Ezra 10

Ezra must have experienced great joy and satisfaction when he found himself in the Holy City, worshipping at the restored temple and ministering to the spiritual needs of the people. He certainly would have had an easier life had he remained “Scholar in Residence” for the exiles in Babylon, but “an easier life” wasn’t on Ezra’s agenda. God had called him to serve the Jewish remnant and teach them the law of God, and he was obedient to God’s call.

But four months after his arrival (7:9; 10:9), he learned that all wasn’t well in Jerusalem because over 100 civil and religious leaders of the nation were guilty of deliberately disobeying the law that Ezra had come to teach. How Ezra faced this difficult problem and solved it is an example for any Christian today who takes seriously God’s repeated command, “You shall be holy; for I am holy” (Lev. 11: nkjv).

Never underestimate the power of the prayers of one dedicated believer (James 5:16–18), for the intercession of only one concerned person can make a difference in what God will do to and for His people. As Ezra prayed and wept at the altar before the house of God, “a very great congregation of men and women and children” came together, and they fell under conviction of sin.

“They too wept bitterly” (Ezra 10: niv). This response wasn’t something that Ezra worked up; it was something that he prayed down. The priests had offered a lamb on the altar, but Ezra gave the Lord an even greater sacrifice. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51: nkjv).

As I watch the contemporary religious scene, I note that churches occasionally feature “Christian comedians” and “Christian clowns,” but not much is said about people who know how to weep and pray. As much as anyone else, I appreciate a sense of humor and a good laugh, but there comes a time when God’s people need to stop laughing and start weeping and confessing. “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:9–10 nkjv). That’s God’s formula for revival.

Shecaniah was the spokesman for the people, a man whose own relatives had sinned by marrying foreign women (Ezra 10:26). In my pastoral ministry, I’ve seen churches split and their witness almost destroyed because people have sided with their disobedient relatives in matters of discipline instead of with the Lord and His Word. Perhaps Shecaniah remembered what Moses wrote about the evils of being partial in judgment (Deut. 13:6–11; 17:1–13). Paul taught this same principle for the local church (1 Tim. 5:21).

To most of the people gathered around Ezra, the situation probably appeared hopeless, but not to Shecaniah, who said, “Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing” (Ezra 10:2). He confessed that he and the rest of the nation were guilty, and then suggested a plan of action.

The plan was simple but demanding. First, the nation would corporately covenant to obey God’s law. Then, Ezra and a group of men who “trembled at the Word” would decide how the matter would be settled, and the people promised to obey whatever was decreed. But everything had to be done according to the law of Moses.

Ezra accepted the plan. He immediately swore in the leading priests and Levites as the committee to investigate the matter and see to it that the law was obeyed. But instead of participating immediately in the investigation, he withdrew into one of the rooms of the temple to fast and pray for God’s guidance. He left it to the special committee to make the decisions and tell the people what to do. Wise is the leader who involves other people in the process, especially when the issue is so sensitive.

The committee issued a proclamation to the people of Jerusalem and of the outlying villages to appear in Jerusalem within three days or be in danger of expulsion from the community. At that time, each marriage would be investigated and the committee would discover who had violated the Mosaic law.

A humble praying leader, a willing people, and a faithful and courageous committee worked together to accomplish a difficult task. What an example for the church to follow today!

On December 19, 458, the men of the two main tribes, Judah and Benjamin, plus exiles from the other tribes, gathered in the street before the temple to start the solemn investigation. (This meeting may have been convened at the Water Gate where Ezra later expounded the law to the people, Neh. 8:1ff.)

It was December, the middle of the rainy season (October to mid-April), and the crowd trembled, not only because of the weather, but also because they were sure the heavy rain was a prelude to the judgment of God. Ezra made it clear that the mixed marriages would have to be dissolved, and he called upon the faithful Jews to separate themselves from those who had disobeyed God’s law.

Once again, Ezra was given counsel by others, and he accepted it. (Blessed is the leader who has open ears to the ideas of others!) It was suggested that Ezra empower the committee of priests and Levites to work with the leaders of the tribes, as well as the elders and judges of the towns (who knew their people), and let them determine who was guilty. It was impractical to try to interrogate so many people in one place, especially when the weather was so inclement; and the work couldn’t be done in a day. Except for four men who dissented (Ezra 10:15), the crowd agreed with this idea and promised to obey.

Ten days later (v. 16), on December 29, Ezra and the leaders sat down together and began to investigate the matter; three months later, on March 27, 457, their work was finished. It must have been a difficult job to do, but they persisted with the help of the Lord. They discovered over 100 offenders, including 27 priests, Levites, temple singers, and gatekeepers, people you would have expected to be models of obedience.

When spiritual leaders begin to sin, it doesn’t take long for other people to follow. While we don’t want to minimize the enormity of the sin, it should be noted that the number of offenders was very low when compared to the size of the population. Eighty years before, nearly 50,000 Jews had returned with Zerubbabel and Joshua, and during the ensuing years, the people surely multiplied. The total number of offenders was probably less than 1 percent of the residents. However, it’s better to deal with these matters when the numbers are low, because the longer you wait, the more the sin will spread. Even one offender is one too many (Eccl. 9:18).

The guilty priests promised to put away their heathen wives, and they offered sacrifices to seek God’s forgiveness (Ezra 10:18–19). We assume that the other offenders listed followed their example. God in His grace accepted their repentance and confession and granted them forgiveness.

The book of Ezra opens in chapter 2 with a list of the names of the Jewish heroes who willingly returned to the land to serve the Lord. The book ends with a list of the sinners who disobeyed God but publicly made it right with the Lord and the people. But “making it right” didn’t automatically heal every wound or remove every pain, because the women involved had to leave the community and go back to the heathen homes from which they had come, taking with them whatever children had been born to the union. It’s easy to pull the nails out of the board, but it’s impossible to pull out the holes that they leave behind.

N E H E M I A HOver thirteen years later, the problem of mixed marriages appeared again while Nehemiah was governor of Jerusalem (Neh. 13:23–31). It’s possible for leaders to enforce the law and reform a nation’s conduct, but only God can change the human heart and produce the kind of character that wants to do what’s right. That’s the difference between “reformation” and “revival.”