Ezra 8:21

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Summary

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

I proclaimed

Afflict ourselves

Jeremiah 50:4

To seek

For our little ones

General references

Jeremiah 42:3

Bible References

I proclaimed

Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

Jehoshaphat was afraid and

turned his attention to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

Consecrate a fast,

Proclaim a solemn assembly;
Gather the elders
And all the inhabitants of the land
To the house of the Lord your God,
And cry out to the Lord.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping and mourning;

Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.

Afflict ourselves

“This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you;

If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people.

‘Why have we fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’
Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire,
And drive hard all your workers.

“Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,
And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them the blind and the lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great company, they will return here.

“In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord their God they will seek.

To seek

O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For I trust in You;
Teach me the way in which I should walk;
For to You I lift up my soul.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

A highway will be there, a roadway,

And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone.”

“They will not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down;
For He who has compassion on them will lead them
And will guide them to springs of water.

I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself,

Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

For our little ones

Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established

strength

Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.

For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

General references

that the Lord your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.”