Elementary Level, Block 8—Ezra / Nehemiah / Esther
Week 72
Ezra—Excellent Character with a Good Reputation
Point to Emphasize: We can be children with excellent characters and good reputations.
Reading Reference: Ezra 7—8
Memory Verse: …Take forethought for things honorable in the sight of all men. (Romans 12:17b)
Story Sample
Last week, we heard about two leaders among God’s people—Zerubbabel and Nehemiah. For most of us, it was the first time we had heard any stories about these two. Zerubbabel was well known among the people and we might have expected him to become a leader. Our third leader is different. He was known among the people for knowing the Word of God. His name was Ezra and he was a Jewish priest and a scribe. As a scribe he studied God’s Word, so we can say that he was like a scholar. A scholar is someone who studies a lot. There are many kinds of jobs, but many of you have never heard that some people study as a job. Ezra studied the law of God. He knew the Word of God. He studied it every day.
You might think, “How can someone who studies all day become a leader?” Well, here is part of Ezra’s story. Many Jews had returned to Jerusalem years before and they had rebuilt the temple, the house of God. But Ezra realized that even though the house of God was now rebuilt, no one there knew how to worship God. The Jews who returned to Jerusalem had grown up in Babylon and had not studied God’s Word, so they did not know how God was to be worshipped. Ezra realized that he needed to go with others and help bring in the proper worship to God. To be able to do this he had to go and appear before the ruling king to present his petition. Ezra wanted to go before the king and request that he and more Jews be allowed to return to the good land.
In those days not just anyone could go and see the king. It is not like dropping by and visiting a classmate or a friend who lives down the street. The king ruled over a large, vast kingdom. He did not waste time seeing everyone who wanted something from him. But Ezra was respected among the people, and he was known for his excellent character. Ezra had a very good reputation.
Now, let’s consider this. If someone in your class always talks when the teacher is explaining something, the word will spread among the teachers that this child is a problem. Is that a good or a bad reputation? But if there is a classmate who always is kind and friendly to the new students in the class, will they get a good or a bad reputation?
Once when I was your age, my school had a parade and awards were given. Do you know what kind of award I got? I was given the honor of being “Miss Friendly.” I got to wear a beautiful puffy dress with a green sash that said “Miss Friendly” and my name on it, and I got to ride on a sidecar of a bicycle with a beautiful arch of flowers for the parade. We went around the small town and everyone got to see my sash. I was so honored that I got chosen. And that was because I was friendly not just to my friends but also to everyone in my class and even the whole school. When a new girl joined our class, I befriended her and made sure she felt comfortable. Having a good reputation like that meant that everyone noticed that I was nice and friendly to others. So, I received the award because I had a good reputation of being friendly. [Storyteller, add your own example of having a good reputation before others.]
Ezra had a good reputation. He had done many things among the people that showed he was a man of high character. Because of his good reputation, he was able to appear before the king with his petition. Ezra wanted to be able to go to Jerusalem and to bring others along with him. Ezra was such a respected man that the king granted his petition and gave him authority to appoint Jews to be over the ones in Jerusalem. The king even gave Ezra silver and gold to take to Jerusalem.
So Ezra became a leader by the way he behaved every day. He had many years of being known among the people, which gave him a very good reputation. Ezra was someone you could trust. He was so well-respected, because he displayed excellent character in his behavior and actions each day.
We too can become respected by others. We can be our best every day at school and among our friends.