God’s Word for You

Ezra 10:9-15 Separate yourselves from them

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Saturday, August 2, 2025

9 Within those three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. All the people sat in the open square in front of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and also because of the rain showers. 10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful. You have married foreign wives. And in this way you have added to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now, make your confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from your foreign wives.” 12 Then the whole assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so! We must do as you have said. 13 But there are many people, and it is a time of heavy rain. We cannot stand here in the open. And this is not a task for one or two days, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let everyone in our cities who has married a foreign wife come at appointed times. The elders and judges of every city should come with them, until the fierce anger of our God over this matter is turned away from us.” 15 (Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.)

The turnout was complete. Every one of the Israelites who had come back from exile came to Jerusalem within the three-day deadline. This tells us that the people were eager to do whatever had to be done, but it also tells us that they were not far away. While some of the remnant (the descendants of the Israelites who were not taken into captivity) may have been living further away, such as in Galilee, the returned exiles were all within walking distance of just a couple of days, in Judah and in Benjamin. We also notice that it was the men who came, and while many wives and perhaps children came with some of them, it was not necessarily in every case. But they certainly knew why they had been summoned.

Ezra tells us that it was early December, their ninth month (Kislev). It was a time of strong winds and cold, hard rain, much like winter in the Pacific Northwest in America. There were times when snow even fell (2 Samuel 23:20), but snow in the Levant isn’t anything like it can be in our country. Still, the people were shivering for two reasons: the rain, and the fear of what was going to happen to them.

Ezra finally stood before the people, more concerned about their souls than about the rain, and spoke. The three parts of his short speech are interconnected; all part of the same act.

First: “Make your confession.” In Hebrew this is actually “Give thanks to the LORD,” but in this context it is certainly the kind of thanks and praise that acknowledges sin and wants to abandon it. This is the same meaning we find for this phrase in Joshua 7:19.

Their confession would be clear and honest. As we are taught in the Catechism, confession has two parts. “The one is that we confess our sins; the other, that we receive absolution or forgiveness from the pastor as from God himself, not doubting but firmly believing that our sins are thus forgiven before God in heaven.”

When we confess our sins, either privately in our prayers at home or publicly in worship, we should plead guilty of all our sins, even the sins we’re not aware of, the way that we do in the Lord’s Prayer. For when we pray, “Forgive us our sins” in the Lord’s Prayer, there is no condition or limiting phrase. Just, “Forgive us our sins.” But when we confess our sins privately to our pastor, we only need to confess the sins that trouble our conscience; the ones we know about, think about, and agonize over. These are those things we have done that rise up as we meditate on the Ten Commandments and on the preaching of Jesus in the Gospels. Luther asks so very simply: “Have you been dishonest, careless, wasteful, or done wrong?” And as we answer in private, our pastor will say with all of God’s authority, given by Jesus (John 20:23), “By the authority of Christ, I forgive you your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Go in peace.”

Second, Ezra said: “Do God’s will.” Ezra urges the people to a life that will go in God’s way and continue to go in obedience to God’s commands and God’s holy will. This is another use of the Ten Commandments, what we often call the “third use” of the law. This means that Christians may use God’s holy law as a guide, because he shows us the things he wants us to do: to worship God, use his name to teach and preach, pray, praise and give thanks. He wants us to honor our parents and people in authority, to respect life and marriage and possessions and our neighbor’s reputation and all of the other commandments. In this case, Ezra was especially talking about obeying God’s will about marriage. How could we possibly “lead a pure and decent life in words and actions” if we are led astray by a spouse who is devoted to another god?

Third: “Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from your foreign wives.” Today, we do not have this same command from God, but that doesn’t mean that a person who is looking for a spouse shouldn’t worry about religion. Some religions forbid celebrating Christmas, or even birthdays. What a change that would be in one’s life! Some religions challenge the Bible’s teaching about baptism for children. What a change that would be from what we are used to doing! Some denominations reject the idea of forgiveness through Christ in the sacrament. That would be the most terrible loss of all. Without forgiveness as it is promised by Christ himself, what forgiveness could there ever be? But he said, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28-29). Therefore, a person contemplating marriage must also take into account whether this marriage will bring him closer to Christ, or might it drive a wedge between him and his Savior? Ezra said: “Separate yourselves from them.”

The rain and the cold and their grief over sin made the people ask for appointments. It was a request that did not trouble Ezra or the priests of the temple. Each case would have its “appointed time” (verse 14). Why certain men objected is not stated. If you can put your own mind into the moment, with the pouring rain, the cold wind, and the shivering people, it’s easy to understand the request. Perhaps the objection was over the process or the inevitable outcome—there may have been some who objected to the imposed divorces. On the other hand, it’s also possible that the men who objected did so because they wanted to settle the matter here and now with no delay. We cannot say, but the text allows us to consider both sides of the matter. Ezra did not object. The request was not sinful. It may not have been his original plan, but he was willing to make allowances even for such things as the weather.

God asks us to serve, and he asks us to be faithful. But he also blesses our choices when they do not contradict his will. There was an important and difficult process to undertake. It was as if even the heavens wept for the sin of the people. Just as Jerusalem could weep over the exile (Lamentations 1:2), so could the clouds “pour down their water, resounding with thunder, with God’s arrows flashing back and forth” (Psalm 77:17). Consider your way, and walk in the path God has set for you. But step under a tree when you need shelter or shade, for God provides for your every need.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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