221113 Ezra 9-10: Compromise and Confession - Restoring Relationship With Our Redeemer

Cultivating Our Confession of Sin

Introduction

1 John 1:5–10 | 5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

MainPoint

1 John 1:9 | 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we confess, He is faithful to forgive

Ezra 9

I. Compromise and Consternation (v1-4)

1 Now when these things had been completed, WHAT THINGS - THE RETURN OF THE TEMPLE TREASURES TAKEN BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR /THE SACRIFICES TO GOD/COMMUNICATION OF THE KINGS EDICTS -the princes approached me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians and the Amorites. 2 “For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed has intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the officials have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.” 3 When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down in consternation. 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.

How does this support my Main Point

1 Jn 1.9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The recognition of sin is the first step in repenting - it is a work that the Holy Spirit does Jn 16:8 ““And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;”

Failing to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit can render us senseless and dull

1 Timothy 4:2 “by the hypocrisy of liars, who have been seared in their own conscience,”

Ephesians 4.19 “And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.”

Does anything in here detract from my main point

Some measure of pain may be expected but in no way offsets the sin

Intermarriage forbidden but sometimes took place - the difference being that those that intermarried also took their wives gods for themselves

Deut 7.3-4 ““Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. “For they will turn your sons away from following Me, and they will serve other gods; then the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you, and He will quickly destroy you.”

Principle

Take sin seriously, look at how Yahweh responds to sin in Scripture.

Adam and Eve - Death of all descendents

David and Bathsheba - Death of their son

Ananias and Sapphira - Death of themselves

Implications

Application to Christians/Non-Christians

What is the picture of Christ and the church when Believers marry unbelievers

2 Co 6.14 “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

What is the picture of Christ and the church when the church looks more like the world than its Savior

Context

The people of Judah had just returned from 70 years of captivity. The start of their problems had been when they had failed to kick out the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and intermarried with them

Judges 3.6 “and they took their daughters for themselves as wives and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.”

II. Confession of Captivity (v5-15)

5 But at the evening offering I arose from my affliction, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to Yahweh my God; SUBSERVIENT 6 and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have multiplied above our heads and our guilt has become great even to the heavens. 7 “Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day. 8 “But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from Yahweh our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our slavery. 9 “For we are slaves; yet in our slavery our God has not forsaken us, but has extended lovingkindness to us before the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its waste places, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

III. Commands Cast Aside / Commandments Considered / Commandments Cast Aside

10 “So now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11 which You have commanded by the hand of Your slaves the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an impure land with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from end to end, and with their uncleanness. 12 ‘So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as a possession to your sons forever.’ 13 “After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us an escaped remnant as this, 14 shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not be angry with us to the point of destruction, until there is no remnant nor any who escape? 15 “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this.”

How does this support my Main Point

1 Jn 1.9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

True understanding of the gravity of sin.

A true understanding that no excuses will be accepted or tolerated

True understanding of how filthy our sins have made us

True expectation of legitimate punishment

Understanding the greatness of God’s lovingkindness and that He is under no obligation to extend grace/mercy/forgiveness

A true expectation that He desires that we come to Him for forgiveness alone

Does anything in here detract from my main point

Principle

Come to God and do not leave until the promised forgiveness is received and believed

Implications

Application to Christians/Non-Christians

God is gracious and may forestall punishing sin but sin must be punished.

Cross Reference Support

Context

IV. Covenant and Crying (v1-8)

1 Now while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly. 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 “So now let us cut a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 “Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be strong and act.” 5 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, swear an oath that they would do according to this word; so they swore an oath. 6 Then Ezra arose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. He went there, but he did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. 7 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should gather at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the prince and the elders, all his possessions should be devoted to destruction and he himself separated from the assembly of the exiles.

Observation

Why is there hope?

How does this support my Main Point

1 Jn 1.9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Does anything in here detract from my main point

Divorce not necessarily authorized in the Christian context

Considerations on Divorce

Divorce may be permitted but it is never required

Matthew 19.8 “He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.”

Divorce is not mandated but Devotion is

Malachi 2:13–16 | 13 “And this is a second thing you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with groaning because He no longer regards the offering or receives it as acceptable from your hand. 14 “But you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because Yahweh has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 “But not one has done so, even one who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly seed? Be careful then to keep your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says Yahweh of hosts. “Be careful then to keep your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

What God has joined together, let no man separate

Mk10.9 ““What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.””

There is no biblical argument for the divorcing of unbelievers if they consent to live with the believing spouse

1 Cor 7.11-13 “(but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife. But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not divorce her husband.”

Consider the picture of a marriage destroyed and what that does to the picture of Christ and His Bride

Consider the abomination that an illegitimate marriage connotes - Christ bonded with rejecters of God

Indeed salvation can never be lost as it is secured by Christ’s work on Calvary

Principle

Our Sin is our responsibility, our association with others who have sinned and we have not spoken against it is also our responsibility

Implications

Application to Christians/Non-Christians

Cross Reference Support

Context

V. Command and Commitment (v9-17)

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest arose and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 “So now, make confession to Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “This is so! As you have said, so it is our duty to do. 13 “But there are many people; it is the rainy season, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14 “Let our princes stand in for the whole assembly, and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at set times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the burning anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.” 15 However, Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood against this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helping them. 16 But the exiles did so. And Ezra the priest separated out men who were heads of fathers’ households for each of their father’s households, all of them by name. So they convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 And they completed investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

How does this support my Main Point

1 Jn 1.9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Does anything in here detract from my main point

Principle

Sanctification is siding with the light and distancing ourselves from the dark

Implications

Application to Christians/Non-Christians

Cross Reference Support

Context

How to Stop Compromising

Have a biblical worldview

Separate from the world

Cannot be done in our own strength - we need God’s help

How to Confess Your Sins

Be strong and act / Courageously act / Take Action

Honestly appraise sin

Understand what contributed to failing again

Do not excuse them

Bring them to the cross

Look upon the Savior in His agony

Consider Yahweh’s love

Thank Him for His gift of grace and forgiveness

How to Confess Your Sins

Take Action

Honestly appraise your sin

Understand what events led up to the sin

Never excuse your sin

Drive yourself to the cross

Examine your Savior upon the cross - own your part in of His pain

Repent / Recognize the truth of His grace and forgiveness freely offered to those who come to Him in faith

Confession Analyzed

Hebrew תוֹדָ֛ה / אַגִּ֑יד / יַזְכִּ֔ירוּ / יְסַפְּר֜וּ

Restitution / Reconciliation / Supplication / Turning from sin / Revealed - not covered /

Greek ὁμολογουμένως /

Conclusion

Psalm 32 | Of David. A Maskil. 1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is the man whose iniquity Yahweh will not take into account, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent about my sin, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the heat of summer. Selah.

5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not cover up; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh;” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

6 Therefore, let every holy one pray to You at a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; You guard me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will give you insight and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. 9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose harness are bit and bridle to control them, Otherwise they will not come near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in Yahweh, lovingkindness shall surround him. 11 Be glad in Yahweh and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.