Nehemiah 5 & 6

 

Chapter 5

Taxation that leads to credit debt

1 Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let’s get grain so that we may eat and live.” 3 And there were others who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses so that we might get grain because of the famine.” 4 There also were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 And now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

6 Then I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 So I thought it over and contended with the nobles and the leading people, and said to them, “You are lending at interest, each to his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. 8 And I said to them, “We, according to our ability, have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. 9 So I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the taunting of the nations, our enemies? 10 And likewise I, my brothers, and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let’s do without this interest. 11 Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, as well as the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you are charging as interest from them.” 12 Then they said, “We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and made them take an oath to act in accordance with this promise. 13 I also shook out the front of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every person from his house and from his possessions who does not keep this promise; just so may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people acted in accordance with this promise.

Have you ever met someone who was a force of nature.   My mom used to call people like that “movers and shakers”.   I doubt, someone who is a force of nature would say that of themself, and neither would Nehemiah, but he was kind of a force of nature.   He even talks about people who don’t live up to their promises will be “shaken out and emptied”.   What we have here though is a political situation.  It’s both internal and external to the nation of Israel.   To whom, or what king did the people owe taxes for their land?   Right; king Artexerxes of Persia.   So taxation-wise, the people fell behind and were oppressed.  You want to really hurt someone, hit ‘em in the pocketbook.   And then because of that oppression, they were taken advantage of by their own people in terms of credit.   The people started using pay-day-loans to pay the taxes.   You could kinda-sorta justify the people paying their taxes with credit, because the taxes were against real-property (vineyards, and houses).   This is a big predicament.   The people are between a rock and a hard place  financially, which sets the stage for someone to perpetrate (What I’m going to call) fraud.   Generally, financial advisors (at least Christian ones) will say its okay to use credit for your home purchase, (not too many people can buy their house on cash) or it may be okay to purchase other items on credit, when the item you’re buying can be used as collateral if you were to default on the loan.   Credit, in general, is dangerous. Shakespear said, "Neither A Borrower Nor A Lender Be", and Proverbs 22:7 says, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a servant to the lender.   The King James word for Loaning money at an exorbitant fee or interest is ‘usury’.   This was strictly forbidden in the Torah.

Exodus 22:25 and Deuteronomy 23:19 If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest.

The root cause boils down to greed.    But if you peel the onion even further, it’s a lack of faith.    The commandment in   Exodus 20:17  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”.   You cannot think of the Ten Commandments as a bunch of external rules.   This is a heart issue from the get go.   So here are some principles we ought to seriously pray the Lord would reveal and bring to fruition in our lives:

Matthew 6:21, 24 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.   24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Luke 3:14 ...Do not extort money from anyone, nor harass anyone, and be content with your wages.

Romans 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law.

I want to tell a little story from my own marriage about using credit, that illustrates the corrosiveness of debt.

Lastly, on the subject of fraud, I want to do a little comparison and contrast with how God looks upon fraud.   Mark 10:17-27 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?” 18 But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus showed love to him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But he was deeply dismayed by these words, and he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus responded again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were even more astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

Back to Nehemiah 5

14 Furthermore, since the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance. 15 But the previous governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of my fear of God. 16 I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, there were at my table 150 Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep; also birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all sorts of wine were provided in abundance. Yet for all this I did not request the governor’s food allowance, because the forced labor was heavy on this people. 19 Remember me, my God, for good, in return for all that I have done for this people.

So in this section, Nehemiah shows the people righteous financial relationships by example.   Nehemiah has these daily love feasts.    This looks alot like a picture of how the church ought to operate.   Acts 2:46    Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

Chapter 6 

Another plot of the enemies

Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach was left in it, although at that time I had not installed the doors in the gates, 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let’s meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were plotting to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and am unable to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 Then they sent messages to me four times worded in this way, and I answered them with the same wording. 5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written: “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; for that reason you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. 7 You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let’s consult together.” 8 Then I sent a message to him saying, “Nothing like these things that you are saying has been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.” 9 For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, God, strengthen my hands.

These bad guys don’t give up, do they?   Nehemiah is on to them though.   How do you think he knew they wanted to harm him?   Either he just understood their strategies, or more likely, God tipped him off.   Then, the enemies dream up this fake news that Nehemiah was going to assume a throne as king over Judah.   That would’ve gotten Artexerxes attention.   But Nehemiah is on the ball, and he follows it up with a letter responding to the false claims against him.   God has not only Nehemiah’s back but the whole nation of Israel and is thwarting these plots at every turn.   Can you think of times when God has come through for you in the face of opposition?

