Ezra 10:1–6

The people join Ezra in repentance

While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large hile Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. 2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. 3 Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. 4 Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”

5 So Ezra rose up and put the leading priests and Levites and all Israel under oath to do what had been suggested. And they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

Ezra continued his mourning because of the sin of the exiles, but a ray of hope emerged when faithful people from among the exiles joined him in his grief. They shared Ezra’s dismay at Israel’s relapse into the sin of intermarriage with the people of the land and encouraged him to take action to correct the situation. Shecaniah, who served as their spokesman, ably summarized the situation. By intermarrying with the surrounding nations, the people had treacherously broken their covenant with the Lord.

Nevertheless, the situation was not hopeless. In passages like Deuteronomy 30:1-10, God had promised forgiveness and restoration to Israel if those who had broken the covenant would repent and return to him. Solomon had held out the same hope in his prayer at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:46-53). Ultimately, this hope of forgiveness depended upon the promised Messiah. The Lord would preserve his people so that this promise could be fulfilled. He could forgive his people because their sins would be paid for by the coming Savior. This hope brought light into a dark situation. It gave the people courage.

It must have been a great comfort to Ezra to know he did not stand alone. Even a man as staunch as the prophet Elijah lost heart when he thought he stood alone against the idolatry of Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 19). Pastors, teachers, and other leaders called by God need the encouragement of fellow Christians when they face the difficult and often unpopular task of rebuking or disciplining the impenitent. Let us make every effort to give such support to faithful leaders, just as Shecaniah and his companions did in the past. Encouraged by the people’s support, Ezra took decisive action to deal with the problem. And with Ezra behind them, the leaders vowed to correct the situation.

Ezra withdrew to fast and mourn while awaiting the outcome. His sorrow would not end until the situation had been corrected.