Ezra

Ezra was one of the greatest men in the bible. He lived during the reign of the Medes and Persians and was a servant to Artaxerxes. Ezra was a chief priest from the line of Eleazar. He was a highly skilled scribe of the word of God. He was also a great prophet. Some of the most profound prophesies in the scripture was revealed to Ezra. They include but are not limited to: The Prophesy of the Eagle, the man who comes from the sea, the Great war in the Middle East. In his work as a scribe he was sent by commission of King Artaxerxes to oversee the affairs of Judea and to establish and teach the law. We will be discussing this in greater detail. Ezra was a prolific writer, writing not only the book of Ezra and Esdras I and II in the Apocrypha, but in his concern for all of God's children even to the last days he requested of God the Father to allow him to write all of the books of the law that had been burned. II Esdras 14: 20-26; 37-47.  Therefore we owe much gratitude to Ezra for the words that we read today; because he re-wrote the books of Moses, the books of the law, the history, the Psalms, what had been lost and buried. He re-wrote them word by word. How was this possible? Through the spirit of God it was possible, because Ezra was a Priest and a scribe whose business was to know the Word of God. He had read it many times and studied it constantly. II Esdras 14:40 says "for my spirit strengthened my memory." He remembered word for word --a photographic memory of all that he had ever read in the word of God. He spake the words to five men who themselves were scribes and swift writers. II Esdras 14:24 reviews that they wrote everything he said.  Ezra did not die. He lives today in Paradise. He is one of only 3 people recorded by name who we know did not taste death; they are--Elijah, Enoch, and Ezra. II Esdras 8:51-54, II Esdras 14: 8-9, 13-15.  It is Ezra's work as a scribe that I will be primarily discussing. First of all, what is a scribe? The dictionary says that a scribe is an official secretary or clerk it also says it is a learned class in ancient Israel studying the scriptures and serving as (copyists) editors, teachers and justices. Certainly a scribe is a writer--look at the root word in scribble or enscribe or script or scripture. Another scribe in ancient Israel in the Old Testament is the prophet Baruch who helped Jeremiah deliver his prophesies. Jeremiah 36: 1-8. Baruch also wrote a small book in the Apocrypha that prophesied a hope of deliverance to God's people as they were being taken captured to Babylon. He sent them also a warning from the prophet Jeremiah not fear or be seduced to worship idols in Babylon. There were many scribes mentioned in the bible in the Old Testament who wrote letters and were sent to deliver messages. There were official scribes in very high positions in the government that sat by the king and were named by King David. A scribe was one of the high ranking offices, along with recorder, a counselor and the General of the Army. I Chronicles 27: 32-34. II Samuel 8: 15-18. I Chronicles 18: 14-17.  There is nowhere that says a scribe had to be a priest, though certainly Ezra was. There were families of scribes found among the Kenites who were not even of the children of Israel. I Chronicles 2:55.  In the New Testament the scribes were given a lot of honor. They were considered Masters and teachers of the law. They made a career of studying, compiling and adding on to the law. These

