“Even Now There Is Hope!” • 11.25.18
• Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- Ezra is a Priest and scribe who has recently
returned from Babylon Persia to Jerusalem. It's been nearly 60 years since the
Temple was rebuilt and that has not proven to matter much.
- God's people have once again lapsed into the
kind of sin that once delivered them into judgment. They have begun to
intermingle themselves with the world.
- God has always called His people to
separation, to holiness, because He knows that we will have less of an
influence upon the world than they will have upon us.
- In the case of the Jewish nation, they were
not only ignoring this fact, but they were in danger of corrupting the very
line of the Messiah! Their actions were threatening the work of redemption!
- Ezra knew that things were bad generally, but
he has just been told how far this compromise has gone. This is where we pick
up our text today. Have a look at verse 5 and the prayer of Ezra.
Text
• Ezra
9:5-9 : "At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having
torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. And I said: 'O my God, I am too
ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities
have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to
this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and
our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the
sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. And now for a little while grace
has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to
escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our
eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. For we were slaves. Yet our God did
not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the
kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its
ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. " : Ezra's afternoon was spent in deep mourning over the condition
of the Jewish nation. He had nowhere to go but to the Lord for help!
-
Like his clothing, his soul has been torn by the actions that have been
reported. He can barely lift his head toward the Lord. He is overwhelmed and
doesn't even know where to begin.
-
Israel's guilt is over their heads. Their iniquities are higher than the heavens!
-
There is no way above their sickness. Temple or no temple, good priesthood or
no priesthood, rebellion against God's law has been their entire history!
-
Ezra admits that the end that Israel had received, whether death, captivity,
plunder or humiliation was the least that they deserved. What has kept them?
Only the faithfulness of God!
-
In fact, what Ezra has seen is a measure of grace in the face of Israel's sin.
God has shown them a "little" grace! The word "little"
refers to what would amount to a wink.
-
That little grace left Israel with a group that had escaped captivity, who now
had a tent peg, a stake in the Lord's house! He had opened their eyes to show
them what they could experience!
-
God was giving Israel a preview of the good things to come even though they had
been in bondage. They had been slaves but God extended His mercy through the
King to revive them.
-
They had come back to ruins and now, there was now a temple and a wall in Judah!
Unfortunately, their current actions threatened to forfeit their blessings. Verse
10.
•
Ezra 9:10-12 : "And now, O our God, what shall we
say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, which You commanded by Your
servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is
an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their
abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. Now therefore, do not give your
daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and
never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good
of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’" : Really, what could be said? God's people had demonstrated a
lack of concern for God's commands!
-
Verse 11 provides a summary of God's
statutes regarding separation from the peoples of the land and they could not
have been more clear.
-
When the people came into the land, it was full of the filth that was left
behind by the nations. There were "worship sites," "high
places," littered throughout Israel that the people were to destroy.
-
The Canaanite's lifestyle, their worship practice, provided a corrupting
influence for the people of God, so the Lord warned them not involve themselves
with them at all!
-
God forbid them to seek their peace or prosperity, much less to intermarry and
cojoin with them. Why? That they would be strong!
-
God never tells His people to avoid sin to kill their enjoyment of life. He
knows that sin weakens us and influence from the world is especially dangerous.
-
They were not thinking of their spiritual well being, but that wasn't even the
worst of it.
-
Their inheritance and their children's enjoyment of that inheritance was
dependant upon their separation from the nations! They were spoiling it for
their children and potentially for God's mission!
-
Friends, the world may not be filled with physical Canaanites, but their spirit
is alive and well! God calls you and I to the same separation from the World!
-
We cannot go outside of the world, but we can do what we can to keep the world
from getting inside of us! Guard your heart. Know you limits. Be wise with your
life!
-
The world's influence upon us can only be corrupting and the more that you give
the world space in your heart, the more you will be corrupted as well! Verse 13.
•
Ezra 9:13-15 : "And after all that has come upon us
for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us
less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, should we again break Your
commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these
abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that
there would be no remnant or survivor? O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous,
for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our
guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!'" : Look at this stunning admission! Everything that had come upon
the Jewish nation was deserved.
-
It was their evil deeds and their great guilt that brought their demise, the
loss of their nation, and the loss of their lives. Ezra lays it entirely upon
their own shoulders.
-
They had received what their actions deserved, but God punished them less than
they actually deserved! They deserved to be written off, thoroughly demolished
and yet they exist!
-
After going through Ezra, I'm convinced that he was heavily influenced by the
writings of Isaiah. Listen to Isaiah 1:9
against this thought.
•
Isaiah 1:9 : "Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we
would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah." : It was God's faithfulness to preserve Israel, not their own
power of ability!
-
For the people of Ezra's time, they marched all over the grace that they had
been given! They jumped in full bore with people that were unrepentant,
heathens!
