You would think that after all the trouble that God’s people went through to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple that the people would finally settle down to love and obey God. But they don’t! They refuse to obey God’s command not to marry foreigners because those other people don’t love and praise the God of Israel. They become as careless about their relation to God as God’s people did just after Solomon had built the first Temple.
What a humble man Ezra is! He takes his role as a priest and prays on behalf of his people. He doesn’t point fingers and say “they” and “them,” but “we” and “us.” He becomes one with the people and takes on their sins as his own, even though he wasn’t guilty of them.
Jesus did the same for you and me. St. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For him who had no knowledge of sin God made to be sin for us; so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.”
Bible Breaths Learn More…
Tuesdays are dedicated to the Old Testament books of history
and the Hebrew “Writings.”
These Firestarters are for families with children. For the Firestarters in the original edition, I recommend the ebook. You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet! Check the menu options at the site for more information.
The Bible Through the Seasons 