Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezra 7-10.
Many of the sons of Israel had married foreign wives – a practice that was forbidden under the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 7:3). In order to repent of their sin, those who had married foreign wives had to put them away. Ezra had the difficult task of pointing out their sin and instructing them to obey the Lord rather than keep their unlawful wives. However, Ezra received some encouragement from Shecaniah:
“Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act” (Ezra 10:4).
Shecaniah made two points to Ezra:
- Ezra was responsible to do what he could – Ezra needed to deliver the Lord’s instruction. It did not matter that the message was potentially unpopular or that it would be difficult to accept. It also did not matter who supported him. He needed to carry out his responsibility regardless of what others said, thought, or did.
- Shecaniah and others were there to encourage him – Though Ezra was responsible to do what was right even if he was alone, Shecaniah and others were determined to offer encouragement, no matter how the message might be received.
Even today, the gospel is often an unpopular message (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Corinthians 2:15-16). Yet those who preach must continue to do so without compromise (2 Timothy 4:2, 5); and all of us must continue to support these faithful men (3 John 7-8).
We must do what we are capable of doing and must encourage others to do the same.
Tomorrow’s reading: Nehemiah 1-5
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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