Bible Lesson: Intercessory Prayer:
Ezra Intercedes For The People Of God.
Bible Text:
Ezra 9:1-15 NLT (Ezra’s Prayer
concerning Intermarriage.)
1 When these things had been done,
the Jewish leaders came to me and said, “Many of the people of
Israel, and even some of the priests and Levites, have not
kept themselves separate from the other peoples living in the land.
They have taken up the detestable practices of the Canaanites,
Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and
Amorites.
2 For the men of Israel have married
women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons.
So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages. Worse
yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in this
outrage.”
3 When I heard this, I tore my cloak
and my shirt, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down
utterly shocked.
4 Then all who trembled at the words
of The God Of Israel came and sat with me because of this outrage
committed by the returned exiles. And I sat there utterly appalled
until the time of the evening sacrifice.
5 At the time of the sacrifice, I
stood up from where I had sat in mourning with my clothes torn. I
fell to my knees and lifted my hands to The Lord my God.
6 I prayed, “O my God, I am
utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are
piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the
heavens.
7 From the days of our ancestors
until now, we have been steeped in sin. That is why we and our kings
and our priests have been at the mercy of the pagan kings of the
land. We have been killed, captured, robbed, and disgraced, just as
we are today.
8 “But now we have been given a
brief moment of grace, for The Lord our God has allowed a few of us
to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy place.
Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from our
slavery.
9 For we were slaves, but in His
unfailing love our God did not abandon us in our slavery. Instead, He
caused the kings of Persia to treat us favorably. He revived us so we
could rebuild the Temple of our God and repair its ruins. He has
given us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
10 “And now, O our God, what
can we say after all of this? For once again we have abandoned your
commands!
11 Your servants the prophets
warned us when they said, ‘The land you are entering to possess is
totally defiled by the detestable practices of the people living
there. From one end to the other, the land is filled with corruption.
12 Don’t let your daughters
marry their sons! Don’t take their daughters as wives for your
sons. Don’t ever promote the peace and prosperity of those nations.
If you follow these instructions, you will be strong and will enjoy
the good things the land produces, and you will leave this prosperity
to your children forever.’
13 “Now we are being punished
because of our wickedness and our great guilt. But we have actually
been punished far less than we deserve, for you, our God, have
allowed some of us to survive as a remnant.
14 But even so, we are again
breaking your commands and intermarrying with people who do these
detestable things. Won’t your anger be enough to destroy us, so
that even this little remnant no longer survives?
15 O Lord, God Of Israel, you are
just. We come before you in our guilt as nothing but an escaped
remnant, though in such a condition none of us can stand in your
presence.”
Babylonian Persian
Kings, had released the Jews, now for some 60 years and the former
captives had returned to Judah and Jerusalem, to repair the house of
God and their walls, but all was not well.
The people of God
had fallen prey to mixed marriages.
Exodus 23:31,32
KJV
31 And I will set thy bounds from
the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert
unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into
your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32 Thou shalt make no covenant with
them, nor with their gods.
Exodus 34:14-16
KJV
14 For thou shalt worship no other
god: for The Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
15 Lest thou make a covenant with
the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods,
and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of
his sacrifice;
16 And thou take of their daughters
unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and
make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
Deuteronomy
7:1-4 KJV
1 When The Lord thy God shall bring
thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast
out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and
the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the
Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than
thou;
2 And when The Lord thy God shall
deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy
them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto
them:
3 Neither shalt thou make marriages
with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his
daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
4 For they will turn away thy son
from following Me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger
of The Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
Ezra wept and
interceded for God's people (Verses 6-15.)
And with what
result?
Ezra 10:1-4 NLT
1 While Ezra prayed and made this
confession, weeping and lying face down on the ground in front of the
Temple of God, a very large crowd of people from Israel—men, women,
and children—gathered and wept bitterly with him.
2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, a
descendant of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our
God, for we have married these pagan women of the land. But in spite
of this there is hope for Israel. 3 Let us now make a covenant with
our God to divorce our pagan wives and to send them away with their
children. We will follow the advice given by you and by the others
who respect the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the
Law of God.
4 Get up, for it is your duty to
tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you,
so be strong and take action.”
10 “And now, O
our God, what can we say after all of this? For once again we have
abandoned your commands!
The people of The
Living God, repented, and begged Ezra to help them to rectify the
situation, which he did. And once more the blessings of Almighty God
returned to His people.
