Thursday 28th May
Read Ezra 10:1-4
“While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites – men, women and children – gathered round him. They too wept bitterly. 2 Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, ‘We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. 3 Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. 4 Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.’” (NIVUK)
Ezra is publicly confessing the sin of the people and truly repentant. His repentance was contagious and it prompted the people to propose a solution to the problem. The juxtaposition of intense heartfelt repentance and decisive action tends to suggest that the solution proposed by the crowd is the right solution. It is a hard solution yes, and they recognise that it can only be effected if Ezra lends his authority to the cause, but the question remains as to whether it is the right solution.
There are other instances of God’s people proposing solutions to problems concerning sin and their continuing relationship with God that may seem correct at the time but in hindsight may have been hasty. One also wonders how many of the people weeping before the Lord with Ezra would be personally required to divorce their foreign wives – Shekaniah’s name is not in the list at the end of the chapter after all.
It is possible that this solution is entirely appropriate. Repentance that is not followed by action is questionable at the very least. However, there is no word from God concerning this matter – it is the wisdom of the crowd. An emotional crowd at that! In Malachi we read of the detestable act of marrying foreign wives and breaking the covenant (Malachi 2:10-12). We then read his condemnation of divorce in the following verses (Malachi 2:13-16). Many have squared these words by suggesting that the Israelites were divorcing their wives in order to marry foreign women. But one can’t help but wonder if both are true and refer to the events described here. Two wrongs may not make a right?
