My Tombstone Epitaph

Now here is a book you don’t hear a lot of sermons from – Ezra! To be honest with you, I have not studied it deeply myself. I got to this book today by doing a cross-reference from the book of Nehemiah, which I have studied. Nehemiah 8 describes how all the people involved in the re-building of Jerusalem’s gates and walls were gathered into a square in front of the Water Gate. The gates and walls had been destroyed by the Babylonians. They gathered for a specific purpose – Ezra was going to read and explain the law that had been so neglected for years. This neglect is indeed what led to their captivity by Babylon.

The response of the people was that of sorrow and humility. Nehemiah 8:6 records their response: “Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” Wow! How I pray that the word of God would so convict me that it would cause this kind of spontaneous worship in my own life. Imagine the power of this corporate act of worship based on God’s truth. This is whole-hearted Bible study in action!

When is the last time reading God’s Word left your jaw-dropped or evoked such excitement that you scarcely knew what to do with yourself? Brother Brent uses a phrase often that I just love: Get wrapped up and tangled up with Jesus! How do you do that? You get wrapped up and tangled up in the Bible is how! It is God’s full and complete revelation to us and it is the standard to which we will be held accountable.

Now let’s get back to Ezra. I cross-referenced this passage in Nehemiah back to Ezra 7 and found out some very cool things about him. Look at how verse 10 describes this scribe and priest: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” I think I just found what I want inscribed on my tombstone – just replace Ezra with Shelly (and his with her)! Seriously though, this is a blessed description! Notice he didn’t just study the Law of the LORD, he PRACTICED IT and taught it to others.

Friends, just how serious are you about studying God’s Word? I challenge you to dig deeper into His precepts. Find an accountability partner to help you study. Join one of the many wonderful Discipleship Connection classes offered on Sunday morning and Wednesday night. God’s Word is available and so is help in understanding it. In Nehemiah 8, there is a whole list of people who helped Ezra translate the scriptures to “give sense so that they understood the reading”. We have those kinds of people right here at UBC. Maybe you are one of them. If you have insight and understanding into the Bible, look for someone you can mentor or consider teaching a class. When we all get involved in whole-hearted Bible study, we can have the same kind of corporate worship that they experienced in Nehemiah 8!