00:00 Introduction and Banter

00:43 Listener Feedback and Googly Discussion

02:07 Ezra's Genealogy and Mission

03:45 Ezra's Journey and God's Favor

09:47 Intermarriage Issue and Ezra's Response

15:26 Conclusion and Prayer

16:00 Podcast Outro and Call to Action

Find out more about Compass Bible Church.

Learn more about our Bible Reading Plan.

Questions or Comments? Email us podcast@compassntx.org

Hey everybody.

2

Welcome back to another edition

of the Daily Bible Podcast.

3

Hello.

4

I don't know what we're

gonna do for googly today.

5

I have none.

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I none to speak of.

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None to report.

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I don't have much either.

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But the people demand the googly, do they?

10

A lot of them do.

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Many do.

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But there are many voices who

have remained silent on it,

13

and I take their silence as.

14

As evidence of their preferences,

they're very generously trying

15

not to say anything negative.

16

Okay, so you wanna just get right into it?

17

No, I'm not saying we should do that.

18

Because I still think, that's who we are.

19

This is who we are.

20

If you take out our googly,

what else do we have?

21

I don't know exactly.

22

All we've got is our Bible knowledge.

23

We've got nothing.

24

I'm not just a brain on a stick.

25

I've got a personality fair.

26

Yeah, no, actually, somebody in California

was talking about they appreciate

27

the banter back and forth and I.

28

Dunno what they said.

29

I think they used the word, the phrase

preeminent theologians that they get

30

to eaop on preeminent theologians.

31

Preeminent.

32

Theo, no one's ever called me that before.

33

Yeah, I, I'm gonna take it and I'm

gonna put it on my business card.

34

Actually.

35

He was talking about Pastor Mark and me.

36

Oh, okay.

37

That makes more sense.

38

No, I'm just kidding.

39

That makes more sense.

40

I'm still gonna put it

on my business card.

41

Can I know who said it so I can

have a little hat tip to them?

42

I'll put it on the card too.

43

Yeah, it was actually chat.

44

GPTI asked it for different reviews on us.

45

Fantastic.

46

But positively.

47

Alright, so yeah, I'll do that.

48

No, I can't remember who said

it to be honest with you.

49

I was just joking at you.

50

They're probably listening

going, it was me.

51

I said it.

52

Alright.

53

But yeah hey maybe we should

just get to the Bible then.

54

Okay.

55

I was gonna make a comment

about the weather, but nobody

56

cares about the weather.

57

No one does.

58

It's a dumb thing to

talk about on a podcast.

59

Yeah.

60

It's not the most, it's not the most.

61

Long lasting conversation we can have.

62

No, it's not because it's like

people listen to this a month from

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now, they're gonna, they don't care.

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And some people listen from

different places than where we are.

65

And they probably don't care either.

66

They probably have nicer

weather than we do.

67

Yes.

68

Although, okay, we almost started

talking about the weather,

69

so we should not do that.

70

We should not.

71

Yeah.

72

Or quitting.

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We're gonna stop.

74

Right.

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Now.

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Hey, if you've been liking the sound

of the podcast for the past couple days

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though, you should give a shout out

and a thank you to the Morgans because

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they have been taking over our podcast,

editing on the script and producing.

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So thank you guys.

80

Yeah, well done.

81

Yep.

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Great job.

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Faithful servants.

84

Yeah.

85

Ezra, 7, 8, 9, 10, Ezra, 7, 8, 9, 10.

86

Ezra's a good name.

87

It's a great game.

88

You don't run into too

many Ezras these days.

89

I knew one.

90

Yeah, but that's it.

91

Well, there's the band better than Ezra.

92

That was out in the nineties.

93

I feel like that's a talent on Ezra.

94

Poor guy.

95

I don't know if this was the Ezra that

they had in mind, but probably not.

96

Anyways remember Ezra and

Nehemiah, they were at 1.1

97

book and we are reading a part

of the story of the resettlement.

98

And a part of the return.

99

And we're gonna read more of that when

we get to Nehemiah as well, specifically

100

about the rebuilding of the walls.

