So why did Ezra declare the fast at the assembly at Ahava? Ezra 8:21 NIV says that Ezra proclaimed the fast “so that we might humble ourselves”. If you read in Ezra 7: 11-26 you can see what Artaxerxes granted Ezra, and in Ezra 7:27&28 you find Ezra thanking and praising God for arranging a blessed voyage and the reconstruction – the revival of Jerusalem. and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him (Ezra 7:6). The interesting part about this is that God had already moved His mighty hand on King Artaxerxes: The return trip to Jerusalem was 900 miles and Ezra wanted God’s hand of protection for the journey so Ezra proclaimed a fast unto God. So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer (Ezra 8:21-23 NIV). I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him. There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:15&16).Īnd all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18).Ī prepared heart today, having a ministry of reconciliation, means that we will go into the "highways and hedges" (Luke 14:23) and cause revival by teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul admonishes us to teach the Word of God today:Īnd that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading (Nehemiah 8:8). So Ezra renewed the Law by teaching it to the people.Īfter they were taught, what happened to the people? We read: (Nehemiah 8:5-6).Įzra knew that complete restoration – complete revival meant more than just re-establishing the people in the land, rebuilding the temple, the city and the wall – it meant that the people would have to commit themselves to the one true God – putting idolatry and other sins out of their lives. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Having studied the Bible, Ezra could confidently teach the Word of God:Īnd Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people ) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. That is exactly what we need to do today - become acquainted with the Bible and the truth so we can win lost souls to the Lord. This Ezra went up from Babylon and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given ( Ezra 7:6).Įaston's Bible Dictionary says that "after captivity, scribes turned their attention to the law gaining for themselves distinction by their intimate acquaintance with its contents". The first characteristic of Ezra’s “prepared heart” is that he studied the Bible - he knew the Word of God: We will look at Ezra as an example of what “a prepared heart” looks like to carry a burden for revival by looking at the characteristics of Ezra's prepared heart. The verse of Scripture above tells us that Ezra had prepared his heart to do the work and will of God. The leadership for this reconstruction, this revival, fell upon a number of men, one of which was Ezra. It was at this time that the Jewish people were allowed to return to their homeland to rebuild the Temple, the wall, and the city. At the end of this time, the Persians and Medes conquered Babylonia. The Jewish people spent seventy years in Babylonian captivity. The Bible teaches us that Ezra, the scribe, prepared his heart to do the work of the Lord:įor 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 7:10 ). Having "a prepared heart" to do the work of God is something we should all aspire to do. Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Ezra - A Prepared Heart
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