19 August 2009 Devotion for Today "The Good Hand of His God" Ezra 7:6-10

19 August 2009 Devotion for Today "The Good Hand of His God" Ezra 7:6-10

6 this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. 7 Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:6-10)

For the better part of this week I have been feeling like a blind man because I have (temporarily?) misplaced my glasses and have had to resort to wearing "cheaters"- those inexpensive reading glasses from Walmart that are woefully inadequate. I have no idea where I could have put them when I changed them out for sunglasses sometime Monday morning. It is frustrating because of the cost, time and effort to order another pair and secondly, I cannot see very well and am subject to headaches caused by eye strain. So I am praying that I will find them today. They are probably lying in the most obvious place and I know I will probably feel silly afterward. But in the meantime I continue to hunt for them. So please pray that the good hand of the Lord will be upon me today so that I can find them so I can study and do all of the things that the Lord wants me to do today.

This Scripture passage is written in a narrative somewhat different than the previous six chapters. In fact, it almost reads as a different book and was probably authored by someone different. The chapter begins with a genealogy of sorts and then some historical background when he came to Jerusalem to help lead the resettlement of the Jews from exile. But it makes a statement- the good hand of the Lord. That can also mean the "favor" of the Lord. That means that God has approved of the subject and is blessing what he is doing. It is also another way of describing success.

Many people enjoy success, but for the Christian success is viewed differently than by the world. The worldly person achieves success through the application of his natural wisdom, talents, achievements and hard work. For the Christian it is not that much different except for the focus of that success: the worldly person focuses his success on himself, while the Christian focuses his success on God.

For Ezra, his success came first of all by preparation (he prepared his heart). If preparation is important for the worldly person, it is even more so for the Christian. By preparation I mean training, education, study, and learning. It may be true that Bill Gates dropped out of college so that he could start Microsoft, and there are the occasional high school drop outs who go on to make millions- but these are rare. Educational opportunities abound to the point that there is virtually no excuse for not receiving a good education. However, preparation takes time and it is hard work.

Ezra also sought the law of the Lord. This means Ezra was a student of the Bible: God's holy Word. He poured over the Scriptures diligently. To be a student of the Bible, however, means that one will also need to be a student of other disciplines as well so he will know the various ways it can be applied. The value of Bible study is not to accumulate facts or be able to quote Bible verses. One of the values of study has to do with the transformation of one's character so that he will have the tools to go on and to succeed. One of the reasons why some Christians that I know do NOT succeed is because they are not diligent in their study. In other words, they are not willing to work hard enough for it- and unfortunately this reflects in other areas of life.

For example, if a person is lazy, he will probably not want to study or work in order to succeed. However, if he will apply God's word to his life-and the principles contained in it- what he reads will motivate him to want to study more. He can overcome his lack of motivation because what he reads will spark something new in his heart that will give him a renewed enthusiasm for the opportunities he sees in life. That is how God changes people. The discipline of study of God's Word will create a discipline in all other areas of life as well. He will want to study and to sharpen his mind in other subjects, organize his time and finances, and will want to work harder because he knows he is not just working for himself- he is working for God.

You will also note that not only did Ezra read God's Word, but he also did it- he applied the principles of Scripture to his life and lived them. Do you feel that the good hand of the Lord is upon you today? 2 Timothy 2:15 says: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." There is no substitute for diligence. Diligence means persistence as well as consistence in living out what we learn from God's eternal truths.

Prayer: Dear Lord help me to have Your good hand upon me today as I begin my day. May what I study today apply to everything that I do so that I may bring favor not only to myself, but to everyone around me. Help me to live in such a way today that it will be obvious to others that Your hand is upon me. In Jesus Name, Amen.