To Seek A Right Way For US
Submitted by Ted Mock
June 11, 2025
Ezr 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
There are many good things said of Ezra in the short book that bears his name. He is called a “ready scribe” in the law of Moses. It says that the hand of the Lord was upon him, and that he had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord. He was a meticulous record keeper and liked to do things, as they say, by the book. He was doing all he could to understand the Word of God and teach it to others.
His singular devotion to the things of God made him the perfect spiritual leader of the people returning from the Babylonian captivity to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. His motivation was simple. He was seeking from God the right way to go for the people, their little ones, and their substance.
In the last two chapters he had to deal with the problem of the “holy seed” mingling with the Gentile people of the land. The leaders and even the priesthood were arranging the marriages, which were forbidden for the priest in the law of Moses.
This was nothing new because Satan has always tried to corrupt the godly line with such unions. Before the flood with unholy unions, and in Numbers with the daughters of Moab, Satan’s deception brought judgment from God. Ezra dealt with the problem swiftly, and they put away the strange wives among them. One of the saddest verses in the Bible is the last verse in Ezra when it says, “and some of them had wives by whom they had children.”
When the people of God marry outside the will of God, it is the children who suffer the most. In our day, Christians should not marry lost people. When they do, conflict between parents often will lead to divorce. In other cases, children will not be raised in a household that serves God faithfully in church, even when one parent is absent.
Marry in God’s will to another believer. Marriage, at best, is difficult. It takes work, even for believers, to make marriage work and avoid divorce. Make the Lord the third Person in your marriage.
Ec 4:12 ...a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Consider – Out of the mouth of babes come things parents never should have said.
