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Confessing and Separating From Sin

Ezra 10:10-12---And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now, therefore, make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.

When Ezra had heard how the remnant had broken God's law by marrying the women of the land, he tore his robes and wept and fasted. The people followed his lead and were convicted of sin. It was the people who encouraged him to tell them what to do to set things right with God. Ezra replied with the verses above; confess and do God's will. Separate yourselves from the people and wives who had those horrible demonic religious practices. We do not live in Israel and were never forbidden to marry a certain group of people, but the principle remains true. That is why the Apostle Paul told us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. That could apply to marriage or business. When we find we are with people of evil practices, we should not commit ourselves to any type of united endeavor with them. How can two walk together except they be agreed? But there is a deeper principle. What fellowship does light have with darkness? If we are walking in the light, we will be repulsed by the sin and have a desire to show them the way to be freed from its bondage. Some Christians will play on the edge of the cliff of sin because the allurement is enticing them. Coach Bill McCartney said, "Draw a line where there is a danger of being caught by sin and stay ten yards back." Don't walk along the very edge of a cliff. In this final chapter of Ezra, the men sent their foreign wives and children away. That seems very harsh of God, but the situation existed because of disobedience to God. It was the only remedy. Not dealing with the issue had caused the downfall of Israel in the past. We must cut off from our lives the thing that is enticing us to sin, and send it away from our lives if we are going to go on with God.

The Lord's Hand Is On All Who Looks To Him

Ezra 8:21-23---Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

When Ezra had gathered everyone for the journey, he proclaimed a fast. It was a time to humbly ask the LORD for His protection. He could have asked for armed guards, but he had already told the king that the gracious hand of God was on everyone who looks to Him. It would not be much of a testimony to turn around and ask for the strength of man after trying to share that with the king. Do we think like this? Do we remember what we have shared of the truth of our Lord with unbelievers and then carefully guard the testimony by being faithful to live in the demonstration of it? I'm afraid we water down our words by our actions more than we verify our words by our actions. I wonder if Ezra thought, "I put my foot in my mouth now! I'm going to have to make this trip with valuable possessions but without armed guards, because I told the king God's hand was on us and against our enemies. We better pray!" We are not in the habit of dropping everything, especially eating, and going to God until we get an answer. We could certainly learn from their example here. Ezra says God answered their prayer before they left. It was done before they broke camp. They didn't have to see it to believe it. In some way that is not recorded, they had the assurance that the prayer was already answered. May the LORD teach us to pray with such fervor and hear the answer with this kind of convinced assurance.

Are You Devoted To Study God's Word?

Ezra 7:9-10---For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
Three times in Ezra chapter 7 we have the expression, "the gracious hand of his God was on him". He did certain things because of God's hand upon him. He had favor with the king and was given whatever he asked for because the gracious hand of God was upon him. He was on his way with more exiles and finances and sacrifices to assist in the rebuilding of Jerusalem and to offer the sacrifices the king had sent. Ezra must have made some kind of impression on the king, but I think he would say that this came about because the gracious hand of his God was upon him. Of course, God has no physical hand, so what does this mean? When a few generations pass, the apostles would lay their hands on others so that they would be healed or filled with the Holy Spirit or sent out into a ministry calling. Their hands represent God's hand to bring God's children to the fullness of His call upon their lives. The picture of God's gracious hand upon us should give us a rush of joy and encouragement. Surely every born again child of God has the hand of the Lord upon them to some degree. What can bring that out in a greater display like that which we see in the life of Ezra? In the above verses, we have the reason why. He devoted himself to studying, obeying, and teaching the Word of God. It's a simple, clear and powerful answer clearly seen in the passage. It is available to every reader. It is the call upon every reader, for whatever your calling is, you need to study and observe and, in some manner, teach the Word of God. There are only a few things that Scripture encourages us to be devoted to. One is the study of and obedience to the Word. The others are to be devoted to seeking the LORD (Jeremiah 30:21), to do what is good (Titus 3:8,14) and prayer (Colossians 4:2). It is impossible to do one without doing them all.

