Read: Ezra 7:1-8:20; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 20:28-30
Ezra’s line of descendants went back to Aaron. He had been taken captive to Babylon but even there had stayed true to the Lord and taught the Torah in Babylon. Artazerxes sent him to Jerusalem and gave him everything he asked for because the favor of God on his life. The people of Babylon, their officials and the king gave gold and silver to fund the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The king allowed any of the Jews who wanted to return to their land, to return with his blessings. He commanded Ezra to teach the law to the people and anyone who refused to obey it would be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property or imprisonment. (That is what I call upholding the law.) He gave a list of all the family heads that left Babylon to return to Jerusalem and begin a new life.
Ezra gathered all the people at the canal and found that there were no Levites among them. He sent word to the prophets and scribes of the day and they got word to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. He sent about thirty-eight Levites, and two hundred twenty Nethinims, the descendants of the Gibeonites, who performed the service duties of the temple.
In Corinthians, Paul told the believers that to be an apostle, you must be faithful because you are entrusted with the secret things of God. Then he let them know that they are not the judge of this; God is the judge. Paul said that he didn’t even judge himself. This is very wise. He left the judgement up to God and God alone knows the motives of our heart. We can deceive ourselves into thinking we are doing something great for God but God may see it totally different because he is looking past our deed to the “why” of what we are doing.
He warned them against pride of their knowledge and understanding of God. We all gain understanding from one another which is how God set it up. We are to need each other because no one person has the whole revelation of God. Paul rebuked them for becoming so spiritually fed by their favorite teachers that they were fat with knowledge but starving of wisdom which comes from experience and trials. They had teachers but no spiritual fathers that rebuked them in love or set examples of humility for them. Paul had been that to them at one time. They wanted all the blessing but no suffering which made them rich, fat and happy but not effective.
Lord, help us to realize that suffering and trials are our friends that shape us into the person we need to be to be effective in the kingdom. Thank you for the tests and trials you send to grow us up.
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