Week of Monday May 26 – June 1
Leading Men – Man as Battle Buddy
“[T]his Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him… And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. 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… I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.” - Ezra 7:6, 8-10, 28b ESV
In our reading of Ezra 7, the Hebrew exiles who were able to return to Israel during that first wave (538 BC) were most likely dead or extremely old by now (458 BC). While the temple was rebuilt and completed (515 BC), as they had settled into the land and time passed, they were tempted to blend with the pagans surrounding them. Some intermarried with them. In addition, the walls of Jerusalem had not been rebuilt, so the city was left vulnerable to attack. God raised up Ezra and Nehemiah to bring spiritual reform to His people.
In this important moment, Ezra experienced God’s provision: “the hand of the Lord my God was on me” (v 28). God’s presence gave him courage, and he needed it. What awaited him in Jerusalem would prove to be more than he could handle alone. What also struck me in reading this chapter is what Ezra went on to say about gathering “leading men from Israel to go up with me” (v 28). Ezra realized what we as men of God must never forget. We need the hand of God and we also need a battle buddy! As we stand boldly in this challenging culture, we need the strength that comes from the Lord and having other “leading men” at our side. We need those brothers in the faith that we rely on, are transparent with, who we trust to stand alongside us as we do battle with the enemy.
My battle buddy, Dr. Stu Weber, drives home the point with a great story about his dad:
When my father was in World War II, he made friends with a young man named Joe Carter. They were young draftees, plucked out of a peaceful civilian life and thrown into the same barracks at training camp. For a good chunk of the war, they were together. Serving together. Sweating together. Dreaming together of home. It has been over fifty years since they last saw each other. But every year, without fail, my dad gets a birthday card from Joe Carter in the mail. It’s hard to believe that friendship started when my dad walked across the barracks one afternoon to offer a guy named Joe one of the chocolate chip cookies he’d just received in a package from home… Are you giving yourself to anyone? Are you opening up to anyone? Do any of your fellow soldiers know where the chinks in your armor might be?
The challenges of life are more than we can handle alone. You need the “hand of the Lord” on you, and if you don’t have a battle buddy, prayerfully ask Him to help you find one. And don’t settle for just any male with whom you happen to have a relationship, look for “leading men” to lock arms with as you take on the challenges around you. If you already have some solid battle buddies, resolve to stand courageously together!
- Have you found a “leading man” with whom you can share your heart and trust to hold you accountable? Consider downloading “A Man and His Friends” by Stu Weber.
- Who among your guy friends could use a friend, a battle buddy? What habits might you need to develop to become a “leading man” for another man?
- Pray and ask God for His favor, that His hand would rest on you and give you courage and ask Him to connect you with a battle buddy to take on the challenges before you.
Leading Men – Man as Battle Buddy
“[T]his Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him… And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. 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… I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.” - Ezra 7:6, 8-10, 28b ESV
In our reading of Ezra 7, the Hebrew exiles who were able to return to Israel during that first wave (538 BC) were most likely dead or extremely old by now (458 BC). While the temple was rebuilt and completed (515 BC), as they had settled into the land and time passed, they were tempted to blend with the pagans surrounding them. Some intermarried with them. In addition, the walls of Jerusalem had not been rebuilt, so the city was left vulnerable to attack. God raised up Ezra and Nehemiah to bring spiritual reform to His people.
In this important moment, Ezra experienced God’s provision: “the hand of the Lord my God was on me” (v 28). God’s presence gave him courage, and he needed it. What awaited him in Jerusalem would prove to be more than he could handle alone. What also struck me in reading this chapter is what Ezra went on to say about gathering “leading men from Israel to go up with me” (v 28). Ezra realized what we as men of God must never forget. We need the hand of God and we also need a battle buddy! As we stand boldly in this challenging culture, we need the strength that comes from the Lord and having other “leading men” at our side. We need those brothers in the faith that we rely on, are transparent with, who we trust to stand alongside us as we do battle with the enemy.
My battle buddy, Dr. Stu Weber, drives home the point with a great story about his dad:
When my father was in World War II, he made friends with a young man named Joe Carter. They were young draftees, plucked out of a peaceful civilian life and thrown into the same barracks at training camp. For a good chunk of the war, they were together. Serving together. Sweating together. Dreaming together of home. It has been over fifty years since they last saw each other. But every year, without fail, my dad gets a birthday card from Joe Carter in the mail. It’s hard to believe that friendship started when my dad walked across the barracks one afternoon to offer a guy named Joe one of the chocolate chip cookies he’d just received in a package from home… Are you giving yourself to anyone? Are you opening up to anyone? Do any of your fellow soldiers know where the chinks in your armor might be?
The challenges of life are more than we can handle alone. You need the “hand of the Lord” on you, and if you don’t have a battle buddy, prayerfully ask Him to help you find one. And don’t settle for just any male with whom you happen to have a relationship, look for “leading men” to lock arms with as you take on the challenges around you. If you already have some solid battle buddies, resolve to stand courageously together!
- Have you found a “leading man” with whom you can share your heart and trust to hold you accountable? Consider downloading “A Man and His Friends” by Stu Weber.
- Who among your guy friends could use a friend, a battle buddy? What habits might you need to develop to become a “leading man” for another man?
- Pray and ask God for His favor, that His hand would rest on you and give you courage and ask Him to connect you with a battle buddy to take on the challenges before you.