Title: When Weeping by the River
Contents
“In those days I proclaimed a fast by the river Ahava, and humbled ourselves before our God, asking him for a smooth way for us and for our little ones and all that we have” (Ezra 8:21).
I. background of the text
God judged Israel who had departed from the faith, causing them to be taken captive to Babylon three times, and three times after 70 years, some people of faith returned to their homeland. Ezra, the author of this book, was a God-fearing and learned scholar and an outstanding leader who wanted to teach Israel the secrets of his faith. The book of Ezra was written during the second exile, in which 1,700 people returned to Israel following the leader Ezra among the three exiles.
II. The night of my life I met by the river
The return of captivity was due to the religious tolerance policy implemented as part of the policy of embracing foreign peoples in Babylon, which had built a great empire. However, through the text, we see that the people of Israel who followed Ezra to their homeland met the night of their lives by the river Ahawa. Although they were returned to their dreamed homeland, the immigrants had already entered the territory of Israel, and Israel was forced to suffer persecution everywhere because of their monotheistic beliefs. Compared to the group of more than 40,000 who had previously returned with Zerubbabel, Ezra and Ezra This is because very few people passed through the wilderness along the way back, and there was no army to protect them on the way back.
In the past, because Ezra had vowed to go on the road holding only God's hand without the help of the king's army, they became more and more dependent on the Lord. It is assumed that the Ahawa River is a stream called Hati, which is a tributary of the Euphrates River. All Israel encamped in front of the brook, and with a special heart, they entrusted the rest of the wilderness to God.
Ⅲ. faith that lights up the night
1. “Declare a Fast”: Focus on God
All 1,700 people gathered at the waterfront and under the guidance of Ezra, a fast was proclaimed, and there they gathered their hearts, and from children to adults, they had time to quit grain and practice before God. Fasting has the meaning of gathering our scattered hearts and turning them toward God. So, through fasting, we renew our relationship with God, which we had longed for, and gather our scattered hearts before God. In our daily life, our mind's thoughts are usually about what to eat and drink, and these thoughts distract our minds before God and distract our souls. Thus, fasting has the effect of helping our soul to focus on God alone. So Ezra encouraged the Israelites to focus on God by fasting before going up to Jerusalem. The most important thing in life's dark nights is to focus on God, that if you follow God's guidance, light will shine in your life.
2. “Humble Yourselves”: Reliance on God
Humility is the inclination of the heart to realize that one has no power and to rely completely on God alone. The Israelites thought about how they had come to the river Ahawa, and realized that it was God's great work. But still a very frightening situation unfolded before them. In that situation, they were deeply humbled, confessing that no other help could light up the night of their lives, and that there was only one living God. God's people are thus called to rely on God alone with their whole heart, and God is only glorified in them.
3. “I prayed to him”: Faith in God
Finally, the people of Israel prayed before God, showing their faith in God. The Lord wants us to ask God for all our needs. The Israelites had to go through the midst of the Babylonian Empire where they were led by Ezra like an abandoned flock and where the threat of a foreign nation awaited them, but they had faith that God would give them everything they wanted. Man has all plans, but God is the one who gets things done. Therefore, we should pray more before God. Even if the night of your life comes many times, the method of giving light to that night is always the same. To those who ask God in the night of life, God gives light to light the darkness. Therefore, they will rather hold on to the Lord in the splendid light and be victorious.
2004-12-19