Ezra's prayer of 'Here is how it is...'

Ezra in Prayer - Gustave Dore

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezra 8-10; Psalm 47

TO CHEW ON: "And I said, 'O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown to the heavens.'" Ezra 9:6

Ezra was terribly distressed. His body language—torn clothes, pulled out hair, abject posture—tells us that, even before we read the first words that come out of his mouth.

The reason? It's because the Jewish citizens of Jerusalem, indeed even their leaders, had intermarried with the idol-worshiping women of the surrounding nations. And in general the people were arranging marriages for their sons and daughters with pagan neighbours.

There was a strong tradition of marital exclusivity among the Jews:

• Abraham insisted Isaac not marry a Canaanite women (Genesis 24:3,37).

• Rebekah insisted Jacob not take a wife from the Canaanites (Genesis 28:1) though Esau did, much to his parents' chagrin (Genesis 27:46).

• When the Israelites were about to enter Canaan, Moses spoke the ban clearly:

"When the Lord your God brings you into the land...you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them (the "many nations" that inhabit it) ....Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from Me to serve other gods so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly" (Deuteronomy 7:1-4).

But intermarrying with Gentiles had happened over and over already in Israel's history with predictable results. A notable example was Solomon (1 Kings 3:1; 11:1-11).

Now Ezra was witnessing the old compromise, and he was clearly terrified that God would make good on His threat to destroy them. His prayer isn't  a direct request at all, but an implied call for mercy. We could paraphrase the end of his prayer: 'Here we are God; this is how it is.'

I wonder what Ezra would think about the marriages of our time. I know it isn't our custom to arrange marriages for our kids and when they fall in love with non-believers we look on helplessly. Well, not exactly helplessly, because we pray that they won't make unwise choices and give them as much guidance as they'll take.

Oh, I know stories abound of how the Christian partner leads the non-Christian to God. But I have also heard too many stories of heartbreak when spouses don't have the same beliefs and values. There is disagreement about how to raise the kids, how to spend money, and on and on. Way too often the unbelieving spouse leads the believing one off the "straight and narrow." There is a reason for Paul's words to the Corinthians to "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers..." - 2 Corinthians 6:14.

PRAYER: Dear God, Ezra's shock and grief at Israel's mixed marriages makes me look at our customs through a different lens. Please help us to raise our kids and grandkids by Your wise principles. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 47


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The help of enemies

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezra 4-7; Psalm 46

TO CHEW ON: "And they kept the feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel." Ezra 6:22


"When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him," says Proverbs 16:7.

Our reading today is an example of this. Through a decree of Darius king of Babylon, a search was made that turned up another decree issued by Cyrus years earlier. He had commanded that the Jerusalem temple be rebuilt. The cost of this rebuild was to be charged to his royal treasury and the gold and silver accessories (utensils and dishes) were to be restored and returned to the Jerusalem temple (Ezra 6:2-5).

In fact, an additional decree by Darius went on to command that certain provincial leaders "keep away" or "keep yourselves far from there" (Ezra 6:6) and refrain from hindering the project. Instead of causing problems they were to help by supplying tribute money and animals for the sacrifice. The penalty for altering Darius's decree was — well, barbaric (see Ezra 6:12).

When we are serving God, and life (circumstances, and people) comes against us in all kinds of opposition, we can take comfort from this example of God's sovereignty over even the highest rulers. I love the verse: "The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
 he guides it wherever he pleases" - Proverbs 21:1 (NLT). There is no situation or person that God can't change or use to achieve His purposes.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your sovereignty over all mankind. Help me to be involved in Your purposes, living in sync with Your ways, and in a place where I can expect Your help. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 46

MORE: The rebuilding of the temple
Gustave Doré's engraving "The Rebuilding of the Temple" gives us an idea of what a big, labor-intensive job this construction project must have been.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God can make a way

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ezra 1-3; Psalm 45

TO CHEW ON: “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing saying 

‘… Who is among you of His people? May his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God) which is in Jerusalem’” - Ezra 1:1,3


Pinch me, is this really happening?! the Jewish exiles in Babylon may have thought when Cyrus’s proclamation to rebuild the temple came down. However, when God decrees a thing, it will happen, no matter how unlikely it seems.

Ezra notes that Jeremiah’s words were fulfilled. Jeremiah did predict a 70-year exile in Jeremiah 25:12 and Jeremiah 29:10. But even earlier, Isaiah prophesied that the temple would be rebuilt and even named the king (Cyrus) who would rebuild it in Isaiah 44:28.

I love the conclusions of my Bible’s study notes about this:

“That the word of the LORD … might be fulfilled” is the underlying explanation of the historical events of this time” - Gary Matsdorf, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 599.

and

“God is able to accomplish His plans and purposes on behalf of His people either through or in spite of ungodly or even hostile government authorities. Our faith walk often requires that we trust and rely on God to make a way where there is no way … Have faith even when things seem impossible” - Leslyn Musch, Truth-In-Action-Through-Ezra, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 611.

This is a challenge to me to look at the things in my world that seem impossible (personally, family-wise, politically in my country and even internationally) and to keep bringing them to God in prayer. Perhaps even my (and yours too) ongoing concern is His Spirit reminding us about these things so we will keep praying and looking for His answers.

Paul: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” - Romans 8:26.

Jesus: “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive” - Matthew 21:22.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for this story of Your purpose accomplished through unlikely Cyrus. I trust You to work similarly in my time through likely and unlikely people and circumstances. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Amen.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 45

The Bible Project VIDEO: Ezra & Nehemiah (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.