Building a People of Worship: People of the Word

While growing up, I sometimes stayed at my grandparents' house. I have fond memories of spending time with them. If you could think of one defining trait for my grandfather, it would have been that he was a man of the Word. I would wake up to find him and my grandmother at the kitchen table reading the Bible. He didn’t just read it, though. He lived it. What he read showed in his life. For him, reading the Bible was much more than learning what was in the Bible. He read it to meet with the Father. The effect was a life that reflected a man who walked with God. He preached and taught God’s Word until he fell ill.

Yet even in a hospital bed, in moments of clarity, he would teach me what he could. He and my grandmother’s lives were marked by their time with God and His Word. They read it, lived it, and taught it. And this is what we in the church should strive to be, not because my grandparents were like this, but because this is the biblical model we see in Ezra 7. Ezra was a man who devoted himself to the Scripture, lived it out, and taught it. As people of worship, we must be people of the Word. God’s hand empowers His church that sets their hearts to study, obey, and teach His Word faithfully.

Set the Scene

Finally, for the first time, Ezra enters the story. This is the second wave of exiles returning to Jerusalem. The story in chapter 6 happened 60 years before chapter 7. The Temple had been done for a long time. The beautiful picture of worship we left in chapter 6 is now just a memory. In time, the people in Jerusalem would once again begin to pollute their worship. Ezra now arrives to help them refocus on God.

It is almost sad to see. Such devotion to the Word of God was seen in Chapters 5 and 6, but as we all know, that devotion can grow cold. A lack of opposition led to a lack of spiritual growth. Protection from their enemies was good for a while, but now they have become lax in their study of God’s Word. When that happens, sin is sure to follow.

What was God’s solution? He sent a scribe. In verses 1-5, we see Ezra’s genealogy. What do we make of this? Ezra came from the line of Aaron (Moses’ brother). This is a rich genealogy. You can trace these names back through the Old Testament. Yes, they were important men, but they failed at different points. God’s faithfulness, however, is seen in that despite failures, God has kept the priestly line.

By His Hand, Study His Word

Ezra 7:6-10

Ezra is not defined by his genealogy. He was defined by his love of God’s Word. He was a skilled scribe. This word ‘skilled’ meant that he could read and understand the Scripture quickly. It also shows that he had spent time growing in his skill of reading God’s Word. For the hearts of the people in Jerusalem to return to God, it would take a teacher who knew God’s Word deeply.

We may be tempted to think that only our leaders and preachers should be skilled in the Scripture. They must indeed be, but God is building a people of worship. And those people are all of us, not just the leaders. God has called all of His people to be a people of the Word. The need in Ezra 7 and the following chapters is a lack of God’s Word. The people had forgotten. So Ezra comes in to teach and remind them. But for Him to do this, he must first be devoted. So for you and me, we must be devoted to the Word of God. It must be like a cold glass of water on a hot day.

My grandfather never went to a seminary. He had only finished high school before joining the Air Force. And yet he studied God’s Word. Like Ezra, he had devoted himself to knowing it. Seminary is good and important for leaders, but a seminary will not devote you to Scripture. A devoted heart that loves the Father will lead to a life of studying the Words of God. I am saying that reading the Bible and knowing it comes from a love of God. Let us be a people who love God and show it by knowing what He said.

I remember when my wife and I were dating, I went back to the States for two months. We wrote each other letters. I read and reread those letters because I loved the person who wrote them. I hope she did the same (haha).  The same is true of our devotion to reading the Bible. That is God’s love letter to us; we read it because we love the one who sent it. Let our devotion to God’s Word be an overflow of our love for God.

Because Ezra was devoted to hearing the Word of God, He heard God’s call to return. Artaxerxes could have been hostile, and even asking to return to Jerusalem for Ezra could have been dangerous, even deadly. But God’s hand was on Ezra, which means that the King’s favor came because of God’s power, not Ezra’s. He arrived four months later. The journey was dangerous, but the “hand of God was on him.” Therefore, he would complete what God had called him to do. God’s hand is on His people.

God’s hand was displayed in Ezra’s life. He was a model of a godly preacher and a second Moses. Notice the order of Ezra’s life. His devotion led to obedience. Out of the overflow of devotion and obedience, he taught. This is a good way to assess teachers. Are they devoted to the Word, do they live it, are they teaching out of a devoted life?

By His Hand, Live a Devoted Life

7:13-14

People of the Word will be marked by obedience to God’s Word. Ezra’s life was marked by obedience. He answered God’s call to return with more exiles to Jerusalem. This was dangerous. If the king disagreed with Ezra, he could kill him. Along the way, he could have been robbed. After all, he traveled for four months with gold and silver. God’s hand was on Ezra in favor and safety as he obeyed God’s call to return.

