Ezra 9 — Ezra Prays about Intermarriage
Ezra 10 — The People Confess Their Sins
Thoughts about serving others
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Chapter 9 begins “After these things had been done” (Ezra 9:1) like chapter 7, so we know there some time has elapsed and events have transpired that are not detailed here. Ezra hears of intermarriage and followers being misled to worshiping foreign gods and is appalled, “I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice” (9:4). He prays humbly to God on behalf of the people, “Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence” (9:15). Ezra methodically deals with each case and works to clean house!
Just as Solomon had married wives who infiltrated Israel with foreign gods (and thus Solomon’s undoing), the Israelites have repeated the sin and have to be dealt with harshly. What I wonder about is how they fell into this trap again? As a group, they simply wandered in the wrong direction. Following the herd is often problematic, complacency is often the motive–simply not taking time to seek God’s favor or ask for his guidance. How many times do I simply go with the crowd rather than truly trying to understand God’s desire in my daily decisions? A friend of mine from years ago had a 10-second rule that he used. Anytime something needed to be decided, he would stop and pause for 10 seconds before making a decision. This may not sound like a lot, but there were times when I’d ask him a question and this pause seemed like an eternity. God help me to pause for 10 seconds rather than just spouting off at the first microsecond. Help me to seek your will above my own. May this pause provide time for me to hear from you and may I be better about listening to you!