“For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Ezra 7:10

Ezra, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandson (14 generations) of chief priest Aaron – brother of Moses, arrives on scene. Ezra’s lineage is that of a priest, but he is introduced as a scribe skilled in the law of Moses. According to the verse we focus on today, Ezra’s steadfast focus is on the Word of God. He not only desires to know what the law says, but to live out – to comply with God’s directions and to understand those laws well enough to be able to interpret and teach them to others. Sounds a lot like making disciples! To make disciples, one must be a disciple; to be a disciple, one must study. Ezra studies the law not for knowledge sake but to put into practice what the law says – to demonstrate that he practices what he preaches. Making disciples is all about instructing others so that they too may not just know the law but they will also do the law. God defines the boundaries of the law. Our study of the law is to lead us to live within the laws of God, not to develop interpretations that allow us to feel good about continuing in our sin. O God that I may be an Ezra for those you send me to serve; that I be an example of not only knowing your desires, but living them out.