Called to Be Faithful

KEY VERSE: “Make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: Separate yourselves from the people of the land.” —Ezra 10:11

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Ezra 9:2, 3, 10, 11

EZRA WAS BOTH a priest and a scribe. He was well versed in the Mosaic Law, and zealous in observing it. He believed the promises of God relative to those who were obedient to the Law, that the Lord would bless and protect them. He also understood well that God’s displeasure would be upon those who were disobedient, and that this was the reason for their seventy years of captivity in Babylon.

Ezra proved to be a courageous reformer in Israel. During the years that followed Cyrus’ decree authorizing the return of the Israelites to Israel, many of those who did return had intermarried with non-Hebrew people of the land. This was contrary to the Law, and Ezra knew that as long as this condition existed, the Lord’s blessing would not be upon them as richly as would otherwise be the case. He took this matter very seriously to heart, and in chapter 9, verses 5-15, we find Ezra’s eloquent prayer of confession and appeal to the Lord for guidance and blessing in righting this wrong.

Intermarriage with non-Israelites created a problem which had to be met courageously and solved properly by calling upon the wrongdoers to dissolve their union with the heathen. This, of course, worked a hardship upon those who had entered into these improper marriages. But as the faithful Ezra saw it, this hardship would be as nothing compared with the trouble that would come upon the nation if this reformation was not made. And the people agreed: “All the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.”—Ezra 10:12

It was God’s purpose to keep the natural descendants of Abraham a people separated from all others, and devoted to him. He knew that if they were permitted to intermarry with non-Israelites they would soon lose their identity as a people. It has been this regulation of the Law that has kept the Jews a separate people throughout all the centuries. While this law has not been observed by every Israelite, the exceptions have not been sufficient to lead to the absorption of the people by non-Jews.

No such restrictions have been placed upon spiritual Israelites of the Gospel Age. God’s little flock to whom he is well pleased to give the spiritual rulership of the Messianic kingdom under their Head, Christ Jesus, are selected from all races and nations. (Luke 12:32) Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”—Gal. 3:16,27-29

For Christians who are following in the footsteps of Jesus, keeping separate from the people of the land would be to keep separate from the worldly spirit. The spirit of the pleasure-mad world is largely one of selfishness. The world has its many idols of silver and gold, etc., but we are not to bow down to any of these—our minds and hearts are to be fixed on serving the Lord, following in the footsteps of Jesus. We are not to be influenced by worldly schemes and methods. We have covenanted to give our all in serving the Lord, and only by faithfulness to our covenant even unto death may we hope to live and reign with Christ.

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