(Based on the address “Ezra According to the Gospel” by Philip G. Ryken, Senior Pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, to the 2004 opening convocation of The Westminster Theological Seminary.)

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. ~ Ezra 7:10

This passage from Ezra I shall adopt as my prayerful goal for what I desire the Lord to do in and through me during these years at seminary.

As Pastor Ryken pointed out to the Westminster students, the order of the things that Ezra “set his heart to” is not to be ignored: study, do, teach.

First, I set my heart to study. Ezra studied the “Law of the Lord” and I will as well, but with the coming of Christ, I have the tremendous privilege of studying the Gospel as well. Ryken commented that as much as we might desire to sit down with Ezra and ask him questions about his day and perspective (and perhaps about Hebrew grammar, as well!), he would many times more desire to ask us about what we know, what he foresaw only in shadow (Luke 10:24). I have been given at least two gifts by God. One is a love for study (and enough intelligence to make it possible!); the other is this time at Westminster. With God’s help, I hope to suck the marrow from the bones of all that is offered here. May my studies here only increase my wonder at God’s amazing plan of redemption, and may I see it much more clearly three years from now than I do today.

But dear Ezra did not pursue study for study’s sake. He realized that study alone, without life application, leads to empty legalism (or Pharisaism, as we would now say). Therefore, he added to his study of God’s law a dedication to doing God’s law. I pray that after each class, after each homework assignment, after each completed paper, I might ask myself what I plan to do with what I have learned, and that I would be faithful to act on that knowledge. If I come out of these years of study just a better debater, than I have profited nothing. May faith expressed through love (Gal. 5:6) be the outcome of all my learning.

Finally, having established a life pattern of diligent study of God’s word resulting in obedient acts, Ezra set his heart to unselfishly share what he had learned with others, to “teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” Keeping in mind that of “him to whom much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48), I will need to look for opportunities to humbly share the bread that is provided me.

I hereby set these words as my daily prayer for these seminary years. Soli Deo Gloria.

Mark W. Traphagen

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 11th, 2004 at 12:29 pm and is filed under It`s All About Me, Theology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.