Smoodock's Blog

In our study of the Book of Ezra, we’ve come to the time Ezra has arrived in Jerusalem, when the princes of Judah told him of the extent to which the apostasy had risen, since the Jewish authorities had begun to mingle with the heathen nations round about. Ezra sat before them in mourning for the whole day, but at the time of the evening sacrifice (Ezra 9:4), which is also the time of prayer (Acts 3:1; cp. Daniel 9:21), he arose, going to the Temple, and he knelt in prayer before God, confessing the Lord’s grace in his judgment of Israel for their rebellious iniquities. However, even in their rebellion, the Lord showed himself to be a faithful husband to Israel. Although he had put her away, sending her out of his presence in Jerusalem to go into bondage, as a captive in a foreign land, he was faithful to save a remnant, as though it were a “nail in his Holy Place,” offering light/hope, as though it were a promise of new life (Ezra 9:8).

So, Ezra continued in prayer, confessing to the Lord that Israel had forsaken the Covenant by breaking his commandment to remain separate from the heathen nations, vis-à-vis not mixing with them in marriage (Ezra 9:10, 12, cp. verse-1). The heathen nations, although very religious, were unclean. The problem was spiritual in nature. The heathen were like an unfaithful woman to her husband (cp. Romans 1:21), in that they practiced all manner of uncleanness and abominations (H8441; Ezra 9:11), pointing to their unfaithfulness in practicing idolatry (cp. Romans 1:22-24).

Intermarriage with the heathen was forbidden (Ezra 9:12), not as racial bigotry, but because of the tendency of the whole of mankind to rebel against the Lord,[1] and, if Jews intermarried with the heathen, the tendency would not be that the heathen would change and become a Jew, but, instead, that the Jew would change and become as the rebellious heathen (cp. Amos 3:3).

Thus, Ezra confessed his fear over what had been happening, saying, since by the grace of God, the Lord hadn’t punished Israel, according to her rebellious nature, but instead delivered a remnant out of captivity and, in doing so, breathed new life into the nation (Ezra 9:13), what should one expect of God, if Israel continued in her rebellion, even after the Lord delivered her from captivity? Wouldn’t their trampling upon the grace of God bring the Lord’s judgment upon them once more? And, if this is logical and true, wouldn’t he then leave no remnant to be saved (Ezra 9:14; cp. Hebrws 10:29)?

After praying in this manner, Ezra ended his prayer by confessing that the Lord is righteous in all he had done for Israel, and his mercy for them continued even to that very moment, in that the remnant of Israel was still free and in her own land. Nevertheless, although free and in the land, they were also in the Lord’s Presence. Nevertheless, they were unable to stand before him due to the abundance of their iniquities (Ezra 9:15). His prayer ends here. However, such a prayer implies Ezra expressed hope that the Lord would bless the desires of Ezra’s heart (cp. Psalm 37:4) to teach the Lord’s covenant to Israel (cp. Ezra 7:10) and grant them repentance (Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:26-27; cp. 2Timothy 2:25), for, according to Daniel’s prophecy, the Lord intended that Israel would continue in the land for at least 490 years (Daniel 9:24-27; cp. the whole of Daniel 11 & 12). So, Ezra’s prayer was according to the will of God, and it was a prayer of faith, expecting the Lord to honor his word, something Daniel, also, expected when he understood that Jeremiah’s 70 Years Prophecy had been fulfilled (Daniel 9:1-3).

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[1] Man wasn’t created this way (cp. Genesis 1:27), but the tendency became this way due to Adam’s rebellion. The rebellion of the second party seeks independence from the first party. Once independence was sought by Adam, it continued to be a characteristic in mankind’s behavior. Thus, intermarriage with the rebellious heathen was forbidden.