Ezra, the Priest and Scribe
397
As he learned more and still more concerning God’s dealings with
His children, and comprehended the sacredness of the law given at
Sinai, Ezra’s heart was stirred. He experienced a new and thorough
conversion and determined to master the records of sacred history, that
he might use this knowledge to bring blessing and light to his people.
Ezra endeavored to gain a heart preparation for the work he be-
lieved was before him. He sought God earnestly, that he might be a
wise teacher in Israel. As he learned to yield mind and will to divine
control, there were brought into his life the principles of true sanctifi-
[609]
cation, which, in later years, had a molding influence, not only upon
the youth who sought his instruction, but upon all others associated
with him.
God chose Ezra to be an instrument of good to Israel, that He might
put honor upon the priesthood, the glory of which had been greatly
eclipsed during the captivity. Ezra developed into a man of extraordi-
nary learning and became “a ready scribe in the law of Moses.”
Verse
6
. These qualifications made him an eminent man in the Medo-Persian
kingdom.
Ezra became a mouthpiece for God, educating those about him in
the principles that govern heaven. During the remaining years of his
life, whether near the court of the king of Medo-Persia or at Jerusalem,
his principal work was that of a teacher. As he communicated to others
the truths he learned, his capacity for labor increased. He became a
man of piety and zeal. He was the Lord’s witness to the world of the
power of Bible truth to ennoble the daily life.
The efforts of Ezra to revive an interest in the study of the Scrip-
tures were given permanency by his painstaking, lifelong work of
preserving and multiplying the Sacred Writings. He gathered all the
copies of the law that he could find and had these transcribed and
distributed. The pure word, thus multiplied and placed in the hands of
many people, gave knowledge that was of inestimable value.
Ezra’s faith that God would do a mighty work for His people, led
him to tell Artaxerxes of his desire to return to Jerusalem to revive
an interest in the study of God’s word and to assist his brethren in
[610]
restoring the Holy City. As Ezra declared his perfect trust in the God
of Israel as one abundantly able to protect and care for His people,
the king was deeply impressed. He well understood that the Israelites
were returning to Jerusalem that they might serve Jehovah; yet so great