King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Monday, September 25, 2023
Chapters: EZRA 7-10
Message: Yoked With Christ
Hello My Friend,
Can you believe that we are three months from Christmas? It is certainly going to be a lot different this year, especially since I have a husband now. We were actually discussing our church and how much we feel at home there and I asked him if he thought that we would be doing so much if we were not married. That is when we both agreed that marriage does something to you in that it makes you more responsible and trustworthy. There is a very good reason why the Bible says,
[2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.]
As we return to, and come to the end of reading of Ezra, if you follow the timeline, this was around 457 BC, so it took place when Esther was queen. Ezra, was back in Babylon (Persia) after the temple had been built, word got out that things were not going so well in Jerusalem. Under the direction of King Artaxerxes, Ezra, was directed by the king himself to return to Jerusalem to direct the people in the laws of God.
[Ezra 7:1,5-6,9-10 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 5 The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest: (6) This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. 9 For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. (10) For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.]
[the son of Aaron the chief priest:] Ezra, accounts that his heritage goes all the way back to Aaron, he was also a scribe, which is someone who wrote down the words contained in the Law. Ezra, not only made sure that every copy written of the Word of God was accurate, he also penned several books under the inspiration of God, including the Chronicle books. Every work that God calls us to do has His hand upon it and ought to trace us back to His Son, of whom we are joint heirs, [Rom 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. ]
[For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD,] [Prepare; To make ready; to fit, adapt or qualify for a particular purpose, end, use, service or state, by any means whatever.] Ezra, made his heart ready, not only by seeking and reading the Word of God, but following it. Before we even attempt to read God’s Word we need to prepare our heart for seeking it. Reading His Word without having any sort of desire for it will not give God the full attention He deserves. And besides, God, speaks to us while we are reading it, if our heart is not prepared then we are not going to hear what He is saying, [Psalms 119:10-11 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. (11) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.]
The Bible is not meant to be read just one time, it is meant to be continuously so that as we mature in our walk with Christ we are better able discern the meat of the Word that we were not able to understand as babes. Now, Before Ezra headed to Jerusalem, Xerxes, had a decree made that gave Ezra the authority to do whatever he needed to do to get the temple in order.
[Ezra 7:12-14,18-19,21 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. (13) I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. (14) Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; 18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. (19) The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. 21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,]
[which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem,] We are not forced to receive Christ as our Saviour, we are not even forced to come to the knowledge of Christ, but we are invited and that choice must be made by each of us individually. God, gives us every means necessary to learn the truth about Jesus and how we can serve Him according to His will. The majority of the time people are not just going to walk into a church, they need to be invited, [Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.]
If anyone attempts to serve God without Christ all they would be doing is signing their own death warrant as God does not acknowledge any work done for Him because He does not know them. This is why it is very important for every church also to prepare their heart to seek God’s Word and obey it. Xerxes, may not have known the Word of God, or realized that God is everywhere, but he did know where he could find Him and that He Law superseded any of mans laws.
[Ezra 7:23-26 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? (24) Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them. (25) And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not. (26) And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.]
[not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.] Now, we know where tax exemption for churches came from. Jesus, said this when it comes to the Church and state, [Luke 20:22-25 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? (23) But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? (24) Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar’s. (25) And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.]
[let judgment be executed speedily upon him,] Can you imagine being put in prison for disobeying God? Well, the wages of sin is death, and if we are honest with ourselves, we put ourselves in prison if we have unrepentant sin, even if we are unaware that we are in sin. This is why it is important that we ask God to search our hearts to know if there is anything wicked in us before we seek answers from God, [Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.]
Now, after Ezra received the news from the king to assemble a group of people willing to go to Jerusalem he was a little overwhelmed because over seventeen hundred men and their families volunteered to go with him. He knew that God was with him and would guide him in the right direction, but it was not going to be easy. He also realized that there were no priests among them. Before going any further the entire team gathered together and while Ezra sent a team back to Babylon, they fasted and prayed.
