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• Juliana Baioni

  So what happened to all the wives and children that were being "put away?" I understand this was a necessary move for the purity of Israel but I also believe that in God's holiness and providence that He wouldn't ask the Israelites to abandon their wives and children and than somehow provide for them... Even though they don't believe in the God of Israel, He wouldn't just leave them with nothing. Right?

  Second question... The chapter only talks about Israelite men annulling their marriages to pagan women. What about Israelite women married to pagan men? We're they required to leave too, do you think, or were they considered lost because now they were under the power of their husbands?

  Third question: What if someone was from one of the pagan tribes but had converted to faith in the God of Israel, like Ruth? We're those marriages required to be annulled too?

  I know that most of these answers aren't going to necessarily be found directly in Scripture but if anyone had any insight, I would appreciate.

  This chapter also solidifies in me the belief of being "equally-yoked" and the importance of sharing the same faith with one's spouse. Lord, help me to not make a poor decision in life...

• James Eng

  Verse 9: all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain.
  We are looking at the time between the 3rd and 4th decree. Fast forward and compare the time between the 3rd and 4th angels message. Calling people out of false worship,atime of much searching and trouble concerning this work accompanied with time of the latter rain upon them. Let us behold Him and be convicted and empowered to do this work. Lord we want to go,home! Give us united hearts that love beyond ourselves.

• ktonline35211

  FIRST A QUESTION. When a man with mulitiple wives comes into the SDA truth, how does he handle the family dynamic of many wives and children?

  NOW MY COMMENTS: If the love manifested in Christ doesn.t conquer all in a person's life then, the love of humans will not do the complete work.

  The turning away of Haggai was one of what we may compare to letting a mistress go; although in Abraham's day she was a second wife. This of course was more understandable; for even today, if one has a family outside of their first wife and children, the other woman and sadly the child too must be put away. (Although I believe the father should find a way to see and have input into that out of marriage child(ren)).

  But, our reading today implies that these families may have been first wives and their families. I once heard some one say that we have a choice when the time to make the choice comes; but we do not have a choice as to the consequences. In this case the consequences were hard and to some of us (me for one) appear very harsh. From what I read, it was the leaders who came with this 'offering'. There is no specific statement that they went to the Lord for guidance in this matter; although it does seem that they had done some serious soul searching and as a community came up with this sacrifice.

  There are a few situations in the Bible that are hard to understand and take. For example, when we were reading about the amount of human and physical destruction it took to conquer the Promised Land, many commented on how they did not understand. This to me is hard to understand. Ethiopia Girl's comments are so on point.

  Some questions in my mind are what did the wives and children think about them being a living sacrifice? How could this choice of the husbands have a positive impact on their families lives as to seeing the God of Israel as a loving, caring, and providing God? It was not the wives fault that they were taken in marriage for women did not choose in those days. And it definitely was not the children faults for being born! Were the wives who may have 'converted' also put away? What of the children who may have accepted the Lord for themselves? None of that is clear from the text. My mom always points me to the faith of Abraham and his position on the idea that God; which was that the judge of all the earth will do what is right. The sacrifice of these families was evidently acceptable to God. And so for me I must exercise the faith of Abraham for mine is too weak in this case.

  What of us today? We who may have deliberately married unbelievers. If we made that choice were we really believers ourselves; fully surrendered to God? Now that we have decided to return to the Lord do we put our families away as so much rubbage? And what of our children both inside and outsideof our marriages? Are we now to put them away and act as though they don't exist? Give them nothing and in a sense accept no responsibility for their care and protection?

  As the Word says through Samuel to Saul to obey is better than sacrifice.

• kayreen

  Wow I have been asking my husband all these questions and I have assured him that by the end of the day the Lord will reveal the answers to the RBHWF amen thanks for sharing

• Max Romeo

  There is a time to weep bitterly for the children of Israel. This is a good example set here for the leaders in God's church today. The sins of the people must be placed at the foot of the cross. The example is also set for the entire membership. Leaders can by the help of the Holy Spirit to initiate the path of revival and reformation, it is for us join with them and the blessings of the Lord will be seen in our churches. Have a joyful day.