101

And that's coming up

in a couple days here.

102

But E Ezra is going to pick back up

right after what we just finished

103

reading about with Esther because Ezra's

gonna pick up in Art Ex Xes and Art

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Ex Xes is raining Art Xerxes being we

think the son of Xerxes or has, who

105

was the king during Esther's time?

106

And so Art Exer Cease is now here.

107

And that's why we took a break in Ezra.

108

We went and read Esther, and

now we're back in Ezra chapter

109

seven verses one through five.

110

You get a genealogy here of Ezra who

mentioned some pretty significant people.

111

Ezra had a pretty powerful lineage

here, including you have Zadak.

112

You have Phineas.

113

Remember Phineas with the spear and the

two people that weren't doing good things.

114

You've got Aaron and you've got Levi,

ezra was in a pretty powerful line of

115

previous priests that had come before

him and leaders that had come before him.

116

He was known as a scribe, which is

another way of referring to somebody who

117

is a teacher or a writer at the time.

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He was educated, well educated, and he was

educated specifically in the thing that

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mattered most, which is the word of God.

120

And that's what he set himself to

understand and to study most readily.

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And we see that in verses nine and 10.

122

It says, for on the first day of the.

123

First month, he began

to go up to Babylonia.

124

So it takes him five months notice

that to get from Babylon to Jerusalem.

125

When he gets there, it says

in verse 10 that the good

126

hand of the Lord was upon him.

127

For verse 10, Ezra had set his heart

to study the law of the Lord, to do it,

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and to teach his statutes in Israel.

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So I think that's such a good paradigm

for us when we come to the word of God.

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Ezra's focus was, I wanna study,

I wanna do and I wanna teach.

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And when you think about being a fully.

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Formed follower of Jesus Christ,

that's a good indication that

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you are doing things well.

134

If you are studying God's word, if you

are obeying God's word, and then if

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you're teaching God's word to other

people, that's something that's so good.

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That's a paradigm that's

worthy of our emulation.

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And we see it there from Ezra

here in Ezra chapter seven.

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Yeah, and you don't even need

to have a pulpit to do this, you

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don't need a ministry or a podcast.

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You can do this anywhere.

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Your coworkers.

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Can learn from your study and

your doing and your teaching.

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Yeah.

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All of this is just the way that

God has designed a Christian life.

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We ingest it in order to express

it, and that's what Ezra does.

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So especially well, he's trained for it.

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Yes.

148

To be sure.

149

But this is the regular

practice of the Christian life.

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Yeah.

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We learn so we can teach.

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And Ezra's gonna come back.

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It says, the good hand of

God's God's good favor.

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The good hand of God's favor was upon him.

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Such that in verses 11 through 28,

he's gonna be sent back to Jerusalem.

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Here with the financial blessing and the

financial support of our ex Xerxes, as

157

well as a letter authorizing the work

to be done that needed to be done there.

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And so God is showing him favor.

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Now we're gonna read that phrase,

the good hint of God was upon him pr.

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Any insights for us into

thinking about that phrase and

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is it something that we should.

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Pursue for us?

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Is it something that we

should individualize?

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Can we experience the good hand

of God on us as individuals?

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Is it more corporate?

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Ezra?

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It was individual, but it was individual

for the good of the people of Israel.

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Is this something tangible or

is this just generally speaking

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about the blessings of God?

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Yeah, I think this is

an interesting phrase.

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I caught that too.

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It's hard to miss it.

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He sprinkles it all over the book.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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So I wondered if this was something

connected to the covenants,

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God protecting his people.

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Promising that he would do good to them.

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And so this is part of that.

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The good hand of the Lord

is upon him for favor.

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And I think it's true that

it's connected to the covenant.

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But I would also say that as a Christian,

the good hand of God is upon us for

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favor, but perhaps not in the same way.

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I would say that the favor that God has

promised us is the Romans eight favor.

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Nothing can stand against us that

God is not going to use for his

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good or his glory in our good.

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And so consequently.

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Our protection, our favor our good

hand of the Lord upon us is there.

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And it's better.

