Ezra 9 & 10 - Prayer, Repentance & A Future

Introduction: -

Please note that reading chapters 9 and 10 of Ezra may prove to be a hard ending of the book and it needs to be understood in the proper context otherwise it could be something so countercultural to today’s views that we can reject the true meaning along with the way it is presented.

As we look for a final time at the book of Ezra, we find that it ends with a very tough commandment against intermarriage in order to keep the People of God pure and free from corruption. This does not mean that we should not intermarry today.

Let’s look therefore at the proper context to understand what this means.

Looking Back :-

As Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt – many years before the life of Ezra- The people of God were given these commandments: -

“The Land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with impurity from one end to the other. Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as a lasting in heritance.” Ezra 9 : 11-12

This is a summary of various laws – found in Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Ezekiel - given to the people of Israel because they were being given the promised land. They were to make it pure for God and to destroy all those who opposed God or behaved in wrong ways.

To our hearts this seems very harsh and the idea of a God who wants us to conquer other nations by force and kill them seems very far from the Jesus we know and love today. Stick with me and you will see where this is leading.

Consider these questions:- 

·        Have you ever had to set aside something you really wanted in order to achieve some greater good?

·        Have you ever known that what you were doing was wrong and yet still gone ahead and done it?

·        Have you ever prayed and then been confused by the answer or lack of it?

Things had been going well for the returning exiles and also for those who had remained faithful among the Jews living in Jerusalem. Those who had returned to the old ways had begun sacrificing again and had been teaching others the ways of the one true God. The worship of the temple was going well.

Read chapters 9 and 10 of Ezra  (probably skip over the names of people just acknowledge that a full account was made)

Ezra was leading them, and the people had begun to trust him and to see that he was indeed called by God to lead them. So, they finally stepped up and admitted the thing which was really holding them back from fulltime commitment to God and his ways.

For us today:-

·        What do you think holds you back from full time commitment?

·        Do you feel that God is in your life completely or is he in part of it?

·        Are these questions to harsh to ask?

·        What can be done? Can we worship God partly – just on the days when we feel it appropriate?

·        How do we move from part-time commitment to whole hearted?

·        Will God help us in this?

In the case of the people in the time of Ezra they knew that their history told them that their ancestors had disobeyed God. Instead of keeping themselves separate and pure they had taken on the detestable practices of the people around them. They had forgotten the ways of God and had chosen a selfish path and the consequences were that they had been captured and taken into slavery.

Now the rulers of Persia had agreed to them returning to their homeland God has encouraged them once again, they had the chance of a new start. What was holding them back?

·        Think about what things were making it difficult.

·        Think about how things had changed for them

·        Think about the challenge of Ezra.

·        How would you have reacted and how will you react today?

What then is the pattern which we are looking for today?

This is about Prayer, Repentance and a Future with God at the centre.

We have choices to make. “You cannot serve God and Mammon”.  God is calling us to serve him with our whole heart and then he will be our God and we can be his people.

Conclusion:-

Throughout the book of Ezra we have seen the people being given many things by God. The chance to rebuild their lives in purity and service to the one true God. They have been given back their inheritance, both that of homes and lands and a temple – but also their spiritual inheritance as the People of God.

In return they have to make choices for good and do the right things.

·        What choice will you make? Who is there to help you in your choices?

·        Who will walk alongside you as you journey on towards the Goal?

·        Will you pray and confess and then look towards the future with joy?

At church we are all rebuilding after a very troubled time. Many of the things that have happened during the last couple of years have been hard to understand and cope with.

But God has been with us through them all and He is now calling us back to worship and to serve him once again.

It begins with prayer, and repentance will naturally follow, and this will lead us to a new reality – a Future walking with God wholeheartedly and in full understanding.

We need to be brave enough to set aside the things which hinder us and look to those which guide us on the right path.

My prayer is that we will all respond in humility and truth and come with joyful hearts to the temple of the Lord to give praise and thanksgiving.

Perhaps you and your group can commit to changing one thing for the better and asking the Holy Spirit to show you more and more as you journey together.

Many Blessings

Jane Hiley