“Now these are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken into exile to Babylon, and they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city.” (Ezra 2:1)
If you continue reading in the second chapter of Ezra, you will see how the author lists the number of those who came out of Babylon captivity and returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah; places where they originally lived. When you do the math in this chapter, you will come up with a number just under 50,000, considering that you add the number of servants and singers who returned. Those returning to Jerusalem began rebuilding the city, the temple, and the wall that protected the city.
In our times many people who once were in church have been in a state of captivity; captivated by the three major opponents of God’s people: Satan, self, and the secular world. The type of captivity varies by person, but surely included would be peer pressure captivity, social media captivity, the pursuit of money and materialism captivity, and a declining acceptance for parents to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
If I had the power and had the perceived authority, I would write an Executive Order to free these people without hesitation. But since I don’t have that power, I will petition the Sovereign One, send up prayers to the gracious throne of God, and express the fact that we are standing in the need of divine intervention. I would also pray that those held in captivity, after turning their back on the church, return and come out of captivity. And when they come back out of captivity, I also hope and pray that they will return to where they once worshipped regularly and served our true and living God faithfully.
It would do our world a lot of good if those who used to fill the pews, but are now held in captivity, would return, seek revival, and be raised up with a sense of urgency to begin working on rebuilding our communities, our cities, and our churches, serving as agents of protection for those who will come under the attack of the evil one and the evil influences that are captivating our new generations.
I’m done. But I think I should add that if any habit, hobby, hurt, or hampering attraction that is disguised as a mean to happiness is holding you captive, you should cease letting worldly things rob you of your conviction to serve the Lord to your fullest ability. Sounds strong, doesn’t it? However, note that all God’s people need to be strong and come out of captivity right now. As songwriter Thomas O. Chisolm stated in his composition of that old hymn Living for Jesus, “Join in the battle for truth.”
Pass this meditation on to someone who you know is being held in some form of captivity and pray that they will return, show resilience, and remember the One who sets people free, free from the penalty of sin, free from the power of sin, and free from the presence of sin. Thanks for your help! Be blessed!
“Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed.” (Proverbs 16:3 The Living Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King