Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Rediscovering the Ancient Way | The Writings | Ezra 7-8

Episode Date: September 5, 2024

Are we in an age of rediscovering Jesus? Do you know the ancient way of Jesus? Are you devoted to the same practices Ezra was? In today's episode, Patrick shares how Ezra 7-8 encourages us to rediscover the ancient way of Jesus that leads to life.  Read the Bible with us in 2024! This year, we’re tackling a group of Old Testament books traditionally known as “The Writings”— Psalms, Chronicles, Proverbs, Daniel, Ruth and more! Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Ezra 7-8

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Patrick Miller. It will surprise absolutely no one to learn that I'm a bit of a Star Wars nerd. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a space opera. And that means I'm very aware that the latest trilogy, you know, the one that follows Ray and Finn and Kylo Ren, it's been very polarizing amongst fans. Don't worry, I'm not here to lay out a case for or against the latest Star Wars trilogy.

Instead, I want to talk about the story's setup, because I think its setup is relevant to the story of your life. At the end of the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo finally defeat the evil empire. And it seems like the only feasible ending is happily ever after. And that's exactly what happened, at least initially. We learned that after they defeated the empire, Luke started a school for Jedi, and he taught young people the way of the force.

But then something dark happened. and Luke couldn't forgive himself. So he stopped teaching the force. He disappeared. He stopped practicing the force. And slowly, the galaxy fell under the sway of new tyrants. Ray's job in the first movie is to find Luke and once again reclaim the way of the force. As it turns out, this cycle of finding and losing the way of the force is integral to Star Wars.

And I think it's reflective of true spirituality in one significant way. Not that God is like the force. He's not an impersonal force with a balance. of light and darkness inside of him. He is a personal being who is entirely light. But if you read the ancient history of Israel, you'll discover that they both found and lost the way of Yahweh. They discover how to practice his way, and then they forget. I think the same thing applies throughout church history. Generations come and go, and the way of Jesus is forgotten and then rediscovered. I believe that we are currently in a period of rediscovery. And I also believe that

with rediscovery comes revival and renewal. But that day can't come unless we cast ourselves on God's mercy and begin to practice the ancient ways. What about you? Do you feel like you know the ancient way of Jesus? Like you're practicing the ancient practices? Have you tapped into the practices through which God's presence enters your life to shape you? Do you know what that way is? To answer that question, I want to introduce you to Ezra. Ezra was a priest. living in the ancient empire of Persia. His entire family was carried into exile in Babylon about a century before he was born. But when we meet Ezra in Ezra 7, the author says that, quote, the hand of Yahweh was upon him. He says this multiple times, and because God was with him,

the Persian king decreed that Ezra could take a contingent of volunteers back to the land of Israel to teach God's law and worship there. In fact, this king actually funds their expedition and sends back antiques from the original temple. Now, again, the author tells us the hand of Yahweh was on him. Now, I think sometimes we imagine that God's hand comes upon people and makes them superhuman. They have spiritual energy bursting from their ears and nostrils. But the author makes it very clear that the means by which God laid his hand on Ezra were actually quite ordinary. They are the very ancient practices that Jesus would later practice. And they're the way in which the early church what? So what are those practices? Well, let's look at Ezra 7 to 8. First, we read in Ezra 710,

for Ezra had devoted himself to study and observe the law of Yahweh and to teach its decrees and laws in Israel. Now, the first part of Ezra's spiritual discipline is threefold. First, he studied God's word, and second, he observed it, or he practiced what it said, and only then did he, third, teach it. Now, you're obviously listening to a Bible podcast, so I already know that you have it in your heart to study God's word, but could I challenge you to go even deeper? Perhaps to read the entire passage before you listen to that day's 10-minute Bible talks? Maybe you could go to thebibylproject.com and find a video on the book that we're working through. You can just do that by going to YouTube and searching for Bible Project and Ezra, and you'll find it. And if you do that,

you'll really start to study. But let's just ask, why is the practice of scriptural study so important? Well, it's because we cannot know the mind of God if we don't steep our mind in his words. But Ezra doesn't stop with study. It says that he observed or practiced the word of God. In other words, he sought to live a righteous, just and holy life. What about you? Do you read God's word and then just move on? Or does God's word lead you to repentance? Does it lead you to actually change how you treat the people around you, how you prioritize your time, how you see yourself, how you see God. The last thing Ezra did after he studied and observed God's word was that he taught. And part of practicing the way of Jesus is making disciples. You probably are not a pastor or an

elder. You probably don't have a seminary degree. And you know what? That's okay. Neither did the early Christians, but Jesus still called them to teach and to make disciples. If you feel that you aren't ready to do that with adults, volunteer at the nursery in your church or in children's classes at your church. You could lead a middle school or high school small group. If you're older, work with young adults like college students and people in their 20s, you'll discover that you become more like Christ, the more you help others to love him. But Ezra doesn't stop with study and observance and teaching. The passage says in Ezra 8 that he called a fast before leaving Babylon. In verse 21 we read, 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 our possessions. Do you practice fasting? The reason we fast is twofold. One is so that our physical hunger would remind us of our spiritual hunger for God. But number two is a bit more surprising, we fast to train ourselves to suffer well. You see, sometimes it's easy to follow God when life is easy. There aren't challenges or temptations. But then what happens when we suffer? When people disdain us for our faith, or a loved one suffers from cancer, or you lose your job? Or what happens when you experience mental anguish, suffering with anxiety or depression? How you respond in those moments is dependent on whether you've trained yourself to suffer well

through fasting. In a fast, our body aches, but we trust God to carry us through. Ezra knew that their 900 mile long journey on foot from Babylon to Jerusalem would be grueling. He knew that people would want to turn back, but he trained himself and others to trust in God while they were in the wilderness through fasting, just as Jesus would later train himself to take up his cross through fasting. Have you practiced fasting? Here's something you could start with. Every other week or once a month, fast from sundown to sundown. When you start, give yourself mercy. You probably aren't ready for a full fast, so be sure to drink water, and it can also help to drink a beef or chicken broth halfway in. Now, I know that sounds a little weird, but trust me, you might need it. Eventually,

though, you'll be able to go a day without the broth. Eventually, you'll be able to extend your fast to two or even three days, and I promise God will meet you in that fast. And as a result, you'll be ready to meet him in your day of suffering. Of course, this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the way of Jesus, but today I want to challenge you to rediscover the ancient way. Study God's word for real. Observe it, teach it fast, encounter God's grace through these ancient practices.