What we need today in the Lord’s recovery of the church life for the building up of the Body of Christ is priestly scribes, those who are both priests and teachers (scribes), those filled with Christ mingled with Christ, trusting in God, and skilled in the word of God. We need the Ezra’s of today.
This week in our Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther we come to a new crystal, Ezra, a Priestly Scribe, and the Need for Ezras – those Skilled in the Word of God.
We have seen something concerning the establishment of the altar and the continual burnt offering, and we have seen the need for us to be for the house of God and not for our own house.
Now we want to go on and look at the pattern of Ezra and see what kind of person he was, what ministry he had, and how we can be the Ezras of today.
If we look at the situation of the people in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, we see that their situation was so similar to ours today.
The Lord stirred the spirit of some of those in the people of Israel to return to the ground of oneness in Jerusalem to rebuild the house of God.
He even stirred up the spirit of a gentile king, Cyrus, who made a decree that whoever among the people of Israel wants to go and is stirred in his spirit, he should go.
God provided everything for His people to return.
He even provided the funds necessary for the house to be built and the protection for those who went back. This is quite amazing.
But those who returned, at one point, stopped the building of the house of God.
They were discouraged and disheartened, and the building work stopped.
So God sent Haggai and Zechariah to prophesy, to speak for the Lord, and thus the people were both encouraged, strengthened, and warned concerning returning to do the work of building.
Even more, besides the building work done to the house of God outwardly, there was a need for the inward reconstitution with the word of God.
The people of Israel who returned to Jerusalem were the people of God, but in constitution, they were like the Babylonians among whom they lived.
So they needed to hear the word of God, be taught in the word of God, be exposed by the word of God, and say Amen to the word of God so that the word would operate in them and reconstitute them with God Himself for them to be the people of God in reality.
This is the need in the church life today, for many to be like Ezra, priestly scribes, to reconstitute the people of God through His word.
Ezra was such a one, and we need to learn from him and follow his pattern to be the priestly scribes today for the recovery of the proper church life and the reconstituting of the people of God.
The Pattern of Ezra as a Priest and a Scribe – a Priestly Scribe – as seen in Ezra and Nehemiah
Ezra was a priest and also a scribe; he was not a “letter scribe” that merely taught the law in letters but a priestly scribe (see Ezra 7:6, 11-12, 21; Neh. 8:1-2, 8-9, 11-12; 12:26).
He was a priest, a descendant of Aaron, and he was also a scribe. A scribe in the Old Testament equals a teacher in the New Testament.
The prophets, such as Haggai and Zechariah, spoke directly from God, speaking the word of God to His people.
However, a teacher speaks and teaches things spoken by God already, and they emphasize and teach the speaking of the prophet.
Haggai and Zechariah spoke directly from God, having a fresh message from God to His people.
The things spoken by these two prophets were never spoken before by Moses in the law.
However, Ezra was not a prophet; he was a teacher, even a priestly scribe who taught what Moses already spoke in the law.
He was a scribe and a teacher, and he was also a priest.
This is what we need today in the church life – not just teachers nor just priests, but priestly teachers, priestly scribes.
According to the principle in God’s recovery, we don’t need teachers of the law or merely teachers of the word of God; we need priestly teachers.
The teaching we need today is not merely objective but subjective.
When Ezra introduced himself, he was humble, saying that he was a scribe of the law of God (Ezra 7:6).
On one hand, he was a priest; on the other hand, he was a scribe, a teacher of the law of God.
He didn’t speak anything new from God but spoke what the Lord already spoke in the law, and he applied it to the people’s situation in order to reconstitute them with the word of God.
Ezra was a humble person, not exalting himself but rather realizing that as a priest, he was also a scribe, a teacher of the law of God.
King Artaxerxes sent him and gave him letters of commendation for those in Jerusalem, and the king even wanted to give him a personal guard to protect him on the way back to his homeland.
But Ezra trusted in God and did not take the guard that the king wanted to hive him; the Lord was with him and protected him all the way back.
He was one who had the word of God in his hand, and he came to speak the word and teach God’s word to the people so that they know God and be the people of God.
He had a scribal function which enabled him to teach the law, and he had a priestly function which was for him to contact God and be filled with God.
Ezra also wrote many of the books of history, including 1 and 2 Chronicles, and he had a good memory and a proper inward constitution to write down the details in these books.
