26 August 2009 Devotion for Today "Pilgrims in an Unclean Land" Ezra 9:6-15

6 And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. 9 For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11 which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. 12 Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’ 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15 O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”
(Ezra 9:6-15)

Some years ago, when we were still living in Germany occasionally we made trips across the former "Iron Curtain" into what used to be communist countries. To me it seemed like going back into time. Many of the people there, particularly the peasants, still rode horses or drove horse or mule-driven wagons. Steam locomotives could still be seen pulling trains. It was almost nostalgic to see how people lived. However, there was also some unpleasantness. Many of the rural villages we visited we noticed that people used "the little house out back", for they did not have indoor plumbing. Thick black coal smoke poured out of their chimneys. In the industrial areas, a putrid haze of sulfuric gas hovered above and my lungs burned every time I breathed. Decaying paint and dilapidation seemed to dominate over what beauty there was. I did not want to remain in those countries for long- especially when it rained. The acrid smoke and acidic rains bit deeply into the finish of my car and I could not find a car wash anywhere. Scores of prostitutes lined the streets at the edge nearly every major town. Thugs and hooligans were everywhere, and dirty little gypsy children threatened your wallets. More than once I wanted to say, "I'm a pilgrim in an unclean land."

Ezra the Prophet probably felt this way when he returned to Jerusalem. However, the decay and dilapidation he found in the city was nothing to be compared to the deterioration of the hearts of his own people, the Jews. He was so astonished at how far down the Jews had gone that he could not even look up to heaven to pray. They had not long been released from their captivity, and the reason for it was because of the punishment for their sins. The Jews had only been repatriated a few short years and it did not take them long to revert back to their old sinful ways. One of the things that particularly concerned Ezra was the way that they had become polluted by marrying the pagans who occupied the area where they resettled. This was expressly forbidden by God, but practicality drove them to it. They felt that there were not enough suitable wives among the Jewish women to give their sons as mates. More importantly, the pagan families held the deed to the lands which the Jews once occupied. If they could marry into the pagan families, they thought that they could regain control of the lands they lost before the time of exile.

To Ezra this mattered little. If God had brought His people back, He would provide for them without polluting them. It would not take the Jews long to slide back into rebellion and disintegrate in their faith and devotion to God. In the latter half of this chapter, Ezra repents on behalf of his people so that God would not punish them again.

There is pressure all around us to slide into the customs of the pagans around us even today- especially in our lifestyles as Christians. The Scriptures tell us "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14, KJV).

Some things were just never intended to be! Although cats and dogs may well have close association, and may even evidence affection for one another on occasion, yet there is a depth of intimacy and oneness that is beyond their ability to experience. A cat and dog may associate, but they can never assimilate. This is also true for other vital relationships in life.

Prayer: Lord, the world around me seeks to pollute my body as well as my mind. We lose our influence in the world when we try to become part of it. Forgive me for my temptation even to think like the world. Do not allow the world's philosophies to dominate or pollute me today. I do not regard sinners with disdain, but help me adopt such a holy lifestyle and character that people will want what I have and not decide to stick to what they've got.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen