7/23/2011 7:14:52 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Cooperation: a willing people
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ezra 10:1-8
Message of the verses: “1 ¶ Now while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly. 2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 "So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 "Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act." 5 Then Ezra rose and made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this proposal; so they took the oath.
“ 6 ¶ Then Ezra rose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, he did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. 7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.”
Ezra was sitting in the temple where the evening offering had been sacrificed, yet Ezra wept over the sinfulness of the children of Israel. David wrote two Psalms after his sin with Bathsheba, Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 and the 17th verse of Psalm 51 gives insight into what may have been going through the mind and heart of Ezra at this time: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
James the brother of the Lord wrote something about the power of prayer, and at this time Ezra was weeping, and he was praying over the sins of Israel. James writes in 5:16-18 “16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.” Ezra was a righteous man praying an effective prayer over the sins of Israel and like Elijah in the past it would make a difference. Ezra’s prayers were answered as Shecaniah came to him with many people who were weeping too and gave encouragement to Ezra telling him that the responsibility was his to do to these people what had to be done, but they would be with him.
James writes in his letter what God’s formula for a revival is and what he wrote can be seen here in this passage. James 4:9-10 “9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up,” (NKJV).”9 Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. 10 Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet,” (Message). In verse nine the NKJ uses the word “Lament” while the message says “hit bottom,” and the NASB uses the words “Be miserable” and in the Hebrew dictionary the meaning of this word is “to toil heavily, to endure labours and hardships.” I would seem to me that this was what Ezra was going through as he was getting very serious with God over the sins of the children of Israel and his prayer would be effective.
It can be seen in Ezra 10:26 that Shecaniah had realities who were involved in this sinfulness of marrying foreign wives, yet that did not stop him from leading a group of people to Ezra and give encouragement to Ezra that this situation must be dealt with.
Dr. Wiersbe writes the following: “The plan was simple but demanding. First, the nation would corporately covenant to obey God’s law. Then, Ezra and a group of men who ‘trembled at the Word would decide how the matter would be settled; and the people promised to obey whatever was decreed. But everything had to be done according to the Law of Moses.”
Ezra would now retreat into one of the rooms of the temple and he would fast and pray over this matter, but before he did this he appointed a committee to help out in what was must be done (V-5). Dr. Wiersbe writes the following as he addresses this: “Wise is the leader who involves other people in the process, especially when the issue is so sensitive.”
The committee would then issue a proclamation that would state that all Israel would come to Jerusalem and those who did not come could lose their property.
The process that is seen here, a humble praying leader, and a willing people, along with a faithful and courageous committee who worked together to accomplish a difficult task is something that should be followed in the church today.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: The study of this wonderful book of Ezra has gone quick, as there is only one more section to finish it, and yet these last two chapter have made me stop and take inventory of my life and this is what the Word of God is to do, and again I go back to the verse in Hebrews that explains this process: “For the Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being: it examines the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart,” (Philips). Psalm 139:23-24 is also two verses that have gone through my mind as I study chapters nine and ten of Ezra: “23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. I want to think about the truths that I have been learning from these two chapters.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
7/23/2011 8:20:28 AM
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