Oops!

Read Ezra 9:1–10:44

1. While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and lying face down on the ground in front of the Temple of God, a very large crowd of people from Israel—men, women, and children—gathered and wept bitterly with him.
2. Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, a descendant of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God, for we have married these pagan women of the land. But in spite of this there is hope for Israel.
3. Let us now make a covenant with our God to divorce our pagan wives and to send them away with their children. We will follow the advice given by you and by the others who respect the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law of God.
4. Get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action.” Ezra 10:1-4

“Ididn’t know.” If a driver says that when stopped for speeding, the police officer may let the speeder off, but he or she doesn’t have to, because ignorance of the law is no excuse. If a child says it to Mom, she’ll probably give the child another chance, but she’ll also expect compliance from then on. It works best to learn the rules before the trouble comes, instead of the hard way.

Here, the Israelites are back in their homeland. Not knowing God’s laws, some of the returned exiles carelessly end up breaking them. This causes Ezra much grief and shame before God, who has just brought his people back from being held in captivity and given them a second chance.

As you read, notice Ezra’s incredible humility before God, as well as the great sacrifice the Israelites make in order to repent for their sin.

Other lessons in this passage include avoiding certain kinds of partnerships and crying out for justice.

Ezra pointed out a sin that the Israelites had been committing without really knowing it. They had intermarried with the pagan tribes around them, something God had forbidden (see Exodus 34:12-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-4). God knew that marrying into a family or clan meant accepting their gods. In order to reestablish the nation’s relationship with God, Ezra pleaded for God’s forgiveness (Ezra 9:5-15). Then the Israelites chose the painful course of repentance—ending their wrongful marriages.

In this reading, we should note the willingness we should have to sacrifice anything that causes sin in our lives. The Israelites sacrificed family relations in order to maintain a right relationship with God. What sacrifices, big or small, do you need to make in order to return to a right relationship with God and walk more closely with him?

True repentance does not end with words of confession—it must lead to corrected behavior and changed attitudes.