• Harriet

  RBHW family could you please make your comments a bit shorter to enable the slow readers like myself go through everyone 's comments I'm sure you agree with me that the no has increased .

• Jay

  In some ways, this is similar to when Abraham had to send Hagar and Ishmael away for the sake of keeping unity in the family. A wife/mother with pagan influence would have had repercussions on the people of God for generations to come. A costly mistake required a tough decision to put away their wives; it was not an easy choice to make; just as it was a struggle for Abraham to put away Hagar and Ishmael. Today, it is a struggle for us to put away those precious sins, but through prayer and humiliation we can do all things through God who strengthens us.

  Good point Pastor Mwansa about the people of God facing opposition from people in their own ranks. We ought not to be discouraged when we see our brethren oppose the message and practice of revival and reformation. Let us not let any obstruction separate us from God. Heavenly Father, let your will be done within our lives and if we are not willing, Lord make us willing. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

• hategekimana79

  Thank you Pastor Mwansa! We have to keep on going of the promise of God but following the way of reformation. We have to reform day by day. The God's hand is always to show us what to realize in our spiritual life. Thank u to the family!

• charock01

  What Now Lord?
  Father of all creation, God of our salvation we acknowledge Your sovereignty and you matchless love toward us. You are indeed awesome and worthy of all our worship, praise, and adoration, and we offer them up to You freely.

  Father, we also recognize our sinfulness, our hard-heartedness, and our frustratingly stubborn bent to stray outside of our will. Some of us have clearly made poor choices in those we are married to; others of us have cultivated sinful habits that are sapping every spiritual energy from our beings. We recognize that we are not only hurting ourselves, but we're hurting You with all this sinning and rebellion. We confess all our sins before you today (hating people, committing adultery, hooked on pornography, following the sinful leading of our spouses, abusive to our children, homosexual entanglements, backbiting, laziness, and many, many others Lord). Father you deserve better and deep within my heart I yearn to live only for your glory.

  So what now Lord; where do we go from here? All these issues call for reform, but we can't do them on our own. Our most potent weapon is to pray for Your forgiveness, but after that comes action. Please tell us what to do; tell us how to break our addictions. Some of us who struggle with pornography must decide whether we give up cable and the internet, which means no access to RBHW and many other wholesome resources. There are illicit cyber relationships that take place through video calls, emails and other facilities. These must cease as well. Please show us what to do. What happens when we know a certain email address and a certain telephone number by heart (information we'd do well to forget)? The boundaries of many of our marriages must be redefined, and that is not going to be easy, but with You all things are possible - guide us Lord. Lord the days ahead are long ones, and the things to be accomplished are well beyond our human capability to handle, but please place Your love within us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. At length Lord, we desire a revival of no mean order, and we'll all experience a Church that is truly reformed; a gift worthy for an awesome God. In Jesus' name, amen.

• kayreen

  Yes bro you touched my comfort zone here. Speak Lord your maid servant needs strength to listen thanks for sharing

• Viveen McLeary

  Amen. Praise God.

• Desiree

  Amen and amen

• Errol Lloyd Dunkley

  Good morning my RBHW family. Thanks for your comments Pastor Pardon. Reformation comes at a cost, not to God but to us who have disobeyed His Laws and have lived in a sinful state. Putting away the things of the world, and forsaking worldly attractions may cause pain and loneliness but in the end it is worth it all. My prayer today is that we will put away all the strange gods in our midst and return to true worship of the true God.

• Steve Johnson

  Amen

• kayreen

  Yes Lord

• Jean Wade

  Amen.

• Desiree

  Amen,praise HIS Holy Name.

• Robert_Scott_Bryson

  God forgive me, because I know my character all too well. I could not abandon my pagan wife, a wife who has born my children, a wife who has huddled with me in tents, with the rain and the wind howling around us, like some unholy spirit. Even now she waits for me, beyond the temple; even now she huddles, a mere bundle of rags, waiting for my return. I think I hear my children crying, caught by the wind, howling against the injustice of it all. I will rush to them, not turning around to see the temple diminishing, retreating, in the background but search for my pagan wife, my wife; yes, we will cling to each other, as darkness falls, and as we are consumed once more by the dust, an all consuming dust.
  

