Ezra 7:10

_FOR EZRA HAD PREPARED HIS HEART TO SEEK THE LAW OF THE LORD, AND TO DO IT, AND TO TEACH IN ISRAEL STATUTES AND JUDGMENTS._ Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord ... His reigning desire had been to study the divine law, its principles, institutions, privileges, and requirements; and now, from love and zeal, he devoted himself, as the business of his life, to the work of instructing, reforming, and edifying others....

1-10 Ezra went from Babylon to Jerusalem, for the good of his country. The king was kind to him; he granted all his requests, whatever Ezra desired to enable him to serve his country. When he went, many went with him; he obtained favour from his king, by the Divine favour. Every creature is that to us, which God makes it to be. We must see the hand of God in the events that befal us, and acknowledge him with thankfulness....

Verse Ezra 7:10. _EZRA HAD PREPARED HIS HEART_] Here is a fine character of a minister of God: _He prepares_, הכין hechin, he fixes, purposes, and determines, לבבו _lebabo, with his heart _- with all his powers and affections, to _seek_ the _law of God_, and _to do it_ himself, that he may be properly qualified to _teach_ its _statutes_ and _judgments_ to Israel....

PART II. SECOND RETURN OF THE ISRAELITES FROM CAPTIVITY UNDER EZRA. 1. DECREE OF ARTAXERXES, AND RETURN UNDER EZRA, WITH THE NUMBERS OF THOSE WHO RETURNED, AND THE NAMES OF THE CHIEF MEN. EXPOSITION FIFTY-SEVEN years after the completion of the temple and its dedication, when the long and eventful rein of Darius was over, and his son Xerxes, probably the Ahas

FOR EZRA HAD PREPARED HIS HEART TO SEEK THE LAW OF THE LORD,.... To attain to the knowledge of it, that he might be master of it, and expert in it, and know what was not to be done, and what to be done; he had set his heart upon this, bent his studies this way, and taken a great deal of pains in searching into it, in reading of it, and meditating on it; AND TO DO IT; he was not only concerned to get the theory of it, but to put it in practice, to exercise himself in it, that it might be habitual to him; and the rather, as his view and intentions were not merely for the sake of himself, but TO TEACH IN ISRAEL STATUTES AND JUDGMENTS: and therefore it was not only necessary that he should have a large and competent knowledge of the laws, moral, ceremonial, and civil, but that he should act according to them himself, that so by his example, as well as by his instructions, he might teach th...

II. THE RETURN UNDER EZRA AND HIS REFORMATION CHAPTER 7 _ 1. The journey of Ezra to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:1)_ 2. The decree of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:11) 3. Ezra's thanksgiving (Ezra 7:27) Ezra 7:1. The record of the return under Zerubbabel and the rebuilding of the temple ends with the previous chapter. Many years passed after the temple had been built before the godly Ezra and his companions returned to Jerusalem. No record whatever is in existence covering the years which intervened between Zerubabbel's expedition and work, and Ezra's expedition. The critics claim that “it was in these apparently barren years that the priestly c

PART II (Ezra 7-10). THE WORK OF EZRA. Ezra 7:1. Ezra's Genealogy; his Return to Palestine. Ezra 7:1. Now after these things: _i.e._ those recorded as having taken place in the sixth year of Darius (Ezra 6:15). IN THE REIGN OF ARTAXERXES: 465- 425 B.C. What is now recorded took place in the seventh year (see Ezra 7:7) of Artaxerxes, _i.e._ in 458, so that a period of nearly sixty years is passed over in silence. For the genealogy of Ezra _cf._ 1 Chronicles 6:4. It is not complete; in addition to...

TO TEACH IN ISRAEL. This was the chief duty of priests. See note on Deuteronomy 33:10. ISRAEL. Judah contained representatives of the whole Nation. See note on 1 Kings 12:7....

_For Ezra had prepared_(R.V. SET) _his heart_&c. The precise meaning of the -for" which determines the connexion of the verse, is not very evident. The verse _either_explains the preceding clause and attributes God's favour towards Ezra during the journey to the latter's devotion to the Divine Law, _or_is added as a general comment on the whole preceding section, explanatory of Ezra's resolve and expedition. Those who take the former view illustrate it by ch. Ezra 8:31-32. But the latter interpretation of the verse is to be preferred. It corresponds better with the somewhat abrupt mention of Ezra's rule of life. It harmonizes with the description of Ezra's character. -Ezra had set his heart &c." That fact lay at the bottom of the religious movement which he set on foot. It explained something very much more than the mere fortunate issue of the journey. -Ha

TEXT AND VERSE-BY-VERSE COMMENT III. Ezra Becomes Involved In The Restoration of Israel (Ezra 7:1 to Ezra 10:44) A. Ezra leads a second band of returnees back to Israel, and gives God thanks. 1. Who Ezra was, and what he was doing. TEXT, EZRA 7:1-10 1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest. 6 This Ezra went up from Babylon, a