You will do abundantly

more than we can ask or imagine. And Lord, though many points

were made, we take that last one and we bring it before you as a

church. And we ask you, Lord, that if

you so worked in the heart of Arctic Xerxes to look favorably,

favorably upon the things of God and the people of God, though

limited in His own way, would you do more work in our hearts?

May you direct our hearts to the love of God for those in this

place, Lord, who struggle to believe that you cherish them

and that you care for them, and that you love them to the point

of dying for them, whatever obstacles stand in the way of

experiencing that love. We pray that you would use this

Bible study to shatter every light, to destroy every

hindrance, and for their understanding of who you are to

expand. So we pray that all unholy fear,

all ungodly dread, all terror and anxiety regarding judgement.

We pray that all that would wash away and we would realize that

the price Christ paid was far too great for us to live in such

a way. But convince us, Lord, our

hearts are deceitful and we fluctuate, so bring us to the

place where we are confident. And Lord, like Ezra, as a result

of studying Your Word, we now worship You.

We will now give you our voices and sing your praises.

Help us every single week to leave here with greater

adoration and love for you as a result of what we learn about

you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Amen. All right, Church, let's stand

together and let's rejoice in our God.

Yeah.