2nd Evangelical Free Church

Why was it vital for the spiritual life of the people for the offending parties to terminate their ungodly marriages?

Ezra 10

Ezra is so overcome with grief that he is unable to act to correct the situation. Yet he received encouragement and advice from Shecaniah and other faithful Jews. This shows us that our leaders are often faced with difficult decisions. They need our help and support rather than our criticism. In this case, Ezra knew that God hated divorce. On the other these marriages were in violation of God’s law and were so invalid and immoral from the beginning. Therefore the best course of action was the divorce the offending parties. This drastic action was needed to preserve the integrity of the whole community and ensure its continued existence under God’s blessing.

 

The actions that Ezra and the leaders of the Jews take here illustrate the way we all ought to deal with temptation and sin. After prayer and confession to the Lord, we must do everything in our power according to God's will to change the situation. Such actions are not always easy and some people will get hurt in the process especially in the case of improper sexual relationships and emotional attachments. Yet drastic responses are needed to terminate these if we want to honor the Lord and live in obedience to Him.

Meditate & Apply: Now God hates divorce. Yet in this case the infraction gave the Jews the spiritual, moral and legal grounds to justify it. In what situations can these same criteria be used to justify divorce?

What was the extent of Israel’s disobedience?

What was the extent of Israel’s disobedience?

Ezra 9

Ezra was aware of the religious lethargy that the Jews in Judah had fallen into despite their restoration to the land. Yet he was quite overwhelmed when he discovered that the major sign of this backsliding was the intermarriage of Jews with pagan peoples even by those who should have known better, the priests and Levites who were supposed to lead and teach the Law of God to the people. The Lord had forbidden such marriages because this led to apostasy and idolatry (Exod. 34:11-16; Deut. 7:1-5). Such sins the very ones for which the Lord had punished their ancestors and sent them into exile. And what was worse, as Ezra acknowledges in his prayer, the people had completely dishonored the Lord who had blessed them by restoring them to the land and by His hand of protection.

 

Such an issue as religious intermarriage may seem strange to us, something we in the modern age of tolerance have surely no reason to concern ourselves with. But the truth is intermarriage of Christians with nonbelievers is not something to be taken lightly. It is a serious sin primarily because it is a deliberate violation of the revealed will of God. In addition, despite our thoughts and our protests that we are spiritually strong, at the very least it will lead to strife and spiritual laziness. At the worst intermarriage will surely lead God’s people away from Him into idolatry and spiritual death.

Meditate & Apply: Why do some Christians think they can marry nonbelievers? Is such an act ever justified? Why or why not?

What precautions did Ezra take to ensure the success of the return to Judah?

 

Ezra 8

Ezra describes for us the preparations he made for the journey including the listing of the families who chose to accompany him. Although Ezra found he had to recruit Levites who would be of the utmost importance in assisting in worship at the Temple, the majority of those who decided to accompany him were from the royal and priestly families who had relatives in Judah who had returned many years earlier. Apparently he and those who chose to go with him knew the sorry state of affairs among the Jews in Jerusalem. The Jews had abandoned reconstruction of Jerusalem and were lacking in zeal and fervor when it came to worshipping the Lord and walking according to His Law.

 

The group led by Ezra was aware of the dangers they faced in their trip. They resorted to fasting and prayer in order to obtain the Lord’s protection. They wanted to affirm their faith in Him rather than rely on the King for help. Ezra also took precautions to make sure the safety of expensive temple items. Every item was meticulously recorded in detailed records so as ensure the honesty of those to whom it was entrusted and to protect them form scandal should there be any question about the things that were brought. This is a sign of wisdom that protected the honor of Ezra and the whole undertaking.

Meditate & Apply: Do you think that Ezra was too cautious in recording the expensive cargo the group was transporting? How can the church use his methods to ensure the protection of the offerings made to the Lord by His people to prevent thrift and scandal?

Celebrity idolatry

I can understand why everyone is so upset about Michael Jackson's untimely demise. It saddens me. He had a great talent which I appreciated in my teens, but his talent was wasted. All our talents are given to us by Almighty God to be used to glorify Him. Mr. Jackson used his talent to glorify himself, not God which is why I say he misused it. The real tragedy is that Mr Jackson seduced millions away from God and is idolized and adored by those millions when all that adulation should go to the Lord God. I am sad to see also that many Christians feel that way too. The Lord says that we shall have no other gods before him. To worship other gods which can be other people, celebrities, self, materialism a whole host of isms is sin.

I do not know where Mr Jackson is right now but I do know that wherever that may be, all this praise and glory that is being heaped upon him is wrong. Give glory to God, not people.

Why did the Lord choose Ezra to lead the exiles back to Judah?

 

Ezra 7

After 6 chapters and a period of 58 years we finally encounter Ezra, a Jewish priest and scribe living in Babylon. His genealogy reveals a man of importance respected by his fellow Jews as he was descended from Aaron the original High Priest. Apparently he was also held in great esteem by the Persian King Artaxerxes. He issued a decree appointing Ezra as the person responsible to him for his affairs among the Jews in Judah. The decree encouraged any Jews who desired to return to their land under Ezra’s leadership. In addition, Artaxerxes' authorized funds and provisions to be given to Ezra to establish religious, judicial and educational systems in Judah in order that he might curry favor with Yahweh.

 

Ezra was a man of great wisdom, honesty and integrity for he was zealously devoted to the Lord. He knew that the Lord had moved the king to appoint him to lead another group of exiles back to Judah as part of His promise to restore His people to their land. Ezra reveals to us his personal motivation underlying his decision. He desired to study the Law of God, to apply that teaching to his own life, and then to teach it to others so that they too would know the revealed will of God. Such desires show us the importance of studying scripture. We must learn it so we may practice it in our own lives before we can even begin to think of teaching it to others.

Meditate & Apply: How can a life devoted to following the will of the Lord help you influence those you work with and for? How are the decrees of God reflected in your life?

Who is a true believer?

Ezra 6

 

Once Darius found Cyrus’ former decree regarding the temple at Jerusalem, he issued his own decree that went even further to support the project. He saw it as an opportunity to glorify his own achievements so he gave permission for it to be constructed at government expense and to be larger and more impressive than Solomon’s Temple had been. Some of the words he uses in the decree may lead us to think that Darius was a believer in Yahweh, but more than likely he was a polytheist who wanted to insure the protection of one he perceived as a territorial god.

 

As we are aware, the life of the Jews was to be centered on the worship of Yahweh. Therefore the completion of the temple and the re-establishment of traditional worship marked a dramatic climax to the restoration of the Jews to their land. Thus it was accompanied by a modest celebration that was tempered by the inclusion of the sin offering. This was an expression of the sorrow of both leaders and people who knew that sin had separated them from the Lord and had resulted in His harsh yet righteous judgment.  It serves to remind us that no one may enjoy the fruits of the atonement won by Jesus without repentance. Like Darius there are many who claim to be Christian, to have a relationship with Christ, who speak the right words, but who worship the gods of this world especially self and materialism. True allegiance to Jesus means confession of sin, sorrow over its consequence of alienation from God, and admission of total reliance upon the Lord for all things primarily salvation.

Meditate & Apply: Do you realize the gravity, the seriousness the sins of trusting in false gods, or in your own abilities? Do you still think you can serve two masters? Have you repented? How do you show your penitence? 

If you don’t put the Lord first, it’s no wonder you struggle with temptation.

 

Ezra 5

The opening verses mention the prophets Haggai and Zechariah which is a hint that there were other factors involved in the halting of work on the temple in addition to the fact that the Jews were intimidated by their enemies. Cyrus had supported the efforts of the Jews to rebuild it, but one of his later successors, Artaxerxes gave an order to stop the work much later, and not regarding the Temple but the city itself. These prophets indicate that the people had abandoned their commitment to rebuild the temple in favor of constructing comfortable houses for themselves. They may have been discouraged by opposition but not enough to deprive themselves of the comforts they thought they deserved.

