Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Ezra had arrived. They had sacrificed to and worshipped the Lord. They had settled in. Now they had a moment to breathe and see what was what. The leaders came to Ezra to give him the rundown. This was a public meeting, probably at the Temple where they had just sacrificed. Perhaps on the front steps – it as clearly in view of people coming by. The rundown was that the people had not kept themselves separate from the non-Jews living in the area. They had taken some daughters as wives for their sons and given some sons as husbands. This was forbidden by God (Exodus 34:12-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-4). It was NOT because of race. Two women in the genealogy of Jesus were foreigners (Rahab and Ruth). But those women had converted to Judaism. The problem was that in marrying non-Jews WITHOUT conversion, they had strayed. They had picked up idolatrous practices. Abominations were once again being performed in Judah.

Ezra’s response was swift and heartfelt. He tore his clothes, plucked hair from his head and his beard, and sat down in total shock. He fasted all day in that spot. He sat there in shock until the time of the evening sacrifice. What shocked him was that this sin – idolatry – was EXACTLY what got their forefathers taken into captivity. The Lord had shown them mercy allowing them to survive and return. And they were REPEATING it. Sin is STUPID. True then, true now. We get into it for what seems like reasonable reasons, end up doing what we don’t really want to do, and get stuck in bondage longer than we ever considered. Sin is based on FEELINGS and it is STUPID. Ezra clearly agreed.

At the evening sacrifice, Ezra fell to his knees and prayed. He sought the Lord NOT for himself, but for the people. He repented for THEIR sin. In this, Ezra was a shadow of Jesus. He was ashamed of what they had done. How they had chosen to knowingly ignore the Law and sin. He was as grieved as if he himself had done it, and cried to the Lord accordingly. The Jews had been punished less than their sins had deserved. They had been allowed back. And they were forsaking the Lord their God. They knew the commandments AND the reasons behind them. He acknowledged God’s rightness and superior position. He acknowledged the guilt of the people. And he once against threw them all on God’s mercy.

“While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children from Israel gathered to him. And the people wept bitterly.” (Ezra 10:1)

Ezra didn’t preach to the people. He didn’t try to stir anything up. He simply repented before the Lord. The people responded to his prayer, his attitude toward God, and their own consciences. Shechaniah spoke out of the crowd and acknowledged their sin to Ezra – there is no evidence he himself was one of those who had sinned, but like Ezra he took ownership of the corporate sin. He continued, suggesting they make a new covenant with God over this specific issue. He suggested a total separation of the Jews from those who did not follow Yahweh – not just putting away wives or leaving a husband, but also the children who were being raised in an idolatrous house. He was talking about cutting out a cancer (the sin of idolatry) no matter how painful. He reminded Ezra that Artaxerxes had given him the power to do whatever he wanted (Ezra 7:23-26). He encouraged Ezra to have courage and do as the Law commanded.

Ezra agreed. He got up and had the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all of the people swear to do according to this oath. Everyone agreed. Ezra went into one of the chambers in the Temple and mourned there in fasting for the guilt of the nation. A proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem that everyone had to gather at Jerusalem. Within three days they had to be there or their property would be confiscated – with the discretion of the priests for legitimate, mitigating circumstances. So they did. In the ninth month, on the twentieth, they gathered in Jerusalem in heavy rains, trembling because of the issue at hand.

Ezra stood up and spoke of their sin. He reminded them of the Law. And under the Law, they would obey. They would separate themselves from foreign spouses and children. The people unanimously agreed. They may not have repented in their heart of hearts, but they were going to obey and submit to Ezra’s authority. It was set up in schedule – because there were too many people to do it all at once that day – over several days that the people would present themselves to the priests so that their compliance could be determined. Two men were listed as opposing the action. Two men were listed as specifically championing it (Meshullam and Shabbethai). Everyone was examined. It was determined who had married a non-Jew (who had not converted).

Those who were found guilty (including four sons of Jeshua, the former high priest), agreed to give up their spouses AND because they acknowledged the marriages as sin, they presented a ram of the flock as a trespass offering. In total, 113 of the 42,360 people who had returned to Judah had taken foreign spouses. Less than 3 in 1,000 but it was a blight on the nation before God. They took action and got rid of it, casting it from them – even though it was painful – because they had done wrong in starting it. They put God’s point of view before their own. They got into alignment with the will of God. May we ALL do the same. [ANY sin is unacceptable. Thankfully, we are not under the Law anymore (Romans 7:6) and have forgiveness guaranteed in and through Jesus when we truly repent of ANY and EVERY wrongdoing (1 John 1:9).]

Summary

Key Players: God, Ezra, Shechaniah, Meshullam, Shabbethai

Key Verse(s): Ezra 9:1-7, 13-15; 10:1-6, 12-17