The Book of Ezra
Study #17
(Ezra 10:1-8)
Getting Serious About Sin
REVIEW:
• In Chapter 9, Ezra discovered that the people, all the way up to the leadership, had committed the sin of mingling with the nations around them, mimicking their actions, and marrying their daughters.
• His actions may be summarized as follows:
1. Devastation - he tears his cloths and pulls out his hair.
2. Depression - his sits speechless for hours.
3. Deliberation - he ponders what action to take.
4. Delegation - there arrived at his side men who still feared God and His Word.
5. Determination - He takes the matter to the Lord in prayer. More on this below.
INTRODUCTION:
I. A Powerful Prayer (1A)
NOTE: The text now goes back from 1st person to 3rd person.
Ezra 10:1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God,
• Ezra knows that this will not go away, and it will not be solved by human effort.
• So he determines to take this to the One who can help.
• So, at the time of the evening sacrifice, he begins to pray.
• And what a prayer he prayed.
• Without this prayer, and you mark this down, the actions of chapter 10 that we now begin to study would never have taken place.
• Ezra would have been imprisoned, killed, or forced to flee for his life back to Babylon, where he would be placed in the awkward position of having to describe all of this to a lost king!
• But Ezra DID pray!
• Ezra may be the greatest example that ever lived of the truth found in James 5:16!
James 5:16 . . . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
II. A Penitent People (1B- 5)
A. THE ASSEMBLY (1B)
The People Assemble
1B there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
• Many people acknowledged that something had to be done about the situation.
• Apparently this sin had gone on and had been tolerated for some time.
• Children were born to some of those who had intermarried (vv. 3, 44).
• No doubt some devout Jews were grieved because of this sin in the community.
• Perhaps they were afraid to speak up or had tried and were rebuffed.
• In any case, now that some of the leaders were joining Ezra in bemoaning the sin, these righteous people joined in the mourning and began to demand that something be done.
• A large crowd of Israelites gathered with Ezra and wept bitterly. (BKC)
APPLY! There may be many in your circle who are simply awaiting for a leader! How about you.
B. THE ADVICE (2-4)
1. The Man (2A)
2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra,
QUOTE: This leader, not involved in the mixed marriages since his name does not appear in the list in vv. 18-44 (though his father and 5 paternal uncles do appear in v. 26), was bold and chose to obey God rather than please his relatives. (MacArthur Study Bible)
• It is easy to be the pharisee that says, Lord, I thank thee that thou has not made me as these.
• It is easy to preach against what you have no problem with.
ILLUS: The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in two parts, the first on 1862 September 22 was a preliminary announcement outlining the intent of the second part, which officially went into effect 1863 January 1, during the second year of the American Civil War. It was Abraham Lincoln’s declaration that all slaves in all states which had seceded from the Union and which had not returned to Federal control by 1863 January 1, would be emancipated. The Emancipation Proclamation itself had limited immediate effect upon slavery — except as territory in Confederate states came under Union control. Slaves in the border states (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri and West Virginia) which remained loyal to the Union were not affected. Secretary of State William Seward commented on this by remarking, "We show our sympathy with slavery by emancipating slaves where we cannot reach them and holding them in bondage where we can set them free." (Wikipedia)
• Shechaniah is related to powerful men who have failed in this area.
• Yet he is the spokesman. That is honesty. That is integrity!
2. The Message (2B-3)
a. The Repentance (2B; Ps. 32:5)
2B We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land:
• Following Ezra’s example, Shechaniah says not THEY have sinned but WE have sinned.
Psalms 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
b. The Remembrance (2C; Isa. 1:18)
2C yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
• Could this be the verse that Shechaniah remembered?
Isa. 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
• I am sure that, in my high school years, there were some who gave up on me.
• Thank God that not all did!
• And most of all, I am grateful, that God did not give up on me.
• Who is there around you that seems hopeless?
• Who have you quit praying for?
c. The Remedy (3)
(Cf., Dt. 1:17; 16:19; Pr. 24:23; 28:21; Rm. 2:11; Col. 3:25; Jam. 2:1,9)
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.
QUOTE: Shecaniah was the spokesman for the people, a man whose own relatives had sinned by marrying foreign women (Ezra 10:26). In my pastoral ministry, I’ve seen churches split and their witness almost destroyed because people have sided with their disobedient relatives in matters of discipline instead of with the Lord and His Word. Perhaps Shecaniah remembered what Moses wrote about the evils of being partial in judgment (Deut. 13:6-11; 17:1-13). Paul taught this same principle for the local church (1 Tim. 5:21). (Be Heroic, Wiersbe)
ILLUS: Will Calvary Baptist Church deal with sin? Will we deal with those who cause problems? What if the name is Wilson, or Moore, or Perry, or Black, or Holliday, or Ables, or Noblitt, etc. ? There is always the temptation to wink at the sins of a prominent member, wealthy contributor, member of a large family, faithful worker. But if we do this, we will lose the blessings of God.
