To Him All Majesty…a Scribe

A Character Study of Ezra

Ezra was a scribe who had been living in captivity in Babylon during the reign of Artaxerxes (Ezra 1:1, 6). He prospered in what he put his mind to and, perhaps as a result of this apparent favor, Artaxerxes would grant all of Ezra’s petitions. He was allowed to go back to Jerusalem with a delegation of Israelites, notably religious types, anyone who wanted to accompany him (Ezra 1:3). Ezra was religious too, particularly in the study of the Law of Moses. Artaxerxes sent with Ezra an offering of gold and silver to the God of Israel. The intention was clear: the Temple in Jerusalem was to be rebuilt and offerings to be made there to Ezra’s God. The king appointed Ezra leader over the entire affair.

If Ezra was the writer of the book that bears his name, he was a dutiful scribe who recorded a good deal of genealogy. This too, was religious in purpose. Painstaking genealogical records would assure them of were to be priests in the rebuilt Temple. Ezra, like King Hezekiah, was a prudent man of faith. Since they were traveling with so much precious metal—basically as much as they could carry—they would undoubtedly be the target of robbers on the long journey. The man of faith appointed a fast and asked God to protect them and the record says he did (Ezra 8:23, 31). The man of prudence divided the silver and gold amongst twelve of the priests, who were given solemn responsibility to keep there trust until they reached the holy city. Perhaps Ezra was just a detail-oriented scribe, or perhaps a man who took what had been entrusted to him very seriously, or perhaps a man who did not totally trust other men, but whatever the cause, he weighed every bit of silver and gold and counted the vessels as he gave them to the twelve priests.

When the delegation arrived in Jerusalem, what should have been a happy day was saddened at the news that the people of Israel, especially their leaders, had intermarried with the foreigners in the land. Ezra, a student of the Law, was appalled and tore his robe and hair and fasted and prayed. The prayer is recorded (Ezra 9:6-15) and in it, Ezra assumes the guilt of the people though he had not married outside of Israel. It is as though all will pay for the sins of some. Even the innocent pay when people do wrong. Ezra notes that though Israel was allowed to return from enslavement, they were still practicing the very things that led them into captivity. Then he cried. Many of the people were then moved to weep too. This was a sign of repentance. Further proof was that they made a covenant to put away their foreign wives and children. They reassured the disgusted scribe, saying that they would promise to put away their foreign families and that they were behind him in his commission to restore the Temple—and it would follow, a faithful people as well.

Ezra calls the priests to take oaths from the people while he went away to mourn the faithless people. A proclamation (evidently from Ezra) was made that the people would be given three days to comply with their oaths or their profit would be forfeit. As the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered three days later, Ezra has taken on a new role. He is no longer simply a scribe, a student of the Law of Moses. He has become a priest (Ezra 10:10). This was his right as he was of the line of Aaron (Ezra 7:1-5). Ezra the priest would not let the people out of the oath but reiterated their sinfulness in taking foreign wives. Upon the close scrutiny to which a scribe is perhaps well-suited, it was found that even many of the priests had taken foreign wives.

Evidently, Ezra had been successful in leading the people back to God. The most dramatic of the scenes of Ezra is when he was asked by the people to bring the Law out to read to the people (Neh 8:1-8). He read it to men and women alike, who sat from early morning until midday listening attentively to the priestly scribe read. Not only did Ezra read but 13 Levites also helped the people understand what was being read. The people wept and worshiped as the heard the words of the Lord. Not only had Ezra rebuilt the temple but the Lord brought revival in his day.