• Jaye_Ghee

  Today as I read the last chapter of Ezra, I am not sure whether I should weep or rejoice. Is this a glorious day or a sad day? Reformation is a wonderful thing, and this is most important. I could not help reflecting on the pain that must have been felt by the family members involved. Lord, please help us to always consult you in the choices we make and to follow your leading, even when we don't quite understand

• Desiree

  Amen,help us FATHER.

• Errol Lloyd Dunkley

  Amen. Reformation certainly causes pain and sufferings, but in the end the reward that awaits us is more valuable.

• Ethiopia Girl

  I'm certain that my first thoughts in reading this passage wasn't the main theme, but they struck me and stayed with me throughout the reading. What a mess the leaders and people made in marrying outside of their faith. In hindsight, they're trying to rectify the wrong they've done, but look at the carnage left in the wake of their foolish decisions; families torn apart by this remedy. Some of the women returned, might not be accepted warmly in their families. The children will have to grow up without one of their parents. The fix may have cleansed Judah, but the turmoil it caused exacted a heavy price on the people.

  It's no different today. When we marry outside of our faith, there are consequences. If a believer stays with an unbeliever, he/she risks being lured away from the truth. Leaving, or being left by an unbeliever, might result in children being raised in single parent homes, or as is the case these days; being raised in two separate homes a week at a time. What sort of split personalities must that cause.

  God knew the damage intermarriage with pagans cause and warned His people against the practice of mixing with the inhabitants of the land. In these last and perilous days, he knows the danger that awaits couples who risk yoking themselves unequally with unbelievers believing that "love will conquer all." While God's true love does conquer all, there are still consequences for disobeying God's direction.

  Thank the Lord that he is gracious and forgiving, but remember that He made us and knows what's best for us. We should avoid the pitfalls of disobedience and follow his will in the first place.

  Blessings all!

• Viveen McLeary

  Amen.

• Desiree

  Amen Sis,blessings to you also.

• Errol Lloyd Dunkley

  Amen. My sister a lot of us take God for granted, and we behave as if we have total control over our lives. When we do things contrary to the will of God, we must be prepared to pay the consequences. God is not slack concerning His instructions to us. All He ask for is obedience.

• guest

  that's the trouble. God has given us total control over our lives and when we don't surrender that control to HIM we mess up big time and have so much difficulty and cost to ourselves and to those whose lives we have impacted; some to destruction. The way of the transgressor is hard and nowhere is it more evident as in our family dynamic.

• rachel sealy

  Today’s
  Bible reading highlights how families are often ruined by ungodly decisions and by
  disobedience to the will of God. Today there
  are husbands and wives making decisions and involving themselves in actions that
  are against the will of God; and the ones who suffer the most are the children.
  Let every parent reading this today
  determine in their hearts to turn back to God.
  Let every parent reading this today decide that the will of God and
  purpose of God must be fulfilled in their home.
  There is a Ghanaian proverb which states that the ruins of a nation
  begins in the homes of its people. Let us as Seventh Day Adventist determine by
  God’s grace that our homes would not contribute to the ruin of a nation

• kayreen

  Lord help me to pray this prayer today not only to pray but act upon it I need your strenghth

• Desiree

  Amen.

• Derek Morris

  We are all leaders, and, like Ezra, we set an example for those within our circle of influence. Lord, help us all to be leaders who lead not just with our words but with our lives.

• Viveen McLeary

  Amen Pastor.

• Desiree

  Amen and amen.

• Matija Kovačević

  Let's have this same spirit as Shechaniah, and let's say to our godly leaders who lead the Remnant into revival and reformation: “We are with you, Ezra, so be of good courage, and do it.”

• Max Romeo

  Amen my brother.

