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Speaker 1: I'm John Stanghy, and today we're in Ezra chapter nine,
Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version. Later,
Speaker 1: the Jewish leaders came to me and said, many Israelites,
Speaker 1: including priests and Levites, are living just like the people
Speaker 1: around them. They are even guilty of some of the
Speaker 1: horrible sins of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizites, the Rebusites,
Speaker 1: the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. Some
Speaker 1: Israelite men have married foreign women and have let their
Speaker 1: sons do the same thing. Our own officials and leaders
Speaker 1: were the first to commit this disgusting sin, and now
Speaker 1: God's holy people are mixed with foreigners. This news made
Speaker 1: me so angry that I ripped my clothes and tore
Speaker 1: hair from my head and beard. Then I just sat
Speaker 1: in shock until time for the evening sacrifice. Many of
Speaker 1: our people were greatly concerned and gathered around me because
Speaker 1: the God of Israel had warned us to stay away
Speaker 1: from foreigners. At the time of the evening sacrifice, I
Speaker 1: was still sitting there in sorrow, with my clothes all torn.
Speaker 1: So I got down on my knees, then lifted my
Speaker 1: arms and prayed. I am much too ashamed to face you,
Speaker 1: Lord God. Our sins and our guilt have swept over
Speaker 1: us like a flood that reaches up to the heavens.
Speaker 1: Since the time of our ancestors, all of us have sinned.
Speaker 1: That's why we, our kings and our priests have often
Speaker 1: been defeated by other kings. They have killed some of
Speaker 1: us and made slaves of others. They have taken our
Speaker 1: possessions and made us ashamed, just as we are today.
Speaker 1: But for now, Lord God, you have shown great kindness
Speaker 1: to us. You made us truly happy by letting some
Speaker 1: of us settle in this sacred place, and by helping
Speaker 1: us in our time of slavery. We are slaves, but
Speaker 1: you have never turned your back on us. You love us,
Speaker 1: and because of you, the kings of Persia have helped us.
Speaker 1: It's as though you have given us new life. You
Speaker 1: let us rebuild your temple and live safely in Judah
Speaker 1: and Jerusalem, Our God, what can we say now, even
Speaker 1: after all this, we have disobeyed the commands that were
Speaker 1: given to us by your servants, the prophets. They said,
Speaker 1: the land you are giving us is full of sinful
Speaker 1: and wicked people who never stop doing disgusting things, and
Speaker 1: we were warned not to our daughters and sons marry
Speaker 1: their sons and daughters. Your prophets also told us never
Speaker 1: to help those foreigners or even let them live in peace.
Speaker 1: You wanted us to become strong and to enjoy the
Speaker 1: good things in the land, then someday to leave it
Speaker 1: to our children forever. You punished us because of our
Speaker 1: terrible sins, but you did not punish us nearly as
Speaker 1: much as we deserve, and you have brought some of
Speaker 1: us back home. Why should we disobey your commands again
Speaker 1: by letting our sons and daughters marry these foreigners who
Speaker 1: do such disgusting things that would make you angry enough
Speaker 1: to destroy us. All, Lord, God of Israel, you have
Speaker 1: been more than fair by letting a few of us survive.
Speaker 1: But once again our sins have made us ashamed to
Speaker 1: face you. Let's pray, Lord, We thank you for your word,
Speaker 1: and we thank you for the privilege of being able
Speaker 1: to look at it together today, And Lord, it's fascinating
Speaker 1: to have the privilege to be able to look at
Speaker 1: Ezra's prayer and to think a little bit about what
Speaker 1: he's talking about here as he describes the fact that
Speaker 1: the Jewish people were marrying their pagan neighbors, and as
Speaker 1: a result, they were adopting the pagan practices of the
Speaker 1: neighboring nations, and their children were taught to practice these
Speaker 1: things as well. Lord, we know that some of those
Speaker 1: practices involved all kinds of debauchery, and in some cases
Speaker 1: it also involved the sacrifice of children to false deities. Lord,
Speaker 1: we know that that was not your will for your people.
Speaker 1: And Ezra's heart was broken as he observed this kind
Speaker 1: of intermarriage taking place among the people. Lord, you tell
Speaker 1: us in your word that marriage is designed to represent
Speaker 1: the love of Jesus Christ for the Church. And even
Speaker 1: now you call us as believers to only make marry
Speaker 1: those who share faith in your son, Jesus Christ. And
Speaker 1: you call us to raise up our children to know
Speaker 1: you and to love you. And you invite us to
Speaker 1: come before you and to confess our sin like we
Speaker 1: see Ezra doing, and to live in holiness and righteousness.
Speaker 1: Before you, but not a holiness or righteousness that comes
Speaker 1: from us, but one that is fostered by and imputed
Speaker 1: to our account through faith in your son Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: So we're thankful for the gift of Christ's righteousness, and
Speaker 1: we're thankful for the privilege to walk with you day
Speaker 1: by day. And we're thankful Lord for the fact that
Speaker 1: you love us. And we are likewise thankful that you
Speaker 1: love the people of Israel and Judah, and we're extremely
Speaker 1: patient with them. Lord, in our context, help us not
Speaker 1: to test your patience, but rather we pray that we
Speaker 1: would delight to live in a true and serious relationship
Speaker 1: with you, and that our lives would show that our
Speaker 1: faith in your son Jesus Christ is genuine. Lord, We're
Speaker 1: grateful for what you reveal to us and your word,
Speaker 1: and thank you for the privilege of being able to
Speaker 1: look at it together. Today. We commit this day to
Speaker 1: your care, and we thank you for your presence with
Speaker 1: us in it. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.