Year 5, Day 48: Ezra 10

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Grow

• Grow: Growing is the stage in life that happens after abiding.  If we think about plants, plants abide in the fall and winter as they store up nutrients for the next year.  When spring hits, they grow into their fullness.  When they have grown enough to support their effort, they bear the fruit that they have been created to bear.  Once the fruit has been borne, they prune back and prepare to abide again.  As we can see, in order to bear good fruit we must properly go through a process of growth.

I see growth in this last chapter of Ezra.  Ezra sets forth a plan to deal with the problem of foreign wives.  Ezra wants to make an edict and have it be done in a matter of days.  Like a priest, Ezra sees life in terms of black and white.

However, the people talk to Ezra about life.  It’s the rainy season.  It’s cold out.  There are too many people to gather at once.  Ezra knows that the Hebrew people have been asked to bear fruit in keeping with their repentance, but Ezra sees that they will have to grow into it.  Ezra sees that he will have to go through a process.

Heads of families are appointed.  The tasks are delegated.  After several months of work as the Hebrew people grow into their calling, the fruit is finally borne.  The Hebrew people finally give up their foreign wives and return to the Lord.  The fruit is good because Ezra was willing to allow the process of growth to occur.  The fruit of the Hebrew people was good because it was allowed to happen in a meaningful and supportive way.

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