Two of the major problems that faced Ezra is that during the exile many of the Israelites married Gentiles which would prevent them from keeping the law. Plus as culture was slowly and methodically changed by the same forces that have done so today (Satan) the people had grown to have a general disregard for the regulations about sacrifice, worship, purity and special Jewish customs. (Sounds and looks familiar) Ezra attacked these problems head on first by invalidating all marriage to pagans. This could not have been an easy thing based on that through the exile these marriages were done in good faith and of course their was now children involved.
Can you imagine as scripture shows us that Ezra called a great assembly and Ezra had them confess their sins and faults publicly (sounds like a huge altar call) it resulted in the men agreeing to actually giving up their foreign wives. They also agreed to observe the weekly sabbath day of rest and to support the temple with a yearly tax. This could not of been no small undertaking considering these people practiced their own thing (much like today's world) at home. Ezra stressed Israel's election by God as a chosen people and as a community that needed to to return to holiness and give witness to other nations. Unity of faith and practice was essential to achieve this goal.
This in today's society is no different. There are over three hundred thousand different Christian denominations bent on proving who is right by tearing each other down. Why do we not all unite on our similarities which is Jesus Christ the Lord. We all have the same God let us come together on that commanility as God's people.
Ezra's second problem is no different than our own over time culture and society have been cunned into lowering our standards of morality and holiness. In Ezra's day the development of all kinds of different practices and belief systems were brought about. Ezra brought them back by reminding them of the book of the law of God and he read it to the great assembly. Calling them all to repentance and again they renewed their promise to obey the covenant in everything.
In modern times we still have the law, the law is not there to have us all follow a bunch of rules, but it is their to remind us of how we all fall very short of the law and our dire need for a Savior. This reality is put deep within our hearts. So Ezra is speaking to us all as the great assembly of the people of God for all of eternity to repent and and become unified by the law through the law and for the law.
God Bless,
Deacon Jim
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deaconjim,
Wouldn't it be nice if all faiths could come together because Christ is central to all of Christianity? This reminds me of a quote by the Venerable Mother Catherine McAuley, "We should be as the compass that goes round its circle without stirring from its center. Our center is God from whom all our actions spring....and no action should separate us from God."
I also think, however, that having many faiths with the same God allows for more insight into our history as Christians and how to carry that into the world today. The problem I see is that we don't accept one another and that prevents any type of unity.
~M.C.
ips417
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