 

We in America tend to get discouraged by cultural and social opposition to our faith as well as the ridicule we are subjected to by those who want to disparage our beliefs and our commitment to a godly and righteous manner of living. Often many try to alleviate this persecution by compromise, by adopting the materialism, selfishness, arrogance and cynicism of their detractors. Spiritual growth will remain at a standstill in the life of a compromised Christian. Because such a life dishonors the Lord a compromised Christian cannot avail himself of the Lord’s power and will always cave into temptation.

Meditate & Apply: How has materialism hampered your growth in Christ?

Why did the pagan neighbors of the Jews want to help them?

Ezra 4

When the Assyrians had destroyed the northern Kingdom of Israel and dispersed all her people, they resettled other peoples there. These peoples worshipped other gods along side of Yahweh who they did s not consider the one supreme god but the god of the land in which they lived. These people offered to help Zerubbabel to help the Jews rebuild the temple. Zerubbabel must have known of their idolatry which he knew was dishonoring to the Lord. He was right to reject their help because, as the ensuing events show, their motives were impure and they were antagonistic to the Jews.

The persistent opposition of the enemies of the Jews continued for several years and resulted in the halting of the work on the Temple. The incidents related here regarding Ahasuerus took place many years later but are mentioned here because this later incident shows the persistent and continued antagonism of the Lord’s enemies that lasted for years as well as the faithfulness of God in giving the Jews victory over them. We too must be wary of those who oppose Christianity. Though their efforts may seem to succeed, they do so only temporarily. Though Christians are persecuted and killed, the Lord will carry out justice upon all those who oppose His will and hurt His loved ones.

Meditate & Apply: Do you feel that God wants to use you as an instrument of divine justice? Is this a godly idea? Why or why not?

Why did the people erect the altar first?

 

Ezra 3

One of the first things which the people did when they arrived in Jerusalem was to rebuild the altar of burnt offerings on the very spot where the original once stood. This was to demonstrate the importance of the Lord as the central and primary focus of life. The people needed to be in relationship with the Lord. In addition, they had some fear of their neighbors and knew that only Yahweh was the real source of their protection. Many must have learned their lesson in captivity that in order to ensure the Lord would watch over them, they needed to live lives in submission to His law.

 

The people also began reconstruction of the Temple. When they had completed the foundation, they took time off to celebrate in worship for the blessings the Lord had given them thus far. There was a group of older folks who engaged not in a display of joyful worship, but in mourning and sorrow. This may not have been appropriate for they were mourning the glory and riches they had lost rather than praising God for current blessings. The whole display of worship reminds us that praise in the form of music and singing is not entertainment nor is it a program that people watch. All God’s people regardless of talent or ability are called to participate.

Meditate & Apply: Do you participate in songs of worship and praise? Why or why not?

 

 

How does the author divide this list of names?

 

Ezra 2

Here we find a record of all the people who responded to Cyrus' decree and returned to Israel. The list is of families and the towns in Babylon they came from. Almost all of these people could demonstrate their Jewish ancestry. As such, this list records those who belonged to the faith community divided into several subgroups: lay people, the regular citizens; priests; Levites who assisted in the Temple function rites; singers; gatekeepers; the Nethinim, which literally means those given, those dedicated to God, servants who assisted the Levites; and finally those who could not demonstrate their ancestry. This last group had to wait until the priests could later identify them properly.

 

Although the listing may seem dull and pointless because it is just a list of names, there seems to be a very good reason for is inclusion in the scripture. It reminds us of the importance of the purity of the community of faith. Those who say they belong to Jesus become members of His royal household. They must be able, however, to verify that relationship with evidence. What is required is not a genealogy of course, but the evidence of a changed life, one that has renounced the world completely and is marked by tangible acts of love and self-sacrifice.

Meditate & Apply: If you were to provide the required proof, what would it look like?