God’s Instrument in Spiritual Renewal
Ezra 7-10
Ezra, a priest and scribe skilled in the Scriptures, is perhaps best remembered for bringing spiritual renewal to the post-exilic community in Judah. In 458 B.C., the Persian king Artaxerxes I (464-424 B.C.) allowed him to journey from Babylon to Jerusalem to establish the Law of Moses in the land (Ezra 7:11-26). After a 900-mile journey, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem. To his horror, he discovered that the Jewish leaders, both civic and religious, had intermarried with local pagan women (Ezra 9-10). Ezra strongly opposed these mixed marriages, for he knew from the Jews’ past history that forming intimate ties with pagans would lead them to forsake their covenant with the Lord. The sin of the Jews in Ezra’s day was particularly regrettable due to the fact that they apparently learned nothing from the painful experience of their forefathers who suffered during the Exile.
God went on to use Ezra as an instrument of spiritual renewal. Ezra 7-10 reveals that the overall renewal process included the following features: a commitment to establish God’s Word (7:11, 25-26); fasting and prayer (8:21, 23); genuine sorrow over sin as seen in the confession of one’s guilt (9:3-15; 10:1-2); a commitment to return to the covenant relationship with the Lord (10:3-5); action (that is, following through with one’s pledge to turn from sin) (10:9-17); and the hand of God upon the life of the one who served as God’s instrument (7:6, 9; 7:28; 8:18, 22, 31).
A commitment to establish God’s Word is vital to spiritual renewal because it is God’s Word that makes clear what he requires of his people. Fasting and prayer are crucial because they show one’s earnest seeking after him (fasting) and dependence upon him (prayer). Genuine sorrow over sin as witnessed in the confession of guilt displays a brokenness over one’s spiritual state – a brokenness that cares little for what others think. A commitment to return to the covenant relationship underscores the importance of making a deliberate decision to break with past sin. The element of action (i.e., following through with one’s pledge) shows the earnestness of one’s commitment to return to the Lord. Without it, all expressions of “repentance” are vain. The final element, the hand of God, expresses several different ideas: success in one’s dealings with others (Ezra 7:6, 28) or one’s pursuits (Ezra 7:9; 8:18), and experiencing God’s divine protection from one’s enemies (Ezra 8:31).
God desires that his people experience spiritual renewal, but renewal only comes when they follow the biblical model. Are these elements present in your church? What about in your own heart?
Bryant– Lessons by Michael Bryant, assistant professor of religion at Charleston Southern University. Bryant has a B.S. in history from Charleston Southern and a Ph.D. in New Testament from Southeastern Seminary.