Do you know that we have completed nearly 1/4 of our journey through the Bible? I am grateful for your faithfulness as we make this sacred trek through God's word. My prayer always is that his divinely inspired word will bring blessing to your heart and a new commitment to his way.
Ezra the 2nd leader to bring a band of exiles back to the land of their inheritance. Zerrubabbel was the first and now 60 years or so later comes Ezra with new orders from Artaxerxes, new wealth from the king's treasury and 1500 men and their families. Ezra also comes with a determination to insure that the sins that led to Israel's demise will not be repeated. He believes this journey to be a sacred task, a spiritual sojourn.
He gathers the 6-7,000 folks making this pilgrimage together and he calls for a fast. He needs these folks to realize that what they are about to do is more than a return home, it is a sacred calling to the restoration of Israel. They ask God to travel with them, to protect them, to keep them from harm and to give them spiritual success as they return to assist in the rebuilding of Judah and Jerusalem.
Praying for safety might have been a real need since the gifts that they were taking with them from the treasury of Persia may have been worth millions of dollars. A journey across the Sinai peninsula would take several months. They would be at risk of robbers and thieves. Ezra prayed that God's hand would be upon them.
Their journey took 4 months to complete. After resting in Jerusalem for a few days, they presented their gifts of gold, silver and utensils to the Temple and their orders giving Ezra authority to appoint magistrates and judges and to teach the ways of God's laws to those who had authority from Persia to enforce the King's edicts. All were well received.
And then Ezra sees the depths of the people's sin. The chief sin of Israel throughout the ages was rooted in Idolatry. They were seemingly unable to Love the Lord thy God with all their hearts. The chief evidence of their continued failure was their marrying with the pagan tribes that surrounded them. These marriages had always led to the adoption of practices that were disdainful in the eyes of God. Idols from the Mideonites, Ammonites, Amorites and others were brought into the life of Israel. In just 130 years since their exile from Israel had begun, they had already fallen again into this practice that invited evil into their spiritual lives. Ezra ordered the men of Judah to divorce their pagan wives and put them and their children out of their country.
This is a difficult thing for us to get our minds around because it sound so unloving. But the principal is also found in the New Testament when God warns Christians not to marry unbelievers. God understands that our human love can and often does transcend our obedience to God and that leads us to sin. Sin separates us from God and such separation can lead us to judgement. It is like the nursery rhyme that goes, "for the want of a nail, a shoe was lost. For the want of a shoe, a horse was lost. For the want of a horse, a rider was lost. For the want of a rider, a battle was lost. For the want of the battle, kingdom was lost. All for the loss of a nail." God's ways are above our ways and our only decision is to choose to be obedient or to be lost.
If you read the end of the 10th chapter you will see that the interviews with the men who had married outside of the Faith was to determine whether these women had accepted the worship of Jehovah or continued to worship their false gods. Only those who refused to bow to God were sent away. A total of 114 pagan wives were found who refused to accept Jehovah. This continues to remind us that there will one day be a judgment. We must chose who we will serve. We cannot continue with one foot in the world and one in the temple. Chose this day whom you will serve! Salvation comes to the righteous. Let us be found in service to the one true king and to the kingdom that will stand for eternity.
It is Mother's Day weekend. If you have been blessed with the love of a mother, say a prayer of thanksgiving for God's goodness in your life. Say a prayer, too, for those who long to be mothers but are having difficulty in conception. Say a prayer of thanks for adoptive mothers and those who mother children in transition. In fact, say a prayer for everyone who has ever mothered (loved) in the image of the one who loves the best.
Hope to see you in church this weekend. God's best to you.
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