[Ezra 8:15-18,21 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. (16) Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding. (17) And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God. (18) And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; (21) Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.]
[to seek of him a right way for us,] Remember, God’s ways are not often our ways, so what is right in our own eyes may not be necessarily right in His, especially when it comes to His Church. When Ezra and the people arrived in Jerusalem they expected to see at least a few of the Jews and Levites obeying the Law. Instead, it was just the opposite, the moral and spiritual condition in Jerusalem was terrible, and many of the priests were actually married and had kids with women who were not even Jews.
[Ezra 8:31,36, 9:1-2 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. 36 And they delivered the king’s commissions unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God. Ezra 9:1-2 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. (2) For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.]
[the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.] Some that were widowers not only took wives to themselves of the heathen nations, they took them for their sons also. They were to set the right example as a holy people of God to refrain from what is truly being unyoked, instead they were the ringleaders of going against the Word of God. This happens because they are not knowledgeable in the Word of God in the first place, had they studied it with an open heart, they would have not only kept themselves from breaking the Law, their sons and daughters would not have either. We set the example for our children and cannot expect them to go in the way they should go without first going the way we should go ourselves, [Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: (24) And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.]
We all need to take our salvation very seriously since it is Jesus who suffered through the pain and even died for our sin. When the people learned of their sin, they actually did go to Ezra to find out what they had to do to get right with God. Ezra, did the only thing that he could do, he prayed to God for an answer.
[Ezra 9:4-6,13-14 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. (5) And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, (6) And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. (13) And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; (14) Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?]
[God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve,] While we surely have been punished far less than we deserve for our sins, we are to never take our salvation for granted. Our being justified of our sin through our faith in Christ does not give us permission to live as we please, in fact, we suffer more because we are saved. You see, we have the living God living inside of us, and that means that we cannot live like the world anymore, and should we remain living in sin, even if it is out of ignorance, we will suffer until we repent, [Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, (5) And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, (6) If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.]
Now, as the congregation heard Ezra praying many of them began to pray and repent of their sin, and as a result made the difficult decision to divorce not only their wives, but their family as well. Should it be found that they broke the Law, they would distance themselves from their familes forever.
[Ezra 10:1-3 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. (2) And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. (3) Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.]
[those that tremble at the commandment of our God;] If the Word of God does not convict you, then there is something wrong with your heart. God, expects us to fall sometimes, after all, we are still sinners, but He also expects us to repent and turn away from the sin once we realize what we are doing is wrong, [Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.]
God, would rather have us falling and repenting all day long with a humble and contrite heart than just doing what we want without any conviction. Amazingly, one by one, each man who married a strange wife, and felt convicted, agreed to present himself with his wife and children before the court to determine whether or not they served God or a false god. If they were not following God, then they would agree to get a divorce and separate from them forever.
[Ezra 10:6-8,12,16 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. (7) And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; (8) And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away. 12) Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. (16) And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.]
[all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation] These men had three days to make this decision. They could obey the Law and should they be found with a strange wife, divorce her and any children they had or remain married to them and forfeit their inheritance. This is similar to our salvation only we do not know how long we have. We have a choice, believe in the Gospel of Christ and go on to receive our inheritance into then Kingdom of God or forfeit the Kingdom and lose it forever, [John 3:16-19 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.]
Today’s Prayer: God, You know there have been times in my life when I sunk so deep in my past that I could not breathe anymore, but Your hand always pulled me back up. Thank You, for loving me and not forsaking me, for holding me up, even when I wanted to fall. Thank You, for Your endless mercy and grace, it truly endures, and thank You for always being there for me, even when I wanted to give up. Lord, I need You to get through each day, pour Your Spirit upon me and fill me with Your love, mercy, grace, peace, strength, and wisdom. Help me to get through each day, uplifted and encouraged, knowing that You are always with me, have a purpose for everything I go through, and have something great in store for me. Since Your thoughts are much higher than my own, search my heart, know my thoughts and lead me in the way You would have me to go. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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