I am not saying this is absolutely the last Ezra Lesson, there may be another tomorrow. (We have already invested 9 Studies to Ezra chapter 10 alone!) But I am saying we are nearing the end of our journey through this truly “amazing” little Book of Bible history. Holy Spirit inspired history, and a whole lot more!
After the “devastation” of these “divorces,” necessary but painful … the last verse of Ezra 10 simply says: “All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.” Verse 44, leaving the Book with a rather “blunt” ending!
“Had taken,” so worded because the unions have now been dissolved. Due to idolatry and disobedience and insubordination, all primarily (or ultimately) directed toward Almighty God.
Best I can tell, only 400-500 people were involved in this “mass divorce” situation. A total of 110 or 111 men were guilty of taking these foreign (“strange” in the King James Version) wives!
But still, that many wives with no where to go? (Show me any provision specified by the Ezra Text to care for them! Show me one red cent these erring husbands were required to pay the women!)
Presumably however, they would have gone back to their fathers’ houses. That would have been the traditional response, anyway. Also … this issue took a while in planning and implementing, so time for them to arrange their “departures” would have been possible.
And look again at today’s verse. “All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives BY WHOM THEY HAD CHILDREN.”
How many boys and girls? I have of course included them in my estimate above, in round figures 400 or 500 total people. So 200-300 children! Are they now orphans?
Answer: we just do not know what happened.
See how sin devastates lives?
Furthermore show me the name of a single woman in this list!
Or a baby, or some little tot’s name, for that matter!
And to be fair, perhaps the men’s names were systematically listed to SHAME them for their wrongdoing!
One writer called this “solution” to the intermarriage violation … an example of the “iron yoke” of the Law of Moses! Then he reminded us of the “easy yoke” of Jesus, mentioned in Matthew 11:30! (What an interesting word picture!) “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Although, Jesus Himself did NOT take a light view of marriage, remarriage and divorce, not by any means.
Do not let my comments suggest criticism of the Word of God! This resolution was necessary! These few Jews, properly called a “remnant,” are the “hope” of salvation. Through them Jesus Christ our Lord came to earth! This heritage absolutely had to be PURE!
Then this too … Ezra (the leaders of Judah, too) … did seem to chart a “balanced” route through this thorny problem! Had they been any more strict, they could have (with the approval of the Law of Moses) conceivably stoned to death these adulterers, idolaters! Yet again had they been any more lenient, disaster would have occurred to the concept of Jewish identity!
Not too legalistic!
Not too easy-going!
Wisdom indeed!
Now here’s a New Testament illustration of such “balance” in approaching problems:
In the little Epistle of Second John the church is warned against false teachers. Do not accept them! Reject them! Then immediately in the little Epistle of Third John the Church is warned to accept true teachers, NOT to reject them!
One Preachers always says: “Blessed are the balanced!”
Amen!
Still … I hear weeping as Ezra ends.
But I trust this Bible principle will apply to this revival effort … “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5, “in the Lord!”
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
Yes, I will need another lesson tomorrow!
I cannot end on the note I have sounded today!