THE LORD IS SEEKING SERVANTS

Following Israel's four hundred year Egyptian captivity, the LORD chose Moses to lead His people to freedom.  Moses served as God's messenger to Pharaoh, and God made him to be His steward of the people for their forty years of complaining, contention, and continual sinning.  In addition to Moses, their political leader, the LORD appointed Aaron, Moses' brother, to serve as the chief priest, or religious leader of His people (the Book of Exodus). 

Sixteen generations later, following Israel's seventy years of bondage in Babylon, after the Medes and the Persians defeated Babylon, the LORD, once again, chose a member of Moses' and Aaron's blood line to serve as His spiritual leader.  The LORD led Ezra to return to Jerusalem, and gave him the task of rebuilding the Temple, and reestablishing Israel's worship and sacrifices (Ez. 7:1-10).  Not long after Ezra left Babylon to rebuild the Temple (445 B.C. - thirteen years - cp. Ez. 7:8 w/ Neh. 2:1), the LORD chose Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the city's walls. 

In the case of Moses and Aaron, one a murderer (Ex. 2:12), and the other an idolater (Ex. 32:4), one has to wonder why God chose them to lead His people.  On the other hand, in the case of Ezra and Nehemiah, God chose men of character, spiritual men, to lead in rebuilding Jerusalem.  Ezra, facing much opposition, completed his task, re-dedicating the Temple and reestablishing Israel's holy days (Ez. 6:13-22).  Not only that, the Word reveals his commitment in one of my favorite Bible verses:  "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments" (Ez. 7:10).  I particularly like the order given:  1) he prepared his heart to study the Law; 2) he committed himself to do what it said; 3) then, and only then, would he share its teaching with his people.       

In the New Scofield Reference Edition of the Bible, the introduction to the Book of Nehemiah said this about him:  "Eleven times in the text, it is recorded that Nehemiah was engaged in prayer."  In addition, Nehemiah read the Scriptures to the people (Neh. 8:3, 8, 18; 9:3).  Nehemiah 9:3 says, "And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the Law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God."

From these passages, we see that God uses those who are available.

Their past does not matter; their spirituality does not matter.

He wants to use you!  Are you available to the LORD?