Daily Devotions
February 23rd, 2010 by Pastor SolleyEzra 10:1-3
10:1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.Ezra 10 is one of the saddest chapters in the Bible to me. As Ezra was used of God to rebuild the temple something was discovered. The people, in particular the priests and Levits had taken wives from among the Gentiles. Now they could not serve or worship. What was to be done? They had to put the wives away and some of them had children. What all this involved I do not know but I know it brought much sadness to the people and hurt many families including husbands, wives and children. Sin always has a price to pay. The only way to restore worship and right relationship to God was for the people to put away their wives. It does not say divorce for God hates that but in some what they did put them away, Even today we see the results of an unequal yoke bringing much sadness to many homes. Young people go against the Word of God in choosing whom they date and marry and soon you see the trouble, heartache and sadness it brings. We need to walk in obedience to the Word of God in all that we do. And this is double concerning the home and family. Just look at what is happening today because people do not obey the Bible.