additional laws are what were called the traditions of the elders. They compelled the people to keep all of these traditions. They called them Rabbis. The scribes, elders, chief priests and Pharisees stood up against Christ; challenged him and conspired against him to his death. Christ spoke against these wicked scribes who had corrupted his word and the office of the scribe. Matthew 23:1-10, 13-15. The bible dictionary claims that the Rabbis of fake Jews today are a continuation of the office of the scribe. They are considered the Masters of the law, the teachers of the law and are indeed called Rabbi.  The prophet Ezra was the best and most perfect example of the true reach and office of the scribe. Ezra was called a ready scribe. Ezra 7:6, I Esdras 8:3. Ready means to be prepared mentally and physically for a task at hand, to be willing and inclined to do something. Ezra was described as "ready" by king Artaxerxes because I Esdras 8:7 "For Esdras had very great skill, so that he omitted nothing of the law and commandments of the Lord, but taught all Israel the ordinances and judgments." Ezra 7:10. In the book of I Esdras--Esdras was called the "reader" of the law of the Lord I Esdras 8: 8-0.  A reader is more than someone who reads words out of a book. Reader means: to interpret, to make a study of, to understand, comprehend and advise.  Therefore Ezra interpreted the law, made a study of it, understood and comprehended the law, and therefore was able to advise concerning the law.  Artaxerxes the King gave Ezra the scribe a commission and a specific charge. In order to better understand let us consider briefly some of the other great men during the time of the Medes and Persians  1st King Cyprus the great who was called by God's name and was his servant decreed that the children of Israel, whosoever chose to, could return to their land and that the temple would be built. The chief of the fathers returned. One of them was Zerubbabel of the seed royal--a direct descendant of King David, was also called Sandborar or Shenzhazar was sent as governor or "Tirshatha". Joshua the high Priest and Zerubbabel built the altar first then laid the foundation of the temple. During the reign of Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes the enemies of the children of Judah hired counselors and misrepresented them to Artaxerxes who stopped the work. The work ceased for 17 years and Zerubbabel is next seen as one of the guards of Darius the King. He pleased the king by his wisdom when he declared truth to be the strongest thing that Darius gave him his wish to return to finish building the temple. The prophet Haggai and Zechariah encouraged the people also to continue to build the temple. When the enemies of the Jews tried to stop them again, this time Darius found the decree of Cyrus and wrote letters demanding that they assist the Jews and not to hinder them on pangs of death. The temple was completed about 516 BC. About 58 years later in 458 BC Ezra the scribe is sent by Artaxerxes to look into the affairs of Judah and Jerusalem. Zerubbabel and Joshua is not mentioned anymore as governor of Judae. They had perhaps died or were called away. In any case they would have very old 58 years after they had built the temple. Israel always tended not to do right when a good leader died and there may have been trouble and complaints coming to the king. 1. In any case a different Artaxerxes and his seven counselors sent Ezra to look after the affairs of

Judah pertaining to the laws of God on behalf of the King. Ezra 7:10. I Esdras 8:8-12.  

2. He was also sent with gifts from the King and his counselors, as well as the gold and silver of the people is Babylon and the free will offering of the people and the priests. Ezra 7: 15-16. So that he could buy the things that were needed for meat and drink offerings and to return the vessels to the house of God. Ezra 7:17-19. I Esdras 8:13-18.

3. He told Ezra also to set up judges and justices in the land who knows the law, and if they don't know the law he was to teach them I Esdras 8: 23. Ezra 7:25.

4. And Ezra wear also gives authority to punish those who disobey God's law. Ezra 7: 26. I Esdras 8:24.

Artaxerxes obviously feared God. He wrote "Let all things be performed after the law of God diligently unto the most High God, that wrath came not upon the Kingdom of the King and his sons" I Esdras 8:22. Ezra did not fail to do any of the things that King Artaxerxes called upon him to do. He gathered all of the treasures and come to the house of God. He sent the treasures by 12 priests weighing and recording everything. The people rejoiced and offered sacrifices. I Esdras 8: 65-67.  When the people told him that the people of the land had disobeyed God and married strange wives, he mourned, prayed and fasted first, and then he set that business right demanding that they put away the strange wives or forfeit their inheritance. Ezra 10:6-12. Thirteen years after Ezra came--Nehemiah was sent and appointed to be first fathers as governor. Nehemiah asked king Artaxerxes if he could go and build the wall and the gate of Jerusalem because the people were in distress. Artaxerxes agreed and sent him as governor for a certain time period. Nehemiah became governor 13 years after Ezra came and they both stood for the laws of God. Nehemiah had a great work to build the wall with enemies all around. They had to build around with swords. Nehemiah stopped a lot of injustice, and disobedience. He made major reforms and laws that supported for example the Sabbath law.  Ezra the scribe taught the people the law and made them understand it in the month after the wall was built. Nehemiah 8: 1-12. Nehemiah was a great governor that did much good to establish truth, order and he strengthened the law