Deuteronomy 1:17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
Deuteronomy 16:19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Proverbs 24:23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
Proverbs 28:21 To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.
Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
Colossians 3:25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
James 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
QUOTE: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmond Burke)
3. The Mandate (4)
4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
• Sometimes a member needs to know that a leader, yes a leader, may be frightened.
• At those times, it may be of more help than you could imagine to say, “Pastor, I know this is difficult. But you do what God leads you to do. We are with you.”
• Shechaniah said, Ezra, you may not like it, but this is your job man!
Parallel Passage: Joshua 1:16-18 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. 17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. 18 Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.
C. THE AFFIRMATION (5)
5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.
“Then” - When they told HIM to get with it, he demands that THEY will do their part.
• This is an amazing revival.
• It all goes back to Ezra’s prayer.
• Remember that it was the leadership of the nation that was guilty.
ILLUS: Nathan to David: “Thou art the man!”
• It takes great courage to look an important person in the face, a relative, a member and say, “Thou art the man.”
• It takes the greatest courage to look in the mirror and say, “Thou art the man.”
III. A Public Proclamation (6-8)
A. The Princes’ Deliberation (6)
6 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.
QUOTE: Ezra accepted the plan. He immediately swore in the leading priests and Levites as the committee to investigate the matter and see to it that the law was obeyed. But instead of participating immediately in the investigation, he withdrew into one of the rooms of the temple to fast and pray for God’s guidance. He left it to the special committee to make the decisions and tell the people what to do. Wise is the leader who involves other people in the process, especially when the issue is so sensitive. (Be Heroic, Wiersbe)
• Today, we would expect the priest to mourn because of how hard God’s will would be on the people.
• Ezra does not pray for the heartache that this will cause.
• He mourns because a holy God has been offended!
B. The Presence Demanded (7)
7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
• It is not Ezra that makes the proclamation!
• Deacons, when you leave your pastor to do all the confronting, you may be cutting off his opportunity to minister.
• Don’t wait on the preacher to take care of problems.
• Members, if someone is criticizing this church, you don’t have to call me.
• Tell them to keep their tongue off this church.
• “I could never do that.”
• Few do. But if you will be like these men, you will!
• And if you want Calvary to move forward, you will!
• Can you imagine the boldness to demand the attendance of everyone!
C. The Penalty Declared (8; 7:26; 1 Cor. 5:11)
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.
1. A Loss of Belongings
2. A Loss of Brotherhood
ILLUS: Edward Everett Hale, The Man Without a Country
FOLLOWING IS THE END OF THE STORY.
But in an hour, when the doctor went in gently, he found Nolan had breathed his life away with a smile. He had something pressed close to his lips. It was his father’s badge of the Order of Cincinnati.
We looked in his Bible, and there was a slip of paper, at the place where he had marked the text:
"They desire a country, even a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."
On this slip of paper he had written, "Bury me in the sea; it has been my home, and I love it. But will not some one set up a stone for my memory at Fort Adams or at Orleans, that my disgrace may not be more than I ought to bear? Say on it:
IN MEMORY OF
PHILIP NOLAN
LIEUTENANT
IN THE ARMY OF
THE UNITED STATES
He loved his country as no other man has loved her; but no man deserved less at her hands."
• This is a decree with teeth in it.
• Ezra has authority based on the decree of Artaxerxes:
Ezra 7:26 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.
• God’s word gives the NT minister the same power.
1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
CONCLUSION:
A humble praying leader, a willing people, and a faithful and courageous committee worked together to accomplish a difficult task. What an example for the church to follow today!
It took great courage and grace to put away wives and children who were no doubt dearly loved. Evidently many heartaches and much suffering continued for years—Dake’s Study Notes
A FINAL THOUGHT
The question is often asked, why don’t Methodists deal with sin like they used to? Why don’t Episcopalians deal with sin like they used to? I’ll tell you the answer, plain and simple. Methodists deacons and people quit backing the preacher when he dealt with sin. Episcopalians quit backing their clergy when he dealt with sin. Rather than backing him, the dismissed him and brought in a sweeter preacher. And look how far they have come. The ordination of women, of homosexuals. And where the Methodist church finds itself today, the Baptist Church may find itself tomorrow. The nephew of one of our own members was dismissed from an Independent Baptist Church for refusing to be silent on the subject of sin. All that stands between our church and theirs is the decision of the deacons and members of this church to take sin seriously, no matter what the last name.