Both of these functions are needed, both the scribal function and the priestly function.
When Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered the heads of the fathers’ houses, the priests, and the Levites, to teach them the law and give them insight.
He not only read the Bible to them but also properly interpreted it to apply it to their situation and reconstitute them with the nature of God.
He was very useful in the hand of God to reconstitute the people of God, who were Babylonian by nature, to be the people who express God, who dwells among them.
Even when he was in Babylon, the king realized that his God is the God of heavens, and he allowed him to go back and take care of the building of the house of God, of whom he was a priest and a scribe.
And everything that he needed was provided by the king, for why should the king and his kingdom suffer loss because of the unhappiness of the God of the heavens?
The king was over all things in that kingdom, even of the whole earth at that time, but he saw something in Ezra and told him to go back and help rebuild the house of God.
May we be such ones, those who are filled with the word of God, trust in God, and contact the Lord to be mingled with God so that we may be skilful in the word of God to help the people of God be reconstituted with the word of God.
Lord Jesus, we love You and we love Your word! Fill us with Yourself and with Your word. Constitute us with Your very element. Make us those who are both priests and scribes. We want to be those contacting the Lord and being filled with the word of God. We trust in You, Lord for all the details of our daily life. We do not rely on our own understanding or wisdom; we trust in You and in Your word. May Your word become our constitution. Reconstitute us with Your word. May we be purified and cleansed from any old element and from any mixture. Make us the priestly scribes of today who are filled with God and constituted with the Word of God to speak the Word of God to help others be reconstituted with God!
Being the Priestly Scribes who Contact God Continually and are Skilled in God’s Word
What the Lord needs today for the recovery of the church is priestly scribes like Ezra.
A priest is one who is mingled with the Lord and saturated with the Lord; Ezra was this kind of person (Ezra 8:21-23).
We believers in Christ are priests to God, those who daily learn to open to the Lord, going in His presence to contact Him and fellowship with Him until He fills and saturates us to the point that we are one with Him.
This is what the Lord needs today.
He needs those who contact the Lord, spend time with the Lord, and remain in His presence so that they are filled with the Lord and are one with Him.
Day by day we need to feed upon the Lord and breathe Him in all day long.
As we spend time with Him and seek to remain in His presence throughout the day, we are mingled with the Lord and we’re saturated with Him.
Whatever we speak, will be just the Lord Himself.
A scribe is one who not only knows the Word of God but even more, takes in the word by means of all prayer and petition (Eph. 6:17).
We need to not only enjoy the Lord in His word and call on the name of the Lord to be filled in spirit, but we also need to allow the word of God to dwell in us richly.
We need to be those who have the treasures in God’s word constituted into our being.
As Matt. 13:52 says, we need to be like a householder who has treasures that are ready to be dispensed into others – treasures old and new.
When we read the word of God and the ministry, we need to not only seek inspiration but even more, take notes, study, and commit things to our memory in a prayerful way.
We need to be the priestly scribes of today, those who exercise not only their spirit but also their mind to be richly constituted with the word of God.
Some people have a lot of Bible knowledge and love to teach others, but they lack the contact with the Lord; therefore, what they speak is mere knowledge, not the word of life.
Mere knowledge doesn’t build; rather, it puffs up and it kills.
But the priestly teachers contact the Lord, are filled with Him, and are constituted with the word of God, having the riches in God’s word deposited in their being and being ready to speak the word of God to others.
Priestly scribes are those who not only teach and give insight into the word of God but also help others to be reconstituted with God’s word.
Such ones not only help others understand the word of God and gain insight into what God’s desire is but also strengthen them to have the increase of numbers and enrich the church life with the rich experience of Christ.
The priestly scribes cooperate with the Lord to bring in a good number of returned captives and bring more riches of Christ into the recovery of the Lord.
One way to be filled with the Lord and be constituted with His word is to PSRP, that is, to pray, study, recite, and prophesy the word.
We need to give ourselves to read the word, pray over it, study it prayerfully, recite it, and prophesy.
We need to do this both personally and corporately.
On one hand, we trust in God and are one with God; on the other hand, we need to know God’s heart, His desires, and His economy, and we need to speak His word to others.
