Discuss Ezra 9

Reading the Book of Ezra was interesting, encouragement, than felt disappointing. But this is reality of Today we taught to completely our trust in God and will be blessed. Their will be times of disappointments, in our Life's that we as humans can't control. Only realize only God, if we have Faith as a mustard seed. Let God do his will in our lives completely not just on Sunday or Days that Life is going well,but on the Bad days when devil tries to persuade our minds. This one scripture has help me though 4th stage Cancer ..and other Life's consequences. God (Jesus) though his word will get though this Life only if we allow him. Now this is my favorite scripture I lean on during good times and turmoil times . Psalms 30: 1-5 ,1 I will extol thee, O Lord; for hast lifted me up, and has not made my foes( enemies) to rejoice over me.2) O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.3) O Lord , thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.4) Sing unto the Lord, oh ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.5) For his anger endureth but a moment; IN HIS FAVOR IS LIFE: WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT , BUT JOY COME IN THE MORNING. It's not capitalize it's just very important to me. If we look at what King David went Thu and problems he brought on himself, Life problems that came his way. That one thing he did was being humble in the eyesight of GOD. Now if God will do that For Ezra & King David why can't do it for us.Have a blessed Life.

Does Ezra say what exactly Jerusalem was sinning against? Per comments, there were inner marriage relationships among different nations? And per commentary something about them not making burnt offerings correctly?

Is this correct?

John 15:10 | View whole chapter | See verse in context

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

1 John 2:3 | View whole chapter | See verse in context

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

Leviticus 22:31 | View whole chapter | See verse in context

Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 26:14 | View whole chapter | See verse in context

But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;

Ezra 9:10 | View whole chapter | See verse in context

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,

John 14:15 | View whole chapter | See verse in context

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

It will go faster for you if you'll learn to use the SEARCH BOX when you come into the website. Put the words you remember about the verse and hit the arrow.

This search engine is really fast. Yo might have to read through many pages. One nugget of wisdom is worth the effort.

And further to your question about 'race mixing', have a look at the following that was prescribed by God to His people, Israel: Exodus 34:12-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-4; Joshua 23:11-13; 1 Kings 11:1-4 (where Solomon disobeyed the Lord in this matter); Ezra 9:10-14 & many more. It wasn't anything about race or culture, but that Israel's heart would be turned to worship the idols that their wives followed, forgetting the Lord Who set them apart as His Own.

And the same applies for the Christian today. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, where the Apostle Paul warns us about entering into any union with unbelievers, whether in business or marriage. Idolatry may not be involved here for us, but the values, ethics & constraints that are upon us as Christian may not always be the same as these others & this is where problems arise & much heartache. However, there is no requirement that a Christian marriage cannot be had with someone from another culture, as long it is with one who is "in the Lord", a believer. Such a union can only receive the blessing of the Lord.

They need people praying for them.

I made an entire Church angry at me, and they prayed and fasted one day. I was a hard case too. My life unravel till I had nothing to depend on. Very painful.

WHY are some people so full hate?

Ezra 9:2 builds up on what verse 1 had to say, i.e. the people of Israel, their priests & Levites had failed to separate themselves from the heathen around them, rather partook of their abominations. A part of their unfaithfulness to the Lord was their intermarrying with the heathen (taking women for themselves thereby corrupting the 'holy seed' = God's chosen people & opening up the way for further departure from the things of the true God). So Ezra isn't talking about incest here rather unfaithfulness to God & corrupting their Holy standing before God.

And the same applies to us today who love the Lord through His Son, that we are "not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14. This applies not only in marriage, but also in our relationships & business interests. We need to converse with them, work with them, understand them & bring them the Gospel, but not to to be bound in a way that could distract us from truly following Christ, thus polluting the Holy Seed & Life God has bestowed upon us.

This verse says, ...we have not separated ourselves from the people of the land, doing according to their abominations. The land was an unclean land filled with the filthiness of the people doing abominations. These verses lists over 8 tribes here and nowhere does it say that these people are all black. Nore is the problem listed as a Racial one. The Issue is one of Sin. If we look at the book of Numbers 12:1, we see, what I believe to be God's opinion of Inter-Racial Marriage.

