The Ultimate Love Language

While some would argue this must be sex (more on that later!), the book of Ezra seems to indicate otherwise. Read it when you have a chance; it's powerful stuff. The last two chapters lay out one of the more stunning examples of sacrificial obedience I have seen.

Sixty years have passed since Ezra & the Israelites finished rebuilding the temple (following their captivity in Babylon). Ezra returns to Jerusalem, only to have several leaders inform him of widespread unfaithfulness to God in the form of intermarriage with neighboring peoples. This sin has occured even among the priests and Levites, with the leaders and officials actually leading the way.

What is Ezra's response? He tears his clothes, refuses food and drink, and mourns publicly over the sin of his people. "O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous! Here we are before You in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in Your presence" (9:15).

And the people's response? Taking their cue from Ezra, they weep bitterly, own up to their sin, and take an oath to send away all their non-Jewish wives. And that's not all: ". . . some of them had children by these wives" (10:44). They sent them all packing. Can you imagine?

This wasn't something Ezra forced the people to do - "a large crowd" came to him of their own accord and suggested this purging themselves - and nearly all of the exiles responded in wholehearted obedience.

I'm thinking that anything Christ asks of me is pretty small in comparison to what these people willingly gave up. Some gave up their entire family in order to live in obedience to God.

John says, "This is love for God: to obey His commands." Too often, I think, we're willing to obey God unless it actually costs us something. Think of Abraham, Moses, all the martyred saints - and especially Christ Himself as He died an excruciating and lowly death in total obedience to God. Is He really asking that much of us in comparison?

And I was just complaining (inwardly) about giving up a little time in my day for Him . . .