Monday
Ezra travels to Jerusalem, but he doesn’t travel alone. We are told that Priests and Levites, singers and gatekeepers, and temple servants as well as some of the people went with him. The trip took four months, with such a large group of travelers, they would only have been able to travel 7 to 8 miles a day and the distance was close to 900 miles.
Ezra is given a letter to accompany him and his fellow travelers. This letter gives Ezra authority to go to Jerusalem and assess the situation. He is also given access to some of the wealth in the treasuries and notice that the Temple workers are not to have any taxes impressed upon them. In this letter from Artaxerxes (Darius), Ezra is also given authority to appoint magistrates and judges. This is to help the people remember the laws of God and the King and that they need to be strictly enforced.
Ezra leaves Persia and arrives safely in Jerusalem. Sacrifices are offered in gratitude for the safe journey and Ezra and his followers take the king’s commissions to the officers of the area.
Ezra is upset over the intermarriage that took place, because the Jews were to remain a holy people, and holy means set apart. God had specifically required the people not to defile their race by marrying foreign people who would lead them to worshiping other gods. (This most certainly happened to Solomon and it could happen again.)
Ezra then prays for the people. He acknowledges God’s grace in showing them His favor despite their guilt. Do you notice that when Ezra spoke to God, he said “our sins” and “our guilt”? Ezra is not guilty of this sin but he takes responsibility for the people. Ezra then points out all that had happened before when the people disobeyed the Law and now all that God has done to bless the people, and how do they react to that? By disregarding the commands God gave.
So the sin was exposed, and a course of action was taken to repent of this sin and each man who had married a pagan woman was dealt with accordingly.
When we sin, we need to recognize that sin and repent of it, but sometimes there are also consequences that we must face because of that sin. Is there a sin in your life that you need to repent of? What are the consequences that you will need to deal with? Saying your sorry is the first step, but transformation and a removal of that sin from your life, needs to be permanent. I cannot be truly repentant unless I am willing to change, to turn away from this sin in my life.
Don’t lose heart though, God is a gracious God and will continue to help you work through your sins and bring about transformation in your life.
Blessings on the journey
Pastor Kathy