“And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this.” Ezra 10:2 (NKJV)
God allowed the children of Israel to be taken into captivity because of their sins, including worshipping idols of the pagan’s in the land. When they were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and walls, they seemed to not have learned their lesson. Ezra called them out on the issue of intermarrying with the foreigners who did not worship the one true God.
Today’s verse is a confession that the people acknowledged that they had sinned against God by intermarrying with the people of the land. Just for a moment, put yourself in the place of these women. They had established their lives with the men of Israel. Some had children from the marriages. Yet God required the families to be broken if the men were to be saved. That had to be a harsh reality.
In my life today, have I made compromises, doing what God said I shouldn’t do? God does not take lightly the obligation to live according to His Word. When I know better, but still make choices that are against God’s Word, I am not beyond God’s love. However, to walk with God requires that I forsake anything that comes between me and my Creator. In the case of the people of Israel, they had to split families so that they would not be enticed into sin by their close relationship in marriage.
Lord, show me today what I need to forsake so that I can walk humbly with you all the days of my life. Listen to Grace Bible Church as they sing “Jesus, All for Jesus.”
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 2/27/25, 5:00 pm