God did not call Ezra to do easy work. God’s call for us to be a people of worship and to bring others into our family is not easy either. We have already discussed conflicts and opposition arising when we worship God. A life marked by obedience endures hardship because God’s hand is on it.

A godly life is marked with certain dangers. We could face criticism, rejection, or even lose a job or a relationship. God did not promise that obedience and right worship would be safe. However, He did promise to be with His people, and He promised His hand would be on them. So obey confidently. Let your life be marked by walking with Jesus obediently.

Remember the disciples after Jesus rose from the dead. Their lives were marked by reading Scripture, obedience, and hardship. 10 of the 12 died because of their faith. John was exiled to a prison island in his later years. Obedient believers throughout history have suffered for their faith. What we often remember about their stories isn’t what they did, but what God did with them. His hand was on them.

The result of Ezra’s obedience to God is that the king granted him the favor to go and teach the Law. He had been given a pagan king’s approval. He didn’t get the king’s approval first and then be obedient. His obedience preceded the favor from the king. Ezra’s obedience stemmed from his time in God’s Word. So, Beloved, be devoted to God’s Word, learn it, obey it, and may God’s hand be on you as you do.

By His Hand, Teach it

7:27-28

Ezra devoted himself to studying and knowing God through His Word. He obeyed what he learned. He lived the life of someone who had met with God. He also taught the word. His teaching was preceded by study and obedience. It is with this in mind that we look at the close of chapter 7, where Ezra himself speaks.

Ezra recognized that God changed Artaxerxes’ mind to allow him to go and reform the Temple worship. It was not anything Ezra did. God’s hand moves where it wills. God moved the heart of another king in this story. And Ezra understood the purpose of the king’s decree, and his ministry was to glorify God.

Ezra had a daunting task ahead of him. He would teach a crowd whose hearts had become hardened and worship polluted. But Ezra had determined to teach God’s Law and help build a people of worship. Therefore, he went. He would certainly need courage to endure what was to come. Where did he find such encouragement? He found it in God, whose hand had strengthened him to do the task. His task was daunting, but he would not have to complete it by his own power, but through God’s.

Our leaders must be people who have determined to study, obey, and teach the Word. Any other motivation is dangerous. We need to seek leaders like this. But we cannot end there either. We must seek to be such leaders ourselves. A people of worship don’t just have godly teachers, but godly members.

Second, we must each devote ourselves to studying, obeying, and teaching the Word to each other. This may sound scary, but we make a mistake in thinking that this standard only belongs to a pastor or elder. Every member of the church is called to study God’s Word, obey it, and pass it on. We see this clearly in Paul’s letter to Timothy. He told Timothy to pass on the ministry of teaching to faithful members.

I understand that not everyone is a teacher. I don’t think the Bible is calling everybody to be teachers. But everyone is called to discipleship and to disciple others. This is a natural overflow of our reading and obeying God’s Word. Pass on what you learn to others. This could look like getting together with a friend over tea and talking about how God is moving in your life through your study of the Bible.

If that prospect scares you, I understand. Then let us take Ezra’s words and say, “I took courage because I was strengthened by the hand of the Lord my God.” We don’t share and teach out of our cleverness. Teach and disciple through God’s power and wisdom, which He gives to us as we do.

In verse 28, Ezra gathers more leaders to go with him. The journey would not be easy. Teaching would be a difficult duty. He knew God’s hand was on him and the leaders with him. Therefore, with all of the uncertainty of the journey, the favor of the king, and the hand of God on them, they went to Jerusalem to teach the people and guide them back to proper worship. We will see next week, Ezra teaches and builds a people of worship.

Conclusion

As we consider the life of Ezra, let us marvel at the simplicity of a life devoted to study, obedience, and teaching. And yet be in awe of its profoundness. As we seek these things, let us never venture to do it by our strength. Let us do so with the hand of God on us, guiding us in all wisdom as we do. Beloved, let us be a church devoted to studying God’s Word. And I mean more than just on Sunday. Let us live out what we learn throughout the week. And let us teach it to others, through discipleship and sharing the gospel. Let these truths build us into a people of worship, defined by our love of God and His Word. May our lives be marked by God’s hand in obedience. Let's share boldly.

“Father, Your hand is on this church. Let us devote ourselves to Your Word. Let us study it out of our love for You. Let us live out our faith. Don’t let the seeds of the gospel and Your Word sit idle in our hearts. Place your hand on us as we boldly declare the gospel to a lost world, and we engage each other in discipleship. Father, be with us. Let us feel Your presence in our daily lives. Amen.”