In the book of Ezra, Ezra said, “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. 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: yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass”, and in chapter nine and verse three of Ezra, Ezra shared what happened, “when I heard this thing” where we read,
And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle,
and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
The verse reads, “And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, ...” Ezra began with the words, “and when I heard this thing” which means “and at the time and moment I, Ezra, listened to and perceived about the intermarrying of the people of Israel with the foreign people”, “I rent my garment” or “I, Ezra, tore, ripped, split and rended my, Ezra's, clothing, apparel and raiment” “and my mantle” which means “and my, Ezra's, robe or garment worn over a tunic by men of rank”. Ezra shared how he ripped his clothing and outer garment at the time he perceived the intermarrying of the people of Israel with the foreign people.
The verse continues, “... and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.” Ezra added the words, “and plucked off the hair” which means “and made bare, smooth and bald the physical hair” “of my head” which means “belonging to my, Ezra's, physical top and summit” “and of my beard” or “and belonging to my, Ezra's, upon his chin”, “and sat down astonied” which means “and was seated, remained and stayed in a desolate, appalled, stunned and stupefied state”. Ezra shared how he pulled the “hair” out of his “head and beard” and remained in a stunned and stupefied state.
When we think through Ezra's words in this verse, we see how he responded to the news of the leaders and people of “Israel” intermarrying with the foreigners. The people of “Israel” were to marry within their own nation, and because they intermingled with others, they violated God's way and their own. Ezra was grieved over their behavior, and he afflicted himself by pulling out the hair on his “head and beard” as he was seated in a stupefied state. God wants people to be in a personal relationship with Him, and He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind to make that possible. When we believe and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us a passion and sensitivity like Ezra's to grieve over the sins of the world.
Next time Ezra said, “then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment