July 30, 2009 Devotion for Today “FAIL!” Ezra 2:59-63

July 30, 2009 Devotion for Today “FAIL!” Ezra 2:59-63

When you are raising teenagers, you become exposed to their fads and their language. My daughter said something this week that clued me in that a new expression was being coined by the younger generation when she said, “FAIL!” That is an expression of disappointment for seeing something that did not work as it was supposed to- and very appropriate. Fail is a term we can apply to a lot of things that we see around us today, especially with mediocrity and failure to live up to what we should be doing.

In reflecting once again on the gentleman I told you about yesterday. As I mentioned, I was shocked to learn of his passing. We had not spoken in many years-at least twenty. It made me sad to think that our parting words did not bring good memories to my mind. But I bore him no ill-will or bitterness. My heart broke for him. Yet God used him to sharpen me and to help me to become more accountable- even though at times he made me miserable. I believe he was hard on me because he was hard on himself because he had failed so miserably in his own ministry and walk with the Lord. I do not want to go into too many details here, but he had gotten dismissed from his position as a high school teacher for indecent liberties with his students. At the time he was serving as pastor of a small church, and resigned that position as well. His marriage also failed, and his children rejected him. When he and his wife were members of our church, they were going through some of the things but not all of them. But it ought to serve as a warning of how easily a man or woman of God can get sidetracked and disqualified from service because of unchecked sin. I tremble for myself when I learn of situations like this, because but for the grace of God so easily go I. My own personal failings, though different, are seen as just as bad before the Lord. May God help me, and all of us who serve in ministry full-time or part-time, and as laypeople, to always be circumspect around all people, and to keep our hearts pure and clean before God and toward others.

In the book of Ezra we find some pertinent words here:

Ezra 2: 59-63
And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan,[o] and Immer; but they could not identify their father’s house or their genealogy,[p] whether they were of Israel: 60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two; 61 and of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Koz,[q] and the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name. 62 These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled. 63 And the governor[r] said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim.

Ezra had to sort out the people, especially the priests who were going along in their expedition and return to Israel from exile. When the time came to rebuild the new Temple, they would need priests to serve in it. But they had a problem, because so many of the priests, like the rest of the people, were scattered and records of them vanished. They did not have Facebook to help reunite everybody together again! Among the priests names that they did have were ones who probably should never have been priests at all but for some reason were serving about the time of the capitulation of Israel and brought into captivity. These men were probably not Israelites, but proselytes from other lands who perhaps bought their priesthood positions by patronage to the former kings of Israel. FAIL! These were now considered defiled- or not qualified to serve-even though some had served very faithfully for many years. The memories of the people had faded over seventy years, so the only thing that the governor knew to do was to test them by the Urim and Thummin- the priestly stones that were cast to determine the will of God in certain matters.

This goes to show us that God’s people are not perfect, neither are the ones whom God has chosen to serve them. Israel bent the rules on the priesthood qualifications before the exile because there were so few priests and they needed to get the job done. They corrupted themselves for the sake of their bureaucracy and did not follow God’s commandments. May God help all of us to keep our minds and hearts and lives pure before Him so that we do not become disqualified in serving Him. This is a matter that we must pray about every day and walk with God in purity and in His righteousness. May God give us grace to do that each day, and that when our name appears before Him, it should not be stamped: FAIL!

Have a blessed day!