Ezra 8:21-9:15
Ezra 8:21-36
This section is pretty straightforward. What things do you see here? There was real danger traveling in those times, but then it wasn’t the James gang, it as more like Ali Baba. The worry was heightened by the value of what they were carrying.
Ezra 9
Vs. 1-2 It sort of makes you wonder why, if they knew there was a problem, they didn’t take care of it themselves. If you understand verse four, you see why. But now Ezra comes on the scene. Not only does he have the authority of God and the willingness to go to the wall over this issue, but he also had the authority of the Persian king behind him. If the chief men had not agreed, Ezra could have appealed to the king and forced the Jewish leaders to comply.
Vs. 3-5 You have to go back to Moses and Aaron to understand this reaction. For Ezra, this was like watching a child walk out in front of a car. His reaction to this sin wasn’t extreme, particularly knowing that the people had just returned from exile because of these kinds of sins. In a way, it is our reaction to sin that is extreme because of our indifference and tolerance. Anyway, Ezra might look like a nut-case, but he’s got a good estimation of the problem.
Vs. 6-15 What a great talk with the Lord. What speaks to you in this prayer?
1 Corinthians 5
This is another of those great chapters. Sometimes you hear some great truth or point of Scripture mixed into a message and years later you try to remember where it was. You know it’s in the Bible, but you don’t know where to start looking. As you read these chapters in 1 Corinthians, you will find a lot of these truths hidden within the pages in their original context. Here, we not only have teaching on church discipline, but some great truth.
In chapter 5 you need to think of the dynamics involved here. This church was largely Jewish, meaning that most of the people had lived under the laws and traditions of Judaism and Pharisaism. When they came to Christ, many of them discarded this cultural background in an extreme way. This church was also very open to different cultures. They were located in a large cosmopolitan city. The temptation would be that without the restraints of Judaism, they would flow into the freedom of their surrounding culture. Finally, as in any group of people, it is hard to stand firm in the middle of differing opinions. Like Ezra above, Paul was a trusted authority who could say a strong word on these issues.
Vs. 1-2 The “infraction” was that a man was having a sexual relationship with his stepmother. Notice it doesn’t say “his father’s widow.” Apparently the father was alive and still married to her. What was amazing here is that the church not only didn’t know how to deal with the situation, they were proud of their inaction and apparently they were proud, actually boastful, of their high-minded reasoning for their indecision. Paul wasn’t so tolerant.
Vs. 3-5 This is Paul’s clearest explanation of “delivering” someone to Satan. The best way to understand the destruction of the flesh and the spirit being saved is an example like the prodigal son. His “flesh was destroyed” in that he suffered and it brought him to his right mind. As we’ve seen before, the word “saved” has a broad range of meaning. This isn’t saved as in salvation, but saved in terms of seeing truth and escaping damage from sin.
Vs. 6-8 Since these people are Jews, he uses the illustration of leaven, which was a big deal for them, especially around the time of the Passover.
Notice that the reason to cleanse out the sin is because Christ has died for our sins and we’ve been saved. Paul says that every day ought to be a festival of joy and gratitude. There isn’t a good reason to tolerate sin if your heart is full of gratefulness to God for His salvation.
Vs. 9-13 So, if the point wasn’t clear enough, Paul explains something he wrote to them in that lost Corinthian letter. So, what do you think of this? John also mentions something like this in 2 John 1:7-11. It isn’t the sin outside the church that is of greatest danger to us; it is what we tolerate in the church in the name of brotherhood.
This might not be the “fun” stuff of discipleship….and I’m sure this wasn’t the high point of ministry for Paul either…but if we are going to glorify the Father by bearing much fruit in the harvest and so proving to be disciples of Jesus, we have to tend to sin in the church, by action or attitude. Isn’t it interesting that we would have this chapter in Corinthians and the reading in Ezra on the same day?
Psalm 31:1-8
There was an old Blood, Sweat and Tears song that had this line, “I’ve been down so long, the bottom looks like up.” David had a lot of days like that. Imagine being on the run like “The Fugitive” in the States for 10 years, except Israel is much smaller. David did a lot of crying out; but over and over again, the Lord assured him with small “salvations” and reminders that He was watching and helping. The “big” deliverance didn’t come for a while, but slowly David gained total confidence in verse seven. And did you notice the line that Jesus quotes when He’s on the cross. It was the last thing He said.
Proverbs 21:1-2
I usually understand “king” as “the spiritual person in Christ.” These verses seem to be saying that even in our decisions God is sovereign directing us. The spiritual follower of Christ would welcome that. Thankfully, even though we think we are right, God weighs our hearts. The Spirit intercedes for us and He directs us.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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