Ezra: Model of a Pastor
- Johannesburg, South Africa South African Theological Seminary Press 2010
- 10p PDF
Introduction When preachers want a model of good leadership, they often turn to the book of Nehemiah, since Nehemiah models many outstanding qualities of godly leadership. Few are aware of another equally good model of pastoral leadership—Ezra.The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are twin volumes, since Nehemiah is the sequel to Ezra. In fact, Ezra and Nehemiah were co-labourers;their ministries in Jerusalem overlapped.Because Israel was unfaithful to God, he sent the Babylonians to punish them. Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC, and most of the Jews were taken into exile in Babylon. In 538BC, after the Persians conquered Babylon, the Persian king, Cyrus, allowed the Jews to return home. The first six chapters of the book of Ezra record how the first group of exiles returned and rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem; this covers 538-515 BC. The book then skips 57 years, to 458BCwhen a second group of exiles return to Jerusalem under the leadership of Ezra.Ezra himself was a priest and a scribe (the first great Bible scholar and teacher). He returned with the goal of restoring true worship of the Lord in Jerusalem and teaching the Jewish people the Law of the Lord.Ezra’s story is told in Ezra 7–10. It makesa great case study for pastors, since Ezra embodies and models many of the leadership traits and skills that we would expect to find in a good New Testament pastor. I want to draw your attention to seven ways in which Ezra can be a model for pastors