Studying has very, very little value; in fact, it may even have a condemning value, if we are not going to live what we learn. Ezra was the consummate doer of the Word. He studied it, and believed that it should be put into practice. He was not just a hearer who deludes himself, he was a doer. What a reminder to us! What a lesson to us! There are lots of people who are very adapted to tasting sermons. They are consummate sermon tasters. They love a good sermon now and then and even know lots of verses in their Bible. But all they do is hear the Word and never do it. Ezra was absolutely determined that his life was going to be shaped by the Word of God. Everything in his life was going to be shaped by the Word of God. The Puritans used to talk about what they would call
Brian Borgmanuniversal holiness.That is, every part of life was going to come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and be shaped by the Word of God. There was not going to be one part of life, whether it was marriage or parenting, or how I did my work or how I took care of my animals—everything was going to be in subjection to the authority of God's Word in my life, and my life is going to be ordered by the Word of God.1
10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.