In Ezra 10, after Ezra’s own confession of Israel’s national sin, “a large crowd of Israelites gathered around him and wept” (verse 1). The Israelites have become convicted of their sins of intermarriage which they then confessed before God (verse 2). Under Ezra’s leadership, these people agreed to follow the Lord’s will in this very painful situation of dealing with their foreign wives and children (cf., verse 4). Shecaniah proposed that they “send away the women and children according to the Law” (verses 2-3). The people supported this suggestion with an oath. Upon investigation, the "family heads" (verse 16) created a register of those who had intermarried, and though we are not informed definitively of the outcome, we believe that the small number of those who were guilty of this sin complied with their agreement to support the decision and "pledged to put away their foreign women and children" (verse 19). This result is truly heartbreaking, but like a life-threatening cancer that attacks the body, the tumor must be surgically removed to protect the living soul – in this case – the nation of Israel.
Psalm 146 in its entirety is all about God. All ten verses contains a wealth of truth and wisdom concerning the reality in which we live our daily lives. This Psalm tells us why we should praise God. Consider that the expression, “the LORD,” is repeated eleven times with other similar descriptions of God occurring seven more times in this short passage! Why should we praise God? What does He do that is worthy of our honor? Consider again that God is “the Maker” of all things; He upholds the cause of the oppressed; He gives food to the hungry; He sets the prisoners free; He gives sight to the blind,” and so much more. These examples are just a start. The Psalmist writes that we dare “not put our trust in princes, for human beings cannot save; when they depart, their plans come to nothing” (verse 4). Every human being who dies also leaves behind “on that very day” unfulfilled hopes, dreams, and plans for tomorrow (cf., James 4:14). But God is eternal and faithful forever (verse 6). Whereas, it is utterly impossible for us to hinder His plans or purposes, God can effortlessly “frustrate the ways of the wicked” (verse 9). People would do well to acknowledge Him.
In Revelation 14:14-20, the long, structural parenthesis (cf., Revelation 12:1-14:20) concludes and the tribulation action resumes. Here, we see the coming harvest of the “grapes in the winepress of God’s wrath” (verse 19). Those who take the mark of the beast and worship him are like grapes ripened for God’s judgment – which now comes at the hands of His sharp sickle. The Apostle John begins Revelation 15 with the words, “great and marvelous” (expressed twice in verses 1 and 3). These words, which describe God’s “deeds and ways” (verse 3), are found together nowhere else in the New Testament, thus, they refer to the specific, unique event described here. In verses 1-8, we see “seven angels with the seven last plagues” – “last, because with them God’s wrath is completed” (verse 1). Those individuals who had been faithful through the judgment and “victorious over the beast,” now sing the victor’s song – “the song of Moses – praising God for His marvelous deeds and His holiness” (verses 2-4; cf., Exodus 15:1-18). This is followed by the administration of the announced plagues through the bowl judgments, the details of which John will share next in chapter 16. On this Christmas Eve, we here at the-blessed-hope.com would like to wish you a joyous Christmas Eve and a blessed Christmas Day tomorrow.
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