OT: Ezra 9
NT: Luke 1
W&W: Psalm 41
Today’s Reflection:
Ezra 9 shares an alarming development among God’s people after the great victory that the Lord had brought about in bringing the people back to Jerusalem:
1 After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. 2 They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness."
As we often see in the Bible, tragedy results when people don’t follow God-ordained leadership. But how much more tragic when “the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness!” (v. 2)
Man / Woman of God – leader of the people of God – give careful attention to your life. You call yourself a leader, and thus it is clear that you expect people to follow you. Know where you are leading them!
The leader Ezra led the people out of their sin. He repented and humbled himself on behalf of the sin of the people and leaders. He himself was not the least guilty of engaging in this sinful behavior of which he repented. But, he took the guilt of the others as his own. This is evident in his actions, revealing genuine repentance:
- He tore his clothes.
- He pulled out his hair and beard.
- He sat down appalled.
- He fell on his knees.
- He spread out his hands to heaven.
- He prayed.
- He fasted (Ezra 10.6).
Leader, are you willing to pay such a price? Will you identify with the sin of your people as did Ezra? As did Moses? As did Paul? As did Jesus?
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.2-3: He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
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