Keepers of the Covenant by Lynn Austin

Author:Lynn Austin [Austin, Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042030, FIC014000, FIC026000, Ezra (Biblical figure)—Fiction, Bible Old Testament—Fiction, Bible fiction, Christian fiction
ISBN: 9781441264794
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2014-08-28T16:00:00+00:00

Ezra sat in the yeshiva with his head bowed, his eyes closed, praying for the Almighty One’s guidance while his sons studied the lessons he had assigned them, putting in another long evening of work by lamplight. He heard them talking with each other as they prepared, discussing their ideas, bickering over sources. Then their chatter halted. Ezra looked up. “We finally have the three examples you asked us to find, Abba,” Judah told him. “We found people who were discontented with their lives.”

“And a verse for each one,” Shallum added, “showing what God thought of their disobedience.”

“Very good. I’m listening.” Ezra sat back in his seat, arms folded.

“In the first book of the Torah, Adam and Eve wanted to taste the forbidden fruit,” Judah said. “They weren’t content with what God gave them and wanted more.”

“And the Torah says, ‘The Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken,’” Shallum read.

“Good. The Holy One takes our rebellion very seriously, wouldn’t you say?” The boys nodded in tandem.

“The second example comes from the fourth book of Moses,” Judah said. “When Israel was in the desert, some of the people became discontented with following God’s rules and eating manna all the time, and so they decided to feast with the Moabites and take part in all their forbidden rituals.”

“So the Lord told Moses, ‘Take all the leaders of these people and kill them and expose them in broad daylight,’” Shallum read.

Ezra nodded. It was the same example Devorah had mentioned when they’d talked earlier in the evening. “Again, it’s pretty clear how God felt about their discontent, don’t you think?”

“Yes, Abba.”

“Our last example is from the fifth book of the Torah. It tells what will happen whenever any of us become discontented. The Holy One lists all the blessings we can expect if we obey Him, then all the ways we’ll be cursed if we don’t. And most of the curses have already come true, Abba. That’s why we live here in Babylon and not in the Promised Land.”

“But we decided to choose a verse for this one that also shows God’s mercy,” Shallum said, “because God is a compassionate and gracious God. The verse says, ‘Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers.’” Shallum finished and looked up from the scroll, waiting.

Ezra couldn’t speak. From the mouths of his own sons, God had shown him His will. The Lord God will gather you and bring you back. The Almighty One would open the door for His people and bring them home.

“Isn’t the last example good enough, Abba?” Judah asked when Ezra hadn’t replied.

“It’s perfect, son. Let’s go home.”

Ezra wasted no time convening a meeting of the community’s elders the following day. Rain was falling, misting through the open windows and making the meeting room damp and clammy.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.