Read: Ezra 7-10
As I read of the generosity of King Artaxerxes I have to wonder what about Ezra’s lifestyle made the king want to honor his god. What a testimony of the goodness and righteousness of God Ezra must have been to the king that the king didn’t want to offend his god! He gave Ezra everything he asked for plus tax-exempt status and laws to protect the laws of God. That is what God can do for the church from an ungodly source.
Ezra sent out the message to his Jewish brothers and asked for volunteers to go with him and got a great response, but not one priest. So he sent a request to the Levites to send them some ministers. When he had gathered 258 Levites and the other people, Ezra proclaimed a fast to seek God for safety, guidance, and provision for them and their families. Ezra was just like us; he struggled with believing God to defend them or ask the king to give them a police escort to Jerusalem. He decided to trust God, so they left with gold and silver and holy vessels for the temple and all their families. God heard their prayer and they had safe travels to Jerusalem.
When they arrived they offered sacrifices and praise to God. Four days later Ezra learns that the people they had brought had married foreign wives who worshipped foreign gods. They must have started their worship because it came to Ezra’s attention. He was mortified and fell on his face in repentance and sorrow for the people. The leaders, who were the worse offenders gathered around Ezra in his state of prayer and told him they would put away their foreign wives. He met with the whole congregation three days later and entreated them to put away their foreign wives. They promised to do it. If they had taken a foreign wife their name was recorded. (Reminds me of a similar list that went viral recently…be sure your sins will find you out!)
Our foreign wives are anything we honor above God. It can be as simple as trusting in our own efforts. We can do nothing apart from God.
Lord, cleanse us of putting other things before you like they did with their wives. Set us apart to do the rebuilding of your temple.
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