Ezra Pt 23:Confession's Consummation

Ezra 10:12–17 KJV 1900

12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. 14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. 16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.

We left the remnant of the returned last time, in the place of answering confessions calling. The people had acknowledged the depth of their transgressions and were in the process of entering into a covenant with the Lord.

Ezra, stirred up and supported by Shechaniah, had addressed the people:

Ezra 10:11 KJV 1900

11 Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.

Confessions calling had been acknowledged and it now needed to be actioned!

The people were being called to be, as James tells us in his letter..

James 1:22 KJV 1900

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Illustration: How many don’t follow through?

The Adulterer who still cheats on his or her spouse

The gambler who still through his money away

The drunk who still sneaks a sneaky drink

The druggie who can’t let go of his drugs

The gossip who keeps gossiping

The coveter who keeps coveting

We could go on and on, and maybe that’s you this morning, maybe you know that there is wrong, you confess but keep at it...

Confession should have its consummation…and that is the action required to cut out that which is dragging us down.

Ezra lays out the path in verse 11, and in verse 12 the response comes

Ezra 10:12 KJV 1900

12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.

There is a loud and clear response - “as you have said, we must do” the word must instead of the word will, shows the understanding of the need to do, in order to turn away the wrath of God.

On different than the must of Acts 4:12.

Acts 4:12 KJV 1900

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Transitional - So the wheels have been set in motion, confessions calling is to be consummated, but the seriousness and scale of the issue at hand requires, careful methodical and strategic planning.

The Structure of the Plan

Ezra 10:13-14 “13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. 14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.”

Three reasons given by the people as to why they could not continue straight away

There where so many

The weather

The scale

Now, for some of us we must admit when it comes to repentance we often come up with reasons to delay

Illustration: for me it was just one more night and tomorrow I will...

however in this case, the reasons given are genuine practical concerns

remember. although there is a personal element to this

it is a corporate, national event, and a such brings practical issues with it

I have no doubt of the genuineness of the people

one clue that helps us is the word transgressed in verse 13

Ezra 10:13 “13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.”

The word used for transgressed here is the Hebrew word PASHA

It means, to acts with disregard to laws, as a criminal, it carries a deep sense of rebellion.

It the book of Ezra the word Pasha is only used once, when dealing with transgression, and that is in verse 13 of chapter 10, when the peoples words are acknowledged

This shows again there honest acceptance of their state of affairs.

Transition - so there we have the structure of the plan, but notice with me in verse 15 the stubbornness of the protestors.

The Stubbornness of the Protestors

Ezra 10:15 “15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.”

Now, first things first, we have to deal with the “false friend” that the KJV presents to us

and that is the word rendered “employed”

The word at the time it was translated from Hebrew, could be used to mean to hold ones ground, to stand in position

Same word used in 1 Chron 21:1

1 Chronicles 21:1 KJV 1900

1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

The NKJV helpfully translates it betters as Opposed

There are always some, who want to ignore the will of God and walk in the works of Man

It’s interesting that one of the opposers named here is Meshullam

His name appears again in verse 29, when named as one who took a strange wife

Ezra 10:29 KJV 1900

29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.

God’s will is hard only when it comes up against our stubbornness, then it is as cruel as a ploughshare and as devastating as an earthquake.

Oswald Chambers

Illustration - I wonder are they any Meshullam’s amongst us this morning?

Yes there were some opposers, but the majority, recognised the need for confession's consummation, which leads us to the Separation of the people in verses 16-17

The Separation of the People

Ezra 10:16-17 “16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.”

Now the work must begin, and notice the designation of Ezra here, it’s Ezra the priest

this suggests not only authority and compassion

And i can help but think of our hIgh priest the Lord Jesus

Ezra is joined by the heads of the houses or families of Israel and together they go about the work

They started on the first day of the tenth month - Dec-Jan

TEVET - historically Jews mark this month as one that remembers national tragedy - with the destruction of Solomons temple by Nebuchanezzer in 587 BC

They finished on the first day of the first month - Mar- Apr

Nisan - marks the beginning of spring, it also remembers Israels deliverance out of Egypt - with the passover and feast of unleavened bread

I don’t think the meaning should be lost on us of these months and this process of separation

Looking at the number of offenders listed in verses 18-44 , and making some educated calculations, including Sabbath days etc

over the three months

113 guilty men

that works out at each case taking about a two thirds of the working day

This suggests that there was fair and compassionate judgment of each case

all was done in three months… confessions calling had been consummated., the hearers had becoming doers, carrying through with what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

And with that with finish our time with Ezra and the returning remnant and we leave the people in a good place. In truth every time they have responded and acted upon God’s word and will they have been in a good place.

The theme for Ezra was return, rebuild, revive, and this was only happening when their was submission and surrender to God, in the lives of individuals and the wider people as a whole.

The challenge then for us today is simply this.. are we going to respond to what God is saying and Doing? and is that response going to result in action...

"Receptivity to the Word, responsiveness to the Word, and resignation to the Word are essential to spiritual growth. One must accept God's Word, act on it, and abide by it." . Ronald Blue, "James," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament

We mentioned James 1:22 “22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” at the start of this mornings message, where James exhorts his readers, and that includes us, to practice what is heard in preaching.

It’s the doing of the word that brings with it the blessing.

When God’s word instructs us to do something we must do it, failure to do so, will set us back in our Christian lives for sure.

are we hearers and doers or hearers only?

As we close I want us to turn to James chapter 1 and we will read the verses that come after verse 22 of chapter 1

James 1:23–25 KJV 1900

23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Here James uses illustration of a mirror in relation to the teaching of verse 22

A mirror helps us to see ourselves as we are and when we see something about our appearance which is out of place we have a desire to put it right.

Like a mirror God’s word shows us ourselves as we really are and demands that we change.

James lists three mistakes that people generally make when they come to the mirror of God’s word.

They fail to correct what they see wrong.

They merely glance at it.

They forget what they see,

They fail to correct what they see wrong.

They look and they see but they decide not to act on what they see, they are hearers but not doers.

They merely glance at it.

They don’t carefully examine themselves in the light of it, they just casually glance at it and put it away.

As James says “he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way.”

Its no great surprise then that there is little or know change in them, for their true state is never discerned.

They forget what they see,

“and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”

If they looked deeply enough what they saw would not soon be forgotten and they would endeavour to make changes.

James makes clear in v25 that we can only profit from the word if when we look into it carefully that we determine to correct what we see wrong,

“whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

Illustration - Where are you this morning in relation to the word of God and the will of God, we have gone through Ezra chapter by chapter, we have put up the mirror of God’s word for you to see your self in the light of it!

What’s it to be for you this morning? are you going to be a hearer only, or are you willing to make that step and be a doer?

The choice is yours and the consequences are yours. There is no strong-arming by God, alone he could if he wanted to and we couldn’t have any argument against it..

Your will must be exercised, you can’t give it away..

Beloved.. let’s be doers… let’s be the people of God we are called to be, that God died for us to be...

Don’t leave it any longer.. today is the day, God is calling, will we answer.

Let’s pray