EZRA 10
The tears spoken of in verse 1 were the outcome of a deep moral work in the souls of God’s people. There had been nothing like it before. Ezra had not only brought increased [p. 246] light to them, and more complete furnishing for the service of God, but he brought amongst them priestly sensibilities which deeply affected them, and brought about a most blessed work of moral recovery.
Shechaniah made full confession of the unfaithfulness, but his heart was confirmed with grace, for he said, “Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing” (verse 2). After all, there was a great opportunity; unfaithfulness need not continue. The principle of covenant, as expressing a solemn engagement to put away all foreign wives, was available. If there has been unfaithfulness with us the remedy lies in our own hands. Shechaniah says, “Let it be done”; “Be of good courage and do it”. And Ezra made the chiefs “to swear that they would do according to this word. And they swore” (verse 5). When there has been unfaithfulness there must be definite decision and action. When we have been entangled in some worldly association there is no getting clear without purpose and decision. We must definitely break with those workings of the flesh, and those worldly influences, that have hindered us spiritually. Many a believer knows something that is a spiritual hindrance to him. Let it be dealt with at once. In getting free from the flesh and the world we have to act. It is very little use praying if we are not prepared to act. We have to put to death the deeds of the body; we have to overcome the world. Every “foreign wife” is really an opportunity for a spiritual victory. A certain spiritual violence is often needed, which the Lord referred to when He said, “The kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence, and the violent seize on it”, Matthew 11: 12.
Of course, we clearly understand that, in applying this scripture to our own time, if the unfaithfulness has taken the form of marriage with an unbeliever, this is not a link which can be severed. And it is possible that there may be, under certain circumstances, links wrongly entered into, but which, having been entered into, involve obligations to others which cannot be righteously set aside. In such cases the unfaithfulness has to be owned and confessed, but its consequences have to be accepted as the government of God. In humbling ourselves under His mighty hand we learn by what we have to suffer governmentally, and in due time His mercy may come in for us.
The exercise of Ezra 10 had to be taken up by all “the children of the captivity”. They had all to gather themselves [p. 247] together unto Jerusalem, on pain of being “separated from the congregation”. The matter involved the honour of Jehovah’s name, and therefore everyone must prove himself to be pure in regard to it. If there is definite unfaithfulness with reference to worldly associations, the whole assembly has responsibility as to it. It can never be regarded as a matter of individual liberty. If the Spirit of God raises an exercise as to certain moral conditions, the whole assembly must move with it. If anyone does not share in it he morally ceases to be of the assembly. No independency was tolerated in Ezra’s day; much less can it have any sanction when saints are “one body”.
This great congregation sitting “in the open space of the house of God, trembling because of the matter, and because of the pouring rain” (verse 9), is expressive of the deep concern with which the whole congregation now regarded the matter. Ezra called upon them to make confession of their unfaithfulness, and to separate themselves from the peoples of the lands, and from the foreign wives. The conscience of the congregation was active, and they answered, “Yes, it is for us to do according to thy words. But the people are many, and it is a time of pouring rain, and it is not possible to stand without; neither is this a work for one day or two”. While fully convicted of the gravity of the matter they felt that it could not be dealt with there and then. It was too serious to be dealt with in a general way; each individual case must be soberly considered by the princes as standing for all the congregation, and with them the elders of every city and the judges thereof. Nothing was to be done by mere impulse; there was careful provision that the exercise should be worked out as a matter of principle in every locality concerned. It is a beautiful example of how any serious matter involving the Lord’s name should be handled.
It appears from verse 15 that four men stood up against the exercises of the congregation. Their names are inserted as a warning to beware of all such, like certain men whom Paul mentions. Satan will see to it that generally there is some opposition to what is of God, but this must not be allowed to hinder a spiritual exercise from being brought to completion. The whole matter was ended by the first day of the first month. When any decided action which maintains what is due to the Lord is carried through it inaugurates a new year of spiritual prosperity.
The sons of the priests who had taken foreign wives “gave [p. 248] their hand to send away their wives; and they offered a ram of the flock as trespass-offering for their guilt” (verse 19). The ram was the appointed trespass-offering when the rights of Jehovah had been infringed (Leviticus 5: 15); it signifies a very mature and energetic apprehension of Christ in trespass-offering character. The sense of assembly failure, and of our own failure in regard to God’s holy things, should bring us to that. We are far too light about matters that really involve the rights of God. We do not consider that we can only be cleansed from the guilt of unfaithfulness by Christ being the trespass-offering for it. Failure to maintain separation is a much more serious offence than we are apt to think. We should understand that we are not clear of it before God until we have brought the ram of the trespass-offering.
The names given from verse 18 to the end of the chapter are the names of overcomers; they had all separated themselves to Jehovah. So I believe the last chapter is really the best in the book. There is a depth of moral exercise that had not been seen before, and a more true separation to Jehovah. I believe the Lord intends that our last chapter shall be the brightest and best in our history; more self-judgment than ever, more appreciation of Christ, more separation to God, more priestly sensibilities, more suitability for the service of God! The history of the assemblies contains much to grieve over, but let us not forget that the Lord contemplates having an overcomer in every assembly. Whatever has been in the past, let us see to it that we finish as overcomers!