The Pulpit Commentary — Ezra — Section 98

Vers. 1-10.-The reformer. "After these things"-nearly sixty years "after," as usually understood-certain other things came to pass. Things so far similar that they may be recorded in the same connection ; things so far different as to open out to us quite a new part of this book. There is this similarity, for example-that we have the story here of another and supplementary pilgrimage of captive Israelites from Babylon to Jerusalem. On the other hand, there are these points of difference- that the new pilgrimage is on a much smaller scale; and that the story itself is rather biographical than historical, as before-all of it, in fact, centring closely round the doings of one man. Accordingly, it is with the portrait of this one man, Ezra, that this new portion begins. We can see at once, on looking at the portrait, that he is a zealous ecclesiastical reformer ; and we can easily understand there being a great necessity at Jerusalem for such a man at that time. Of this, however, and of what he did there, we, shall read by and by. At present we see chiefly his fitness for this difficult role; and that in connection-1. with his ancestry; 2. his attain- ments ; and 3. his ambition. I. EZB.A's ANCESTRY. This, given us in vers. 1-5, would be such as tl.l fit him for the work of Church reformation in several ways. 1. As to office. By lineage we see that he was a priest; an'd therefore an authorised preacher (Lev. x. 11 ; 2 Chron. xv. 3; Mal. ii. 5--7); and therefore a person who would have special facilities in reforming or setting things right, because such endeavours would, in his case, be only expected. How can any man teach truth and right without correcting error and wrong? 2. As to tradition. It may at least be noticed that, according to this lineage, very many of the traditions of his peculiar priestly ancestry would b& specially in favour of reforming work. He belonged, e. g., to the better of the two principal priestly lines, viz., that of Eleazar as compared with Ithamar, to which Eli and his sons (1 Chron. xxiv. 3, 4 ; vi. 8) belonged. Also, even in this very abridged form of his genealogy, how conspicuous are the individual names of Phinehas (Num. xxv.; Josh. xxii.; Ps. cvi. 30) and Hilkiah (2 Kings xxii.; 2 Chron. xxxiv.) in regard to this point I It could never, therefore, be said of him, in attempting similar work, as in 1 Sam. x. 12. 3. As to position. Being himself descended from Seraiah, the grand- father or great ( or great-great) grandfather of the high priest of that time (1 Chron. vi. 14; Ezra iii. 2; Neh. iii. 1 ; xii. 10), he would be not only a priest, but a priest with peculiar family advantages for exerting an influence for good, something as is the case with a "prince of the blood" among us. On the whole, while all theso things by themselves would not necessarily dispose him to become a reformer, they wou\d all help him, if so disposed. II. EzBA'B SPECIAL .ATTAINMENTS. These would also qualify him for such labours. For we find that he had learned-I. How to listen to God. The man who would reform others must begin by reforming himself; and this he can only do effectually by means of an accurate knowledge of God's will, that one standard of perfect right ( see Ps. cxi. 10, and end of Luke xi. 2). This point secured in the present instance (a) by Ezra's discrimination. He knew where to look for God's word, viz., in the "Scriptures" of truth, recognising clearly their double aspect, as at once hump!J. (the OB. VII. 1-10. l THE BOOK OF EZ.RA. 103