The Book of Ezra
Study #15
(Ezra 9:1-15)
Response to Sin
(Part I: The Iniquity of the People)
Open:
How much influence do you think your friends have on you?
Introduction:
• You remember that between the events of chapter 6 and the return of Ezra in chapter 7 is a period of fifty-seven years.
• The entire book of Esther fits between these chapters.
• The Temple has been rebuilt under Zerubbabel.
• Now it is time for Ezra to rebuild the spiritual health of the people.
• It was to the task of teaching and preaching the Law that Ezra had resigned himself (vs. 10). (Wiersbe and KJV Bible commentary)
• Recently, we looked at the way the Ezra had prepared himself for leadership and the Lord’s blessings.
• Then we saw that Ezra asks for permission to leave and head for Jerusalem to minister to the Lord’s people.
• Surprisingly, Artaxerxes grants his request.
• And not only that, but provision is made for the journey to be financed by freewill offerings, official government contributions, and tax revenues from the Trans-Euphrates province.
• In our last message, Ezra gathered the men, discovered the missing Levites, recruited sufficient of their number for the planned ministry.
• Having boasted to the authorities that they would not need a military escort, then suddenly realizing the imminent danger, they have a season of repentance and prayer for the safety of their treasure and their children.
• As a final note, remember the great care used in the accounting for the gold and silver.
• Please note that, beginning in the last verse of chapter 7 (7:28) through chapter 8, Ezra is referred to in the first person.
I. THE INIQUITY OF THE PEOPLE (1-5)
A. The Report to Ezra (1-2)
Ezra 9:1A Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying,
• It would appear from a comparison of 7:9 with 10:9, that four months have passed since Ezra’s arrival.
• “These things” would refer to the taking account of the gold and silver and the placement of these things in God’s Temple.
• At first glance it appeared that the religion and the country were doing well.
• But horrible corruptions, demanding immediate correction, were soon uncovered.
• Ezra had been preaching the Word, and the Word was begining to do its work:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
1. The Violators (1B, 2C)
(1B) The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites,
(2C) yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
• From top to bottom the people have compromised.
• It is sad when any man fails the Lord.
• It is even worse when leadership falls.
And this figure he added eek therto,
That if gold ruste, what shal iren do?
For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste,
No wonder is a lewed man to ruste;
(Chaucer, Prologue to Canterbury Tales, Lines 502 ff)
2. The Violations (1C,1E, 2)
a. Wrong Associations
1) The Mingling (1C,1E, 2B)
(1C) have not separated themselves from the people of the lands,
(1E) even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
(2B) so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands:
• From the garden of Eden, the battle between the seed was on.
Genesis 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
• God was to bless the seed of Abraham.
Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
• The Psalmist makes comment to the failure of a past generation regarding marriage:
Psalm 106:34-35 They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them: [35] But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.
2) The Marriages (2A)
[2] For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons:
• Repeatedly Israel violated God’s commandment.
Numbers 25:6-8 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. [7] And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; [8] And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
• The Holy seed was not to be mingled.
Deuteronomy 7:3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
• Later, during Nehemiah’s day, the children of Israel were back at it again.
Neh. 13:23-25 In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: [24] And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. [25] And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
b. Wrong Actions (1D)
(1D) doing according to their abominations,
NOTE: These knew right from wrong. Where had been their rebuke? Was it so ingrained that they could not have spoken for fear of their lives.
• Earlier, their father would not allow the pagans to help build the temple.
• Now this generations allows intermarriage.
B. The Response of Ezra (3-5)
1. His Despair (3)
[3] And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
• Ezra tore both his inner and outer clothing, a gesture of mourning,
• But pulling his hair is not attested elsewhere in Scripture, unless the significance might be equated with shaving the head, which was associated with mourning (cf. Job 1:20; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10).
• “astonied” - Heb., to devastate, to stupify.
• Put yourself in Ezra’s perspective.
• He has come to teach God’s law.
• Now, He finds the leaders and the people are in violation of God’s law.
• Under these conditions, He cannot go back home, and He cannot stay.
ILLUS: When viewed from an earthly perspective, the man seems crazy. If we were as close to God as Ezra, it would be seen that his world was crazy. Crazy to think that one could defy God’s laws and yet escape God’s judgment! Indeed, the one pulling his hair out was one of the few sane men in the world at that time!
ILLUS: We have become so accustomed to nudity and profanity that we hardly notice. And when the pastor preaches against it, cries of “He’s crazy.”
2. His Delegation (4)
[4] Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.
• This must have been a meeting like one among Job and his friends.
• A group gathers to console Ezra.
• These are men who understand the gravity of the situation.
Isaiah 66:1-2 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? [2] For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Isaiah 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
3. His Determination (5)
[5] And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God.
• This may have been the first genuine prayer in years!
2 Chron. 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.
II. THE INTERCESSION OF THE PRIEST (6-15)
EZRA’S PRAYER
Ezra Acknowledges 2 Things:
A. The Guilt of the People (6-7; 10-15)
1. Our Past Failures (6-7)
a. The Shame (6A)
[6] And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God:
b. The Sins (6B-7)
(6B)for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. [7] Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day;
Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
c. The Sufferings (7B)
(7B) and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
2. Our Present Failures (10-15)
a. The Defilement of the Prohibited (10-12)
[10] And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, [11] Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. [12] Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.
b. The Danger of Presumption (11-15)
He prays that the people will remember 2 great truths:
1) Remember the Vindication of God
[13] And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; [14] Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?
2) Remember the Vision of God (15)
[15] O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.
Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
Jeremiah 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.
Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
1 Cor. 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: ...
B. The Goodness of God (8-9)
[8] And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. [9] For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
Lament. 3:22-23 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. [23] They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
“little space”
“little place”
“little reviving”
GET IT
6. Why do you think Ezra reacted so strongly to the news that the Israelites had intermarried with their neighbors?
7. In what ways do Christians need to avoid mixing themselves with the world?
8. What kind of relationships should Christians have with unbelievers?
9. What can we learn from Ezra about confession of sin?
APPLY
10. What specific steps can you take this week to sharpen your sensitivity to sin in your life?
