This final chapter is a difficult one. The Judeans see Ezra mourning, and they not only confess their sin of intermarrying with foreigners, they vow to ‘put away’ their foreign wives and children.
“Shecaniah… addressed Ezra: ‘We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.’ ” (v2-3 abr)
The difficulty with this text arises when we realize it’s talking about divorce. Ezra and the elders basically enforce and endorse ending these relationships, exiling the foreigners from their homes. The stumbling block here is it seems contrary to other passages of scripture where divorce is highly discouraged / disallowed.
In 1 Cor 7:10-16 Paul talks about how divorce should not be allowed between two believers. Divorce is allowable between a believer and an unbeliever, and only if the unbeliever will not allow the believer to practice their faith. There are a few more divorce exceptions, such as infidelity, though again, divorce is the last resort.
Scriptures do not provide us enough context to nail down exactly why Ezra promoted divorce here. Possibilities include:
– this practice best fit the Mosaic Law they were striving to follow
– the scenario required it because the foreigners were preventing the Judeans from practicing their faith
– the foreigners were performing defiling pagan practices and rituals
No matter the reason for the divorces between the Judeans and the foreigners, one thing is clear: sin, and repentance from it, is to be taken very seriously. The Israelites sinned against God’s commands, and there were serious consequences (eg. exile and broken homes).
This is why I strongly encourage us (myself included) to be as closely aligned to God as possible. The more focused we are on God, the less we’ll be tempted to sin, the easier it will be to deny temptation, and we’ll avoid some serious consequences. It’s a win-win.
Father God, our Just and Righteous Sovereign Lord, You have given us Your commands for guidance, and for our own good. Father when we break our relational covenant with You, would You please remind us to repent and return to You. May we continue drawing closer to You, focusing on Your leading, so we think less about sinning. May our primary goal be to honor, glorify, praise and obey You, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training