We are one with the Lord by contacting Him continually. Ezra was a priestly scribe who contacted the Lord continually (Neh. 8:1-2, 8-9, 11-12; 12:26).
What he spoke was nothing new; he spoke what Moses already spoke (Ezra 7:6; Neh. 8:14; 2 Pet. 1:12).
We may not be the ones who speak new things from the Lord in the way of prophecy, but we can be the ones who speak the Lord’s word in an instant and fresh way, cutting straight the word of the truth, to reconstitute the people of God with the word of God and bring them into a deeper experience of Christ.
The word of God as recorded in the Bible is His speaking to us, His heart’s desire, and the revelation of the economy of God.
We need to collect the treasures in the word of God, be filled with the word of God, and impart the word of God to others by the exercise of our spirit to give them Spirit and life and to reconstitute them with the living word of God for them to be the people of God who experience Christ and build up the church.
Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to enjoy You, contact You, and be filled with You. We want to contact You continually. Keep us in Your presence today. We trust in You and we want to be one with You. We want to be filled with You. Amen, Lord, we come to Your word to read and pray, study and recite, and prophesy what You are speaking to us. Amen, Lord, may the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom! Fill us with the treasures in Your word. May we be the householder who has rich treasures to share with others for their encouragement and building up. Amen, Lord, make us the priestly scribes today who bring more riches of Christ into the church life and who help others experience Christ for the building up of the church!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1969, vol. 2, “The Recovery of God’s House and God’s City,” ch. 17, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther (2022 winter training), week 5, entitled, Ezra, a Priestly Scribe, and the Need for Ezras – Those Skilled in the Word of God.
- Further reading on this topic:
– A priestly scribe and the riches of Christ, a portion from, The Recovery of God’s House and God’s City, Chapter 7, by Witness Lee.
– Excellent Believer: Life-Study Reading Website, for those who want to be priestly scribes; article at Living to Him.
– The Recovery of the Church as God’s House and God’s City as Portrayed in Ezra and Nehemiah, a newsletter via the Church in Regina.
– 20 quotes from, The Priesthood (a book by Witness Lee), article via, Conversant Faith. - Hymns on this topic:
– May the mind of Christ my Savior / Live in me from day to day, / By His love and pow’r controlling / All I do and say. / May the Word of Christ dwell richly / In my heart from hour to hour, / So that all may see I triumph / Only through His pow’r. (Hymns #401 stanzas 1-2)
– That recovery may proceed / Real priests are what we need— / Those who live in Christ indeed, / O glory be to God! / Saturated with the Lord, / They have Christ as their reward. / These the building work afford / In the local churches now. (Hymns #1251 stanza 2)
– We have found the way to live by Christ— / Pray His Word and call His name! / This—the eating, drinking—has sufficed / And its worth we now proclaim. (Hymns #1153 stanza 3)
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Some people have a certain amount of knowledge, and they like to teach what they know, but they themselves are not that kind of person.
The Lord’s recovery today does not need this kind of teacher. We need Ezra, the priestly scribe, the priestly teacher. This is the teacher who contacts God constantly and instantly, who is saturated with God and one with God.
Ezra was very much with the Lord. He was in a position to ask the king for an army to protect him while returning to Jerusalem, but he did not do it. He put his trust in the Lord. This is the kind of person who is qualified to be a teacher in the Lord’s recovery…
You must put your trust in the Lord. We do not need objective teachers in the recovery of the Lord’s building…We need the life; we need the priesthood to be mingled with the teaching…
Mere knowledge does not build; it kills. It is the priestly teacher who builds . can strengthen the recovery with an increase of numbers and enrich it with the rich experiences of Christ. Praise the Lord there are such Ezras, and I have full assurance that the Lord is going to bring in more and more Ezras—those who are one with God, saturated with God, filled with God, and skillful in the Word of God.
These persons are the right ones to bring in a good number of returned captives and to bring more riches of Christ into the recovery of the Lord.
Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1969, vol. 2, “The Recovery of God’s House and God’s City,” pp. 374-375
We need to be the priestly scribes today, those who are contact the Lord and are filled with the Lord, and those who are constituted with the word of God.
Amen, may we be those who are one with God and are skilled in the word of God, knowing God’s heart and speaking the word of God to reconstitute others with God’s word and bring them to experience Christ for the church.
