Ezra 9:1-15

EZRA 9:1

Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

Now after all the vessels and the treasures that Ezra brought back from Babylon was properly delivered to and stored in the temple, a major problem had arisen which Ezra was unaware of.  It seemed that many of the Levites, priests, and the people of Israel had not separated themselves from the people of the pagan lands.  They had married wives from these people groups and each one had its own false god and idols.  This was not to say that these men were partaking in idolatry but the fact that they married wives who worshipped these false gods meant they could have an effect upon their husbands and Judah may find itself in the same situation from seventy years ago.  This same situation happened to Solomon when he allowed his wives to turn his heart away from the LORD.  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. (1 Kings 11:4)  This was what these pious princes were afraid of, a repeat of their idolatrous history.

EZRA 9:2

For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

These marriages may have taken place in Babylon or after they returned to the land.  The problem was not only limited to the fathers who took heathen brides but they also took heathen brides for their sons.  This resulted in the pure lineage of Israel being corrupted.  The LORD separated Israel from the other nations which surrounded them and chose them to be a holy people unto the LORD but the fact they had commingled meant that the holy seed was now mixed with heathen seed and if there are any children from these marriages, then the mothers might turn them to the false gods.  Then the reason the people married heathen wives because they followed the example of the princes and rulers who should not have married them but should have set a better example for the people.  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)  The same principle applies to Christians.  They are not to marry unbelievers because that is mixing the holy seed which dwells inside the Christian with the unbelief and evil that dwells in the heart of the unsaved spouse.

EZRA 9:3

And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.

When Ezra heard this, he was so affected by it that he rent or tore his garments which he was wearing plus his mantle which would have been his upper garment.  He was so distraught that he actually plucked out some of the hairs on his head and beard.  He was very fearful that the LORD would bring about another judgment upon them.  He sat down and was astonished at the situation thinking those men should have known better.  He was astonished also because of all the goodness God did toward them in bringing them out of captivity and leading them safely home.  They were showing ingratitude rather than gratitude.

EZRA 9:4

Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.

Then there was assembled with Ezra all those in Judah who trembled at the word of God and feared him because of the transgression of the many who married strange or foreign wives.  This transgression was widespread among those who were in the captivity and it seemed many of them did not learn the lesson of why they were sent into captivity.  At this, Ezra sat astonied which carries with it the meaning of becoming like a stone until the time of the evening sacrifice which would be about 3 PM.

EZRA 9:5

And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,

Then at the time of the evening sacrifice Ezra had risen up from his heaviness which means affliction and having already rent his garment and mantle in humility and subjection to the LORD, he had fallen upon his knees, spread his hands unto the LORD and made confession of the sin he just found about.  He was a humble supplicant at this time.

EZRA 9:6

And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

Then Ezra begins to make confession of the sin.  After all God had done for Judah in the past four months, Ezra was ashamed to even look toward Heaven because he felt unworthy to do so.  He was blush as he was humiliated in this situation.  Ezra was like Daniel as he included himself in the group of sinners because he too, like all humans, have sinned mightily against the LORD during their lives.  He basically said that their iniquities or sins are causing them to drown as water overtakes a drowning man, their sins overtook them and he states that their sin has mushroomed so much it was as high as the heavens.  For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. (Psalm 38:4)  This should be the cry of every unbeliever that their sins have overtaken them to a point of drowning.

EZRA 9:7

Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

Ezra had acknowledged the fact that in the history of Israel, they have been in great trespass, from the exodus out of Egypt where many rebelled in the forty year trek until the present time.  He acknowledges the fact that it was their own sins and rebellion that caused God to give them into the hands of foreign kings as punishment for their rebellion.  As a result of their rebellious attitudes toward God, many of them were killed, and some went into captivity as they just experienced, and some were a spoil as they would have been sold as slaves.  They suffered confusion of face as they were shamed because of their rebellion against God who would have been their protector if they remained obedient but chose to adopt the false religions and now instead of them being a strong nation, they became servants to the pagan nations.

EZRA 9:8

And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

At the present the Lord gave them a little space of time which was by the grace of God to allow a remnant to remain alive in Babylon so they could be returned to the land.  God gave them a nail in his holy place which is speaking of the temple which was now built on the same place where Solomon’s temple was and was now established once again.  Then within that space of time the LORD may lighten the eyes of Judah, that is, which meant to refresh their spirits and give them a proper spiritual outlook on things and also gave them a reprieve from bondage, even though they were still under the authority of the Persian king, yet they were still free in their spirits.  It is like a true born again believer, even if they are in prison, they are still free in their spirits.

EZRA 9:9

For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

Ezra admits to the fact they were bondmen or slaves in Babylon and yet even under those conditions, God never forsook them and had inclined his mercy to them in the sight of the kings of Persia, to grant them a time of emancipation so they could return to the land and build the temple of God, and restore the worship in the temple and make all necessary repairs to the temple area and the walls where many of the houses were attached to.  The wall may also be referring to the king of Persia as he commanded that nothing should be done to hinder them or cause any hurt to the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  The physical wall would not be repaired and rebuilt for a few more years when Nehemiah shows up.

EZRA 9:10

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,

The Ezra states that what can we say beyond this, how could we justify or excuse ourselves when we knowingly had forsaken and disobeyed the commandments of the LORD.  What can be said more for these people except that they have broken thy laws.

EZRA 9:11

Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.

³ Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. ⁴ For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. (Deuteronomy 7:3-4)  Moses wrote that when the people of God come into Canaan that they must understand it is an unclean land and filled with filthiness and not just the idolatry but also their incestuous marriages and their sex feasts and all their spiritual impurities.  The abominations which were abhorrent to God such as sacrificing their children on the altar of the false gods.  King Manasseh had adopted the evil ways of the heathen.  And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. (2 Chronicles 33:6)  These types of unclean and abominable practices were done by all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and that is why God did not want them to intermarry because it would draw his people into those evil practices.

EZRA 9:12

Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

God had commanded that they were not to give their children to the inhabitants of the land or else Israel would adopt those pagan practices and would cause them to rebel against the LORD.  They were not even to go after their wealth, in other words, making that the goal of their lives which would also drive them into evil works to gain wealth. They were not even to seek peace with them, that is, to make covenants and deals with them and adopt their ways to appease them so wealth could be obtained.   If they remained obedient to God’s laws and then rejected all the evil, pagan ways, then they would be a strong people under the protection of the LORD and would be able to leave the land as an inheritance for their children so they could leave it to theirs in perpetuity.

EZRA 9:13

And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;

Then Ezra reveals a great principle about God.  He states that after all of the judgments they faced by going into captivity for seventy years because of their adoption of idolatry and the false religions and the departure from God’s law, and the principle is this, that God did not punish them for their iniquities as they deserved to be punished or else they would all have been dead plus adding to that mercy, God even brought them back to the land and took them out of captivity and Ezra extols God for giving them a great deliverance from Babylon especially by the favor of a pagan king.

EZRA 9:14

Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?

Then Ezra poses two questions which must be answered.  Should we as God’s people break his commandments again and join in a kinship with the people of these abominations?  Then Ezra asks the second question that would not God be angry with them and consume them off the land forever that there should be no remnant escaping this time as they just escaped.  Ezra knows that the answer to the first question is no because that is what caused Israel to go into captivity in 721 B.C. and caused Judah to go into captivity for seventy years.  Then the answer to the second question is yes, God just got done punishing them for their idolatry and departing from his law but this time he saved a remnant to return to the land, if they continued their rebellion the next time God may show no mercy and would destroy them all as they would become full pagans.  God preserved this remnant because of the Elect within them.

EZRA 9:15

O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.