Thurs.’s Devo - Making Things Right

Read: Ezra 10:1-44; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 21:3 Ezra lay prostrate before the Lord repenting for the people who had married pagan wives. This was something forbidden by God for so many reasons. Marrying a pagan wife was to make a covenant with their gods. In the scriptures we read about in Corinthians today, Paul explained that when a person joins himself with another person in they become one with them. No other sin affects the body as sexual sin does. What was even worse is that these were the priests and Levites that had done this. *** Shecaniah came to Ezra and told him that all was not lost; they could divorce their wives and make a covenant to follow the Lord. He told Ezra that it was his duty to tell them what to do to make things right. They were behind him he just needed to be strong and do something. *** That is a good word for us when we feel overwhelmed by our own sin or the sin of our nation. There is always a way to make things right; we just need to be strong and take action. *** Ezra did take action. He stood up and demanded that the people divorce their wives and turn to the Lord with a solemn oath. A proclamation was made through out Judah and Jerusalem for everyone to come to Jerusalem within three days or forfeit all their property and be expelled from the assembly of the exiles. *** All the people gathered in the three days which was around Hannukuh and the weather was cold and rainy. Ezra had them confess their sins and separate themselves from their wives. They realized this would take some time to bring their wives and perform the divorces. Some of them even had children involved. Lawyers were designated for each family and a list was made of all the ones who would need to file for divorces. What a mess! *** Sin has consequences and sometimes they are hard to fix but God always has a way to make amends. We can never get ourselves into something he can’t get us out of. *** Speaking of lawyers, Paul rebuked the Corinthians of taking their fellow believers to court in secular courts. Why would we let the world settle our disputes; we will one day judge the world. It will be our job to judge them not vice versa. Paul was trying to tell them that they needed to be wise in these areas and to learn how to come to terms among themselves like they did in Ezra’s day. *** To argue with a believer was already a defeat. Paul asked why not just accept the injustice and leave it to the Lord to judge. *** By the next verses (9-20) we can see what was being taught by the false teachers that Paul warned them over and over against. They were teaching that sin was okay because we are bent and made for sin. Weren’t our parts made to have sex. They taught reason and logic which is the opposite of God’s laws which say, “Come out from among them and be separate.” 2 Co. 6:17. *** Lord, you bought us with a high price of the blood of your son. May we honor you with our bodies, our mind, our soul and our spirit.