Ezra 9:1
OUTLINE:
I. \\#Ezra 1:1-2:70\\ The First Return to Israel
A. \\#Ezra 1:1-4\\ The Command to Return
B. \\#Ezra 1:5-11\\ Preparations for the Journey
C. \\#Ezra 2:1-65\\ The People Who Returned
D. \\#Ezra 2:66-67\\ The Animals That Returned
E. \\#Ezra 2:68-69\\ The People’s Reaction
F. \\#Ezra 2:70\\ Life Begins
II. \\#Ezra 3:1-6:22\\ Construction of the Temple
A. \\#Ezra 3:1-7\\ In the First Year
B. \\#Ezra 3:8-13\\ In the Second Year
C. \\#Ezra 4:1-24\\ The Temple Work Is Stopped
D. \\#Ezra 5:1-6:22\\ The Temple Completed
1. \\#Ezra 5:1-2\\ The Work Begun
2. \\#Ezra 5:3-5\\ The Law Comes
3. \\#Ezra 5:6-17\\ The Official Inquiry Made
4. \\#Ezra 6:1-5\\ The Search Was Done
5. \\#Ezra 6:6-12\\ The Command Given
6. \\#Ezra 6:13-14\\ The Command Obeyed
7. \\#Ezra 6:15-22\\ The Temple Completed
III. \\#Ezra 7:1-8:36\\ The Second Return to Israel
A. \\#Ezra 7:1-28\\ Ezra, the Man
B. \\#Ezra 8:1-36\\ The Journey
IV. \\#Ezra 9:1-10:44\\ Restoration of the People
A. \\#Ezra 9:1-2\\ The Sin of Israel
B. \\#Ezra 9:3-15\\ Ezra’s Reaction
I. \\#9:1-2\\ The Sin of Israel
A. \\#1\\ "when these things were done" - When Ezra and his band
came to Israel.
B. "the princes came" - Some of Israel’s leaders came. While
many "people of Israel… priests… Levites", both religious
and political, had committed sin, come of had not.
C. "have not separated themselves from the people of the lands,
doing abominations"
D. \\#2\\ "For they have taken of their daughters… have mingled
themselves with the people of those lands"
1. The Jewish people had begun to marry with those who
worshipped false gods, "the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites,
the Egyptians, and the Amorites" \\#1\\.
2. This reveals that all the original inhabitants of the land
had returned from Babylon under Cyrus’ degree as well as
Israel.
3. Some 80 years after Zerubbabel refused to let pagan
nations help build God’s temple, the people had married
pagans and were re-introducing false worship in the land
of Israel.
4. For those who would condemn God’s Word as being racists,
the sin had nothing to do with nationality, race, or the
place of birth but their worship. If a person renounced
their false gods and came to live among Israel, they were
welcomed.
Ex 12:48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with
thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD,
let all his males be circumcised, and then let
him come near and keep it; and he shall be as
one that is born in the land: for no
uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
Le 17:8 And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever
man there be of the house of Israel, or of the
strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth
a burnt offering or sacrifice,
Nu 9:14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among
you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD;
according to the ordinance of the passover, and
according to the manner thereof, so shall he do:
ye shall have one ordinance, both for the
stranger, and for him that was born in the land.
II. \\#9:3-15\\ Ezra’s Reaction
A. \\#3-5\\ Ezra’s Physical Reaction
1. \\#3\\ "I rent my garment and my mantle"
2. "I plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard"
3. "sat down astonied… until the evening sacrifice." \\#4\\
a. These displays of shock and inflictions of pain were
ways to express how serious the matter was to the
one doing them.
(1) People did not have closets filled with clothing
in those days so ripping garments was a costly
demonstration.
(2) To pull the hair off your head and face was a
painful demonstration.
(3) To sit for a long period of time in the sight of
others in this condition was a way of letting
everyone know the seriousness of the matter.
(a) If others could be persuaded by this, good.
If not, it let them know what the one
committing the actions thought.
(b) This made it a very public demonstration.
b. \\#4\\ "Then… assembled unto me every one that
trembled as the words of the God of Israel" - Many in
Israel who had known the seriousness of what was
happening came and joined Ezra.
4. \\#5\\ I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto
the Lord my God."
a. Then, Ezra confessing Israel’s sinfulness to God.
b. It is noteworthy that Ezra’s prayer is not a prayer of
forgiveness but confession.
(1) One cannot ask God to forgive a sin from which
one will not turn. It remained to be seen how
Israel would respond to God and their sin.
(2) Ezra’s prayer acknowledged Israel’s wickedness,
God’s goodness, and the great opportunity God
had given to Israel—but he did not request
forgiveness.
B. \\#6-15\\ Ezra’s Prayer Reaction
1. \\#6\\ "I am ashamed and blush" - Sinful man should be
ashamed of his sin.
2. \\#7\\ "Since the days of our fathers" - Israel’s sins
were the reason they had "been delivered into the hand
of the kings of the lands… swords… captivity…
spoil… and to confusion…."
3. \\#8\\ "for a little space" - God had given Israel another
opportunity but it would last only a short time.
a. "a remnant to escape" - Israel had been very small
since their destruction by the Babylonians and they
were about to separate some from their population
again.
b. "to give us a nail in his holy place" - Israel was no
longer a strong building or a house, but a single
nail, tacked in God’s holy place. It will be up to
them to rely on God’s presence if they are to remain
there.
c. They would need God to "lighten our eyes" and to "give
us a little reviving in our bondage."
4. \\#9\\ Israel had received mercy and purpose from God.
a. "to set up the house of our God"
b. "to repair the desolations thereof"
c. "to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem" - God
would soon send Nehemiah to complete that task.
5. \\#10-11\\ "we have forsaken thy commandments… filled
it from one end to another with their uncleanness" - Ezra
confessed the wickedness Israel was guilty of committing.
6. \\#12\\ Ezra repeated God’s command, giving commentary
with the command.
De 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.
7. \\#13\\ "our God hast punished us less than our iniquities
deserve" - Ezra stated what God is and has been to the
human race and to Israel, merciful. While He could
destroy us and cast us away forever, God gives
opportunity again and again.
8. \\#14\\ "should we AGAIN… join in affinity with the
people of these abominations" - The main reason for
Israel’s sin was their refusal to separate from other
people who worshipped false gods. Living in an evil
world would not be nearly so dangerous if we changed
them, but most of the time, they change us.
9. \\#15\\ "we cannot stand before thee because of this"
Ezra understood that God would deal with Israel because
of their sin.
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