Sunday, October 25, 2020

EZRA 9 - SIN IN THE CONGREGATION

 


Ezra 9


The Report

9:1-2


After the second wave of exiles returned to Israel and offered their sacrifices, some officials came to Ezra. This is a first person account from Ezra. According to Ezra 10:9, this was about four months after Ezra and the second wave of exiles returned to Israel. 


The officials reported that some Israelites had intermarried with the pagan women in the area. This included some of the priests and Levites. The officials put it in terms of separating themselves from the peoples of the lands, and listed some of them. The leaders of the people were the ones most guilty of this (chief men and officials).


Malachi, who is believed to have appeared as a prophet during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah also condemned intermarriage with pagans. There is also an implication that Israelite men may have divorced their Israelite wives to marry pagan women. (Malachi 2:10-14)


The laws against intermarriage with pagan peoples was part of the covenant. For example, in Exodus 34:11-16, God told the Israelites he would drive out the different peoples that lived in Canaan so the Israelites could dwell there. He forbade them from making a covenant with those people, ordered them to tear down the altars and pillars, and to marry with them. 


This prohibition is religious more than racial. The Lord clearly wanted them to remove all temptation to worship other gods, or idols. This is stated again in Deuteronomy 7:1-5. God said pagan wives would turn the Israelite sons to idolatry. We read about that very thing happening to Solomon. He married many pagan women and built altars for their religion and participated in their rituals. And they turned his heart away from God. (1 Kings 11)


God called the Israelites out of the nations to be holy and to be consecrated to him. They were not to live as the other nations lived. If they lived holy lives in obedience to the covenant, God would bless them. If they did not, he would drive them from the land.


So, being called out of the world into a relationship with God requires separation from the world’s values and commitment to the values of God. The values of God express his holiness and he called them to be holy. 


God gave the Israelites many laws that demonstrated this, from the way they dressed, to the way they ate, and to the way they married. 


Similarly, God calls us out of the world to live for him. The New Testament repeats the requirement for us to be holy as God is holy. Paul continues the Old Testament thought of separation by writing “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has slight with darkness? What accord has Christ with Bell? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbelievers? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are are the temple of the living God…” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16) 


Since the Israelites had just returned from being driven out of the land, you would think they would be extra sensitive to these issues. But they were not.


Ezra Reacts

9:3-5


Since Ezra was dedicated to God and zealous for the teaching and observance of the law, he was horrified to learn of this situation. He reacted by tearing his garment, pulling his hair out, and sitting “appalled”. These are expressions of grief. Others, who were faithful to the law, joined him and they sat in grief until the time of the evening sacrifice. Those who had not sinned were grieved over the sins of others and the affront to God who had graciously returned the to their own land. 


That reaction sounds extreme, doesn’t it? But God said “this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word”. (Isaiah 66:2)


Ezra Prays

9:6-15


After Ezra’s time of grieving, he turned to God in prayer. He knelt in humility and began to confess the sin of these Israelites. Notice that Ezra did not sin, but he treats the sin of some as a sin of the nation, of the whole people of God. He saw confession and forgiveness as their greatest need.


Ezra first told God he was ashamed even to face him because their sins were so great. He reached back to the past, saying their iniquities were so great that God gave them over the captivity and shame. (7) He was especially ashamed because had just given them his favor, returning them to Israel, reviving them to rebuild the temple,  and protecting them from their enemies. (8-10)


Ezra recited the Old Testament law and the reason for the prohibition. This was known, but they did it anyway, despite the favor God had shown them. Ezra said that God would be just to consume them completely because they stood before him in sin. 


What I admire about Ezra is his degree of conviction of the sin of his people. He offers no excuses or explanations. He said “we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this”. (15)


Ever since the serpent said “did God actually say” in Genesis 3, people have tried to minimize and excuse sin. It is going on today as some want to say that what God called sin is not really a sin. Some also try to make God one dimensional, with that dimension being love, while refusing to acknowledge that he is also holy and just. 


Let’s be plain: it is an ungodly heart that makes light of sin. The cost of forgiveness is the blood of Jesus, the Son of God. Nothing else could do it. Grace may be free to us, but it came at great cost. And the cost was great because our sin is great. And God takes it seriously. You cannot appreciate grace and forgiveness unless you understand the seriousness. 


Ezra casts himself and Israel completely on the mercy of God. At this point, he is so convicted on the people’s sin, he cannot even ask for forgiveness yet. 


In so many places in the world, the church as adapted to its culture as opposed to God’s law. Ezra saw this and led the nation into repentance and rededication to holiness, as we will see in the next chapter. 


His message, God’s message, is the same for the church today. We must adhere to the word of God in complete faithfulness, repent of our sins, and dedicate ourselves to holy lives lived in obedience to the word of God. 


No comments: