Indirect Revelation

 September 16, 2024

“Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.”  —Ezra 7:10

When I read this verse, a single question comes to mind: “How can I prepare MY heart to seek the Law of the LORD?” I’m tempted to give stock answers—Read the Bible, pray, worship together, etc., but it’s possible to do all that and not genuinely be seeking God. It’s a matter of my deeper desire.. The real question is, “What is our God really like? How has he chosen to reveal himself?”

Ezra gives us a clue when he says he prepared his heart to seek (pay close attention here) the LORD not directly, but by seeking his Law. When we try to seek God directly (through visions, experiences, dreams, etc.), we become vulnerable to all sorts of illusions and deceptions. Who is to say God isn’t, as an addict once said, a “purple violet squish?” God can reveal himself directly, but has chosen the more indirect route of the prophets and Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Bible. So we start there. Here is a Scripture to get you started:

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” —Hebrews 1:1-3

Reflect on this for awhile, then ask what God is revealing to you about himself.