Daily Manna

Key Verse

“All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children” (Ezra 10:44).

TEXT — Ezra 10:31-44

Message

St. Augustine lived a wild and immoral life in his early years. At the age of 32, he was converted in answer to his mother ’s prayers. Shortly after his conversion, he saw a woman he used to know. The moment he saw her, he ran away. She called out: ‘Augustine, it’s me! Don’t you recognize me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I know it’s you, but it’s no longer me!’ A changed Augustine had truly repented!

Scriptures and experiences show that there is genuine as well as false repentance. If you want to make your way right with God and prepare for heaven, you need to ensure that your salvation is borne out of a deep-seated and authentic repentance and not a deceitful or a pretentious one. Our text is a classical portrait of genuine repentance – one that compels heartfelt sorrow for sin before God and enacts prompt action to correct their ways according to the word of God. The focus here are the Jewish exile returnees who had gone into mixed marriages with pagan women in contradiction to God’s word. Ezra summed up what they should do: correct the situation and get right with God: “Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers… and separate yourselves… from the strange wives.”

The corollary is unmistakable. Genuine and acceptable repentance before God is accompanied by brokenness of spirit, prompt action to correct or make right the sins even when it looks difficult to do – The path of repentance and restitution provide an unfettered access to the mercy throne of God where transformation and triumph abounds. It is open to all and sundry regardless of race, age, gender, social status or spiritual position, colour or creed. Time or place is inconsequential.

It is noteworthy that the repentance and restitution in our passage involved priests and Levites who had spiritual privileges. Besides, it was in the rainy season and the people came from all over Judah making their ways right in spite of the physical inconveniences. Finally, it was a public affair. No one asked for some form of privacy on account of his social standing. As it was then, so must it be today, lest it becomes a travesty and a mockery of true repentance.

Thought for the day

Nobody gets peace with God without repentance.

• Bible
• in one year
• Romans 13-16(Read By Alexander Scourby)