-
It's not as if the "Ites" were cooperative in turning toward Israel's
God. They were still committing the abominations that once caused God to demand
their judgment!
-
Ezra is wondering if God would not be angry enough to thoroughly destroy the
Jews now! All that he could say is that they were there, in their guilt,
standing before a just Judge. Chapter 10.
•
Ezra 10:1 : "Now while Ezra was praying, and
while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a
very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel;
for the people wept very bitterly." : Look at
the depth of Ezra's ministry. He was praying, expressing himself to God, venting
his heart toward the Lord and confessing. What did he have to confess? He
hadn't sinned!
-
He had not, but he was not remote from Israel's sin. He stands as their priest,
representing them to God in his prayer. "Confession" speaks of
"bemoaning" an action.
-
In the New Testament, there is a sense of agreement with God, in that I am saying
what God says about sin. I am not using alternative definitions for sin when I
come to God for forgiveness.
-
I am not attempting to soften the blow psychologically by avoiding the words He
uses. Sex outside of marriage is adultery. Borrowing an item for a prolonged
period of time is stealing.
-
That is the New Testament word for "confession." Here, the word seems
to infer that confession enters into the same emotions that God experiences
when we sin!
-
When you recognize your own sin, do you bemoan what you have caused the heart
of God?
-
While he was confessing, he was weeping. Literally, Ezra threw himself down
before the Lord recognizing in his body, the submission that the people of God
should have expressed.
-
Ezra is doing for Israel what Israel should have been doing all along! He
stands as their Priest, representing what their hearts should have been to God
and God moved upon the people!
-
While he was praying, a large assembly of people moved toward Ezra, weeping
bitterly for their own condition. They came confessing their sin and with a
plan to repent of it. Verse 2.
•
Ezra 10:2-4 : "And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel,
one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, 'We have trespassed against
our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there
is hope in Israel in spite of this. Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away
all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice
of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it
be done according to the law. Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with
you. Be of good courage, and do it.'" :
Shechaniah speaks for the gathered crowd and his content and tone are very
encouraging. They own up to their sin specifically.
-
"We have trespassed." We have willfuly, disobediently stepped over
the known limits that God has placed for us in His Word by the specific sin of
taking pagan wives.
-
These words are translated for us and possibly interpreted. Many scholars insist
that the phrase could simply be that they had taken "foreign women."
-
This could mean that they were living with women apart from the covenant of
marriage, but it can also mean that they had married them. Either way, these
people are in the right place.
-
They understand their sin and their responsibility and ultimately the goodness
of their God. "Yet, now there is hope in Israel in spite of this!"
There are some who never get here!
-
Some are deceived into believing that there is no hope, that they have gone too
far and that they have done damage that can never be repaired.
-
They believe that they are better at sinning than Christ is at saving and they
could not be more mistaken! When a person is led to repent, they can say,
"Even now there is hope!"
-
God's people are leaning upon the faithfulness of the God of Israel, who cannot
fail, whose promise cannot be broken! What would be their part?
-
They would covenant with God to put away their pagan wives as well as the
children that were born from those unions. What? Can they not simply turn their
wives to the Lord now?
-
The text presupposes that most of these women were unwilling to convert to
Yahweh. These men understood that repentance means you cannot bring the old
life with you! It must be left behind!
-
Understand here that this is not prescriptive, but descriptive. There isn't a
command here to follow. In fact, Paul instructs believers to remain in such
marriages unless the other party departs!
-
This was a specific action taken at a specific time by a specific people. The
principle though is what remains: Breaking from sin is messy and will be
painful!
-
This is left here by the Holy Spirit to remind us why we must flee from sin in
the first place and to console us that when we do, it's normal to expect there
to be pain.
-
They will leave their sin behind and they will submit to the Lord's wisdom in
His Word!
-
They would heed the counsel that Ezra would give as well as those who trembled
at God's Word. They were willing to listen to Ezra, their brothers, and the
law! They would heed God's Word!
-
You have to love their very rare attitude! Only God could put this in the heart
of a nation!
-
Listen to their encouragement in verse 4.
"Ezra, you need to make this happen! We're with you. Don't be
afraid!" What a great statement!
-
Repentance is never easy, but it's much easier than remaining in a life that
isn't God's intention for you! Verse 5.
•
Ezra 10:5-8 : "Then Ezra arose, and made the
leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they
would do according to this word. So they swore an oath. Then Ezra rose up from before the
house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and
when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because
of the guilt of those from the captivity. And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem
to all the descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem, and that whoever would not come within three days,
according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would
be confiscated, and he himself would be separated from the assembly of those
from the captivity." : If there was going to be a
lasting reform based on repentance, it would have to begin with the leaders.
-
That is who Ezra addresses first. He made them swear an oath to be the first to
"do according to this word." They had led in sin. They were now to
lead in repentance!
