The Red Cloud chief., 1911-11-16
EZRA'S JOURNEY
TO JERUSALEM
LESSON TEXT-Exra s:l5-se.
Specially Arranged for This Paper

| Ctou ID upon al tnem 1Or 8OOu that 0ooo
TIME-B. c. l5s. the seventh year Of
| Artaxerxes.
Ezra leaves Babylon with his company
on the ist day Of the list month. March:
and reaches Jerusalem on tho LIST day Of
tho 9th month. July.
| Tho convoCation was on tho 10Th day OF
the 9th month Un Nov. .-Dcc,).
! His reforms were made during tho win,
ter. Dec. 45S. to March. 457.
The nearly sixty years between the
sixth and seventh chapters of Ezra, Of
which there is almost no direct rec.
ord. could scarcely be called ''the
blank annals OF well.being." without
these happy periods OF dullness our
lives would be hell. and our hearts
eternally bubbling and boiling in q
huge pot made hot with thorns. But
these were years Of slow progress, Of
dullness. and neglect. like garden
wherein the heavenly plants, while
still growing, were overrun with
weeds, and the vines and olive trees.
untrimmed and neglected, bore but
small and scanty fruit.
The temple had been built, but tho
opposition had been so great that
tho walls had not been restored and
the rubbish still arose In long.stretch.
Ing mounds. The visions of glory had
faded. They had expected vast In.
hux Of their brethren. from Babylon
and other lands. but had been to
great extent disappointed.
Ezra. no doubt knowing the condi.
ton OF things in Jerusalem. had not
only prepared his heart to seek tho
law Of the Lord, and to do It, but he
planned to go up to Jerusalem and
teach in Israel statutes and Judgments.
Moved by religious zeal, and also. it
would seem, with the statesmanlike
view Of making Jerusalem once more
the real spiritual metropolis Of Ju-
daism, Ezra conceived the idea Of in
fusing new life and new ideals into
the Judean community by leading q
fresh band Of zealously religious ex.
lies back to Judea on mission Of re-
form.
They came to Jerusalem, after O
Journey OF four months. arriving there
the first day OF the fifth month. or
about tho middle of July. The dis.
tance in direct line was about 500
miles, but the road followed by Ezra's
caravan made long detour to avoid
the desert and could hardly have been
less than 900 miles.
Ezra brought 100000 for tho re-
pair Of the temple. and for all that
was necessary to put the outward
| lorna ~ Vunec1,1vN In 4
ton. He infused the community with
his own devoted and consecrated spir-
1tual life and fervor. He brought with
him the Book of the Law and the
Prophets, with its strict morality, and
made It known to the people. In con.
trast with this holy law the conduct
OF the people in adopting "the 'abom-
nations" Of tho heather appeared In
all its glaring wickedness.
Then Ezra entered upon his great
reform. Some Of the leaders pointed
out to Ezra that the people, even the
princes and rulers, were intermarry.
ing with the idolaters. and there was
danger that the religion Of Israel
would be destroyed. that all the sins
which caused the exile would be re.
peated, and all that the exile had done
as discipline would be lost.
Ezra first by himself was astound.
ed and stunned by the report, and
showed all the signs Of deepest sor.
row and humiliation. Then there was
meeting together with him Of "every
one that trembled at the words Of the
God OF Israel, because Of the trans.
gression of those that had been car
ried away" They sat in bitter aston.
ishment till the time Of evening
prayer. Then they bowed themselves
before the Lord. and wept and prayed
and confessed and entreated.
Then followed public meeting, q
great congregation Of men and women
and children. There came the great
moral reform. There was q proclamA.
tion throughout all judah and Jeru.
salem, that all should gather them.
selves unto Jerusalem. upon pain Of
having their property confiscated and
themselves excomunicated from the
brotherhood of Israel. In q great rain
they confessed. repented and re.
formed.
Those who are bribing and taking
bribes-trying to get rich by graft
and dishonesty, forging. cheating
banks. committing all kinds OF crime.
although the sinners are rich, and OF.
fceholders--are now working in jails
separated from their wives and chill.
dren. and are learning honest trades.
1t 10 sad, indeed, but there is no
other way Of saving the nation.
The suffering involved by Ezra's
course was not necessarily SO great
as It would seem. not so great as i'm.
prisonment Of a family man causes to.
day. The man could still support the
discarded wife and children. and do
all possible for her comfort. But he
must not join In her idolatry, or be
subject to bad family atmosphere.
The suffering caused by this course
was the fruit, not Of Ezra's work, but
Of The wrong doing. The physician is