Being Strong In The Lord

Ezra 4:1-3---Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

When the people of God get serious about worshipping God, the Enemy always incites our enemies to try and distract us. We see the same statements today. "We all worship the same god. All religions basically teach the same thing. Let us help you." It may be possible to work together on some social issue, but when it comes to the temple of God, we have nothing in common. We do not serve the same God! We do not teach the same thing! The temple must be holy. That was the problem that brought about the captivity. The worship of Jehovah was mixed with the religions of the nations they had displaced. We must be honest about the differences in our faith. If we believe Jesus is the only way to God, we should not be bashful about it, but instead, have a loving boldness to share the truth for the sake of their eternal destiny. Some pastors are not concerned if all the staff knows the Lord as Savior. They believe everyone has a natural gift and can use those gifts for the church. That idea ignores the spirit of this passage. When it comes to building the temple, we need sanctified servants of God, or we will find the work is corrupted and compromised by the enemy. Once they were told that they could not help, they hired advisors to do two things. The first was to discourage them. The second was to make them afraid. That is the enemy's tactic to this day. If he can't get in directly, he will try to cause discouragement and fear. Those are attitude problems. Don't give in to them for a moment.

The Foundation Is Laid, Jesus

Ezra 3:11-13---And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

The altar was built first, and then the foundations for the temple were laid. The priests dressed in their priestly robes, with the instruments prescribed for the singing of praise, began to sing the chorus that had been sung 500 years earlier when the first temple was dedicated. I think we'll be singing the same song when the last temple, New Jerusalem, is completed. It is the song of endless ages, for the goodness of God never changes. Surely the elderly were crying with mixed emotions, remembering the sins that brought the temple down, the grace that kept them through the conquest and captivity and now restored them to their land. God kept His word, but who could have imagined in the midst of the horror, that it would even be possible to build the temple again. The cry that went up was mixed with the joyous praise of the younger people who had only heard of a temple. They had been taught about the sacrifices and the service of the temple. They had heard descriptions, and now they were the ones who would one day tell their children of seeing the foundations laid. We have foundations too. The names of the Apostles are on our foundation. When we sing that song in the completed final temple, some will remember when the foundations were laid. They'll remember hearing the teaching of the life and sayings of Jesus from the Apostles. I imagine there will be a great shout then.

The Lamb That Takes Away All Sin

Ezra 3:3---And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.

Over 40,000 of the captives returned with that first group, led by Jeshua and Zerubbabel. The amazing thing is they returned with over 7000 servants and animals, personal possessions of gold and silver. Captivity had not been that hard on them. Many had prospered. When they arrived, the first thing they began to do was to build the altar. The temple footings had not been laid. The walls of the city lay in ruins, but they focused first on the altar. It had been 70 years or more since a priest had offered the morning and evening sacrifices. As they studied the Law and saw the need for the lamb to be slain for their sins, they were most anxious for the sacrifice to begin again. Before we can do anything of value, we need to be right with God. The blood of the lambs did not wash away their sin but looked forward to the Lamb of God who would be the perfect sacrifice. They wanted to be obedient to the Word of God and do as they were instructed. Unlike most of the world today, they had a fear of God and His wrath upon sin. In fact, they feared God more than they did the people around them that threatened to rob and destroy them. Perhaps this was one good lesson from the captivity. Is the sacrifice more important than your temple and city walls? Is the cross and all that it means more important than your church building, appearances, and physical security? If you understand God's attitude toward sin, His hatred of evil, then it should be. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31)

Help Us To See That We Need Jesus

2 Chronicles 36:15-16, 21---And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years.

The LORD kept sending the prophets with warnings because He had pity on His people. Judgment would come, but their receptivity to the word of God would have made a world of difference in their transition to captivity. Because they were so hard-hearted, despising God's word and scoffing at His prophets, the conquest by Babylon was brutal. Young and old were slaughtered, and everything of value was taken. The Temple was burned. The harder we make our hearts, the more devastating the circumstances must be to wake us up and turn us back. They had faced humiliating defeats during the reign of the last four kings, but none of those defeats caused them to humble themselves before God and turn to Him. There was no remedy. God looked for another way, but there was none. Often people ask how God could have allowed a disaster to happen. In many cases, it is because there was no other remedy. Nothing less would turn people from the hardness of their heart. Israel had ignored the law of Sabbath rest for many centuries. Every seventh year they were not supposed to plant, but just let what came up on its own be sufficient for them. If they had ignored this law for 490 years, then the land was due for 70 years of Sabbath rests. That is exactly what happened. The land had its rest, and the people had their humiliation and change of heart. Those who returned would be intolerant of idol worship and possess a fear of disobeying God. The following devotions now move into the period of restoration, when the people were allowed to return and build the temple again. God was preparing them for a great redemption, the coming of the Messiah.

