In the last chapter Ezra was seen owning before the Lord his people’s guilt. Now we see him dealing with the sin he had confessed and not resting until it had been put away. The result of his prayer, his confession and his tears, was that there was gathered unto him a great congregation of men, women and children, “who wept very sore.” We can understand their weeping since for many of them the act of separating from their former sins meant the breaking of the most affectionate ties. How hard it is to retrace our steps sometimes, and the fruits of our unfaithfulness often remain for the rest of our lives.
But there were some who realized that they must act at once in the matter, at all cost to themselves, if necessary, knowing that the Lord could not bless or prosper them as long as they were living in violation of His commandments. One of their number, Shechaniah, who owned the authority of the Word of the Lord, spoke up for them all and acknowledged that “we have trespassed against our God,...” but he also expressed faith that “yet now is there hope in Israel concerning this thing.” Doubtless Ezra’s grief and humiliation, and the way they all joined him in weeping before the Lord, led him to speak thus. He proposed that they make a covenant with God to put away their strange wives and children, “according to the counsel of my lord,” for they seemed to realize that Ezra came armed with the king’s authority. Shechaniah then called upon Ezra to act with courage, saying, “we also will be with thee.” What a comfort this must have been to Ezra in his grief! So he made them all swear that they would do according to this word.
After this Ezra went into the chamber of Johanan, a Levite, where he fasted and mourned, for as long as the people had not separated themselves from their sin, the burden remained on his heart.
Then according to the counsel of the princes and elders, a proclamation was made that all should gather themselves to Jerusalem within three days. If anyone refused to come, all his goods should be forfeited and himself separated from the congregation. We are told that all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together within three days. It was the twentieth of the ninth month, which would correspond to our December, so it was wintertime. The people gathered together trembling, in the street of the house of God, because of the seriousness of the matter and because of the pouring rain. Their physical discomforts only added to the sorrow of their hearts.
It might be well to remark here that whereas under the law those of Israel who had married wives of the nations, had to put away both wives and children born to them as unclean, now under grace all is changed. Scripture solemnly warns the child of God against marrying an unbeliever; but in the case of husbands or wives brought to the Lord after marriage, if a believer finds himself linked with an unbelieving wife, “and she be pleased to dwell with him,” the word is “let him not put her away.” Likewise “the woman which ha th a husband that believeth not,” “if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.” (1 Cor 7: 10-16.) It may be that the saved one might win the unbelieving companion for Christ, and then through it perhaps the children may be blessed and brought to know the Saviour too.
ML 05/17/1959