AngelaSphere

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The unfaithfulness of the exiles.

God is absolutely serious when he gives a command a seperation and we we see that in Ezra 9 and 10.  This is heavy reading and drama at its fullest.

The account in Ezra 8 and 9 is that not a few of The leaders of Israel were guilty of the Great sin of intermarrying those whom God Had forbidden them to marry.

God told Israel (Ezra 9: 1,2) to separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way.  Everyone sat around Ezra trembling at God’s words.

Ezra, ashamed and disgraced comes before God and acknowledges the great sin of Israel And God’s judgment.  He also recognizes God’s mercy in leaving a remnant and is Thankful that God has not abandoned them.  Grateful that God has granted them a chance to Begin again to rebuild God’s house.

And yet Ezra confesses their complete disregard For following God’s commands to not give their Daughters or sons in marriage.  Nor to make Treaties of friendship with them.  Ezra tells God They are deserving of the punishment God has Applied to them and because of it not one of them Can stand in his presence.

And so (Chapter 10) we see large numbers of people gathering around the weeping and repenting Ezra.  They to wept bitterly.  Shecaniah leads the
Way in repenting before God and exclaims that There is still hope.  The leaders, priests and all Israel will covenant before God to send away the
wives and the children and rally around Ezra in support.

On Dec 20 in that day all Israel gathered in Jerusalem in the square at the temple in the Rain.  It was decided how best to handle the matter in an orderly fashion, pledged to put Away their wives and presented a guilt offering.

And so … WOW … imagine what that whole ordeal must have been like.  I see images in my mind like the one left.  Fathers saying goodbye to wives and children they love.  This is true faith isn’t it?  The kind of faith that does the hard thing after they’ve done the easier thing.  It is always easier to follow the desires of our flesh.  Then we are left with the harder business of going back to the fork in the road, repenting, seeking forgiveness and surrender.

Food for though: I want to have this kind of faith … still …. that must have been a dreadful day.  The scripture tells us it was raining that day.  No doubt the rain on the outside, matched the rain on the inside of everyone’s souls.

On final thought.  I wonder where all those women and children went, and how in the world did they survive in that male dominated culture.  Oh my!