DAY 165

CAPTURED HEART

Ezra 9 & 10 and Acts 1

In Ezra today we come upon one of the difficult parts of Scripture. The Jewish men have intermarried; a violation of God’s Law. The action to correct it is to send away their wives and children from these marriages. Many want to part-company at this point with the “God of the Old Testament.” It is worth a close read.

In 9:1-2 we see that Ezra’s return had a profound effect on the people; the text says the leaders approached Ezra and confessed the situation to him. He was devoted to teaching them. The realized that while they were performing the outward sacrifices something was amiss “on the inside.” Somehow the Law had captured their hearts. Isn’t that what happens when we willingly “confess our sin?” For me, those are moments when the Holy Spirit captures my hearts attention and I am undone. (John 16:8)

The issue is not racial, these people were all of the Semitic race; it is a religious issue. We have read the history of the nation(s) of Israel and noted how intermarriage was often the beginning of worshipping false gods. You do not have to think back too many days, and you were immersed in reading about all the kings “that did evil in the site of the God.” Those kings were practicing the religions of their foreign wives.

Ezra’s response is both typical and dramatic of God’s people when sin is acknowledged. He tears his cloak, lies before God and prays. His prayer is amazing. He notes their sin and God’s faithfulness. Their captivity in Babylon was to be a time of purifying the people, but apparently it did not happen. Ezra concludes God would be just in destroying them. His prayer includes no specific request; he simply throws himself on God’s mercy.

The people in chapter 10 acknowledge their sin and then determine to put things right. The scene is dramatic…but look closely. They go about in a very systematic way to examine the marriages. Some people may have converted to Judaism and their marriages would have been acceptable. The people gather and agreed with the plan (10:9-15) and then they set out in a very intentional manner to examine each marriage; it takes three months.

The marriages are examined and the offenders listed: 17 priests, 10 Levites and 84 others. We know nothing of what happened to these wives and children. My hope is that this was done with real integrity, although it is still a tough situation to process. Remarkably the narrative ends abruptly. The message of the book in complete: in order for the people to be back in fellowship with the Lord it was absolutely necessary for them to have proper Temple worship (chapters 1-6) and to live according to God’s Word (chapters 7-10).

This message, to be in fellowship with the Lord, is why Jesus came to earth. He came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. He fulfills it through His life, death, resurrection and ascension. We read of the Ascension today in “Acts.” Acts of the Apostles is really volume two of Luke’s Gospel. He is the author, and so we read the phrase, “In the first book, O Theolphilus…” which connects us to Luke’s work.

The Ascension is described in a remarkably brief manner. As I think about it, so is the Resurrection. No “fireworks” as it word, just the Son of Man ascending…remarkable. Perhaps more important than how the event captured by words, is how it captures our hearts and minds. God come to earth, the restore our fellowship the Father-Son-Holy Spirit.