Revival is a distinct renewal of our spiritual life. It is marked by a re-igniting of our faith and our commitment to God and obedience to His Word. We’ve seen God move in amazing ways to revive His people through our study of Scripture. Last week, we learned revival begins when we recognize and repent of our sins. That was the key in the revival led by King Josiah. God responded to the king’s tender heart and delayed the impending judgment for the king’s lifetime. But judgment did fall. Judah went into Babylonian captivity for seventy long years. The book of Ezra recounts the return of the exiles. They overcome great obstacles and challenges but with the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, there is great joy, and the first Passover is celebrated. Ezra 6:10 gives us the key to the great revival and celebration – separation.
God’s people have always been a separate people.
Abraham had to come out from his family and homeland. He then had to separate from Lot. God called Israel out of Egypt. The Law is full of instructions about remaining a distinct people, easily identified as the people of the Lord. In the New Testament, Paul reiterates this to the church in Corinth, a church that particularly struggled with separation from the world.
The command to be separate isn’t just applicable during Bible times. Believers today need to follow the same instruction. The world needs to see that we are different, that the Gospel transforms us. If it doesn’t change us, if we aren’t different, then why should anyone follow Jesus?
Back in the land, separation came before the Passover.
The Israelites who had returned from exile ate ⌊the Passover⌋, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the Gentiles of the land in order to worship Yahweh, the God of Israel. They observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful, having changed the Assyrian king’s attitude toward them, so that he supported them in the work on the house of the God of Israel.
Ezra 6:21-22
Not everyone went into Babylonian captivity. The poorest (and those who posed no threat) were left to tend the land. Assyria in the north and Babylon in the south then brought a mix of refugees from other conquered lands. This meant the returning Jews were greeting with a group of people who didn’t share their heritage or their worship of Yahweh. But God honored the Israelites’ efforts with an amazing time of worship.
In the same way, God will honor our efforts to remove any ungodly influences from our lives. We have to see the danger first.
Vigilance is needed to maintain separation.
Not long after that Passover, Ezra the priest arrives in the land, and he discovers a critical issue. When Israel first entered the land under Joshua’s leadership, God very plainly warned them NOT to marry foreign women. Israel didn’t listen. This led to adopting foreign gods, which broke the first and second commandments and resulted in God’s judgment.
You would think after suffering through the exile, the LAST thing Israel would do after getting back into the land would be to intermarry with the local pagans. However, that was the very thing Israel did. After a time of intense prayer and intercession, Ezra tells the people in no uncertain terms:
“Therefore, make a confession to Yahweh the God of your fathers and do His will. Separate yourselves from the surrounding peoples and ⌊your⌋ foreign wives.”
Ezra 10:11
Like Israel, we can find ourselves in the same patterns that have gotten us in trouble in our past, even after times of great revival. Ezra’s advice holds for us, too. Confess that allurement that draws us to disobedience. Actively do God’s will, that is obey His commands. Finally, do whatever it takes to put those enticements out of your life. Change habits. Get rid of possessions. Even end relationships.
Unfortunately, this is not the last time Israel has to deal with this issue. We face it as well. In 2 Corinthians 6:14, the Apostle Paul warns believers about being unequally yoked, that is married to, unbelievers. This is one of the sins the people confess in a revival led by Governor Nehemiah. We’ll look closer at that revival next time.