10 When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, “Let’s meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.” 11 But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And who is there like me who would go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go in.” 12 Then I realized that God certainly had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired for this reason, that I would become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could taunt me. 14 Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in accordance with these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets, who were trying to frighten me.

Who do you listen to?   As I think about it, I can’t count the number of dumb things I did because I listened to the wrong voice.   Let’s be careful who we listen to.   We need to listen to godly voices.

They Finished the Wall by putting their faith in action

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they realized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence, and were reporting my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

Even when you think the battle should be over, it’s not over. Nehemiah stands his ground.   He doesn’t run and hide.   Here’s a promise I want you to repeat to yourself, over and over again.   This is one I want you to encourage yourself with, because it’s true.     Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion.”   There are any number of examples of people who stood their ground in the power and strength of the Lord; Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, and on and on.   And it was always an act of faith.   Look at the “hall-of-faith” in Hebrews 11.

Nehemiah 4

Testing Will Come (Chapter 4)

Verses 1-3

4 Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. 2 He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble, even the burned ones?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”

This section starts with the phrase, “Now it came about…” the NKJV says, “But, it so happened…”   Does anything just come about, does anything just so happen?   We keep getting hit in the face with the realization that things happen for a reason, God is in control.   But what about when you and I get mocked and scoffed at for being a Christian?   Let it be an opportunity to learn patience and endurance; 1 Corinthians 4:12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;   And Jesus said,  Luke 6:28 (NASB) bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  Do you see the fury of the enemy?   And Sanballat doesn’t just keep this anger to himself; he builds a coalition of antagonistic comrades.   What a put down; “a fox could knock over this stone wall.   Really.  I want to just share about a little project I did a while back.  It is small potatoes compared to some of the building projects many of you have done.   Some of you are serious builders.  I saw this patio cover that Shane built, man that thing is engineered to withstand an F5 tornado.    My project was to assemble this industrial shelving unit that Dave Wright gave me.   I put it in my garage.   When I was showing off my completed work to my youngest son who is very mechanical and builds stuff in the automotive realm.   I was telling him how I put this together; look at all the storage space, and my son reaches out and grabs a shelf and yanks on it.   Solid; no movement at all, I had fastened it securely to the garage wall.   It was kinda cute,  Daniel just kinda smirked and gave it his nod of approval.   I don’t think he expected anything that robust from me.   It was an example where my work was tested and found to be substantial.   Everything we do in God’s Kingdom will be tested.  1 Corinthians 3:13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.   Testing will come; expect it.   Our work needs to be built on the solid rock foundation of Jesus Christ.   The wise man built his house upon the rock, and the rains came tumbling down.   The foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the house on the sand went splat.

Nehemiah Turns Discouragement Into Encouragement through Prayer

Verses 4-8

4 Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have demoralized the builders.   6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.   7 Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. 8 All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.

9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.   10 Thus in Judah it was said, “The strength of the burden bearers is failing, Yet there is much rubbish; And we ourselves are unable To rebuild the wall.”

As long as we’re here on earth the attacks will come.   Nehemiah’s response, prayer.   He pours out his gripes and complaints to God.   He expresses his anger to God.   And then what, he gets back to work. My exhortation to you would be, have a mind to work. Sometimes you may have to psych yourself up, but just get started, get the momentum going.

11 Our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work.” 12 When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, “They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,” 13 then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears and bows. 14 When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

Now that’s motivating; if I’m fighting for my brother, my son, my daughter, my wife and my house, I’d probably still be afraid, but I’d fight.  And he has a plan and a strategy; you guys station yourselves down here, and keep your weapons ready, and when the enemies come through, cut ‘em down. Sanballat and Tobia; these enemies of Israel are a picture of our enemy, the devil, Satan, Lucifer.    Our enemy doesn’t want to just hinder our work, he wants to kill us and put a stop to our work for the LORD.   I want to make application to our lives; On the one hand, I don’t want to give the devil credit for more power or abilities than he has.   On the other hand, I don’t want to minimize the threat we face from our enemy.   The threat is real; 1 Peter 5:8  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Let’s briefly examine the doctrine of Satan.   