II Chronicles
7:14 KJV (The Lord speaks to Solomon.)
If My people, which are called by My
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn
from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Our
God Hears And Answers Prayer:
Joshua 10:14 KJV
13 And the sun
stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged
themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of
Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not
to go down about a whole day.
14 And there
was no day like that before it or after it, that The Lord hearkened
unto the voice of a man: for The Lord fought for Israel.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
I Chronicles
16:11 KJV
Seek The Lord
and His strength, seek His face continually.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
Job 22:27 KJV
Thou shalt make
thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee..."
Psalm 6:9 KJV
The Lord hath
heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.
Psalm 55:17 KJV
Evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear
my voice.
Psalm 65:2 KJV
O thou that
hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Psalm 66:19 KJV
But verily God
hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalm 88:1,2 KJV
1 O lord God of
my Salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2 Let my prayer
come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Psalm 91:15 KJV
He shall call
upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him, and honor him.
Psalm 99:6,8 KJV
6 "...they
called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
8 Thou
answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest
them..."
Psalm 102:17 KJV
He will regard
the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
Psalm 122:6 KJV
Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Proverbs 15:8,29
KJV
8 The sacrifice
of the wicked is an abomination to The Lord: but the prayer of the
upright is His delight.
29 The Lord is
far from the wicked: but He heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Isaiah 38:5 KJV
“...I
have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears...”
Isaiah 56:7 KJV
"... for
Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 58:9 KJV
Then shalt thou
call, and The Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say,
Here I am...:"
Isaiah 65;24 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they
are yet speaking, I will hear.
Jeremiah 29:13
KJV
And ye shall
seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your
heart.
Jeremiah 33:3
KJV
Call unto Me,
and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which
thou knowest not.
Zechariah 13:9
KJV
And I will
bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver
is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My
name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they
shall say, The Lord is my God.
Joel 2:32 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of The Lord shall
be delivered..."
Matthew 5:44 KJV
But I say unto
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you;
Matthew 6:6 KJV
But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 7:7,8
KJV
7 Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
8 For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 18:19,20
KJV
19 Again I say
unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any
thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father
which is in heaven.
20 For where
two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the
midst of them.
Matthew 21:22
KJV
And all things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 26:41
KJV
Watch and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak.
Mark 11:24,25
KJV
24 Therefore I
say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye
stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your
Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 11:9,10 KJV
9 And I say
unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every
one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 18:1,7,8
KJV
1 And He spake
a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint;
7 "...don’t
you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry
out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?
8 I tell you,
He will grant justice to them quickly! But when The Son Of Man
returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 21:36 KJV
Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before The Son
Of Man.
John 14:13,14
KJV
13 And
whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that The Father
may be glorified in The Son.
14 If ye shall
ask any thing in My name, I will do it.
John 15:7,16 KJV
7 If ye abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you.
16 Ye have not
chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that
whatsoever ye shall ask of The Father in My name, He may give it you.
John 16:23,24
KJV
23 And in that
day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask
The Father in
My name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto
have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that
your joy may be full.
Romans 10:12 KJV
For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all
is rich unto all that call upon Him.
Ephesians 2:18
KJV
For through Him
we both have access by one Spirit unto The Father.
Ephesians 6:18
KJV
Praying always
with all prayer and supplication in The Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Philippians 4:6
NLT
Don’t worry
about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you
need, and thank Him for all He has done.
Colossians 4:2
NLT
Devote
yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
I Thessalonians
5:17 KJV
Pray without
ceasing.
I Timothy 2:8
KJV
I will
therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting.
Hebrews 4:16 KJV
Let us
therefore come boldly unto The Throne Of Grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 10:19
KJV
Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by The Blood
Of Jesus,
James 1:6 KJV
But let him ask
in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
James 4:8 KJV
Draw nigh to
God, and he will draw nigh to you
James 5:13-16
KJV
13 Is any among
you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick
among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of The Lord:
15 And the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and The Lord shall raise him up;
and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.
I Peter 4:7 KJV
But the end of
all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
I John 3:22 KJV
And whatsoever
we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in His sight.
I John 5:14,15
KJV
14 And this is
the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing
according to His will, He heareth us:
15 And if we
know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of Him.
Revelation 8:3-5 NLT (Prayers heard and kept)
3 Then another
angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a
great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of
God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.
4 The smoke of
the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended
up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.
5 Then the
angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar..."
