Ezra 10:1-44
The People’s Confession of Sin
1 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. 2 Then Shekaniah 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.
7 A proclamation was then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem. 8 Anyone who failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, in accordance with the decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.
9 Within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. 11 Now honor the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.”
12 The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: “You are right! We must do as you say. 13 But there are many people here and it is the rainy season; so we cannot stand outside. Besides, this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned greatly in this thing. 14 Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this.
16 So the exiles did as was proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each family division, and all of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the cases, 17 and by the first day of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.
Those Guilty of Intermarriage
18 Among the descendants of the priests, the following had married foreign women:
From the descendants of Joshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. 19 (They all gave their hands in pledge to put away their wives, and for their guilt they each presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.)
20 From the descendants of Immer:
Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 From the descendants of Harim:
Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah.
22 From the descendants of Pashhur:
Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.
23 Among the Levites:
Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
24 From the musicians:
Eliashib.
From the gatekeepers:
Shallum, Telem and Uri.
25 And among the other Israelites:
From the descendants of Parosh:
Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah and Benaiah.
26 From the descendants of Elam:
Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah.
27 From the descendants of Zattu:
Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza.
28 From the descendants of Bebai:
Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai.
29 From the descendants of Bani:
Meshullam, Malluk, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth.
30 From the descendants of Pahath-Moab:
Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh.
31 From the descendants of Harim:
Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluk and Shemariah.
33 From the descendants of Hashum:
Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei.
34 From the descendants of Bani:
Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasu.
38 From the descendants of Binnui:
Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Maknadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph.
43 From the descendants of Nebo:
Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.
44 All these had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.
These are difficult passages (for this author), especially when they were first read...Why would God have the Israeli men leave their wives?...Isn't this divorce, and doesn't God hate divorce?...God even in the the very first book of the Bible, in Genesis, we see the importance of marriage with Adam and Eve...God made Adam a partner because He saw that it was not good for man to be alone...
Yet, the priest Ezra has a problem with the Israeli men marrying foreign wives...He wants them to intermarriage broke up...After I read Ezra again I think that Ezra was very knowledgeable in God's word and followed God...Throughout the Old Testament, God does want His people to marry within their own nation...The Israeli's are His people, they know Him...God did not endorse marrying outside the Israeli nation (Exodus 34:11-16, Deuteronomy 7:1-26, Joshua 23:12, Malachi 2:10-16)...But in these verses of marrying outside the tribes of Israel, I think, God tells them that marriage is a total commitment, and living with a spouse can over time and many years become snares and traps in believing other gods...The other countries around had many gods, and other gods, besides the God of Israel...
God in these ancient days as He is teaching and disciplining His people, knows that marriage is sacred...But God is our Creator...He is our Father...He alone is our God and Father...Nothing is to separate us from Him...We can see this when we are in beginning in school...When we around our friends, new friends and other people, at times we can change...If your friends and the people you are with everyday, it is harder to maintain your relationship with God, if others we like and respect do not believe in God...When we are around friends we pick up and do things they do...We pick up, sometimes just by being there...Habits of others in trying things becomes easier...These habits, can be good or they can be bad...Yes, marriage is sacred and God sees that...The family is the most important social structure God created...When one or both members of the family do not believe in God, the family more than suffers...We need God in our lives...When we marry and one of the partners do not believe in our Creator and Father, it can make if difficult for the other partner to maintain a relationship with God...Over time the nation would suffer, if God gets pushed aside...When one of the partners brings in other gods or ideas in a marriage, it causes problems...It breaks up the family over time...If one spouse believes in God and the other wants to introduce other idols into the family, with the other spouse and children, this hurts the family unit...
Ezra saw this fracture...He saw this division starting...When we take this into the context of when Ezra was in history this makes sense...The people of Israel were exiled and in Babylon for years... Babylon was later conquered by Cyrus...The Israeli people were being allowed to return home...Ezra knew the importance of the people to get focused on God, so they could rebuild their homes and villages, but also there new lives...Rebuilding takes time and energy...Ezra knew that a marriage with someone who did not believe in God, would hurt many things...The partnership of marriage, would affect the family unit, and the rebuilding of God's temple and their town...It would affect the nation...It was a time in Israel to get back to God...Ezra teaches us that God, our Creator and Father is the most important priority in our lives...