190

It's not just for the tangible, Hey,

you're gonna get a job promotion, you're

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gonna get that house you put a bid on.

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It's gonna be 10,000

under what they're asking.

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Yeah.

194

God might do that.

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And very often under the new

Covenant, he does do those things.

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He's very happy to be

generous to his kids.

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And we could say, thank

you, Lord, for your favor.

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That was a good thing, and

you should be grateful.

199

That is an expression of

his kindness toward us.

200

But.

201

Unlike under the Old Testament, God

does not explicitly spell out material

202

blessings in the way that he does for

them that is connected to their covenant.

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It's not for ours.

204

And so under the new Covenant, we

have a superior blessing in Christ.

205

We now know that we for sure have God's

favor, and number two, the favor that we

206

have is a spiritual favor that guarantees

our protection, our perseverance

207

in his glory through our lives.

208

What would you add to that?

209

Yeah, just what we read in

chapter eight verse, verse 23.

210

He says, the hand of our God is

for good on all who seek him.

211

And then he contrasts that, I guess

this is verse 22, and the power of his

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wrath is against all who forsake him.

213

Again, I agree with you.

214

I think there's a covenantal

component of this that we have to

215

be careful not to extrapolate out

and apply to ourselves directly.

216

And yet I think the principle is there.

217

The hand of the Lord is good on all

who seek him, and that's where we

218

would come back to the, that all things

work together for good, as you were

219

talking about, for those who love God.

220

I think that loving, that seeking, I think

there's even parallel components there.

221

It's just that, that God

gets to define what's good.

222

Not us.

223

That's right.

224

And that's true for Ezra's Day.

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That's true for our day as well.

226

So I would agree with

your assessment on that.

227

Everything that you just said,

you agree with everything I said.

228

Just tell me and concisely

with one phrase, I agree with

229

everything that you said.

230

Can you just say that?

231

You just said that.

232

So let's, can we mark that now?

233

We're not gonna mark that.

234

We didn't make that make.

235

But we could and then we, it's

not as funny if I agree with you.

236

That's obvious.

237

In fact, that's the whole point, right?

238

I think that's as far from obvious

as that we could possibly give.

239

In fact, that was the other

feedback I got this week.

240

We love hearing both of you

disagree with each other on things.

241

And that's, see I told you, it's

productive people like that.

242

Let me come back to you.

243

Lemme clarify.

244

They said it's fun to listen to two

preeminent theologians who respect

245

very eminent disagree on something.

246

And I was like as long as at the end

of the day you think that I'm right

247

and he's wrong, then we're good to go.

248

They did not confirm

that was their stance.

249

No, they confirmed nor deny.

250

It is helpful to adhere to mature.

251

I hope.

252

Christians, I hope I could say that

without sounding haughty does disagree

253

about things that are important.

254

Yeah.

255

And it's helpful to see, and I, it'd

be great if we had more of that.

256

I think the right idea.

257

This is hat tip to Charlie

Kirk learning how to disagree.

258

Agreeably is an important feature of

the Christian faith because we know.

259

Scripture tells us that none

of us knows everything, so I'm

260

sure I'm wrong about things.

261

I'd like to figure that out before I die.

262

Yeah.

263

A lot of times I find when I get worked up

over something, it's because I'm allowing

264

my personal emotions to be offended.

265

When somebody disagrees with me, it's

like, I feel offended personally.

266

Yeah.

267

And it's not really an

attack on me at all.

268

It's just.

269

That's not how I see it.

270

Yeah.

271

And so there's an opportunity to remove

the emotion from the situation, to be

272

able to just say, let's consider this and

let's get to the bottom of what is true.

273

Yeah.

274

Yeah.

275

I appreciate that Pastor

Mike told you that man.

276

He called his preeminent theologians too.

277

Huh?

278

He loves hearing.

279

It's crazy.

280

It's crazy.

281

It's crazy.

282

It is kidding.

283

Anyways I mentioned that

one verse from Ezra eight.

284

The rest of Ezra eight is a genealogy.

285

Again, it's a list of names of

those who returned with Ezra.

286

He's gonna gather in verses 15 through

23, he's gonna gather the priest.

