Ezra 7

Eza 7:1, 5 Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah ...  son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest — (ESV)

Ezra finally shows up on the scene in the book named after him. Almost 60 years pass between Ezra 6 and 7. The old leadership is gone but there is still much to do as the people of God. The king sends Ezra, but God qualifies him. What is it that qualifies an individual to serve in a leadership position over God's people?

Ezra qualifies on three counts. First, he is Biblically qualified. According to the Mosaic Law in order to serve as a priest he must be a descendent of Aaron. Verses 1-5 demonstrate this to be true. He is then Biblically qualified to step into that role of leadership. For New Testament leadership the qualifications are issues of character rather than ancestry. 1 Timothy, Titus and other passages list the biblical qualifications of church leadership. We need to pay attention to these.

Secondly, Ezra was adequately trained and skilled. Ezra 7:6 says that "He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses..." Leadership is not just about being a godly individual. Jesus took three years to train his disciples before leaving them. When he left he instructed then to make disciples "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:20) I have listened to preachers and church leaders who were arrogant about their ignorance. There is nothing biblical or godly about being ignorant. Yes, God can mightily use people with little or no training, but the biblical mandate is to train and be trained.

So Ezra was Biblically qualified and adequately trained. He was also called and gifted by God. Ezra 7:6 ends with these words, "the hand of the LORD his God was on him." God has uniquely gifted every believer. His places his call on the lives of those he has marked out for leadership. Churches do a disservice to themselves and their God when they settle for leaders who are not qualified, trained and called to leadership. Church leaders do themselves and their God a disservice when they neglect to train up a next generation of Biblically qualified leaders. Individual believers do themselves and their God a disservice when they live lives that disqualify them from service, fail to seek training to learn and grow in their faith, and neglect the gifts and calling God has placed on their lives.

Father, thank you for the example you have given us in Ezra. May we humbly follow his example. Open our eyes.

By His grace,
Rick Weinert