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Prophets and Kings
welfare of every individual concerned, Ezra and his associates strove
to lead the penitent of Israel into the right way. Above all else, Ezra
was a teacher of the law; and as he gave personal attention to the
examination of every case, he sought to impress the people with the
holiness of this law and the blessings to be gained through obedience.
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Wherever Ezra labored, there sprang up a revival in the study of
the Holy Scriptures. Teachers were appointed to instruct the people;
the law of the Lord was exalted and made honorable. The books of the
prophets were searched, and the passages foretelling the coming of
the Messiah brought hope and comfort to many a sad and weary heart.
More than two thousand years have passed since Ezra “prepared
his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it” (
Ezra 7:10
), yet
the lapse of time has not lessened the influence of his pious example.
Through the centuries the record of his life of consecration has inspired
many with the determination “to seek the law of the Lord, and to do
it.”
Ezra’s motives were high and holy; in all that he did he was ac-
tuated by a deep love for souls. The compassion and tenderness that
he revealed toward those who had sinned, either willfully or through
ignorance, should be an object lesson to all who seek to bring about
reforms. The servants of God are to be as firm as a rock where right
principles are involved; and yet, withal, they are to manifest sympathy
and forbearance. Like Ezra, they are to teach transgressors the way of
life by calculating principles that are the foundation of all rightdoing.
In this age of the world, when Satan is seeking, through manifold
agencies, to blind the eyes of men and women to the binding claims of
the law of God, there is need of men who can cause many to “tremble
at the commandment of our God.”
Ezra 10:3
. There is need of true
reformers, who will point transgressors to the great Lawgiver and
teach them that “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.”
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Psalm 19:7
. There is need of men mighty in the Scriptures, men whose
every word and act exalts the statutes of Jehovah, men who seek to
strengthen faith. Teachers are needed, oh, so much, who will inspire
hearts with reverence and love for the Scriptures.
The widespread iniquity prevalent today may in a great degree be
attributed to a failure to study and obey the Scriptures, for when the
word of God is set aside, its power to restrain the evil passions of the