The Rebuke From An Unbeliever May Come At The Lord's Command

2 Chronicles 35:20-22---After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
Josiah had been a godly king and restored the temple worship, but the prophet had told him God's judgments were inevitable. In our passage today, Josiah does what seemed good, but not at God's leading. In fact, God warned him through the mouth of a heathen king. Carchemish must have been an ally of Judah and it seemed to make sense to fight together their common threat, Egypt. The words of the king of Egypt should have given Josiah a check to seek God's plan. When we step out on our own, with our own reason, we can place ourselves in harms way. God is faithful to warn us, even through the lips of an unbeliever. Remember in Jesus' day when the High Priest said, "It is better for one man to die than the nation to perish"? Though he did not know it, it was a prophetic word. We shouldn't ignore what unbelievers say when they are rebuking us. It may be the Lord. I have heard unbelievers say, "I thought you trusted in God." Ouch. God will use those who are unbelievers to remind us to look to Him. Josiah was a great king and gave the nation one more chance to turn back to God, but he put himself in a position to be taken out of the scene early by not being sensitive to God's warnings.

Humility Helps Us To Hear From God

2 Chronicles 34:27-28---Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD. Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.

The son of Manasseh was evil and soon assassinated. His son, Josiah, was put on the throne at the young age of 8. By the time he turned sixteen he began to seek the LORD. He purged the nation of idols and ordered the repair of the temple. In the process, the Book of the Law was found. Apparently, things had been so bad for so long that the priests did not even know where a copy of the Law could be found. When the Book of the Law was read to Josiah, he tore his robes and grieved over the sins of his fathers and the judgment promised in the book. Because the Spirit had not yet been poured out on all, he sent his staff to ask a prophetess living in Jerusalem if this justice was impending. She told them that God was going to keep his word and send the nation into captivity, but because Josiah humbled himself, tore his robes and wept before God, the judgment would not come in his lifetime. His eyes would not see the destruction of Jerusalem. God is just and keeps His word, but He is also patient and generous. One man's heart that was tender toward His word postponed the judgment. O that all God's children would have such a tender heart toward the word of God. When you read Scripture, do you allow it to speak to you personally and take it to heart as Josiah did? He did not think it was for other people or just the words because he was not involved. He saw the application was for him and his nation personally and humbled himself. If there is one attribute we need more than any other as we read the Word, it is humility.

Without God One Is Empty And Disappointed

2 Chronicles 32:19-21---And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man. And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

At this time in history, Assyria was conquering the known world. Its forces were unstoppable. They took Egypt and the nations around Judah. Israel had fallen. When they came to Judah, they took the fortified cities to the south. Archeologists have actually found pottery shards on which notes were written during the fall of Lachish and Azekah. There are still great murals in existence of the siege of Lachish by Assyria. But when they got to Jerusalem, they were unable to get through. They began with a propaganda war by saying that the God of Judah was like all the other gods that could not protect them from their great army. They had heard how Hezekiah had destroyed all the other gods and encouraged the worship of the one true God. The testimony had gone out into the world. Here is something you don't see much of in Scripture. The king and the prophet cry out to God. They present the Assyrian mockery of God to the throne of God. Hezekiah told the people of Judah that the Assyrian army only had physical power and military might, but they had the LORD God of the universe helping them! The LORD heard their prayer and sent an angel that annihilated huge numbers of Assyria's fighting men. History records that when the king of Assyria wrote his poem of conquest he said, "I shut up Hezekiah like a bird in a cage." Reading between the lines, you see he was unable to take Jerusalem and had to give up his siege. Upon returning to Assyria, some of his sons assassinated him as he worshipped in the temple of his god. His god could not deliver Jerusalem into his hands nor could he save his life. Now, whose god is a sad record of not being able to protect? The possession of military superiority does not matter. What matters is who is on the LORD's side. I hope you are.

God Always Pardons A Seeking Heart

2 Chronicles 30:18-20---For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

Hezekiah had just come to power. The nation was in shambles because of the sins of the former King. The first thing Hezekiah did was cleanse the Temple and prepare to celebrate the Passover. He invited those from every tribe who had not been taken captive to join them in returning to the LORD. Many mocked him, but a great number humbled themselves and came to the feast. Some of those who came had not gone through the ritual purification to be able to eat the Passover, but in their zeal to return to God, they went ahead and joined in the Passover meal. Hezekiah asked the LORD, who is good, to pardon everyone who had set their heart on seeking God, even though they had not gone through the ritual cleansing period. God heard and healed them. The Old Testament is full of illustrations where the heart of man is more important than ritual or the details of the Law. Jesus reminded the religious leaders of His day of David eating the Shewbread that only the priest was allowed to eat. God looks at the heart. When you have people who come out of sin to seek the LORD they are usually not cleaned up or familiar with what is right. They may speak and even act in ways you consider un-Christian. Remember, God who is good, will pardon them if their heart is set on seeking Him. Let the Holy Spirit bring conviction and change. If you feel led to correct them, do so lovingly and gently. In this chapter, there was a great joy. It would have been dampened had Hezekiah rebuked all who were not up on the rules of the Sanctuary and the Passover meal. Instead, he encouraged the Levites who did know and they did a good job according to the Word of God.