This isn’t going to be an exhaustive coverage of this doctrine, but it is good to be familiar with the wiles of the devil.   We will see the devil is real, he is a fallen angel and he is smart; but he is finite, he’s created by God therefore he’s no match for God.

We’re introduced to the devil in Genesis 3:1-6 (NASB) 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’" 4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

We get a glimpse of Satan’s fall in Isaiah 14:12-17 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!   You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!   13 “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.   14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’   15 “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.   16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,   17 Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’

In Ezekiel 28:11-15, the Lord curses the King of Tyre, but down in verse 12, the language seems to shift and the Lord seems to be talking about Lucifer.

Ezekiel 28:11 Again the word of the Lord came to me saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God,  “You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13  “You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared.

14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

15 “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you.

Jesus said in Luke 10:17-20 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”

We learn about Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11.   Suffice it to say that the devil used the same three tactics on Jesus that he’d used on Eve in the garden.  What was Jesus' response?  The Word of God.

• MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”  Deuteronomy 8:3

• YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.  Deuteronomy 6:16

• YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” Exodus 20:1-5

Satan often comes to us as though he were one of us

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NASB) 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

The Lord Jesus Himself defeats Satan in Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

So we saw that Satan is a created being (a cherub), he’s finite and he will have an end.   Satan’s power is limited.   The fact that people worship satan just astounds me.  To think that people settle for worshiping a fallen angel, when they could worship the one who’s worthy, the infinite creator of heaven and earth.   Before I committed my life to the LORD in my college days, I had been into some pretty dark stuff; some of the music I listened to; drunkenness, carousing.   Then when I first started following Jesus as my Lord, I felt a real pointed, direct attack from the devil (when I say the devil, I don’t necessarily mean Satan himself, he has a whole cadre of spiritual minions who do his bidding. Ephesians 6:12 says, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Our protection comes from the LORD in the form of spiritual armor: Ephesians 6:13-18 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

Which ties right into this next section.   This is the culmination, the climax, the high point of this chapter.  Take careful notice…

15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah. 17 Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. 18 As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me. 19 I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another. 20 At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

21 So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars appeared. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Let each man with his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day.” 23 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.

This is such a lesson… teamwork, managing more than one thing at a time, spiritual battle and earthly work.   The biggest thing is that God will fight for us.    For those of you who like a good scuffle, you scrappy ones, you pugnacious people, in God’s kingdom you get to participate in the battle.  So, let’s get building and get ready for the /fight, it’s coming.

Ezra 9

I was warned this chapter was a tough one.   I was seeking the Lord as to what He’d have me bring, and I felt Him direct me to keep it simple.   This chapter has two main sections, so Lord willing, I plan on covering two main topics.

1.  Ezra Appalled by Intermarriage

Chapter 9 verses 1 through 4,  Now when these things had been completed, 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 race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers 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 appalled. 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.

I’m going to ask the question; Why would God forbid the Israelites from marrying Canaanites?   You might think God regards the Jewish race above the Canaanite people.   So is God a bigot?   Does God hate people based on genetic traits, like skin color or hair texture or the shape of one’s nose or eyes?   I’m going to say this as emphatically as I can; NO.   Let me explain; God indeed forbids the Israelites to marry outside the family, so-to-speak.   The reason I raise this issue is because this very scripture has been used as a justification against interracial dating (have you ever heard of Bob Jones University?).   Down through the ages, this prohibition against Israelite-Canaanite intermarriage has been used to justify racisim, bigotry, racial exclusivitiy and ethnic division.  I’ve even heard “God wanted to keep the bloodline of the Messiah pure”, from at least one Calvary Chapel pastor and another very respected speaker associated with Calvary Chapel, but the reason for the prohibition against intermarriage can’t have anything to do with DNA or genetics Because there are a couple of very prominent non-Jewish names in the lineage of our Lord Jesus; namely, Rahab and Ruth.

Let’s take a look at the prohibition against intermarriage in Deuteronomy 7:1-4, “When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, 2 and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. 3 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. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. 5 But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. 6 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

The issue here is not one of genetics or ethnicity, it is solely a spiritual/heart issue.   God wanted to spare the Israelites the heartbreak of marriages that would separate them from Himself.   God was keeping the Israelites from falling into the abominable practices of the Canaanites.   The word abomination in Hebrew is

תּוֹעֵבַה tôwʻêbah, to-ay-baw'; or תֹּעֵבַה tôʻêbah; and it has to do with disgusting things, either in a ritual sense like unclean foods, idols, mixed marriages, or in an ethical sense, as in wickedness.   By prohibiting intermarriage, God wanted to prevent the Israelites from having their hearts turned away from Him to the Canaanite idols.   We can easily think of at least one example, that being Solomon, who was the most well known person in the Bible, who fell away from devotion to God due to intermarriage.

