Title Ezra's Patriotic Spirit/Ezra 10:1-12
Contents Ezra's Patriotic Spirit/Ezra 10:1-12
The deeper the night, the more clear and bright stars are needed, and the more difficult the country, the more loyalists like Songjuk. At the end of the dynasty, incompetent rulers and short-sighted and selfish officials made the country very difficult. So Pilgyeong handed over the sovereignty to Japan. Our people are located on a small peninsula. It is clear that it was a small country and a small country, so it was a weak and difficult life. However, there was no loss of sovereignty. In the annexation of Korea and Japan, Japan took advantage of our incompetent opportunity to abuse its sovereignty. This is the moment when the sovereignty of the nation as well as the pride of the nation were trampled on. At this time, the people who worked hard for the freedom and independence of the nation and wrote them are our ancestors of faith.
The March 1st Independence Movement is believed to be 1) the faith movement, 2) the national independence movement, and 3) the symbol of our nation that loves freedom. Although the movement for national independence was not successful, it became a work to focus the attention of the world powers on one place. There was a person who felt sorry for Israel when he saw this when Israel lost their country and lived in a spirit of slavery. This man was a priest/scholar and had the trust of Artaxerxes, the ruler of Persia at the time. This man cried out in the spirit of the Lord to the people of Israel who had lost consciousness and labored. That person is Ezra. Today, we want to strengthen our faith and patriotism through Ezra.
1. Personal information.
The name Ezra means help. He is a descendant of a priest (7:1-2). He was a captive. He had a noble personality and was very trustworthy. He was also a scholar and teacher well-versed in the law. And he was a man with a desire to teach the truth he had learned to all the people. (7:10) If Zerubbabel rebuilt the temple and Nehemiah completed the wall, Ezra cleansed the hearts of the people and was the people of God. He was a strong spiritual leader. He was a person who clearly showed the way and attitude of the nation.
2. Ezra's deeds
Ezra was well aware of the destruction and restoration of the nation. When the people of Israel went into exile, they forsook God's commandments. And I thought that the way of restoration is the way to repent and return to God. Therefore, Ezra did his best to sow the seeds of the commandment by plowing the spiritual field and creating good soil for the chosen people, Israel, who were surrounded by secular culture and had the stubbornness of unbelief. In Ezra's eyes, the problem of his people was not a problem that he could not fight because he had no army. It wasn't even an economic issue. They were the seeds of sin in the hearts of the people. To get rid of these seeds of iniquity, he
1) The repentance movement was launched. (10:1)
He fell on his face, wept and prayed, confessing his sins. Confession means acknowledging and confessing a sin. In particular, here, he confesses and repents of the sins of the national community as his own actions. It is truly a leadership mindset. (kihtidtw) Even before he came to Jerusalem, he prayed and fasted, and even after returning home, he acknowledged the sins of the nation toward God and begged God for forgiveness from the perspective of the nation's priests. He wept bitterly. (Raba-beke) speaks of many sorrows. This speaks of Ezra's heartache because of Israel's transgression. This refers to thorough repentance. At this time, the people also repented accordingly. Through the prayer of repentance, Ezra saw the sins of the nation and confessed and confessed. repented. He suggested that repentance is the only way for a nation and an individual to live.
2) The Word movement was developed.
(1) Concentrate on the study of the Word.
Ezra is a scribe who is good in the Word. And he was a zealous and resourceful teacher in teaching. He was not a man who understood the faults of the people of Israel rationally and emotionally, but saw them as the word of God.
He is an outstanding scholar. And the Word movement was developed. He is a person who developed a movement to read the Word, a movement to teach, and a movement to live according to the Word. This means that the newness of the nation was started based on the Word. The standards are well set. Zerubabel rebuilt the temple, and Nehemiah came and rebuilt the walls and rearranged the outskirts of the nation. The broken heart had nothing to do.
(2) Dedicated to teaching. (7:10)
At this time, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem and told him to bring the law, read it and taught him its meaning. When he read the Bible, the people of Israel came to know their sins properly. Indeed
a) The word of God is like a stick.
B) It is like a sharp sword, like a scalpel that pierces and splits the marrow of human sinful spirits.
c) The word of God is like a healing medicine.
D) It is like a well nailed nail, so it fixes the cage, which is easy to shake.
In a chaotic world, it helps to keep one's position correctly.
(3) A synagogue was built.
Looking at the history of Israel, there are two halls of their faith. 1) the temple and 2) the synagogue. Before the exile, it was a temple as a hall of worship and the Word. However, after the temple collapsed and they were scattered, temple worship cannot be held. At this time, Ezra knew that the day of temple worship would come only if he could not attend the worship service, but he had to listen to the word. So, he started a movement in the synagogues and built synagogues in each place to conduct the Word and prayer movement. This was recognized as the path of restoration of complete temple worship.
3) The reform movement was attempted. (10:1-4)
Ezra found out his sin, cleared it up, and made him walk the byway. True repentance is about clearing the past and taking a side road. Embracing the past and walking on a new path. Just like the saying that new wine should be put in new wineskins, a new heart and determination must be put into a new form and character.
(1) He made them swear an oath of reform according to the Word (1-5).
(2) An attempt was made to reform the leaders. (6-15) They grieved over their sins and took measures while fasting.
(3) The sins of the past have been erased.
First, the household was purified. Among them, he cut off a foreign woman and sent her back. The reason that Ezra and his princes could not escape from Israel's chronic sins and worshiped idols under the banner of God was that through marriage with a foreign woman, the education of their children became a problem.
4) The season of faith has been restored.
They married foreign women and led a worldly life, and they did not teach the Word to themselves or their children. As we did not eat the Word/ and the family became ill, the festivals naturally became ill. God gave them the feast as a type and symbol of their faith and the eternal kingdom. Sabbath/Passover/Feast of Harvest Festival/Festivals of young age were given, but I forgot all of them. He instructed them to carefully observe one of the great Jewish festivals of the Feast of Tabernacles following Ezra's repentance movement according to the Bible.
3.Results
1) It was full of joy. (Ezra 9:22)
2) We encouraged and comforted each other. (Nehemiah 8:10)
And Nehemiah said, Go ye, eat the fat, and drink sweet, but give to those who have not prepared.
3) The road to national restoration has been solidified.
Israel was restored three times (return movement was developed.) The first was led by 516 B. C/Zerubabel, the second was completed by Ezra in B, 458 B.C. The third was completed by Nehemiah in 444 B.C. will be He moved the hearts of the peoples who wanted to live by faith and gained the path of national liberation. (Ezra 1:1) We rebuild the broken temple like Zerubabbel, build up the nation like Ezra, and build the nation's fortress like Nehemiah. I hope that you will become a saint who strengthens your faith in