WE have seen holy Ezra humbling himself before God because of the unfaithfulness of the returned remnant, yea, of their princes and deputies chief in a matter that closely touched His honor and tested their devotedness. For what was a Jew that failed to be separate to Jehovah? He who united himself with a Gentile in the nearest relationship of the flesh despised and defied His law. He was profane like Esau and in the face of fuller light and more awful sanction. Such a breach in mingling the holy seed with the peoples of the lands, and this in too many cases, filled Ezra with affliction and shame, as his ways attested to all eyes. But there was no hasty utterance. Not till the evening oblation did he pour out the confession we have heard.
“And while Ezra prayed, and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have married strange women of the peoples of the land: yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise, for the matter belongeth unto thee, and we are with thee; be of good courage, and do it. Then arose Ezra, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they sware. Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water; for he mourned because of the trespass of them of the captivity. And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; and that whosoever came not within three days according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of the captivity. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month: and all the people sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
“And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have trespassed, and have married strange women, to increase the guilt of Israel. Now therefore make confession unto Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the strange women. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said concerning us, so must we do. But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. Let now our princes be appointed for all the congregation, and let them that are in our cities which have married strange women come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned from us, until this matter be dispatched. Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of fathers' houses, and all of them by their names, were separated; and they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. And they made an end with all the men that had married strange women by the first day of the first month.
“And among the sons of the priests there were found that had married strange women: namely, of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and his brethren, Maaseiah, and Eliez-er, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. And they gave their hand that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. And of the sons of Immer; Hanani and Zebadiah. And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah. And of the sons of Pashhur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. And of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. And of the singers; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri. And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah. And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah. And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza. And of the sons of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbal, Athlai. And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth. And of the sons of Pahath-moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and iVIe,nassela. And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah. Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei. Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Anaram, and Uel; Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib; Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu; and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei; and Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah; Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai; Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah; Shallum, Amariah, Joseph. Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, and Joel, Benaiah. All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children” (vers. 1-44).
The apostasy of Israel and then of Judah, which led to the world-power of the Gentiles did not annul God's will for faithful men; still less does the ruin of Christendom for the Christian now. Assuredly there is much for us to learn, not only in the principle itself, but from tine danger owing to our circumstances. Once Jews were imperiled from theirs; especially as to us the separation to God now is of no merely outward and fleshly sort, but in the Spirit's power as taught in the word. It is from the world and in the judgment of flesh, being wholly evil as the cross has proved. For neither the Jew nor the Christian evidently is it a simple question of moral pravity, but of consistency with the relationship, which grace has conferred on the one or the other. We are called to do His will in obedience to His word; and this imperatively, whatever the cost. The danger is from claiming laxity because of a state of ruin. A true heart would feel it a louder call to watch and pray.
Shecaniah first responded to the appeal (vers. 2-4). We do not hear that he was personally unfaithful but, it would seem, his own father (compare ver. 26). Yet he confesses, We have trespassed, &c., and proposes repentance shown in putting away the evil and its fruit, charging the administration of the judgment on Ezra. On this Ezra acts, swearing all to it from the highest downward, still fasting himself with mourning (vers. 5, 6); and proclamation is made to gather to Jerusalem within three days on pain of forfeiture of goods and cutting off from the congregation. And they did come together (vers. 7-9). Ezra calls on the unfaithful to confess and separate from the peoples as well as the strange wives; and all the congregation answer loudly, but plead the long work in the then untoward circumstances, and propose that it he dispatched in detail by responsible men throughout their cities (vers. 10-14).
A singular difficulty appears in ver. 15. The words might mean appointment over this, or opposition to it: the A. V. favoring the former; the R. V. the latter. But the context appears to decide for opposition. For ver. 16 is clear that not only Ezra but certain chief fathers, and all by name, were separated, and sat down to examine the matter. These carried out the task in order; whereas only four had stood up against this proposal. And more than a hundred were found, four of priestly rank, who gave pledge to send away their wives and offer the trespass-offering required. Their names follow without respect of persons (vers. 18-44). The authority of God's word abides inalienably to faith; but a time of ruin, while giving occasion to God's fidelity, is the last to allow of pretensions which ignore that ruin or the lowly walk which becomes faithful men, any more than the sanction of unfaithfulness. And the hope of Him Who is coming not only cheers and brightens the present, but acts on the conscience, as we may see in the later prophets who testified for God and to the remnant during those days.