“A NAIL FROM GOD”

 

“And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.” (Ezra 9:8).

Strange wording? On the surface, yes, but with study, a beautiful description of thankfulness from a suffering, repentant people. To understand the words of Ezra, one would need to read this entire chapter, however verses 13 and 15 really help in explaining verse 8. “After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us an escaped remnant as this...” (v. 13); “...for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day...” (v. 15).

Ezra acknowledged to Jehovah the transgressions of His people, yet Jehovah had punished them ‘less than they deserved’. The Babylonian captivity had ended and a small remnant had returned to the ‘promised land’. Yet it is discovered that one of the same behaviors that had CAUSED the captivity, had been repeated – intermarriage with non-Israelites. Jehovah had forbidden this in Moses’ day (Deuteronomy 7:3). Jehovah had destroyed them as a nation, yet not totally. A remnant had been spared and returned to the land of Abraham’s sojournings.

The prophet Isaiah was one of many prophets who described this less-than-deserved punishment. He wrote in Isaiah 1:9, “Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom, we would be like Gomorrah.” Jehovah showed grace to the nation, in the midst of punishing them for their sins. Isaiah would again state in Isaiah 10:2, “For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.” Although they were no longer intact as a nation, would the past be repeated?

The ‘grace’ was seen in that Jehovah did not punish His people, Israel in the manner that He punished Sodom and Gomorrah. A remnant of the nation was spared. This was in keeping with His eternal purpose to redeem all His people through Jesus. In fact, the creation of the nation of Israel was a bestowal of grace…not because of what Israel had or hadn’t done, for it was a gracious choice Jehovah made PRIOR to the nation’s existence (Exodus 33:19).

The apostle Paul quoted this in Romans 9:15, in explaining that God’s grace toward the Gentile peoples was according to God’s choice just as it was to the Jews. His people Israel had been shown grace ‘first’, but for the purpose that all would later be shown His grace for the same purpose: redemption for their sins. Jehovah would hold the nation of Israel accountable just as He did all nations, punishing and blessing without respect of persons. But Jehovah always acted in accordance with His eternal purpose: to provide salvation to all nations through His Son. The remnant was not spared without respect to their ways. The spiritual blessing of forgiveness will be in accordance with Jehovah’s word – blessings for any who fear Him and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13); punishment for any who fail to treat Him with reverence (Leviticus 10:3).

Isaiah called this act of punishing the disobedient, while at the same time extending grace to the obedient a, “…destruction…overflowing with righteousness” (Isaiah 10:22). Jehovah was not only gracious TO His people, but gracious AMONG His people. God is righteous in all His ways. Even in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, God did not destroy any righteous in those cities while punishing the wicked (Genesis 18:23). So Ezra would say that, “grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape...to give…‘a nail in his holy place’.” (Ezra 9:8). A “NAIL” has reference to a stable abode (Isaiah 22:23); a ‘secure hold’ in His holy place. As a nail, a peg, or a stake would secure that which is attached to it; a ‘nail’ in His holy place refers to the security provided for those who are enlightened by the knowledge from Jehovah’s word. As Jehovah promised Eliakim, He would “...drive him, like a peg, into a firm place. He will be a throne of honor for his father’s house.” It is a figurative way of describing spiritual blessing. Isaiah worded it this way, “...the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness” (Isaiah 10:2).

Let us give thanks to God for similar grace for the same reason: to be made secure in Christ, being punished LESS than we deserved.

“CHOOSING OUR COMPANIONS”

 

All that we are in life, we learned. Our characteristics are largely due to the environment in which we were reared. The cliché, ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ is indicative of the influence parents have on their children. Being a ‘chip off the old block’ could be either positive or negative. As we grow to maturity, various situations and events surround us. Our likes and dislikes are formed. We learn to love certain things while we hate other things.

When God created man He gave him laws to live by. The first written law, given by God to the Hebrew nation, indicated that the statutes commanded by Jehovah were given “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24). It was in order to preserve Israel alive, that God gave laws to govern them. When Jehovah brought the Hebrews out of Egypt He told Moses, “Assemble me the people, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children” (Deuteronomy 4:10). Jehovah was concerned about the influence the nations round about Israel would have on them. Jehovah cautioned Israel, “When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations…for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee” (Deuteronomy 18:9, 12).

Christians are given a similar warning: “Evil companionships corrupt good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). The truth of this manifested itself even in the life of the wisest of men, Solomon, To him God said, “I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee” (1 Kings 3:12). However, Solomon “loved many foreign women… concerning which Jehovah said…ye shall not go among them neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love” and “it came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:1-2, 4). As it happened to Solomon, Israel had earlier suffered from evil companionships.

Hundreds of years after the time of Solomon, the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity and “married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab” (Nehemiah 13:23), the same nations of whom Jehovah warned them not to form covenants with. As a result of these unions, their “children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people” (Nehemiah 13:23). In response to this, Nehemiah said, “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things…nevertheless even him did foreign women cause to sin” (Nehemiah 13:26). Marriage is not to be entered into without consideration of existing differences in religious convictions. The companionships we choose in life will either lead us to, or away from God.

There are areas other than marriage in which we should choose our companions wisely. The proverbs of Solomon set forth this fact. Solomon advised, “Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; and with a wrathful man thou shalt not go: lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul” (Proverbs 22:24-25). We need to be cautious, even of a brother in Christ! (Exodus 23:2; Psalm 1:1; 1 Corinthians 5:11).

Continued companionship with those who are given to amoral behaviors, who lack self-discipline, or who scoff at rebuke, will have the same effect as it had on the children of Israel and Solomon. The potency of “a little (evil) leaven” on a lump is clear. How much more so when we subject ourselves to a constant bombardment of evil influences? We need to recognize the nature of our own hunger for, of a truth hunger drives us (Proverbs 16:26). With what do we surround ourselves? What do we allow to enter our minds? Do we desire things carnal or things spiritual? The Lord tells us that as we measure attention unto Him and things spiritual, He will measure back to us knowledge. If we give our time and attention to the physical, then we will perish. Parents want the best for their children, and Jehovah wants the best for His children, as well. Jehovah would have us to be free from sin that devastates so many lives (Romans 6:11). Acknowledge the truth stated in Romans 6:16-17.

Just as we learn to do evil, we can learn to do good. Wise companionships are a source of strength (Proverbs 27:17). Pursue the companionship of the Psalmist who stated, “With my whole heart have I sought thee: Oh let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalms 119:10-11).