• Denis Lavrut

  Recently we had a sermon at my church comparing the eagle and the chicken and the preacher mentioned that while the rooster will go from one hen to another, the eagle has only one partner for life. Marriage is not just to take a wife, or a husband so that we can fulfill our sexual needs and to have "someone" beside us not to be alone going through life. Marriage is to share everything and to become one. My kids will make their own decisions when they are adults but I pray that they will remember what I have told them over all their years about marriage, which is that you don't marry someone because you're happy now and because everything fits now. You marry someone because you'll be happy when you have kids and when you have problems, and when the guy starts losing his hair and starts to wonder about life. Marriage is a life long partnership where you will share everything and make decisions together. Therefore I keep saying "you can't marry someone who does not worship your God the way you worship Him". You will then become two separate persons, like a house with a crack in the middle. For us Adventist, it is very particular because we worship on Sabbath. So how does that work when you marry a Sunday person? And what do you teach your children ? How confusing. So marrying someone with a different religion, even a different denomination is just planting problems to happen in ten, twenty years. I keep saying, project yourselves in twenty years before you marry someone. Imagine where you will live, what job you will do and what happens when one gets a promotion. Imagine your children and their children, how are you both going to handle this on a daily basis ? Here at the conclusion of Ezra's book, it ends up in sorrow. How can I ask my wive and children to leave because I should not have married them? How do I explain to a child that he or she should not have been conceived ?? It's inhuman and by making the wrong choices, by not being diligent enough in the choices and decisions we make, we create inhuman situations and sadness without name. Children are treasures, and adults are tormenting these treasures because of their mistakes, because of their short thinking and their sexual drives. Lord forgive me for all the mistakes in my life that caused pain to my children and help me to be a good and strong father, and in some years grandfather, that I will never think of myself before I think of You and Your will and all the people who will be affected by the decisions and choices I make. In Jesus name, amen.

• Steve Johnson

  Brother, how I echo your comments today and for the future. You said it all.

• kayreen

  Hey brother Denis this was revealed to you by the holy spirit thank you for sharing it am blest

• Viveen McLeary

  Amen Denis. Thanks for sharing.

• Desiree

  Amen,indeed my selfish action has caused much pain but thank GOD for forgiveness and a new beginning.

• Mabel

  Amen, it is because of these choices we make that so much sadness is present in this world. We are basically selfish in choosing partners, its never usually about thoughts of the long term nor whether the choice is being made according to God's design. Praise God for those who do otherwise. I join you in being extremely sorry for the mistakes I have made in making selfish choices.

• Denis Lavrut

  Amen.

• Eddie Armstrong

  Denis,

  There is a wonderful series by Pastor Henry Wright (SDA Pastor) called "The Holy Spirit and Choosing a Mate." Very good 6 part series.
  Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

• Viveen McLeary

  Thanks for sharing this link Eddie. Have a great day and God bless.

• Denis Lavrut

  Thank you bro. Really happy you sent me this link. I also found these sermons on http://www.christianlifemediac... so I can download to my phone to listen while I'm driving. Have a blessed day.

• Mabel

  Yes Eddie, I have watched these series, very enlightening!!

• Julie

  Well said Denis. Families are now broken. The children have lost their natural fathers. Wives have lost their husbands. Why? Simple - the consequence of not following God's laws/direction. So often we make decisions in the immediate, what feels good, relying on our own wisdom, forsaking God's law and directions because of the need for instant gratification. Then comes the natural consequences of sin that impacts on not just the individual but the children as well as the extended families.. Father God help us to be totally surrendered to your will. God bless y'all.

• Desiree

  Amen.

• Denis Lavrut

  Amen

• Eddie Armstrong

  Amen Brother Denis! As everyone knows, I recently married the person I prayed for. Judy, my wife, is a daughter of a retired SDA pastor and a long time SDA herself. But most important, she loves the Lord and has the same passion for His work as do I. Almost 2 years ago, we both were praying the same prayer for someone who could be our soul mate, but we were very particular about the person being a sincere SDA Christian.
  I believe God will lead us to the right person if we let him. I will remember your children in my prayers. God bless and have a great week!

• Steve Johnson

  Amen...........I have so much to learn and so little time. It is only through Jesus Christ can I drink the cup of living water. Praise God!

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