May 18
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EZRA ON INTERMARRIAGE
A poem by ILMA
The leaders came to Ezra to say that some priests and Levites intermarried
They have not kept themselves separate from other people living in the land
They have taken up the detestable practices of the other foreigners
Israelites have married women from these people and bore children.
The holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages
Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way to this outrage
Ezra tore his cloak and shirt, pulled his hair and beard and utterly shocked
All who trembled at God’s words came and sat outraged like Ezra.
At the time of the sacrifice, Ezra mourned and fell on his knees to pray
He told God how ashamed he was for the sins piled higher than his head
He mentioned that their guilt has reached the height of the heavens
From the days of their ancestors until now, they have been steeped in sin.
He thanked the Lord for His grace to allow them to survive and be remnants
The security God gave them has granted them some relief from slavery
The Lord has given them protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem
He led the people to confess and repent of what had been done.
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MEMORY VERSE
O Lord, God of Israel, you are just. We come before you in our guilt as nothing but and escaped remnant, thought in such a condition none of us can stand in your presence.
– Ezra 9:15
Read: Ezra 9
This prayer of Ezra is what all of us should be praying for ourselves and for all those believers who have gone astray. His level of repentance and confession is incomparable. This story reminds us how we oftentimes rebel against the will of God but he always forgives those who repent and confess their sins.
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REFLECTION
• What happens when we compromise and mix ourselves with what God detests?