Personal Devotions
Notes from Mark's personal Bible reading and meditation
With a goal to apply one truth from each day's reading to my life that day
Mar 16, 2025, 7:18 AM
Passage Read: Ezra 6-9
Meditation Verses: 9:11-12
Thought
Ezra summarizes the command of God with regard to unbelievers well here. They were not to intermarry with them, and they were not to make peace with them. Ezra describes that latter part as making a treaty of friendship. The Law didn't use those words, but that's what God meant. In fact, they were to destroy all the Canaanites. But Israel is not in charge of their own land at this time, though the emperor had given Ezra instruction to teach all the peoples of the region the Laws of God, not just the Jews!
Mar 15, 2025, 11:00 AM
Passage Read: Ezra 2-5
Meditation Verses: 4:1-5
Thought
Ezra characterizes these people as enemies before anything is recorded about their deeds. Were they known as enemies from the beginning? It had been recorded elsewhere that those who were leaders were unhappy when men came to look after the welfare of the Jews. Were they unhappy that the Jews had returned? Perhaps some among those exiled to Samaria remembered the nation of Judah and didn't think kindly of them.