the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 2 of 5
Ezra 7:1-18
Approximately forty years have elapsed between the events in ch. 6 and those which begin in ch. 7 with the journey of Ezra in the reign of Artaxerxes. Contrasting with the careless priests mentioned in Ezra 2:61-62, Ezra is able to provide a family record going right back to Aaron. He is also a "ready scribe in the law of Moses". How desirable it is to be instructed in the word of God. But it is not enough to grasp it with the intellect and memory like subjects taught at school. That kind of knowledge only increases one’s pride (1 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 13:2). It is also vital to love that word and the Person whom it presents to us. Look at Ezra! He had "prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD" (v. 10). And not only to seek it but also "to do it". Even knowing with the heart is not enough if we fail to put into practice what the Bible has taught us (James 1:22). Only when these conditions are met can a person assume the responsibility of teaching others.
Artaxerxes has given Ezra a letter of commendation to enable him to carry out his mission more easily.
