The People Confess Their Sin

  

Ezra 10: 1-8

 

March 25, 2021

 

The People Confess Their Sin

While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.  And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.   Therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.  Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”   Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So, they took the oath. Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles.   And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem,  and that if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles.

 

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I can only imagine a leader in the USA church that would desire or even have the heart to take such a stance.  But thanks to our God who is still in charge of the affairs of all people, it was He that raised up Ezra and we must pray that He sends His man to bring this nation back to God.

 

Unlike Israel, we are not a chosen people, no, and yes, we were grafted into the vine, but it was by grace and faith, the Jews were and are God’s chosen people.  The United States foundation was built on Biblical standards, on the freedom to choose to worship God or not too.  Freedom to make mistakes, and laws that applied to all people.  That was the intent, in reality, it has not always worked that way if you are powerful and very rich.

 

Now we have some people who are godless, with no fear of the God of heaven and earth, the Creator, the I Am, and we are seeing the hand of God being withdrawn, but the Church has not called for prayer, in fact, the Church as a whole has not stood as the people of God, and we are the Church who by grace through faith have bowed our knee to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Now those freedoms are endangered, and the Church as a body, as the Ambassadors of Christ, have not called for a time of confession of our sins as a nation, of killing millions of babies, telling God He has no place in our government, in our schools, or in our business lives.

 

Where is our Ezra?

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice