Ezra 9

Reforms under Ezra

Now when these things had been done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, behaving according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves, and for their sons, so that the holy race has mingled with the people of those lands. Yes, the leaders and rulers have been foremost in putting their hand to this trespass”.

3 And when I heard this matter, I tore my garment and my cloak, and plucked out the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down appalled.

9:3 Gen 37:34; Josh 7:6; Jud 11:35; 2 Sam 13:19. The depth of Ezra’s love for God and His people is seen here. Those who are closest to God will be most alarmed by sin. Compare Ps 119:136. Ezra knew that a continued refusal to be a separate people and to follow God’s laws would mean punishment for the people and dishonor to God’s name.⚜

4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me, because of the transgression of those who had been exiled, and I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice.

Ezra’s prayer of confession

5 And at the evening sacrifice I got up from my humiliation, with my clothes and my cloak torn, and I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God, 6 and said, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to raise my face to you, my God, for our evil deeds have risen over our head, and our trespass has grown up to the heavens. 7 From the days of our fathers to this day our guilt has been great, and for our evil deeds we, our kings and our priests, have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to be like plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

8 “And now for a little while grace has been showed 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 give light to our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 For we were slaves, yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage, but has extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to raise up the house of our God and to repair its desolations, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

10 “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, 11 which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are going to possess is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations. They have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 12 Now, therefore, do not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons, or seek their peace or their wealth at any time, so that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’

13 “And after all that has come on us for our evil deeds and for our great trespass, since you, our God, have punished us less than our evil deeds deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 should we again break your commandments, and join in marriage with the people of these abominations? Would you not be angry with us till you had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15 O LORD God of Israel, you are righteous, for we remain as a remnant, as it is this day. See, we are before you in our trespasses, for we cannot stand before you because of this”.

9:6-15 Although guiltless in the matter that so appalled him, Ezra identified himself with the people in their sin. Compare Neh 9:6-38; Isa 64:5-7; Jer 3:25. He did not stand aloof and condemn them. We can learn something of true intercession from this prayer.⚜