Ezra 9-10 Sin AGAIN
The second set of exiles has returned to Jerusalem. And there is sin AGAIN in the nation. Ezra is asked to deal with it.
I know God had a reason for telling His people to remain separate during this time in His plan, but it sounds harsh to me today. The “Pure Race” is something that Adolf Hitler preached for Nazi Germany. It is what “White Supremacists” preach today to discount all other races.
Yet, God had a reason for calling for His people to remain separate. He KNEW that if they intermarried, the other nations’ gods would come along in the ‘bargain’. If in doubt, look back to Solomon. With ALL his GOD GIVEN wisdom, he STILL fell short in this area. And with intermarrying with the other nations, his wives brought with them their gods to Israel. That ‘seed’ is what led to the exile of the people to Babylon.
God is gracious and brings His people back to the land He swore to give them. And the very next thing they do is hop right back into marriages with the other nations. “Have we learned NOTHING!” Let’s join Ezra as he faces this trouble. Holy Spirit, lead on in this sensitive area. Show me the Father’s heart.
♥ ♦ ♥
Every sight is new, and yet familiar, to Ezra. He is seeing the sights that he has been reading about and studying for a long time. Being here in person is SO MUCH better! Being able to stand before the Lord in His house fills Ezra with sheer joy.
But not everything is pristine and perfect. The city is still recovering from the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar. The walls are broken down and nonexistent in some places. Houses are few and far between in the city, as the people don’t feel secure in the city at night. To Ezra though, this is nothing that time won’t fix. He still has that ‘newly released captive’ glow about him.
Ezra is still considered fairly young. He has not reached the age of great wisdom, but the words of his mouth and his conduct speak of true wisdom and dedication to the Lord. This is evident to some of the younger priests and Levites who are living in Jerusalem. They have a problem that needs addressing, but they don’t have the confidence to bring it up. But they believe that Ezra will. So, they bring their problem to him.
Ezra is enjoying his morning when a group of priests approach him. “Shalom, my brothers” Ezra calls to them as they come near.
“Shalom, to you also” their leader responds.
Ezra sees no lifting in their countenance, letting him know that something is weighing on them. “How may I help you brothers?”
They look at one another, as if seeing who will be the one to speak. Finally the eldest of the group speaks.
“The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost” (Ezra).
Wails of mourning rip from Ezra’s lips. He grabs hold of his clothing with both hands and rends it in multiple places. Then he takes fistfuls of his own hair and yanks it from his head and beard. The entire time he is doing these destructive acts, he is crying out in pain; not from his own hands, but from his heart being torn by grief.
The people have only recently been returned to their land, and they are already falling back into the sin that started their downward spiral to begin with! “Did we learn NOTHING?”, Ezra’s heart and mind scream out.
After several minutes of inflicting pain on the outside, to mirror the inside, Ezra falls to his knees and weeps. He then settles into a seated position with his head hanging in shame.
Ezra’s cries do not go unnoticed. A crowd begins to gather around him. Word quickly spreads through those who come out of curiosity. They hear of the reason he is weeping, and they join him. Those who, like Ezra, are grieved or afraid of what the Lord will do, sit down beside him. They join in his mourning.
Ezra does not move all day. His head hangs low and tears mar his face. He refuses all offers of food or drink. He fasts until it is time for the evening sacrifice.
With the setting of the sun, it is time for the evening sacrifice. Ezra is determined to bring this sin before the Lord. He rises from where he is, clothes still torn, and makes his way over to the altar in the courtyard. Ezra falls on his knees before the altar, spreads his arms wide, and prays with all his heart.
“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.
“And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this” (Ezra 9:6-15).
Ezra is drawing a crowd as he prays for the forgiveness. The people are weeping as they hear their sins confessed before the Lord. “Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: ‘We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it” (Ezra 10:2-4).
Ezra slowly gets to his feet. He turns to face the people. “I will plead to the Lord God for your sins, but you must do exactly as I tell you. There is a price for your sins. Are you willing to pay it? All of you?”
The people all answered, “Yes!”
“Will you swear to do ALL that I instruct you to do? All that the Lord requires of You?”
“We swear to obey the Lord and do all that He tells us to do through His Law.”
“Gather ALL the returned exiles throughout all of Judah and Jerusalem. Have them assemble here in three days. As for me, my heart is grieved. I will return when the people have assembled.”
Ezra leaves the House of God and goes to the chambers of Jehohanan. This is where he has been staying. Ezra goes into the room and closes the door. He continues to weep for the people and fast before the Lord.
While Ezra is in seclusion, a proclamation goes out throughout the land. “ALL the returned exiles are to present themselves before the Temple of the Lord our God in three days’ time. Those who do not come, by order of the officials and elders, ALL his property will be forfeit, and he will be banned from the congregation of the exiles.”
When the third day comes, it is as if all of Heaven is weeping. The rain is pouring down, but the square in front of the courtyard is full. The men are all sitting, drenched by the rain, waiting on Ezra to address them.
Ezra comes to stand before the men. His face is stern. There is no softness in his tone as he addresses them.
“You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives” (Ezra 10:10-11).
The people recognize their sin immediately. Ezra has no need to convince them of their sins. But this isn’t a simple thing that he is telling them to do. They MUST and WILL do it. But they need some grace along the way. They make a plea to Ezra and the elders.
“It is so; we must do as you have said. But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us” (Ezra 10:12-14).
The elders and the priest quickly confer. “Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them” (Ezra 10:15).
Ezra appoints leading men to oversee the task. “On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women” (Ezra 10:16-17).
This is just the beginning of Ezra’s service to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. He teaches the people the Law of the Lord and calls them to follow Him with all their hearts.
(to be continued)
I was thinking about ‘intermarrying’ and how it applies to us today. Since Jesus’ return, there is no longer an “Us vs. Them” moratorium with marriage. Interracial marriage of nations was never on Jesus’ agenda. Interfaith marriages came up in Paul’s ministry. And for the same reason. Both parties in a marriage will bring their beliefs into that union. Those with radically different beliefs will struggle. One may ‘give in’, both may walk away from their own beliefs, they might ‘co-mingle’ their ideas into a new version that is acceptable to both, they may fight, or the relationship might dissolve. All of this because of the same reason God told His people to remain separate.
My mom refused to allow me to date someone who wasn’t a Christian. My first husband ‘pretended’ well enough until after we were married. It remained an area of contention, but not open hostility. Our relationship suffered because of it. My husband now, shares my beliefs and we lift each other up. We have other things we deal with, but they are much fewer and farther between. And, before you ask, my first husband left me and the kids. We did not leave him.
Father God, thank You for Your grace and mercy. Thank You for showing me the truth of Your command. Your reason for keeping Your people separate. Thank You for protecting my heart when I was together with one who didn’t believe in Your Son as I did. Thank You for helping me thrive with a husband that shares my love for You. Keep us both growing in Your love.
