God’s Word for You
Ezra 10:18-43 The atonement for guilt
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Monday, August 4, 2025
The next twenty-five verses are the list of those men from Israel who had married foreign women. I have included verses 20-43 after the devotion for the sake of thoroughness.
18 As for those men who had married foreign women:
Some were from the priests: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, who were some of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers. 19 They pledged themselves to put away their wives, and because of their guilt, their guilt offering was a ram of the flock.
If we go through the list name by name by name, we will find one hundred and ten names, from eleven families, and another group exclusively from Levi, including priests, Levites, singers, and musicians. Is the arrangement of these details meant to make us think that it represents the twelve tribes, the way that twelve sacrifices represented the twelve tribes on different occasions (Ezra 6:17, 8:36)? Also, were these names only the leaders? Were there actually far more than a hundred or so? This question remains unanswered.
It is important for us to notice that the priests are not hidden in the list, but those priests who had fallen into this sin are listed first. In fact, men from each of the branches of temple ministry are listed. There is no automatic disconnection between spiritual leadership and sin. Israel had known many leaders, and certainly many, most or all of her kings, who were guilty of various public and private sins. In the same way, our leaders today must never think that they can cover up a sin. Whether pastors or Presidents, sins are sins. When a sin is confessed and repented of, a man may keep some of his reputation intact. But when a man tries to make excuses and squirm away from his guilt, then he loses his credibility.
We see that sacrifices were made for guilt. The goat of the guilt offering is described as a ram. Rams were required in the Law of Moses for unintentional sins against the Lord’s “holy things” (Leviticus 5:15). It was also a ram that was used to atone for a man who “sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though he does not know it” (Leviticus 5:17). He was held to be guilty even though he didn’t know about the law. A ram was also the offering for the guilt of cheating one’s neighbor, or for being unfaithful to the Lord with something left in his care (Leviticus 6:1-6). It may also have been significant that a ram was a part of the sacrifice the people made before they entered the Promised Land, tribe by tribe, family by family, ram by ram (Numbers 15:1-6).
All of these sacrifices simply pointed ahead to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. His death was the guilt offering for all mankind (Isaiah 53:10). Professor Chytraeus equates this offering with the “sin” in Paul’s great exchange verse: “God made him who had no sin to be sin (that is, the ‘asham or guilt offering) for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). In this way, Christ atoned for all sin. The guilt offering, often a ram, was required for guilt of any kind, whether it was known or missed, remembered or forgotten, intentional or a mistake, original sin or actual sin. Christ’s sacrifice, his blood on the cross, atoned for all of the sins of all mankind for all time. “This priest (Christ) offered for all time one sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:12).
The Israelites, beginning with their spiritual leaders, confessed their sins and brought the sacrifice for their sins. They also did away with what was sinful by ending their sinful marriages. As our true High Priest, Christ made the sacrifices that atoned for all our sins. So while the Israelites under Moses were set free from captivity in Egypt, we have been freed from what the prophet calls “the waterless pit” (Zechariah 9:11), which is hell, where “their fire is never quenched” (Isaiah 66:24). For the way of sinners is smooth and paved with small stones, but at its end is the waterless pit of hell. But Christ has rescued us from eternal punishment. His love never fails, and his mercy endures forever.
20 Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21 Of the sons of Harim: Ma’aseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. 23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri. 25 And from the rest of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah. 26 Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. 27 Of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza. 28 Of the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 Of the sons of Bani were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth. 30 Of the sons of Pahath Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 Of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. 33 Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu. 38 Of Bani and Binnui: Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.