What was the predicate for repentance? Was it simply Ezra lamenting over the foreign
wives of the Israelites? I believe it is
much more likely that this event, the reading of the Law in the great
congregation of the people was responsible for pricking the consciences of the people
to do the right thing. Many of the
exiles had lost sight of the Law in those seventy years. During this time in Babylon Ezekiel is
credited with establishing the synagogue movement for the maintenance of the
religion and knowledge of Yahweh but not all had access to such teaching
centers. When they now gather and hear
the Law for some it would have been startling when they had so completely
accommodated themselves to the ethics of the nations where they had been
exiled. They were struck to the heart in
repentance and the leaders had to tell them that this was a time of celebration
not mourning and it was wrong to mourn, they were not honoring the Lord. The Lord was indeed at work in the people at
this time, they were ripe for revival.
What went up the mountain to see Jesus was a truly rag-tag
army, the lame, crippled, blind, mute and many others. What came down the mountain was truly
something to see, those same people without any physical handicap or
impediment, an army prepared for battle.
They had been with Jesus and everything changed from the journey up to
the journey back down. The crowd got it
right too, they glorified the God of Israel.
Everyone who went up the mountain that day got something. Those who went up got fed because of Jesus'
compassion for them, no one went away empty.
Pursuit of Jesus means you always get what you need, you never come away
empty.
Could a city really be wiped off the map like this passage
suggests? Not a sound of music, not a
craftsman remaining, no sound of a mill, no light of a lamp, neither bridegroom
nor bride, no remnant of life at all except the unclean birds feeding on carrion. Near to the time this was written there was a
city that was and then suddenly was no more, the Roman city of Pompeii. In late 79AD the nearby volcanic mountain
Mount Vesuvius erupted and over a six hour period buried the city under about
25 meters of volcanic ash and killed all animal and plant life in the
surrounding areas by the chemical emissions that filled the air. Nothing remained of the city and no part of
it was rediscovered for over 1500 years and then only by accident. People died in the midst of everyday life and
never knew what hit them. We aren't
guaranteed tomorrow so today is the only day we know we can pursue Him.
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