Here is another scripture I would look at in this matter. Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:6 and Revelations 22:19. The Lord himself says in John 13:34-35. The Lord speaks of Love for one another to include people not to exclude a people group for skin color that they had no part in choosing for themselves.

What question do you have about divorce?

Are you having issues at home?

Does this in any way have to do with divorce and remarriage?

Where does it say that? God said that Jews should only marry Jews. But lots of Jews in the bible and now days were black. Most had olive skin but any can convert to the faith then and now days, black, white, yellow or brown. Skin color means nothing.

So who did Esther marry? Boaz? You err not knowing the scriptures, you understand through the lusts of your flesh.

You want to explain these statutes? Leviticus 22:10-13, Deuteronomy 21:10-14, & Deuteronomy 23:7-8

I think you have not read yet 2 Ezra which is 2 Esdras in the apocrypha. After reading Ezra, 1 Esdras, and Esther (both books and in order) then you need to read 2 Esdras. God did not answer them, he was not with them, he never responded to Nehemiah's cry for Him to come and dwell with them, yet there was no answer. They were never saved from captivity by going back to the land trying to rebuild a house to the Lord. They rebelled against his captivity and he tells Ezra to tell the people there that they need to go their way (2 Esdras 1:4-9). They thought the burden of the Lord (the reason he didn't come) was because of the stranger wives ( Jeremiah 23:25-40 & Lamentations 2:14). So they put them and their children away. They were wrong. Listen to the prophets he proclaimed came from him (2 Esdras 1:38-39). 2 Esdras 2:1-17, 2 Esdras 2:33-48, 2 Esdras 3:23-4:2, 2 Esdras 5:16-19, 2 Esdras 6:57-59, Psalm 127:1. Either be in captivity still or seek the Lord with all your heart and soul and He will release unto you the wisdom and understanding of His word through your spirit. 2 Chronicles 6:29-33, Ezekiel 47:21-33, Isaiah 56:1-8, etc. etc. there is so much more... Christ comes in the full volume of the book, do not add nor take away. Cherry picking scriptures is of the false teachers who have come to deceive and the Word of God is not in them.

No interracial marriages period, its God's commandment to Israel. What's hard about that?

shall all who claim to be Israel be saved?

Jesus in bible book Revelation 2:9 - I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

So do these get saved without Jesus?

John in John 3:36 - He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Jesus in Revelation 3:9 - Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, and I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Q: Is there another plan of salvation for unbelieving Jews?

A: Acts 4:12 - Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (What name? Yeshua?)

1 Corinthians 16:22 - If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema (CURSED) Maranatha.

Ezra 9:1 - 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.

Ezra 9:2 - For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the HOLY SEED holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands:

Verse 2 says so much. Leadership. By and large congregations will follow their leaders. If the leadership has gone south then the church will either split or follow. Leadership is key!

this chapter explains Clones among us.. beware!!

Thanks Nharna, I think sins pollution deafens our spirit, making giving and getting direction harder and harder. God wants us to hear him and believe, not struggle with every thing written in the word.

Verse 5~Ezra was in great distress and he poured out his heart in prayer to Jehovah God. When we are in great distress we want to pour out our heart in prayer to God as well.

Actually, this passage show us that through it all God delivered Israel against insurmountable odds. And even after that, the childern of Israel still pursued things that they were NOT supposed to touch. After hearing of this travesty, Ezra realized that it was wrong and questioned the acts on a moral and ethical basis. "Oh God how can we stand before you? " Look at our shameful acts. He could have easily taken our lives before and even now. But yet He still blesses us. It makes one think about our loyalty to God through His son Jesus Christ. I am guilty of such from time to time going after the wrong things when God has clearly blessed and delivered me.

This chapter reviews the fact that sin prevents us from having the actual view of God. As ezra ended the chapter saying " for we cannot stand before thee because of this " because He God is righteous and anyone who yearns to fellowship with Him must be as He Is.

When we pray for forgiveness and humble ourselves I believe God is a merciful God who will forgive sin.

If we pray to god sincerely no matter what our sin he will forgive us. he is a god of love although he can move with wrath.

He was praying to God for forgiveness for the people of Israel because they had gone against the commandments of God by taking wives from the daughters of the nations that God commanded NOT to take wives and husbands from among them. As a servant of God he knew how devastating the wrath of God could be when it is unleashed on people, because of their act of iniquity.