Ezra 10
V. 1 It
seems strange that Ezra made confession of his own sins, since he himself
didn’t do anything. We will see the ultimate example of this in the book of
Daniel. There is a formula for prayer given by Moses, and reemphasized in the
dedication prayer of Solomon, that says that those seeking God’s grace for the
nation need to confess their own sins and the sins of their fathers. It isn't
just a formula for prayer, but if a person cannot sense his own need for
forgiveness and doesn't understand that we are all wrecked creatures, there is
pride. And pride makes prayer powerless.
Vs. 2-5
This is a miracle in itself. The people were weeping and were totally in
agreement and they were repentant. When does that happen? Notice that the
people were willing to submit to even the harshest remedy. Somehow their hearts
were humbled before the Lord and they only needed good, godly leadership. These
people encouraged Ezra to stand in the gap.
According
to the law, if these women renounced their other religions and became
worshipers of Yahweh, the men could marry them. The problem, of course, is that
worshiping Yahweh really hadn't been important to the husbands, as evidenced by
disobeying the law and marrying women who worshiped foreign gods. There was no
model of what it meant to be a follower of God. There was no positive reason
for the women to change. There was no example of why worshiping the Lord was
important. In a case like this, the best the leaders might hope for was
compliance. You can't make people believe by threatening them.
Vs. 6-8
This section brings up an interesting point. All the people were to gather on
the third day, or they would be banned from the congregation of the exiles. As
was always true in Israel, if the people didn't like God or the law, all they
had to do was move. A little to the south was Egypt. A little to the north was
Syria. Or they could have just stayed in, or gone back to, Babylon or Persia.
There was no need to do any of this unless someone really wanted to repent and
to honor God.
Vs. 9-15
So, they left from Babylon in the first month, arrived in Jerusalem in the
fifth month and now this is the ninth month. This was a major assembly of the
people and it was pouring heavy, cold November rain. The people were freezing,
adding to the distress of the matter, but moving them to a quick decision.
Every case would be examined. This would give couples and families time to talk
and make decisions. Ruth left everything to go with Naomi. I'll bet Ruth's name
was mentioned more than once in those days.
V. 15
Notice that there were four leading men who opposed this. I wonder why. Jonathan
and Jahzeiah were against taking
action and then there were two men who supported Jonathan and Jahzeiah; one of
whom was Meshullam. It might be that there was some politicking here since
according to v. 29, Meshullam was guilty of marrying a foreign woman, and by
extension, opening himself to being tolerant of other gods and other worship.
Vs. 16-17
Again, we have a time frame for all of this. It took them ten days after the
assembly to select the men to do this. They began in their tenth month and were
finished three months later.
Vs. 18-24
For the priest and Levites, because they served the Lord in the temple, they
had to marry Israelite women. Now if they didn't want to be priests, all they
had to do was pack their bags and move with their wives and kids. Notice at the
end of v. 18, some of the sons of Jeshua and his brothers married foreign
wives. This is the Jeshua (Joshua) who was high priest and a leader with
Zerubbabel.
Vs. 25-44
When you read this list, it doesn’t seem like so many people, so what was the
problem? First, as Paul said yesterday, a
little leaven leavens the whole lump. Second, these people were leaders and
people in the leading clans, meaning that their action had a deeper impact on
the entire population. Third, if these were the leaders, this probably isn’t an
exhaustive list for all the people.
What is
even more interesting is that many of these people came back to Israel from
captivity for the glory of God. Most of the people who returned with Zerubbabel
were men of faith on a mission. After 80 years, the mission got mired in the
stuff of life. The focus on the work of God on earth and the plan of redemption
became blurry and was lost. The faith of following Yahweh couldn't compete with
the wild women of Baal worship and "Why shouldn't you be able to enjoy a
good pork chop with your neighbor?" Faith looks funny removed from the
redemptive purpose of God on earth. That kind of faith can't compete with a
life lived for having a good time on earth. There is no shopping or comparison
here where we get to choose the best, most enjoyable and fulfilling life on
earth. Truth is truth. This is a dying planet. We are on a sinking ship. Faith
is meant to save us so we can know God and help others before they stand before
God. And this faith shows us the love of the Father and of the Son who reached
out to save us when we didn't care and were His enemies.
The
generation that returned with Zerubbabel returned in faith. Eighty years later,
they realized they had become lost on earth. Ezra was the man God sent to
redirect them to honor God with their lives and to follow Him. The message for
us is that our faith always has to be focused on following the Lord in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. If
Christianity is removed from its commission, it becomes merely an alternative
among many lifestyles, and the sea of humanity is free to flow unhindered to
judgment and to hell. We love and follow Jesus, who gave His life as a ransom
for humanity, who came to seek and to save that which is lost. And so we
follow, as our Lord led and still leads.
1
Corinthians 6
This is a
very interesting chapter, full of theology. It goes to show that all of our
actions involve some very important theology, or the misunderstanding of that
very important theology.
Vs. 1-8
Just think of all the underlying teaching that is in this section. The overt
message is that Christians shouldn’t sue Christians, and if there are
disagreements, they should go before the elders/spiritual men. Underlying all
of this is the sovereignty of God and our situation on this earth.
Vs. 2-3
WOW! If that's the case, how can we afford to follow in the sin of the world
and the influence of its rulers? Not only that, it certainly means that the end
of this tragic affair on earth is judgment of the lost and of those who rebel
against God.
V. 7 How
many of us, for the sake of Christ and His testimony, for the salvation of
others, would be willing to suffer this kind of abuse? But notice, it is really
a command from Jesus to anyone who is a disciple.
