Read Ezra 10
The People’s Confession of Sin
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.
Go Deeper
This is a difficult passage, particularly as the ending of this book. This is a pretty hard burden to bear. Does God really want all of the wives from other cultures and their children sent back to Persia?
Consequences are difficult, and make no mistake, that’s what this is. God is very, very clear with His people that they shouldn’t intermarry with people who don’t follow Him. This is for good reason: when God’s people intermarry with pagans, it does not go well for them. See Genesis through Malachi for more. In this case, it’s evident that God’s people haven’t listened.
Ezra is an interesting figure. We don’t get as complete of a sense of his character as we do with David or Moses or Paul. What we do see from him here and in Nehemiah is what he does best: seeking to change the hearts of God’s people with God’s Word. He’s looking for transformation and restoration, and he’s looking to the Word to provide it. Smart move!
There’s an overwhelming conviction on the part of God’s people that they’ve been disobedient to God. They’re almost unanimously willing to accept the consequences of their actions. As an aside, most scholars tend to agree that those sent away at the end of this book do not represent everyone that could be sent away. The elders of the people spend three months interviewing families, and given the prevalence of intermarriage, it’s clear that not every foreign wife is sent away—just those that refuse to forsake their foreign gods to follow the One, True God.
So what do we see from God’s people that we can take and apply to our lives? It’s not that if we’re in a “pagan marriage” we should be looking for a divorce (1 Corinthians 7:12-17). It’s that disobedience to God draws us away from Him. Marrying pagans drew His people away from Him. They confessed, they repented, they faced the consequences, and they were absolved. What disobedience in your life is drawing you away from God? What do you need to confess to your community? What repentance is God calling you to?
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:8-9.
Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, in whom we have this forgiveness!
Questions
- When was the last time you dealt with consequences from your sin?
- Spend some time in quiet meditation—how is God calling you to repent?
- We’re called to be a community of faith like we see in Ezra—how are you going to confess and rely on your community to remind you that you are a forgiven, redeemed child of God?
Watch This
As we wrap up Ezra and move into Nehemiah, check out this video from The Bible Project for Ezra & Nehemiah.
Leave a Comment Below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].
6 responses to “Ezra 10”
Sin never improves our lives or makes things easier. It always causes collateral damage.
BUT GOD leads Ezra by prayer, fasting, teaching, and by appealing to their conscience to follow the covenant.
“The principle is consistent: God desires His people to remain faithful to Him above all. But through Christ, we see a deeper redemption at work. Where Ezra demanded separation from those who drew Israel away from God, Jesus stepped into the world to draw all nations near to God through Himself. The walls of division come down in Christ, who makes one new family out of Jew and Gentile (Eph 2:14-16).” Brad Boyles
What and where God is calling us today is the same as it was then, turn back to God and get away from, separate yourself from what ever is drawing your heart from Him. We have hope because we know that God’s mercy has been fully revealed in Christ. The power of the cross proves how deadly/serious our sins are but GRACE through faith in Christ is how we overcome.
God thank You for Your Son. I am so thankful, grateful and blessed because of His life and sacrifice. God thank You for Hesed love, overcoming, never ending, faithful love You have for me. Thank You that I can be more faithfully consistent to do right things and make right choices to and for You. Today in the minutes I have in this day let me be a light where ever I am. Let me love, the unlovable, be kind to the hurting, and be patient with all that are in my path. God to You be the glory and honor in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
What if the end of every day we normalized confession. Either alone or with our family we exposed our sins to one another and before God. Embracing the practice of input (how did you feed your soul), output (how did you feed another’s soul), and confession (how did you feed your flesh) is life changing.
Well put, Ella!
How often do I do the opposite — “normalize” my sin?! This is game (and life) changing!
What I find interesting in Ezra 10 is the political and governing aspects of the text that are not different from today. The people in power (Ezra and other elders) are the majority, and in this case are repentant and seeking to honor and follow the Lord God almighty. Then, they govern; they problem solve and implement policies and actions for the good of the people.
Should you be politically engaged in some way shape of form? Here’s a definition of both politics and governing:
“How politics and governing relate and overlap?
Politics and governing are distinct but tightly connected. Political struggles decide who gets to govern and what goals they pursue, while governing translates those goals into concrete actions and systems.”
In this case, I am glad Ezra and the majority of the elders held the power, (obedience to God kind of power) versus those who wanted to continue with the status quo.
I think we all need to be obedient to God and play our part that He places before us to either be a political advocate for those who honor God, or be active in governing – implementing – what politically is directed…or both.
1 “ They too wept bitterly.”
It’s amazing to me that the Israelites responded so maturely to Ezra’s pleas. They didn’t rationalize or defend their sins, but rather joined and wept along with him. Wow!
The Israelites, led by Ezra, openly acknowledged their sins before God. This act of humility and honesty is a powerful reminder that confession is a vital step in restoring our relationship with God.
As 1 John 1:9 assures us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession is not just about admitting wrongs; it’s about opening the door to divine forgiveness and healing.
Personal confession this morning led to ugly crying and repentance. I ask those of you that know me to hold me accountable from the raw contours and wretchedness of a pretentious life. Humbly I ask for your prayers.