Me? A teacher? (Ezra 7, continued)

We're coming to the "meat" of the study today; we're coming to the point of how each of us is called to be a teacher.
Now, bear with me, OK?
I realize that some people (and Ezra seemed to be one of these) are especially gifted for the role of teaching and explaining God's Word. Not everyone has been given that gift; there are many different gifts that believers can receive, all for different purposes in His kingdom.
But here's the thing: whether we are gifted to teach in a formal way or not, we are required to learn His Word so that we know how He wants us to live . . . and to teach that either by words or by actions.
Every believer wants to live in a manner that pleases our Savior. How do we do that? We must grow in our understanding of the Word.
And . . . God's blessings come to those who study and obey His Word.

this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. (Ezra 7:6a)

In some translations, the words above, "well versed," are translated "skilled" in the law of Moses. And scholars say that other meanings for that word are "swift" or "ready." This means that Ezra was quick to understand and to pull together the various parts of God's Word. Skill requires effort and practice, and verse ten tells us it was a conscious, deliberate decision on his part:

For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. (v 10)

Other translations (again, I feel like this gives us a better flavor of what the verse means) say that Ezra "set his heart" on studying and practicing the Word. Being obedient to it.
It makes no sense whatsoever for us to SAY that we want God's blessing, while we are living in disobedience to His Word. Just reading the Word is not enough. Just filling our heads with Bible facts is not the goal, either, although facts are important. The over-arching purpose is to change our hearts and our lives - making us more like our Savior.
Did you notice how completely Artaxerxes trusted Ezra? What a reputation for integrity the man must have had! The king gave him enormous resources and then said "use it for the temple. And if there's any left over, use it according to the will of your God." Ezra's obedience to the Word was just totally obvious to the king. And so should our obedience to the Word be obvious to those around us.

Studying God's Word will not happen automatically. It won't happen without our making a conscious effort. We will need to discipline ourselves, because it is so easy to let other things crowd out the Word. Of course, we all lead extremely busy lives. We all have the same number of hours to use. Let's make the right decisions on how to spend those hours . . .

I meditate on your precepts    and consider your ways.  I delight in your decrees;    I will not neglect your word. (Psalm 119:15-16)

I think it's incredibly telling that these verses may have been penned by Ezra. Some scholars think that he composed Psalm 119. I don't know if he did, but these verses sure seem to have come from a heart like his: a heart that was devoted to studying the Word, and then obeying it.

Lord, help us to have hearts like Ezra; help us to hunger to study your Word and obey it!