-
Even though, things are moving in the right direction, Ezra is still mourning.
What gives? Let me suggest two realities. The first is that there will always
be an enduring emotional toll.
-
Sin wrecks lives and even when there has been confession and the beginning of
repentance, there is still a path of destruction that cannot easily be
recovered.
-
The second reason might be related to the fact that all Ezra has right now are
the right words. Words are wonderful, but one learns to wait for repentant
action!
-
With that in mind, he drew up a proclamation that called a mandatory meeting at
Jerusalem and delieated a very clear line for those wishing to truly walk in
repentance.
-
Anyone that missed it would experience the loss of privilege to live in the
land and would be exiled from God's people.
-
Essentially, they would prove by their actions, not by their words, whether
they wanted to be united to the Lord or not. Verse 9.
•
Ezra 10:9-15 : "So all the men of Judah and
Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on
the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the
house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain. Then Ezra the priest stood up and
said to them, 'You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the
guilt of Israel. Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers, and do His
will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan
wives.' Then all
the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, 'Yes! As you have said, so we
must do. But there
are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand
outside. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for there are many of us who
have transgressed in this matter. Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let
all those in our cities who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times,
together with the elders and judges of their cities, until the fierce wrath of
our God is turned away from us in this matter.' Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and
Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the
Levite gave them support." : The
people of God arrived in Jerusalem at the appointed time, right in the middle
of December cold spell!
-
Their hearts and their bodies were trembling as they braved being before the
Lord in the rain. Ezra commanded that they heed the voice of the Lord, which
they were willing to do.
-
But this wasn't going to be a one day affair. This was going to take time but
it was worth the expenditure if it would turn the wrath of God away from them!
What does this mean?
-
Were they experiencing supernatural judgments from the Lord? We've seen
instances like this in Israel's past, where God's people were caught in the
line of judgment.
-
These people knew that the power of God was real and they wanted to cooperate.
There were a few that stood in opposition, but the majority were on board. Verse
16.
•
Ezra 10:16-19 : "Then the descendants of the
captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers’
households, were set apart by the fathers’ households, each of them by name;
and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. By the first day of the first month
they finished questioning all the men who had taken pagan wives. And among the sons of the priests
who had taken pagan wives the following were found of the sons of Jeshua the
son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. And they gave their promise that
they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they presented a ram of the
flock as their trespass offering." : It took
the counsel three months to thoroughly investigate this matter.
-
There were some women that likely chose to convert that hadn't. There were some
couples that made their unions legitimate before the Lord and married.
-
Those that were found to be unequally yoked were parted according to the law
and custom.
-
Ezra would have written a bill of divorce, as the law of Moses stipulated, and
responsibility was assigned to the men to extend care for the rest of their
family's lives.
-
Generally, in that ancient culture, the Ladies would have gone away with a
financial settlement and back to their Father's homes. You see this in practice
in Abraham's life.
-
He sent Hagar away in Genesis 21:14
and his other concubines in Genesis
25:5,6. Even Moses' wife Zipporah had gone to live with her Father when
Moses returned to Egypt.
-
None of this is ideal or painless, but do understand, these arrangements are
not callous.
-
The priests were the first to confess their sin, they promised to put away their
wives and to account for their guilt before the Lord. The priests were the
Pastors, but they were just the beginning!
-
Verses 20 through 43 lists off the offending parties
which included the Levites or deacons, as well as the singers or worship team!
Pastors, deacons and worship leaders?
-
The whole church was infected from top to bottom. Finally, we come to verse 44.
•
Ezra 10:44 : "All these had taken pagan wives,
and some of them had wives by whom they had children." : The end of Ezra is anti-climactic but in a way, is still
extraordinary. How many have gone this far?
-
There are people who know that they are living in sin, who are called on it and
ignore it.
-
There are others who are living in sin, who are called on it and hate those
that expose it.
-
There are still others that are living in sin who are called on it and justify
it. How many have lived in sin, been called on it, agreed with God about it,
have purposed to turn and then actually did?
-
These people did! They experienced the hope that God can bring when they put
themselves in the postion to receive it. Yes, it was painful.
-
These were real relationships, real women and children. There was real love,
but the children of God understood that the love and loyalty to God was to be
primary if they were to be blessed!
Conclusion
- When you look
back upon this section, I pray that you will see a picture of our High Priest,
praying and interceding for you, as you struggle with your sin.
- His Spirit
calls you to recognize it and repent, and when you do, there will be pain, but
there will also be hope! Jesus alone can wipe away the filth and the stain that
we have created.
- Certainly, we
can say that our punishment has been less than we deserve because Christ Jesus
absorbed every ounce that our sins deserve.
- We have not
been given a tent peg of God's grace. We have been given all the grace that
heaven has to offer! How much greater then is the grace and love of our Messiah?
Greater indeed!