THURSDAY, 20 MARCH 2025
TEXT: Ezra
9:1-15
1: After these things had
been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including
the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the
neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the
Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and
Amorites.
2: They have taken some
of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the
holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led
the way in this unfaithfulness.”
3: When I heard this, I
tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down
appalled.
4: Then everyone who
trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this
unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening
sacrifice.
5: 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: “I am too
ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are
higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.
7: From the days of our
ancestors 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 forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the
sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house
of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah
and Jerusalem.
10: “But now, our God,
what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands
11: you gave through your
servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a
land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices
they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other.
12: Therefore, do not
give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your
sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be
strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an
everlasting inheritance.’
13: “What has happened to
us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you
have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like
this.
14: Shall we then break
your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable
practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no
remnant or survivor?
15: Lord, the God of
Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are
before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your
presence.”
(New International Version
Holy Bible)
TOPIC: A
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
The Israelites went beyond
their boundary while in exile. There were intermarriages leading to mingling
with unholy races. Above all, the leaders and officials took the lead in such
atrocities.
Ezra perceived their sin
as very grievous (vs. 6). Sin led to their humiliation. However, Ezra
acknowledged God’s kindness and favour to rebuild a place of worship and the
walls.
The Israelites were
forewarned about the nature of the people they were going to meet (vs. 11-12).
As a result of their sins, they did not deserve to stand before God’s presence.
QUESTION:
What touched you in Ezra’s prayer today?
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, You are Holy. Help me to follow after your steps in this sinful
world. Amen.
Remain
Blessed
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