Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem was opportune. There was
great need of the influence of his presence. His coming
brought courage and hope to the hearts of many who had
long labored under difficulties. Since the return of the first
company of exiles under the leadership of Zerubbabel and
Joshua, over seventy years before, much had been accomplished.
The temple had been finished, and the walls of
the city had been partially repaired. Yet much remained
undone.
Among those who had returned to Jerusalem in former
years, there were many who had remained true to God as
long as they lived; but a considerable number of the children
and the children's children lost sight of the sacredness of
God's law. Even some of the men entrusted with responsibilities
were living in open sin. Their course was largely
neutralizing the efforts made by others to advance the
cause of God; for so long as flagrant violations of the law
were allowed to go unrebuked, the blessing of Heaven could
not rest upon the people.
It was in the providence of God that those who returned
with Ezra had had special seasons of seeking the Lord. The
experiences through which they had just passed, on their
journey from Babylon, unprotected as they had been by
any human power, had taught them rich spiritual lessons.
Many had grown strong in faith; and as these mingled with
the discouraged and the indifferent in Jerusalem, their influence
was a powerful factor in the reform soon afterward
instituted.
On the fourth day after the arrival, the treasures of silver
and gold, with the vessels for the service of the sanctuary,
were delivered by the treasures into the hands of the temple
officers, in the presence of witnesses, and with the utmost
exactitude. Every article was examined "by number and
by weight." Ezra 8:34.
The children of the captivity who had returned with
Ezra "offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel" for a
sin offering and as a token of their gratitude and thanksgiving
for the protection of holy angels during the journey.
"And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's
lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and
they furthered the people, and the house of God." Verses
35, 36.
Very soon thereafter a few of the chief men of Israel
approached Ezra with a serious complaint. Some of "the
people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites" had so
far disregarded the holy commands of Jehovah as to intermarry
with the surrounding peoples. "They have taken of
their daughters for themselves, and for their sons," Ezra
was told, "so that the holy seed have mingled themselves
with the people" of heathen lands; "yea, the hand of the
princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass." Ezra
9:1, 2.
In his study of the causes leading to the Babylonish
captivity, Ezra had learned that Israel's apostasy was largely
traceable to their mingling with heathen nations. He had
seen that if they had obeyed God's command to keep separate
from the nations surrounding them, they would have
been spared many sad and humiliating experiences. Now
when he learned that notwithstanding the lessons of the
past, men of prominence had dared transgress the laws
given as a safeguard against apostasy, his heart was stirred
within him. He thought of God's goodness in again giving
His people a foothold in their native land, and he was
overwhelmed with righteous indignation and with grief at their
ingratitude. "When I heard this thing," he says, "I rent
my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of
my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
"Then were assembled unto me everyone that trembled
at the words of God of Israel, because of the transgression
of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied
until the evening sacrifice." Verses 3, 4.
At the time of the evening sacrifice Ezra rose, and, once
more rending his garment and his mantle, he fell upon his
knees and unburdened his soul in supplication to Heaven.
Spreading out his hands unto the Lord, he exclaimed, "O
my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to
Thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our
head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
"Since the days of our fathers," the suppliant continued,
"have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our
iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered
into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to
captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is
this day. And now for a little space grace hath been showed
from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape,
and to give us a nail in His holy place, that our God may
lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken
us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the
sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up
the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof,
and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
"And now, O our God, what shall we say after this?
for we have forsaken Thy commandments, which Thou
hast commanded by Thy servants the prophets. . . . And
after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for
our great trespass, seeing that Thou our God hast punished
us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such
deliverance as this; should we again break Thy commandments,
and join in affinity with the people of these abominations?
wouldest not Thou be angry with us till Thou hadst
consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor
escaping? O Lord God of Israel, Thou art righteous: for
we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are
before Thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before
Thee because of this." Verses 6-15.
The sorrow of Ezra and his associates over the evils that
had insidiously crept into the very heart of the Lord's work,
wrought repentance. Many of those who had sinned were
deeply affected. "The people wept very sore." Ezra 10:1.
In a limited degree they began to realize the heinousness
of sin and the horror with which God regards it. They saw
the sacredness of the law spoken at Sinai, and many trembled
at the thought of their transgressions.
One of those present, Shechaniah by name, acknowledged
as true all the words spoken by Ezra. "We have trespassed
against our God," he confessed, "and have taken strange
wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in
Israel concerning this thing." Shechaniah proposed that
all who had transgressed should make a covenant with God
to forsake their sin and to be adjudged "according to the
law." "Arise," he bade Ezra; "for this matter belongeth
unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage."
"Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites,
and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this
word." Verses 2-5.
This was the beginning of a wonderful reformation. With
infinite patience and tact, and with a careful consideration
for the rights and welfare of every individual concerned,
Ezra and his associates strove to lead the penitent of Israel
into the right way. Above all else, Ezra was a teacher of
the law; and as he gave personal attention to the examination
of every case, he sought to impress the people with the
holiness of this law and the blessings to be gained through
obedience.
Wherever Ezra labored, there sprang up a revival in
the study of the Holy Scriptures. Teachers were appointed
to instruct the people; the law of the Lord was exalted and
made honorable. The books of the prophets were searched,
and the passages foretelling the coming of the Messiah
brought hope and comfort to many a sad and weary heart.
More than two thousand years have passed since Ezra
"prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to
do it" (Ezra 7:10), yet the lapse of time has not lessened
the influence of his pious example. Through the centuries
the record of his life of consecration has inspired many with
the determination "to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it."
