The Ezra Call (Part Three)

One of my favorite Bible passages, and one I have long considered my “life verse,” is Ezra 7:10. Ezra dedicated his life "to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel." In this article I am putting forth a challenge to you, my reader, to accept an Ezra call on your life. Here are links to Parts One and Two.

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The second part of Ezra;s call was to not just know but also do the Word. Ezra determined from the beginning to obey every command of God he found in the Scriptures. He was on guard against the greatest temptation of a Bible teacher: the tendency to look for words to teach others, while never hearing the word for yourself.

James used the illustration of someone who looks at his reflection in a mirror, sees all his grooming deficiencies, but then walks away without combing his hair or washing his face (James 1:22-25). This foolish person learns the truth about himself, but does nothing, and forgets the truth he has learned. In the same way, if we learn truth about our condition from the Scriptures, but take no action, we will fall back from the level of truth to which we have risen. He who is not faithful in little, will lose the little he has gained. Is it any wonder that James also says that not many should be teachers, because those who teach will be held to a higher standard (James 3:1)?

Knowledge of the Scriptures can never be an end in itself. It is a necessary prerequisite, but not sufficient alone. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for thinking that memorization and study of the Law sufficed and substituted for personal knowledge of God. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40 ESV). Knowledge of the Word is a means to greater ends: obedience to God and the knowledge of the Holy One.

Always remember that belief and obedience are inseparable, and that we are called to the “obedience that comes from faith” (Romans 1:5, 16:26). The good soil in Jesus’ parable of the Sower represented the listeners who “hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit” (Luke 8:15 GNB).

(Part Four will post tomorrow)