I am trying to be ever so careful as I comment on this 10th chapter of Ezra, its grand finale! And I’ve learned early this morning that I may have overlooked an issue! (Surprise: human commentators are not infallible!)
It’s just a single verse, Ezra 10:15 … “Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.” Looks to me like we’re just being given the names of four more men, leaders in Israel, who “assisted” Ezra in this matter of illegal (and ungodly) intermarriage.”
The verb used in our King James Bible is translated “were employed.” Those good scholars in the early 1600’s were working with the little Hebrew word “amad,” a verb. Now “amad” is found 521 times in the Old Testament. In roughly 300 of those instances it means something like “stand, stay, remain,” or even “continue, wait, establish.” This is good.
But it is also rendered “to withstand” (literally “withstood”) 6 times in our King James Bible! Furthermore, this is the ONLY TIME in all Scripture, our Text here today, where “amad” means “were employed!” (I checked that fact carefully.) Wow!
I am NOT criticizing the King James Bible. I love it dearly. It’s the only Bible I carry to the pulpit, or ever have. I am simply saying that “amad” as used here could imply that 4 men (our Text again: “only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.”) withstood (were employed against Ezra and his plan) this separation of men and their wives.
This is also the view most commentators take of this quartet of possible objectors!
By the way, sanctioned “divorce” is a novel idea, even in the Old Testament! Only in this Ezra-Nehemiah era do we find it, period! Some could have misunderstood, disagreed!
We don’t know if Jonathan and his brethren withstood the idea because they thought the plan was too harsh … or because they thought it did not go far enough, not as strict as it should have been!
No matter, the men who passionately believed in “separation unto God” carried the day! Better yet, who believed in “separation from heathenism.”
My “point” this morning?
Always in God’s work, expect it, opposition will arise!
Some of the criticism we elicit may be good, to help us fine-tune our actions, our motives, our plans!
Some may be satanic, destructive, designed to get us out of the will of God, to walk the wrong path!
We need discernment here!
And love for the detractors!
All of which Ezra had, exhibited.
And the (if there at all) disagreeing men … soon fell into line and helped with the task at hand!
The spirit of Philippians 3:15 may have prevailed in this situation: “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: AND IF IN ANY THING YE BE OTHERWISE MINDED, God shall reveal even this unto you.”
Wow!
So … the work of separating the Jews from the idolaters (yes, even believing husbands from unbelieving wives) went forward … apparently with God’s blessings upon it … and judgment was averted!
Opposition!
Just like churning the milk brings the cream to the top … so the turmoil of opposition can bring the “loyal men” to the top! Read 1 Corinthians 11:19 for this idea expressed a little differently. “For there must be also heresies (divisions) among you, that THEY WHICH ARE APPROVED may be made manifest among you.”
Wow again!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
Some day we might even say, “Blessed opposition,” it merely made me stronger in my faith!