Ezra's motives were high and holy; in all that he did
he was actuated by a deep love for souls. The compassion
and tenderness that he revealed toward those who had
sinned, either willfully or through ignorance, should be
an object lesson to all who seek to bring about reforms. The
servants of God are to be as firm as a rock where right
principles are involved; and yet, withal, they are to manifest
sympathy and forbearance. Like Ezra, they are to teach
transgressors the way of life by calculating principles that
are the foundation of all rightdoing.
In this age of the world, when Satan is seeking, through
manifold agencies, to blind the eyes of men and women
to the binding claims of the law of God, there is need of
men who can cause many to "tremble at the commandment
of our God." Ezra 10:3. There is need of true reformers,
who will point transgressors to the great Lawgiver and
teach them that "the law of the Lord is perfect, converting
the soul." Psalm 19:7. There is need of men mighty in the
Scriptures, men whose every word and act exalts the statutes
of Jehovah, men who seek to strengthen faith. Teachers
are needed, oh, so much, who will inspire hearts with
reverence and love for the Scriptures.
The widespread iniquity prevalent today may in a great
degree be attributed to a failure to study and obey the
Scriptures, for when the word of God is set aside, its power
to restrain the evil passions of the natural heart is rejected.
Men sow to the flesh and of the flesh reap corruption.
With the setting aside of the Bible has come a turning
away from God's law. The doctrine that men are released
from obedience to the divine precepts, has weakened the
force of moral obligation and opened the floodgates of
iniquity upon the world. Lawlessness, dissipation, and corruption
are sweeping in like an overwhelming flood. Everywhere
are seen envy, evil surmising, hypocrisy, estrangement,
emulation, strife, betrayal of sacred trusts, indulgence of
lust. The whole system of religious principles and doctrines,
which should form the foundation and framework of social
life, seems to be a tottering mass, ready to fall in ruins.
In the last days of this earth's history the voice that spoke
from Sinai is still declaring, "Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me." Exodus 20:3. Man has set his will against the
will of God, but he cannot silence the word of command.
The human mind cannot evade its obligation to a higher
power. Theories and speculations may abound; men may
try to set science in opposition to revelation, and thus do
away with God's law; but stronger and still stronger comes
the command, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and
Him only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4:10.
There is no such thing as weakening or strengthening
the law of Jehovah. As it has been, so it is. It always has
been, and always will be, holy, just, and good, complete
in itself. It cannot be repealed or changed. To "honor" or
"dishonor" it is but the speech of men.
Between the laws of men and the precepts of Jehovah
will come the last great conflict of the controversy between
truth and error. Upon this battle we are now entering--a
battle not between rival churches contending for the supremacy,
but between the religion of the Bible and the religions
of fable and tradition. The agencies which have united
against truth are now actively at work. God's Holy Word,
which has been handed down to us at so great a cost of
suffering and bloodshed, is little valued. There are few who
really accept it as the rule of life. Infidelity prevails to an
alarming extent, not in the world only, but in the church.
Many have come to deny doctrines which are the very pillars
of the Christian faith. The great facts of creation as
presented by the inspired writers, the fall of man, the atonement,
the perpetuity of the law--these all are practically rejected
by a large share of the professedly Christian world. Thousands
who pride themselves on their knowledge regard it
as an evidence of weakness to place implicit confidence in
the Bible, and a proof of learning to cavil at the Scriptures
and to spiritualize and explain away their most important
truths.
Christians should be preparing for what is soon to break
upon the world as an overwhelming surprise, and this
preparation they should make by diligently studying the
word of God and striving to conform their lives to its precepts.
The tremendous issues of eternity demand of us something
besides an imaginary religion, a religion of words
and forms, where truth is kept in the outer court. God
calls for a revival and a reformation. The words of the
Bible and the Bible alone, should be heard from the pulpit.
But the Bible has been robbed of its power, and the result
is seen in a lowering of the tone of spiritual life. In many
sermons of today there is not that divine manifestation
which awakens the conscience and brings life to the soul.
The hearers cannot say, "Did not our heart burn within
us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened
to us the Scriptures?" Luke 24:32. There are many who
are crying out for the living God, longing for the divine
presence. Let the word of God speak to the heart. Let those
who have heard only tradition and human theories and
maxims, hear the voice of Him who can renew the soul
unto eternal life.
Great light shone forth from patriarchs and prophets.
Glorious things were spoken of Zion, the City of God. Thus
the Lord designs that the light shall shine forth through
His followers today. If the saints of the Old Testament
bore so bright a testimony of loyalty, should not those upon
whom is shining the accumulated light of centuries, bear
a still more signal witness to the power of truth? The
glory of the prophecies sheds their light upon our pathway.
Type has met antitype in the death of God's Son. Christ
has risen from the dead, proclaiming over the rent sepulcher,
"I am the resurrection, and the life." John 11:25. He has
sent His Spirit into the world to bring all things to our
remembrance. By a miracle of power He has preserved
His written word through the ages.
The Reformers whose protest has given us the name of
Protestant, felt that God had called them to give the light
of the gospel to the world; and in the effort to do this they
were ready to sacrifice their possessions, their liberty, even
life itself. In the face of persecution and death the gospel
was proclaimed far and near. The word of God was carried
to the people; and all classes, high and low, rich and poor,
learned and ignorant, eagerly studied it for themselves. Are
we, in this last conflict of the great controversy, as faithful
to our trust as the early Reformers were to theirs?
"Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn
assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble
the elders, gather the children: . . . let the priests, the
ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the
altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O Lord, and
give not Thine heritage to reproach." "Turn ye even to
Me with all your hearts, and with fasting, and with weeping,
and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your
garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is
gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness,
and repenteth Him of the evil. Who knoweth if He will
return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him?" Joel
2:15-17, 12-14.