To Tremble - Ezra 9:3-4

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, Ezra 9:3-4. In this passage of Scripture, Ezra the priest is appalled to discover that the Jewish exiles have abandoned the Law of God. This is especially shocking to Ezra and others as they view the ruins of Jerusalem—destroyed by God in the past because the Jews rejected Him and His Law. As we assemble today to partake of the bread and drink from the fruit of the vine from the cup, we witness God's judgment as He sent His only Son to die to atone for our sins. As we remember Jesus and His sacrifice, we rededicate ourselves to reject sin and live as God's church, a holy nation. Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "To Tremble." I read from Ezra 9:3-4 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

3 When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled. 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.

Ezra came to Jerusalen from Babylon during the reign of Artaxerxes, King of Persia. He arrived eighty years after the decree by Cyrus the Great to permit the Jews to return home. Ezra was a descendant of Aaron, the first high priest. The Scriptures tell us, "He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given," (Ezra 7:6) and "Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel." (Ezra 7:10). All was not well in Israel when he arrived; the people were not following the Law of Moses. There, in the midst of the ruins of Jerusalem, a stark reminder of the judgment of God, he could not conceive that the people would rebel against God and His Law again! He and those around him "trembled at the words of God" because His warnings had no expiration date! Fortunately, the Israelites listened to the words of God and corrections were made. Like Ezra viewed the destruction of Jerusalem, we witness the judgment of God as we see the bread and the fruit of the vine in the cup on the table of the Lord this morning. God sent His only Son to die on the cross, the perfect sacrifice, to atone for our sins. That is how serious sin is to God. And perhaps like the Israelites living in the midst of these ruins for eighty years, we have become a bit too comfortable taking the judgment of God seriously; it can happen. We become desensitized to the holiness of God and His utter distaste for sin because, well, there is a lot going on all the time. Yes, we are forgiven but He wants us to be a holy nation. As Peter writes (1 Peter 2:9), "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." As we meet around the table today and partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, let us be thankful but it might also be a good time to tremble before God and His words. It is for our own good! Let us pray.

Abba, Father. You are the holy God and cannot abide sin. We are Your people and live in a sinful world. Help us, dear God, that we might not become desensitized to the terribleness of sin. Help us to hate it like You do. We know that it was because of sin that You asked Your Son to die on the cross to atone for our sins that we might be forgiven and saved. We love You, dear God, but we also fear You because the Scriptures describe You as a consuming fire. Thank-you for sending Jesus to save us and give us access to You through Him. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember Jesus and His sacrifice for us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!