Ameen!!
Priests who contact the Lord, mingled, permeated, saturated and filled with the Lord by feeding, drinking, and breathing the Lord continually and scribes who are filled and constituted with, skilled, and experienced in the word of God
Yes, brother!
We are called to be hunters of men in this given age for the move of God.
To do so, however, we need to equip ourselves with the word of God and the Holy Spirit so that we can have an attractive power of others to add into His body.
Therefore, we need more Ezras to move God intensively.
Amen dear brother!
O Lord gather us under the priestly scribes to be one with God, saturated and filled, skilful in the Word of God to overflow to others to build up your body!
Hallelujah!😃
Amen Lord!
We give ourselves to You to constitute us with Yourself as the all inclusive Spirit to produce us as the today’s Ezras, the priestly scribes, living out the Christ we have enjoyed, gain and constituted with to minister to others for the blinding up of the church as the house of God!
We want to be people of the second day, be under the leading of the Saints who have insight in the word of God to also see God update move for His recovery!
Amen my brother.
We are so bless to be call the children of God, why? We have His life, we are today Israel….this life is the everlasting Love that He draw us with, that becomes the indwelling Spirit..the law of the Spirit of life and when we contact the Lord and are filled with the Lord by being obedient to His Holy word we are then constituted with the word of God, it becomes the instant word our instant speaking to give life to each other. Hallelujah!
Amazing grace how sweet, the gladness of our heart.
Aaaaameeen! Dear Lord keep us constantly contacting You, to receive Your saturation and to stay in Your presence! Amen!
There is an urgent need for those who are priestly teachers.
That is, those who contact God constantly & instantly, who are saturated with God and one with God.
It’s the priestly teachers who build by bringing new ones into the house of feasting and strengthening the house with rich experiences of Christ.
May we all heed the Lord’s call for more Ezras, those who are saturated & filled with God and filled with the the Word.
Yes we need to be those who absorb God and are infused with him, not be those filled with mere knowledge.
When we breathe him in we will be filled with life and whatever word we speak to others will just be God himself!
Brother may we not be just be teachers who teach the word in a old stale way but may we be those who are priestly teachers those who filled with the Lord, saturated with the Lord and one with the Lord in our contact with him so that we can be those who are constitute with his word and represent and express the Lord in a proper way.
Today in the Lord’s recovery there is need for more priestly scribes and priestly teachers!
These are the Ezras – not prophets speaking directly for God – but those who are one, mingled and saturated with God – who are in continual contact with God, feeding on the word of God!
Such ones speak what has been spoken, so that we would gain insight in the word so that we would see its intrinsic significance.
Amen, yes, Lord, make us those who are skilled in your words, knowing God’s heart,and speak the words of God to reconstitute others and bring them to experience Christ for the church.
“…Ezra was very much with the Lord…”
This is exactly what we need to do.”
Personally, I know is not that easy as it sounds. We’re very distracted with family, children, work, etc.
However, as things are going on nowadays in the world, our priority, my priority should be the Lord, and everything we do must be with Him, in Him, and by Him.
We learned this past week, that we must re-built the House of God first by consider our ways, and ask Him not to keep us neutral, but absolutely consecrated to Him and trusting in His ways.
Then we can reach that level of priesthood. Otherwise we will be just objective teachers that their mere knowledge will kill instead build. Only our rich experiences of Christ will enrich whatever increase He brings.
We all have the potential to become Ezra, a priestly scribe, the priestly teacher, IF, WE ARE WILLING TO OPEN COMPLETELY OUR ❤️s and let Him search through all the chambers thus, He can purge out all that is not pleasant to Him. Ezra is not a role separated just for some group, we all can qualify for it.
If we do everything giving Him the priority, even those busy moments will be blessed, and we will be sanctified, and He will fusion in our spirit. Then, we can say that we are in His way, and He will shape us like Ezra. Only He can grant us the qualifications to be Ezras. Amen!
“…which Jehovah the God of Israel had given;..” Ezra 7:6
“…but our sufficiency is FROM God, Who has also MADE us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Cor. 3:5-6
We all need help, and once we let Him to teach us all concerning His mysteries, we will be able to help others to “…gain insight into the words of the law.” Neh. 8:13. This is the only way to bring in more Ezras into the Lord’s recovery. Amen!