Ezra - Chapter 10

SOLVING THE PROBLEM

Chapter ten begins with the words that Ezra was praying and confessing and during his time of prayer a very large group has formed around him and were weeping strongly.

Although Ezra may have ended his prayer in a way that seems without hope, a man named Shechaniah, who admitted the seriousness of the sin of Israel, proposed a solution to the problem in verse 2. He did not try to minimize the issues, saying Israel had sinned against God, yet he held out hope for the chosen people in spite of this sin. He proposes that the men who had taken pagan wives put them away, meaning to divorce them. In verse 4 he then reminds Ezra that the handling of this issue is in the hand of Ezra and tells him to arise and handle the matter. He says that this matter should be handled by Ezra and according to the law. There was no Hebrew law to require such divorce after marriage to a non Hebrew woman. The law said not to enter the marriage but did not address what to do afterward.

Chapter 7 had taught us that the Persian King gave Ezra the authority to teach and enforce God's Law. Shechaniah now tells Ezra to be of good courage and to proceed.

Ezra responded to the proposal in two ways. First, he says that all the people including the leaders will swear an oath that they will obey his words (verse 5). The people did indeed swear the oath and the Ezra retires to a room (likely inside the Temple) to continue to fast and to mourn further the sin of these people. The leaders of Judah issued a proclamation that all the people were to gather immediately (verse 7) and that those who did not gather would lose their property and be banished from the faith.

The time had come for national repentance and action.

So in verses 9-17 we see the action needed. The people did gather and it was in the ninth month (our December), a time of heavy rain that added to the trembling of the people. Ezra calls on the people to make confession to God and to do His will. Ezra's position was that God's will was for them to separate from the pagan people and especially from those pagan women they had married. The large number of people gathered and the difficult weather together caused quick obedience of the command of separation to not be practical. So a plan was implemented to grant the authority to elders and judges in the land to assure separation over the coming months. The plan was made and the people did begin to do as Ezra asked, with only a few not coming to compliance. Ezra himself and these appointed leaders questioned these men during the time of compliance to be sure they had put away both wives and children.

Verses 18-44 lists by name those who had married and then divorced these women not of Hebrew blood. Those listed first, verses 18-22, are priests. Verse 23 lists the Levites. These men had led Israel into sin so it seemed proper that they should be first listed to lead Israel in repentance. All these men sent away the women they had loved and married as well as sent away children that had resulted from those marriages.

Ezra 10 tells us what the people of Israel did in their efforts to gain renewal and be restored to God's favor. It is clear that Ezra felt this most difficult transaction was what God wished to happen. He had been much in prayer and fasting and these verses teach us clearly that he believed this action was the right one to atone for the great sin.

Whether or not we may agree with this proposal, it is clear that the people led by Ezra did feel that this solution was right to remedy what was wrong. Here is a great lesson on just how costly sin can be.

The Jews in Ezra's time clearly accepted the thought that a pagan spouse would ruin the holiness of a Hebrew spouse. When we come to the time of Christ, which is revealed to us in great detail by the writings of Paul, the chosen vessel of Jesus, we see that the New Testament view of this matter is quite different.

1st Corinthians 7:12-15 needs to be examined for our study to end properly and should allow us to ponder a different perspective.

“... if any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

And the woman which hath a husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now they are holy.

But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.”

What conclusion may we draw from this evident difference?

Hebrews considered purity to be by their own blood as inherited from Abraham through the twelve tribes.

Christians consider purity to be derived from faith, regardless of family, as faith allows us to enter the family of God when we are born again.

John 1:13 “... which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Our purity is derived from the blood of Jesus Christ, not of our own blood.