God had miraculously arranged for the people to be given a royal decree, allowing them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and restore Jerusalem and ensuring they had the resources necessary to complete the task. They had all the material needed to build and the manpower to do the work. God had even taken care of their constant harassment by their enemies. But one thing was missing. They had plenty of people, gold, silver, wood, and hours in the day to accomplish the work. But God knew that without His Law, they would end up in the same spiritual condition that resulted in their captivity in the first place. So God raised up Ezra, “a scribe who was well-versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel” (Ezra 7:6 NLT).

As a Scribe, Ezra was intimately familiar with the Law God had given through Moses to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. A span of nearly 60 years takes place after the events recorded in chapter six end and Ezra arrives in Jerusalem from Babylon in chapter seven. It has been 80 years since the first wave of exiles returned to Judah. God has been watching and waiting. He has been preparing the right man to bring the one ingredient the nation needed most: His Law. Ezra would not have even been born when the first exiles returned but he was a direct descendant of Aaron, the high priest. He had a spiritual heritage and a godly upbringing that made him perfect for the job God had prepared for him.

The Persian king, Artaxerxes, issued a royal decree commissioning Ezra to go to Jerusalem and conduct an official inquiry into the situation “based on your God’s law, which is in your hand” (Ezra 7:14 NLT). This pagan king officially ordered Ezra to use his knowledge of God’s law to assist the people of Judah in their rebuilding efforts.

“…use the wisdom your God has given you to appoint magistrates and judges who know your God’s laws to given all the people of in the province west of the Euphrates River. Teach the law to anyone who does not know it. Anyone who refuses to obey the law of your God and the law of the king will be punished immediately, either by death, banishment, confiscation or goods, or imprisonment.” – Ezra 7:26 NLT

As a king, Artaxerxes knew that the rule of law was essential to maintaining peace and security in his kingdom. As a polytheist, he also understood the need to foster obedience to the many gods his people worshiped. The same would be true for the people of Judah and their God, Yahweh. Once again, God sovereignly ordained His will to be done through the power and position of an ungodly king. This monarch effectively gave Ezra the authority to conduct a spiritual revival in the land of Israel.

Knowing he was being sent by God didn’t prevent Ezra from praying for God’s hand of mercy and protection as they made the journey home. He called a fast and ordered the people to humble themselves before God, praying for a safe journey and for God’s protection as they traveled. They carried large amounts of gold and silver and would travel a very long distance through potentially dangerous conditions. Their retinue included women and children, but Ezra refused to request an armed escort from the king, choosing instead to trust God. So after prayerful preparation, they set off. It took four months for them to make the long and arduous trek to Jerusalem, but they arrived unharmed with every ounce of silver and gold accounted for.

Ezra acknowledged that it was God who had protected them along the way. They celebrated their safe arrival with sacrifices. Then the real work began. The law of God had to be given and then applied. It was not going to be easy, but it was necessary.

God had graciously provided all that the people of Judah needed to rebuild and restore Jerusalem. But there was one missing ingredient: His holy Law. The Mosaic Law, God’s written code of conduct, was an essential ingredient for the people’s success. Without it, they would fail to understand His holy standards and end up violating His will for their lives. The Law provided non-negotiable guidelines that were designed to set the people of Judah apart from the surrounding nations. Obedience to God’s laws was the key to experiencing God’s blessings, and ignorance of His laws was not an excuse. So, God sovereignly arranged for Ezra to receive a royal appointment and an all-expenses-paid trip back to Judah with full authority to teach the Mosaic Law to his people.

It is amazing how often we leave out the key ingredient for our own success. We take on responsibilities and tackle all kinds of tasks without consulting God’s Word or asking about His will in the matter. The people of Judah had been doing the will of God but had neglected the law of God. During their 70 years in captivity, the people of Judah had neglected God’s Law and allowed it to fall out of favor. Without the sacrificial system to provide atonement and forgiveness for breaking the Law, the people of Israel became lax in their obedience to God’s commands.

Now that they were back in the land of promise and had successfully completed the reconstruction of God’s house, they would be tempted to believe they had earned God’s favor. But without a knowledge of the Law, they would never live up to His righteous requirements. As a result, they were attempting to do God-ordained tasks while living in open disobedience to His Law. They had a recently completed Temple and had reinstituted the sacrificial system and the annual feasts, but they were ignorant of God’s Laws. But God knew what they needed and arranged for a pagan Persian king to pass a law that ensured the Law of God was once again the law of the land of Judah.

The Book of Nehemiah records what happened when Ezra reached the land of Judah and began to teach God’s Law to God’s people. It was a momentous and life-changing day in the history of the people of Judah.

Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.

Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. – Nehemiah 8:5-9 NLT

They were convicted by what they heard because they understood their disobedience. But Nehemiah told them, “Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10 NLT). The Law was simply doing what it was meant to do, exposing their disobedience and sin. But awareness of sin led to confession and, ultimately, atonement. Forgiveness was available through the sacrificial system. That is why the Levites quieted the people by saying, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day” (Nehemiah 8:11 NLT).

God had given the people of Judah His Law but over the decades they had allowed it to pass from their collective conscience. Now He had arranged to have their knowledge of the Law restored so their joy could be renewed.

So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them. – Nehemiah 8:12 NLT