Ezra has learned of Israel’s great transgression against the Lord God. After decades of exile in Babylon and Persia, God moved upon the hearts of the kings to allow the people to return to their lands and rebuild the Temple of God. Not only were they allowed to return but the heathen kingdoms were made to pay for the rebuilding effort. Now Ezra pleads with God to forgive them and seeks the sanctification of the people.
Ezra Intercedes
Ezra 9:5-15, describes the Scribe Ezra, who is a type of the Holy Spirit, fasting and praying for the sins of the people and for their sanctification. After all the blessings God had given them, Israel quickly fell right back into their old sins.
How many of us can relate to that?
Proverbs 26:11, “As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”
2 Peter 2:22, “But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.””
Romans 8:26-27, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
Ezra 9:10-12, “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 which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’”
Ezra is quoting the commands given to the people by God through Moses as written in Exodus 23:32; 34:15-16; Deuteronomy7:3-4; and Deuteronomy 23:6
The People Repent
Ezra 10:2-4, “And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.””
The people gathered around the interceding Ezra and wept at their transgression. In verses 2-4 they approach Ezra and ask him to oversee the solution they have for the sins they have committed. They immediately knew what they must do. Repentance – to turn away from their sin completely. They knew they had to separate themselves and seek sanctification from the foreign wives they had taken and the progeny those unions produced.
Jesus commanded His Bride to remain pure from the taint of the world.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.”
What “daughters of the land” has the Church today married? And what progeny has those unions produced? What have you married yourself to and what progeny has that union produced? Seek sanctification.
Putting Away the Strange Wives
Ezra 10:16-17, “Then the descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers’ households, were set apart by the fathers’ households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. By the first day of the first month they finished questioning all the men who had taken pagan wives.”
There were so many of the people that had mingled themselves with the people of the land, that the whole process of questioning and separating the marriages took three months.
Ezra 10:18-19, “And among the sons of the priests who had taken pagan wives the following were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. And they gave their promise that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they presented a ram of the flock as their trespass offering.”
Remember Jeshua the son Jozadak? He was the High Priest who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel to oversee the rebuilding of the Temple of God. His sons were among those who mingled with the pagan women and culture. Even the highest of their leaders were among the guilty. I’d wager they were the first to commit the sin and then the people followed their example.
Holy and Without Blemish
1 Peter 1:15-16, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.””
1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
God’s Bride is not to look like the rest of the world. We are not to mingle and procreate with the world. Yet, that is exactly what we do. Our reasoning; it makes it easier to introduce people to Jesus. The problem with this reasoning is that we do not introduce them to the true and living Jesus. We present a watered down gospel so it’s easier to swallow. Yet, Jesus directs us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. Sanctification is our call.
Ephesians 5:27, “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
Luke 9:23,”Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.””
The walk we are to make is nothing less than the walk Jesus endured during His time on earth. We are to be Holy and separate. Sanctification and consecration.
1 John 2:6, “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
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