FRIDAY, 21 MARCH 2025
TEXT: Ezra
10:1-17
1: While Ezra was praying
and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a
large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too
wept bitterly.
2: Then Shekaniah son of
Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful
to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite
of this, there is still hope for Israel.
3: Now let us make a
covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in
accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of
our God. Let it be done according to the Law.
4: Rise up; this matter
is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”
5: So Ezra rose up and
put the leading priests and Levites and all Israel under oath to do what had
been suggested. And they took the oath.
6: Then Ezra withdrew
from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib.
While he was there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to
mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
7: A proclamation was
then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in
Jerusalem.
8: Anyone who failed to
appear within three days would forfeit all his property, in accordance with the
decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the
assembly of the exiles.
9: Within the three days,
all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem. And on the
twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square
before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the
rain.
10: Then Ezra the priest
stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign
women, adding to Israel’s guilt.
11: Now honor the Lord,
the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the
peoples around you and from your foreign wives.”
12: The whole assembly
responded with a loud voice: “You are right! We must do as you say.
13: But there are many
people here and it is the rainy season; so we cannot stand outside. Besides,
this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned
greatly in this thing.
14: Let our officials act
for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a
foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each
town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”
15: Only Jonathan son of
Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the
Levite, opposed this.
16: So the exiles did as
was proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each
family division, and all of them designated by name. On the first day of the
tenth month they sat down to investigate the cases,
17: and by the first day
of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married
foreign women.
(New International
Version Holy Bible)
TOPIC: A
GENUINE CONFESSION
Due to over familiarity
in our journey of faith, many believers no longer feel remorse over personal
guilt and offences.
We see Ezra praying,
confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before God’s presence. This
sincere confession led the Israelites to do the same.
There was a covenant to
send away all foreign women and their children which they followed and it
worked for them (vs. 16-17).
God is always willing to
address a church’s or community’s atrocities if only they are willing to take
the right steps towards making amends.
QUESTION:
How sincere are you in turning away from your past?
PRAYER: Dear Lord, forgive us for always adding to our unfaithfulness. Help us to be bold in turning back from that sin, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Remain
Blessed
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