S = 9:5-9 “Then,
at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self–abasement, with my tunic and
cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God 6
and prayed:
“O my God, I am too ashamed and
disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than
our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7 From the days of our
forefathers until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and
our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to
pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today. 8 “But
now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a
remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light
to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. 9 Though we are slaves, our God
has not deserted us in our bondage.”
O = This book is set mainly in Jerusalem after the Jews had
returned from their exile in Babylon and Persia. It takes up the history of Israel
where 2 Chronicles leaves off. The Jews had originally been sent into exile for
their stubborn idolatry and the resulting social injustices. After the 70 years
had passed, Cyrus issued an edict for the Jews to return to Israel and rebuild
the temple. There were three major waves of returning exiles. Ezra led the 2nd
group to return. However, the returnees soon began to fall into the same
idolatrous affections and behaviors that caused their previous removal. Ezra is
appalled (v.3) and verses 6-15 are his prayer of confession to God…and of
correction of the people. This issue of intermarriage was not primarily a
racial issue but a religious one. What did the Israelites love more—the abominations
of the neighboring nations or the Lord?
A = The same issue is in play today. There are so many
things competing for my affections, so many voices urging compromise with the
coercive forces of our culture and our economy. Certainly marriage, intended as
our most intimate relationship on earth, if not based on a shared love for the
Lord Jesus will certainly move us away from a wholehearted devotion to God. Our
jobs can also step up into as the primary source of value and identity in our
lives instead of finding them in Christ. The questions I must ask myself this
week include: “Are my affections leading me to the full freedom found in Christ
or subtly shackling me in sin? And, “As I engage the world around me, do I love
God more or less?”
P = O Lord, help us to see that sin is not just tied to our
individual actions and attitudes, but it collective as well. We have become a
society that has a divided heart at best. May we renounce the false loves that over-promise
and under-deliver so that we might be free to pursue the greatest Love of all.
May your love change us from being takers and users to being selfless givers
and “blessers”, fully living for the glory of the name of Jesus Christ! May we
be set free from fear, even the enslaving fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15) that we might
not make an idol of even our own lives (Rev. 12:10-11). Lord, you conquered the
accuser by your own blood. Please shape us into overcomers through your Spirit
and your Word. We want to give you free reign in our lives! Amen.
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