Day 36 - Ezra 10:6

A Fasted Journey for Spiritual Renewal

Day 36

“Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles.” -Ezra 10:6

For the third time in this forty days we come again to the book of Ezra. As a reminder, since it was way back on Day 3 when Ezra was first brought into the picture, he had “set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). So Ezra is a teacher and student of the Law. This is important from a contextual standpoint because each of us are different. Our gifts are different. Our passions are different. Our desires are different. All these are used by God for His eternal purposes if we are open to His will.

Ezra was open to His will, and this included numerous instances of fasting. Due to his study and dedication to the Law, Ezra realized the importance of fasting. Private fasting, as well as calling the people to fast, and including the sharing of fasting for others to see and learn from as we can again with today’s passage. We’ve seen fasting of this type before. Previously by Ezra, as well as by Daniel, Nehemiah and Joel. This type of fasting was repentant in nature. All of these men mentioned fasted to repent on behalf of their nation.

Although Ezra was not guilty of the faithlessness mentioned here, the nation as a whole were. So Ezra took it upon himself to fast and mourn over this faithlessness. The outward action of the fast showed the inward heart of Ezra. Oftentimes people put forth some type of visible action, although their heart isn’t in it. We’ve discussed examples of that before too as with examples of the Pharisees fasting to be seen or to be able to talk about their fasting with ulterior motives. God knows the heart though.

Ezra goes on to call the people out on their sin and challenges them to make it right. Further bolstering Ezra’s call to repentance was that he carried with his decree the weight of the king since Ezra was charged by the king to lead the people back to their land. In this instance, the issue at hand was the turning away from God’s Law and being “unequally yoked” with unbelievers. Many even of the “leaders,” including priests, Levites, and gatekeepers, were guilty of this sin as annotated near the end of the chapter.

Although the people rectified their sin with God, they would again slip into the same degenerative sin just one generation later as annotated in Nehemiah 13. Our own nation is guilty in similar fashion. We have turned away from God. When a nation rejects God, He gives them the leaders they deserve and will remind them of His power by bringing judgment upon them if they do not repent. Sodom & Gomorrah and the surrounding cities are probably the starkest example of judgement being brought. Nineveh is the example that comes to mind of the opposite being true since the king and the people repented of their evil ways and pagan idolatry.

Psalm 9:15-17 says, “The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.” Our foot, collectively, is caught by our own net right now. Repentance, prayer, and following God’s word is the way out. I don’t hold my breath on America turning back to the one true God, but that doesn’t abdicate us from doing as He commands. 

I am not a medical professional. This journal is about my spiritual path and about that which the Lord has placed on me. This is not medical advice, nor was this fast done for any medical purpose. If you have a medical interest, seek medical advice. If you have particular health concerns, seek medical advice and/or conduct your own research. Any fasting advice, effects, realizations or anything else related to my fast come from my personal reflection and experience. If you are considering fasting, consulting with a healthcare provider may be appropriate for you.