Ezra

Ezra Chapter 9

Ezra Prays About Intermarriage

• Ezra 9:1  Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 
• 2  For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. 
• 3  And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. 

This is not racism here but genuine concern because intermarriage with the people that sacrificed live children to idols and did things that we would be shocked at today in the civilized world. Although since it's been proven that babies feel pain during an abortion, I wonder if we are doing the same things under the pretense of it being called medical procedures. The abominations that the early Canaanites did was the reason God promised the land to Abraham to start with. Looks like these sins spread to Moab and Ammon. When idolatry is present, it's like an open door to the same abominations that caused God to send the world wide flood of Noah. The violence, hate, bloodshed for the innocent, torture, cruelty, especially to innocent children will destroy whole nations.

• Ezra 9:4  Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. 
• 5  And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, 
• 6  And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. 
• 7  Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

The kingdoms of Israel and Judah partaking of these type of sins is why God allowed Assyria and Babylon to take them into captivity in the first place, also the violation of not allowing the land to rest from the sabbaths after 7 years of planting. The 70 years of Babylon captivity included that particular sin. The sabbath rests were for the land too. The law was given to keep sin in check until the final sacrifice of God's own Son Jesus came about ushering in a way to change the inner person in those that believe and received Him. Jesus was the only human that lived on the earth without breaking that law in any point. He was able to reverse the curse that came upon the whole human race when Adam disobeyed God. For that to count for us, we have to believe and receive this ourselves as individuals.

Sin progressed and spread rapidly after Adam sinned when he listened to the words of Satan instead of the word of God. The first murder was when Cain killed his own brother out of anger and jealousy. Intermarrying with those that practiced child sacrifice and evil, was forbidden by God for the children of Israel in the law of Moses.

• Ezra 9:8  And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 
• 9  For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. 

In all these sins, God still didn't give up on them but had a plan to save all who would believe; even those that were not part of Israel. The time of the sacrifice of Jesus had not yet happened but bringing them back into their own land was preparing for the 1st coming of Jesus. It would not  take place until over 400 years later but that day was coming.

• Ezra 9:10  And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, 
• 11  Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 
• 12  Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. 

This was God's way of keeping them from the abominations of the heathen but it went unheeded. This is in the law of Moses. In Deuteronomy chapter 7.

• Ezra 9:13  And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; 
• 14  Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? 
• 15  O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this. 

Weeping over sins is the first step in renewing ourselves to our creator, our God and the one who will grant us an eternity of joy, peace and everylasting life when we spend it with God in the new heaven and earth to be created in the future. This is why Jesus came. What the law could not do because of the weakness of our flesh, the power of the gospel can do. We need to be born again by the Holy Spirit of God so that we are not condemned with the evil of the world around us. Yet we must avoid innermarriage with those that refuse to have God in their lives and perfer to walk in uncleanliness and evil. DC

Ezra weeps and mourns over this and prays similar to Daniel's prayer recorded in Daniel chapter 9.

Ezra Chapter 10