Smoodock's Blog

According to our study in the Book of Ezra, thus far, Ezra has led a release from Babylon, courtesy of King Xerxes of Persia, and has arrived in Jerusalem. Whether or not Ezra knew of the corruption of the former exiles prior to his leaving Babylon is anyone’s guess. Personally, I don’t believe he knew the extent, to which the Jews in Jerusalem had come to disregard the Mosaic Covenant. However, one has to wonder about how the text describes Ezra as a ready scribe (Ezra 7:6), who “had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (Ezra 7:10). Then, after leaving Babylon, almost as if he knew he needed fresh teachers, zealous and uncorrupt, he stopped at Ahava and sent messengers to Iddo the Chief, requiring Levites who were zealous for the Law of Moses and able to teach it to their brethren (Ezra 8:15-20). Certainly, there were Levites at Jerusalem, so why did Ezra believe he needed others, unless he knew that at least some of the Levites in Jerusalem had compromised their integrity by intermarrying with the heathen nations round about Judah?

The time of prayer in the Temple of God was not as modern folks have come to understand the moment of silence. Prayer, especially by a leader such as Ezra, was prayed aloud with arms stretched out to God in heaven in a posture of standing or kneeling. Ezra knelt in mourning, crying out to God, confessing the sins of his people. He pulled out the hairs of his head and the hairs of his beard in frustration over the guilt of Israel in the face of the grace and blessings of the Lord. How could his people be forgiven for such disrespect and such rebellious iniquities, of the kind that caused the Lord to put Israel away, as a husband would an unfaithful wife, and sent his people in chains to Babylon?

As Ezra knelt in prayer in the Temple, crying aloud to God, a great company of Jews gathered around him, men, women and children, and they wept with him. This is an odd event, considering that the Temple Herod built had divided the place of assembly into a court of men, a court for women and a court of gentiles. Considering what occurred here, one has to wonder, if the separation of men, women, Jews and gentiles, had always been present in the Temple (cp. Galatians 3:28). Nevertheless, however this event occurred, a great assembly gathered around Ezra, weeping with him, as he cried out to the Lord (Ezra 10:1).

When Ezra had finished praying, and while he yet knelt before the Lord, Shechaniah, the son of Jehiel (probably the same as one of the offenders: Jehiel of Ezra 10:26), came to Ezra’s side and confessed in agreement with him that Israel had sinned and was guilty of a great trespass against God in that they mingled themselves with the heathen of the land by marrying heathen women and giving their daughters to heathen men. Yet, Shechaniah encouraged Ezra, pointing to the assembly of people round about him, who expressed their own sorrow with the tears, thus agreeing with Ezra’s prayer to the Lord (Ezra 10:2).

Seeing the seed of repentance there in the hearts of the people, round about Ezra, Shechaniah suggested that the children of Israel make a covenant with the Lord, agreeing to put away their foreign wives and children of heathen birth. He also submitted that Ezra should oversee the implementation of this covenant, along with others who respect the Lord, who would execute its operation, according to the Law of Moses (Ezra 10:3). Furthermore, Shechaniah told Ezra that he should be of good courage, for they were with him to enforce his demands. Thus, this matter would need to be guided and overseen by him instead of the offending authorities in Jerusalem, whose integrity had been compromised, either through direct participation of the evildoing or through neglect of their responsibilities (Ezra 10:4).