Luke 6:27-36 “But I say
to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray
for those who abuse you. 29To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one
who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30Give to everyone who begs from
you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31And as you wish that others
would do to you, do so to them.32“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
For the
sake of the Lord and His gospel, it also applies to when we are being abused by
other Christians. Our recourse is Matthew 18.
Vs. 9-11
So, what is the point Paul is making here? He isn't saying this to degrade the
competence of unbelievers, but he is saying that they are lost and are subject
to all of these things we have been freed from. By God's grace, we see more of
life and reality than they do. We have the wisdom of the Spirit, and we
understand the power of sin and the judgment coming against this planet. We
know the love of God in Christ, and we can show them how to be saved.
Vs. 12-20
This is a separate problem in the church, but somehow related to the past
problem.
Note here
that when Paul quotes an opponent or false teaching, he immediately answers in
a very clear way. There is some confusion in chapter 14 about women being
silent in certain settings in the church. Certain people dismiss that teaching,
saying that Paul was quoting an opponent; but it isn’t apparent that he was
quoting anyone. This example is typical of other instances we’ll see where Paul
quotes his opponents. Chapter 14 doesn’t fit into this at all.
V. 12
Notice how the Jews had over reacted to “freedom” in Christ. Somehow they
equated knowing Christ to being free from the restraints of the law and
morality, as if the spiritual didn’t connect to the physical.
Vs. 13-14
Someone was teaching that liberty in Christ meant liberty to be immorally
sexually active. That is nothing new, but it was disturbing that Christians
were accepting that. In Germany I met this mindset among Christians too. The idea
is that the act of sex is simply human, and besides, God forgives. I met German
leaders, who when challenged to prove that sex before marriage was wrong, were
speechless.
Back to
the argument here: The Lord owns our bodies. If He is Lord, we need to obey and
go with Him.
Vs. 15-16
Apparently some of the believing men were getting dates with prostitutes,
thinking they were immune to moral requirements. Paul shows the spiritual
stupidity in that view. Corinth was a very immoral city. To call someone's mother
a "Corinthian Woman," was to call her a prostitute. Just like the men
in Ezra's day who walked away from faith to marry foreign women, there was a
sexual component here also. It was this sexual attraction that led them to
disobey Christ, cleverly veneered with some spiritual reasoning. Now of course,
someone would say that it was in fact immoral to do this with prostitutes, but
not with someone you were planning to marry. But Paul will address that in
chapter 7 and give a motto that has appeared on many wedding invitations,
"It is better to marry, than to burn with passion," or the short
version, "That we might not burn."
We have
found a lot of ways to define one flesh,
but the Spirit makes it pretty clear that "joining your members" is
how it happens. And God is not tricked by "how far" or by definitions
of words. Jesus said that if a man looks lustfully at a woman (even a computer
image) other than his wife, he has already committed adultery.
V. 17 This
has always been a challenge for me. Our relationship and growth in Christ
aren’t automatic. As we obey and follow closer, we get more of Him. Being
united with the Lord is also abiding in Christ from John 15.
V. 18 When
I read this I think of Joseph leaving his robe in Potiphar's wife's hands when
she went for him. Many men and women are being ruined by their sexual passions,
not because they have passions, but because they don't discipline themselves
and keep them in check.
Vs. 19-20
What an amazing statement. The Holy Spirit is within us, and we are to live to
glorify God. And this has everything to do with how we look at sexuality on
this planet.
Just as an
aside, notice that Paul doesn’t go totally nuclear about their immorality. The
Spirit doesn't write off anyone as unusable or irredeemable - not that this
issue isn’t important. Paul and the Spirit are saying it is, but with
repentance and forgiveness, lives can get back on track. God understands our
need and our weakness sexually far better than we do. As important as our
sexuality is and how it permeates all of our songs and jokes and media, we are
still pretty ignorant when it comes to this stuff. Chapter 7 will set some
things straight for the disciples at Corinth.
Psalm
31:9-18
There are
many parallels of David's experience of suffering to Jesus' suffering, Psalm 22
for example. Of course, David was a sinner and Jesus wasn't and some of David's
troubles were caused by his own failing. Those parallels can't be made with
Jesus, yet the Spirit has chosen to use David as an example to illustrate some
of what Jesus felt on the cross. Last time we read this I mentioned imagining
this as what Jesus felt as He went through His journey to the cross. If you
want a good parallel to this, read Isaiah 53. For example, notice the parallel
between v. 11 here, and Isaiah 53:3.
Vs. 9-10
David suffered for many years running from Saul. It was not only unfair and
unjust, but David had been anointed by Samuel to be king of Israel when he was
about twelve years old. Now David was in his twenties, possibly close to thirty,
and this promise looked hard to believe. Was the waiting because of his own
sins? It probably seemed like it at times. But we have the benefit of knowing
that God did deliver David and that these years of waiting were years where God
was engineering David's heart. He does the same with us.
Vs. 11-13
David was a hunted man. There was no better way to win Saul's favor than to say
you didn't like David or to tell Saul where he was hiding. David lived under
that kind of disdain and pressure. And to think, this is what Jesus endured for
us.
Vs. 14-18
Look at everything David learned. This is also why God allows us to wait and to
suffer as we follow Him in the harvest. I don't know what speaks to you, but v.
16 is what I want more and more. And as God teaches us, people in the harvest
see more of Him in us.
Proverbs
21:3
Amen, and
instead of sacrifice you could add,
“or going to cool worship services.” I see righteousness and justice as linked
to the harvest and our work in it.
Matthew 12:18-21 “Behold,
my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I
will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19He
will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20a
bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until
he brings justice to victory; 21and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/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 complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
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.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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