At least I think it was a mistake. See what you think…

I already observed in my post script to Ezra’s Faith that stories of Bible characters or the saints are descriptive, not proscriptive. We’re not called to take every saint’s experience as normative for all people for all time.

For example, in the early days of my organization, The Navigators, founder Dawson Trotman was drawn to the story of George Mueller’s not ever asking anyone for money. He only asked God. And it worked for George Mueller. Dawson would say (I’m told), “If the subject of money comes up, change the subject.” Today, Navigators joyfully share their vision of relational disciple-making and invite folks to partner with us just as Paul did:

And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4.15 – 19, ESV)

Back to Ezra. We observed in Ezra 9 that the returning exiles had once again inter-married with the surrounding nations. A bad thing. What to do? To Ezra, the solution was simple:

Ezra the priest stood up and spoke: “You’ve broken trust. You’ve married foreign wives. You’ve piled guilt on Israel. Now make your confession to GOD, the God of your ancestors, and do what he wants you to do: Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives.” (Ezra 10.10, 11, MSG)

The chapter goes on to describe the process by which this would happen and lists the names of priests who had foreign wives, ending with:

All these had married foreign wives and some had also had children by them. (Ezra 10.44, MSG)

By the way, that’s the last verse in Ezra. The book ends there, and it’s always bothered me. Sure, they shouldn’t have married the foreign women, but they did, and now they’ve been married some time and had children. Do we now send these women and the children back to those pagan cultures? Or do we keep them with us, exposed to the true God and his grace? In short, is it OK to say that for all of his devotion and zeal, Ezra was wrong?

Dr Willie Peterson, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, first introduced me to that possibility. When I asked about the events of Ezra 10, Willie replied simply, “Ezra was wrong.” Certainly the men married to foreign women could not allow those women to drag them into worship of false gods. But surely, they could try to introduce the women to the true God and raise the children in the faith. Certainly that’s the New Testament standard:

For the rest of you who are in mixed marriages—Christian married to non-Christian—we have no explicit command from the Master. So this is what you must do. If you are a man with a wife who is not a believer but who still wants to live with you, hold on to her. If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold on to him. The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be left out; as it is, they also are included in the spiritual purposes of God. On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you’ve got to let him or her go. You don’t have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can. You never know, wife: The way you handle this might bring your husband not only back to you but to God. You never know, husband: The way you handle this might bring your wife not only back to you but to God. (1 Corinthians 7.12 – 16, MSG)

If you missed the blog on Tony Campolo, please check it out. Tony saw our responsibility to reach out to the poor and love those who are different from us.

The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the two sons are introduced this way:

By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story… (Luke 15.1 – 3, MSG)

Ezra did not have the benefit of Jesus’ teaching on this subject so it’s easy (and maybe a bit unfair) for us to evaluate Ezra’s actions in hindsight. Ezra was a good man: he studied God’s word and put it into practice faithfully and consistently. But that doesn’t mean ALL his actions are positive examples for us.

Before we get back to Ezra and Nehemiah, here’s a story too pertinent to ignore: Sales of Bibles Are Booming, Fueled by First-Time Buyers and New Versions, by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Wall Street Journal, December 2, 2024.

The article opens:

Hallelujah! Bibles are a bright spot in books this year. 

Worries about the economy, conflicts abroad and uncertainty over the election pushed readers toward the publication in droves. Bible sales are up 22% in the U.S. through the end of October, compared with the same period last year, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. By contrast, total U.S. print book sales were up less than 1% in that period. 

“People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” said Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. “It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.”

Cely Vazquez, a 28-year-old artist and influencer who has appeared on the reality TV show “Love Island USA,” recently bought her first Bible—one from the “She Reads Truth” line—at Barnes & Noble. 

“I’ve had Bibles that my mom gave me, but I felt I needed my own to start my own journey, that it symbolized I was starting a walk with God,” she said. “I felt something was missing. It’s a combination of where we are in the world, general anxiety and the sense that meaning and comfort can be found in the Bible.”  

The article continues:

The demand for Bibles is rising despite evidence that the country is growing increasingly secularized. 

The Pew Research Center found that about 28% of adults in the U.S. now consider themselves religiously unaffiliated. Yet Bible sales rose to 14.2 million in 2023 from 9.7 million in 2019, and hit 13.7 million in the first 10 months of this year. Readers are also stocking up on related titles that provide guidance, insights and context—even sets of stickers to flag particularly meaningful passages. 

The article closes:

Amber Cimiotti, a 38-year-old mother of two in Henderson, Nev., attributes the increase in Bible sales in part to podcasters and Tiktokers like herself sharing easily digestible stories about Christianity.

She started to read the Bible this year after feeling unfulfilled by years of advice on self-care, staying healthy and pursuing a career. She said she also sought stability as “things just went off the rails a little too quickly” throughout society. “We’re kind of holding on to the edge of the ship, like, we’re not sure what’s happening here.”

Rev. Blaine Crawford, pastor of the Irvington Presbyterian Church in suburban Westchester, N.Y., said he is seeing renewed interest in study groups. The Bible is a “grand epic story of the great questions of life. What do we do with grief or anger, what are we here for, where is the world going? The Bible provides a counterpart in a conversation about what we’re doing at this time.”

What’s the takeaway? Here are some suggestions. What do you think?

• There is a spiritual hunger out there, and we should be alert for it in our conversations with friends and co-workers.
• We shouldn’t be reluctant to share what the Bible means to us.
• We should be prepared to help folks in their spiritual journeys. For example, The Navigators’ 5x5x5 New Testament Reading Plan and The Time with God Weekly Journal.
  • Here’s an example: Colorado Springs television news anchor Dianne Derby has written a marvelous book Two Hundred Tuesdays: What a Pearl Harbor Survivor Taught Me about Life, Love, and Faith about how 100-year-old Jim Downing invited her to do bible study. Like the Tik-Tok influencer, she, too, bought her first bible at Barnes and Noble. Jim’s invitation to Dianne is an example for us, and the book contains what he taught her. In July 2022, I wrote about their meeting.
• Finally, let’s pray that the Word will do its work.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2.1 – 4, ESV)

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8.3, ESV)

Can it be Advent Season already? Where does the time go?!

Today’s theme, HOPE, should be a reminder where our hope lies: not in our bank account, not in our government (or the government some people wish had won the election), not in the apparent resilience of the United States.

No, our hope is in Jesus. Not only our hope, but the hope of the world is Jesus.

May God be gracious to us and bless us 
and make his face to shine upon us,          Selah 
that your way may be known on earth, 
your saving power among all nations. 
Let the peoples praise you, O God; 
let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67.1 - 3, ESV)

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope. (Matthew 12.18 - 21, ESV)