287

This is a foresight from Ezra to know,

okay, we're gonna need priests for

288

the ministry that needs to be done.

289

And so he's making sure that he's got

the people in order, that they're there.

290

He, they're gonna pray for protection

and also for this journey that they're

291

gonna go on, he's gonna entrust

them with the care of the money.

292

And the temple vessels along the way.

293

And so he is delegating here.

294

He's demonstrating leadership on the way

back on, on their return from Babylon.

295

Again, a five month journey

from Babylon to Jerusalem.

296

He's doing this and leading

well and preparing well

297

throughout this entire time.

298

Chapter nine.

299

Then we get into some interesting

situations in chapter nine and 10.

300

Ezra learns in chapter nine of

intermarriage that has taken place.

301

And so what we mean by intermarriage

is that the Israelites had been

302

marrying the foreigners in the land.

303

So this was one of the main issues that

led to exile in the first place was God's.

304

Order to marry only those that are God

fears was ignored and the people of Israel

305

were marrying foreign women and foreigners

and they were going after their gods.

306

And that was the biggest

threat, was that they were gonna

307

lead them astray spiritually.

308

And so here Ezra finds out about this,

and what's interesting is he clearly.

309

Seeks God on this.

310

He does not make the decision that

he's gonna make and counsel and advise

311

the things that he's gonna counsel

and advise without going to the Lord.

312

And we read that in verse five.

313

He says, at the evening, sacrifice, I rose

from my fasting with my garment and my

314

cloak torn and fell on my knees and spread

out my hands to the Lord, my God, saying,

315

and then he's going to seek the Lord.

316

And he says in verse 10, he says, now,

oh God, what should we say after this?

317

We have forsaken your commandments.

318

And so he's looking to the

Lord to say, what should.

319

We do, and in chapter 10,

what we find here, and it's.

320

It's sobering and I think we talked about

it last year and I think we'll probably

321

talk about it every time we come to this.

322

I'm sure we did because we

covered it last year as well.

323

Yeah.

324

It's this question of God seems to imply,

or not only imply, but command that they

325

divorce them, that they dissolve these

marriages, and at the end of the day, I

326

can only come to the conclusion that God

did not look at these as valid, legitimate

327

marriages under the Old Testament

context this is, I think, different.

328

I don't think we can take this and

transfer it to the New Testament.

329

In fact, in one Corinthians chapter

seven, the apostle Paul says that the

330

believing spouse is supposed to remain

with the unbelieving spouse, but it's

331

a different situation there because of.

332

The new covenant and different

context that we're dealing with here.

333

This is the covenant people

of God and they had disobeyed

334

a covenant command of his.

335

And so the command is break off these

marriages, divorce these foreign

336

wives because this was against

God's will from the very beginning.

337

And so this is something

that God does command.

338

And if you're looking for where

we see that, verse 11 now,

339

when now then make concession.

340

Or confession to the Lord, the God of

your fathers, and do his will separate

341

yourselves from the peoples of the

land and from the foreign wives.

342

So therein, Ezra is

saying, this is God's will.

343

You need to divorce these

foreign wives from your midst.

344

And again, I think it's because God

didn't look at them as valid marriages

345

to begin with as number two because

the great threat it was to his people

346

that they would end up drifting into

that same apostasy and idolatry that

347

they did under the the pre exile time.

348

Okay.

349

One of the factors in something

like this, and I, it's hard for

350

us to wrap our minds around it.

351

It seems cruel and sensitive.

352

It seems like God is doing

something that is uncharacteristic

353

to his nature and his person.

354

I think one of the factors, and there's

many here to add into your consideration,

355

but one is the fact that the Jewish

people needed to be a people that

356

were set apart for God's purposes.

357

They were designed that way, and in fact.

358

Even for the line of the Messiah,

there had to be an unbroken

359

lineage of Jewish people.

360

You had to have Jewish moms and dads

produce Jewish kids who would be further

361

moms and dads who had produced more

Jewish kids because the Messiah depended

362

upon that unbroken line of succession.

