Ezra... the Second Coming of Moses

Ezra is frequently described as the Second Moses because as Moses brought the Law to the Israelites after the Egyptian captivity… Ezra brought the Law back to God’s people after the Babylonian captivity.

In Ezra 7:10-11. Ezra self describes his method.

First he set his “heart” to study the Law.

This is important because with just the brain and not the heart we could just be robotic in our understanding of God’s Law… reciting God’s Law and teaching God’s Law intellectually and without feeling.

Secondly as a teacher Ezra needed to know his material and he “studied” it.

You could spend your life “reading” the holy scriptures and might achieve some superficial understanding of it but true depth of understanding comes with “study”. Reading and thinking. Turning it over in your brain and examining it from all angles.

Thirdly, Ezra “practiced” and lived what he studied.

Some have said that experience is the greatest teacher. A teacher without experience is a pretender. Depth is achieved through a lifetime of putting scriptures into practice. A teacher who has never been married or raised children (for example) is scarcely qualified to teach on those subjects.

Fourthly, with his heart in the right place and with knowledge achieved through study and having practiced what he learned then and only then was Ezra equipped to teach.

Ezra was said to have studied the Commandments (Mitzvot), the Statutes (Chukkim) and the Ordinances (Mishpattim).

The superficial reader of the holy record might conclude that those are all the same thing… They are not.

The “commandments” are God’s Law found in the first five books of the Bible.

The “statutes” are a a subdivision of the Law that are commandments which defy human logic… like not mixing wool and linen.

The “ordinances” (Exodus 21-24) are a subdivision of the Law that contain civil and religious laws.

Although Ezra would have been familiar with the historical books, the Psalms and Prophets and the other Writings. His emphasis in rebuilding God’s people was the first 5 books of God’s word… Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy… The Torah or Pentateuch.

Of course in todays world all of those commands are greatly simplified in Jesus Christ. But still as teachers we need to not only know Jesus Christ but also all of the other writings God inspired men to write that culminated in Jesus coming into the world.

Ezra was a great teacher. Let’s consider and follow his method… having our hearts right, studying God’s Word, living what we learned and then sharing with others.