So, let me just say it again, God is against racism, and any kind of prejudice or bigotry.   God gave us a glaring lesson about this when Mirriam and Aaron spoke against Moses’ ethiopian wife.   Let’s read Numbers 12; Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 2 and they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the Lord said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them came out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, 6 He said,

“Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream.

7 “Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household;

8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the Lord.

Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

9 So the anger of the Lord burned against them and He departed. 10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 11 Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!” 13 Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.” 15 So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

16 Afterward, however, the people moved out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

So let’s turn this towards ourselves; there is no place for prejudice, or bigotry in the life of anyone who names Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.   We are told to love our neighbor as our self, no matter our neighbors ethnic background.

In this day and age though the word racism comes with a whole bunch of additional unnecessary and invalid assumptions and connotations.   I’m not going to get into the modern theories of race here.  Just to be clear though, biblically, there is only one ‘race’; the human race.   Acts, chapter 17 verses 26 and 27  and He [GOD] made from one man [blood] every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’

So what we commonly call race in modern parlance, really ought to be called ‘ethnicity’.   The root of the sin of bigotry is selfishness, pride, arrogance and malice.   It’s been said, the problem isn’t skin, it’s sin.

Okay, so all of that was what this section is NOT about.   What is it about?   Sin is appalling.   Do we get offended if we see or hear something unseemly?   Do our cheeks go red because we’re embarrassed by something wicked?   Do we take it personally when we hear the Lord’s name used irreverently, or disrespectfully.   Further, are we honest with ourselves when we’ve committed some sin?   If there’s iniquity in us, are we ashamed of it?   We’re supposed to be “in Christ” and have the Holy Spirit “in us”.   Are we uncomfortable with our sin?   As David said in Psalm 51, “my sin is ever before my eyes”.      Thankfully, gratefully, Psalm 103:12-14 says, As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.   Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.   For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. 

As Christians, What principle can we derive from this prohibition against intermarriage?   Because First Corinthians 10:11 says, of all the stories in the old testament, “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

Here are a few principles around Christian marriage:

Genesis 2:24 - Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Hebrews 13:4 - Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Proverbs 18:22 - He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

2 Corinthians 6:14 - Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

2.  Ezra’s Prayer of Confession

5 But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God; 6 and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown 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 the Lord 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 grant us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but has extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 “Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11 which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from end to end and with their impurity. 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 an inheritance 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 Lord 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.”

It is really difficult to stop right there.   Chapter 10 really goes with chapter 9, but let’s work with what we have.   We’ll stay right here and try to extract every last nugget the Lord has hidden in this chapter.

Notice first, Ezra’s posture in prayer.   He’s all torn up over the Israelites disobedience; literally, he ripped up his own clothes.   Melodramatic, maybe, but he’s just showing outwardly what is going on inwardly.   He falls to his knees, and raises his hands.  This is a position our hearts need to assume.   Not necessarily physically on our knees, but we need to recognize how low we are and how high God is.

 He’s totally humiliated, and ashamed and grieved over the sin of the people.   I can’t really say, I live up to Ezra’s heart for his people.   I can tell you for sure though, because I’ve seen it first hand, that pastor Shane is every bit this kind of a leader.   His heart is for you and your obedience to God and holiness toward God and walk with God.   Shane is very jealous that we as a body of believers would be completely sold-out for the Lord.   This is the mark of a great leader.   As I think of it, I’m not indifferent to the moral failings of God’s people.   More often, my reaction is one of anger, and dismay but I do grieve as well.

One person who was a leader in the Bible who really portrayed this characteristic of wanting his people to wholeheartedly and obediently follow God was Samuel in First Samuel 15:22 he says, “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD?   To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat or rams.

Another aspect of this passage is confession, I just want to give a few verses for us to consider, related to Christian confession.

First John chapter 1 verses 5 through 10 say, This is the message we have heard from Him and announce 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 practice 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 are deceiving 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.

James 5:16 says, Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Psalm 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Let’s meditate on Psalm 51 to close the evening out

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me.

4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

9 Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise.

16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

18 By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.