363

And so I wonder if part of what's

happening here is a purification of

364

God's people to say this is necessary and

important for the purposes that I have to

365

bless not just you guys, but the world.

366

The Abrahamic covenant was to.

367

Ultimately bless everybody,

not just the Jewish people.

368

And so this is a long-term play

by God that had very palpable

369

short-term consequences.

370

And so I think what's happening

here is God saying this is

371

necessary for the larger, bigger

purposes that I have for you.

372

It can't be that we have a solid line,

and I know there's baggage to all this

373

language because it has undertones

of racism and there's a whole lot

374

of new meanings injected into that.

375

Not talking about that at all.

376

Talking about how God planned to

accomplish his purposes through the

377

Jewish people, and it was important

that they be, get this Jewish.

378

Yeah.

379

I get the baggage there.

380

This is not so much about their ethnicity

though, and more about their religiosity.

381

This is about.

382

Whether or not they were God

fearers more than anything else.

383

That's the purity of the line.

384

There is about people that fear

the Lord and people that are gonna

385

be descendants according to, yeah.

386

Part of it is race when it comes to

him, but the reason why the others were

387

excluded wasn't, was more because they

didn't fear the Lord than anything else.

388

It had, so yeah there's.

389

The physical line, there's

the religious line.

390

And for God, all of that mattered.

391

The whole reason they were for forbidden

from intermarrying is because they

392

knew that those intermarriages would

pollute their religious purity.

393

Yeah.

394

And so all of these things work together.

395

There's a lot to say about that, but Yes.

396

But it's not as though an Israelite

could never marry Nonis Israelite.

397

That's true.

398

Because you have That's true.

399

Non Israelites in the line of Christ.

400

You do there were times where those

from outside of the community of

401

Israel, and that's something that

we have to remember is Israel was

402

supposed to be a light to the nations.

403

They didn't do their job very well,

but part of God's plan was for the

404

nations to be grafted into Israel.

405

Now he's realizing that now by sidelining

Israel and grafting the church into, to

406

Israel, into, to the nation of Israel.

407

And then he's gonna bring Israel

back on the scene later on.

408

But from the time that they were

formed, Israel was supposed to be

409

a light to the nations that the

nations might know and see the glory

410

of God through the people of Israel.

411

And so there were those that were from

outside of Israel that did understand

412

that you've got Rahab, you've got

others that, that came and joined

413

themselves to the people of God.

414

And even rah rehab, being in,

in the line of Christ, being

415

mentioned in the line of Christ.

416

You've got, situations where you've got

outsiders that are still brought into

417

the people, covenant people of God.

418

So that's where I go back to this isn't,

you are not an Israelite, so you have

419

something inherently wrong with you.

420

It's, you've rejected the God of

Israel and that's the main problem.

421

Amen to that.

422

That's a helpful clarification.

423

Alright, anything else on, on Ezra here?

424

I'm good.

425

Okay.

426

Let's pray and then we'll be done.

427

God give us wisdom to, to know the

things that we can know and humility,

428

to know the things that we don't

understand and to be able to draw that

429

line and not make bold statements or

conclusions on things that we shouldn't.

430

And so, God we thank you that

you've given us your word and given

431

us an ability to understand as

much as we can and even given us.

432

Other men and women who who understand

your word as well, that we can learn from.

433

So help us to do that, Lord

with the humility necessary so

434

that we can know more of you

ultimately, and that's our desire.

435

We pray this all in Jesus name.

436

Amen.

437

Keep reading your Bibles tuned

again tomorrow for another edition

438

of the Daily Bible Podcast.

439

We'll see you then.

440

Bye.

441

Bernard: Well, thank you for

listening to another episode of

442

the Daily Bible Podcast, folks!

443

We're honored to have you join us.

444

This is a ministry of Compass

Bible Church in north Texas.

445

You can find out more information

about our Church at compassntx.org.

446

We would love for you to leave a

review, to rate, or to share this

447

podcast on whatever platform you're

listening on, and we hope to see

448

you again tomorrow for another

episode of the Daily Bible Podcast.

449

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

450

PJ: Yeah.

451

I would agree with

everything that you said