Revive Us!

2 Chronicles 29:29-31---And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings.

Revival! Hezekiah was the next king, and he began to reign at the age of 25. The very first thing he did was to order the repair and cleansing of the Temple. He saw clearly that all the devastation that the nation had been through was because they had turned from Jehovah to the gods of their neighbors. As soon as the priests had consecrated themselves, they began removing the defiled things from the Temple. In only 16 days, the work was completed. They rejoiced because the work was done so quickly. As the priests began the sacrifices, the musicians and singers began to make music. The people all bowed in worship. When the priest had completed the initial offerings, the king and all the people went to their knees. Then the Levites sang the psalms with gladness and bowed their heads in worship. There is a natural progression from songs of gladness and praise to worship and adoration for all that God is. Through worship, the people had dedicated themselves to God. Once dedicated to God, they could freely bring their offerings. They brought so many offerings that the Levites had to help the priests offer them. This revival took place in the same pattern that many revivals have since taken place. One man saw the desperate need and began to make a change. The leaders followed his example of dedication and commitment, and the place of worship was cleaned up of all that defiled it. Now that things are in order, the people follow and enter into worship, dedicating their lives to God. Finally, there is an abundance of gratitude and thanks for all that God is, so much so that there is hardly the capacity to contain or keep up with all that God is doing in and through the people.

Showing Mercy

2 Chronicles 28:9-11---But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven. And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God? Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.

After Jotham died, his son Ahaz reigned. God gave the people a king that they deserved so that hardship would turn them back to Him. Ahaz' army was defeated by the Arameans. Their treasures were robbed, and many of the people went into captivity. Then the Northern Tribes inflicted heavy casualties and took two hundred thousand women and children captive and a great deal of plunder. As the army of the Northern Tribes returned to their capital Samaria, a prophet of God named Obed met them. The message from God was that their victory was due to God's anger against Judah, but they had gone overboard in executing it. God's question to them was this, "Aren't you also guilty of sins against the LORD your God?" There are times when we find ourselves with the upper hand over those who oppose us, but we take it to the extreme. We should consider that it may not be so much that God is favoring us as God punishing them. God's justice is always tempered with mercy, but man's justice rarely is. We should consider that we could be in their shoes and that we are to apply the Golden Rule. If we desire mercy, then we will act with a great deal more mercy. Aren't we also guilty of sins? The Northern Tribes showed great wisdom and fear of God when they listened to the prophet and returned the captives along with the spoils of war.

Keep Your Eyes Fixed On Christ

2 Chronicles 27:2, 6--- And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly. So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

Uzziah's son, Jotham, learned from God's quick and severe dealing with his father's pride. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and no exceptions to that are noted. The problem was in the people. Sometimes God will place a godly leader over a people whose hearts have turned away from God. His example to them should cause them to see the blessing of God is upon those who walk in His ways. Do you know someone who is full of the fruits of the Spirit? The peace and joy and patience in their life should give you a hunger to walk more closely to the LORD. Sometimes the people will not heed the example God has given them. Then you can count on future leaders to not be as godly and the nation to not be as blessed. Everyone makes choices, and those choices not only affect you but those around you. Jotham's faithfulness showered a rain of blessing upon ungodly people. Perhaps that is why he died at the young age of 41. The people did not deserve the blessing he brought them through his godly life. God gave power to Jotham because of his godly life. The word 'steadfastly' is two words in Hebrew. It means to set one's direction. He laid out a course and stuck with it. He aimed for God and would not swerve off course. In Colossians 3 the Apostle Paul tells us to set our mind and heart on things above. The writer of the Hebrew epistle tells us to hold unswervingly to the course we have set. Is your course set like Jotham's was, or are you drifting? Do you know the direction of your goal, and have you decided to pursue that goal with all you have? Distractions are many and are often subtle.