Key Text: Ezra 9:6

Study Focus: Ezra 9, Ezra 10, Nehemiah 13:23–31

Among the bad decisions that the Israelites made were their intermarriages with unbelievers who did not share their belief in the true, living God. The two sections studied in this lesson deal with the realization that the people of God had mixed their families with those who had no desire to follow God and were idolaters. The book of Nehemiah closes with a brief account of Nehemiah’s contention with some of the Jews because they were compromising in their dedication to God by marrying unbelievers. Nehemiah points out that Solomon fell because of his bad choice of marrying idolatrous women. God’s people needed to learn from Solomon’s bad experience. Nehemiah publicly shamed the men who had married idolatrous wives, reminding them that their choices would either lead them toward God or away from God.

Interestingly, Ezra had dealt with the exact same situation some years earlier. In Ezra 9 and 10, we read Ezra’s prayer of confession as he acknowledges the seriousness of intermarriage with unbelievers. They were a nation at the point of a new start and were either going to grow into a greater commitment to God or influence each other away from Him. The zeal of Ezra and Nehemiah in this situation brought the nation to their knees, and many of the men reformed by separating from their unbelieving spouses.

Thus, learning from these stories, we are to think carefully about our choice of a spouse. But most important, we must learn from the principle uplifted here: make choices that will lead us closer to God, rather than away from Him. Every decision should be weighed and based on where we will end up in the future if we keep doing it.

Part II: Commentary

Nehemiah 13: Nehemiah’s Reaction and Radical DealingWith Mixed Marriages

Nehemiah pointed the people to the example of King Solomon, reminding them that even Solomon, the wisest king that ever lived, fell, through bad decisions, into the idolatry his women promoted. Nehemiah asked the Israelites if they thought that they were immune to the influences of the idolaters living within their own homes. Playing with fire produces only fire. Even the priests were not following God wholeheartedly in this matter. The grandson of the high priest married the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, one of the worst enemies of Israel. A priest was strictly enjoined to marry a “virgin from his own people, so he will not defile his offspring among his people” (Lev. 21:14, 15, NIV). Consequently, Nehemiah “drove him [the grandson of the high priest] away” (Neh. 13:28, NIV). This radical action demonstrated the seriousness with which Nehemiah held the issue of marriage among believers. Marriage should reflect God’s principles of love and is a nuclear unit for building the church and society.

Ezra 9: Ezra Confronted With the Problem and His Prayer

Some years before, Ezra also dealt with the intermarriage situation. When Ezra was told that some people, leaders, and priests had married wives who had not given their hearts to God, Ezra was shaken. He tore his clothes and sat for a long time disheveled and shocked. After all the Israelites had experienced, he could not believe that the sins that had caused them to go into exile and from which they had just emerged were once again prevalent in Israel. Not wishing to be different from the surrounding nations before the exile, Israel had been led away from God by accepting the worship of their neighbors’ gods. This mixing with other nations led them into evil practices and syncretistic worship. And now they were on the verge of falling into the same sins. To top it off, they had just barely gotten out of Babylon. Ezra was so distressed and saddened by the news that he sat grieving until the evening sacrifice. He then prostrated himself before God and prayed a beautiful prayer, confessing the sins of the nation and stating that he could not even lift his face up to God because of what his people had done.

Ezra 9:9 states: “God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us.”The Hebrew word translated as mercy is chesed, which means much more than just mercy. It implies steadfast love and faithfulness, or loving-kindness. God extended mercy in order to (1) grant (natan—to give) a revival, (2) repair (rum—set up) the house, (3) rebuild (amad—to stand) the ruins, and (4) bestow upon (natan—to give) Israel a wall. These are all action verbs, showing that God did not forsake His people. Instead, He extended help so those four things could happen: He worked to repair, to rebuild, to give, and to revive the people. “Revive” is mentioned twice, also appearing in verse 8. The word for “revive” is michyah, which means life-giving and also saving a life, relief, recovering, and sustenance (such as food). In other words, Ezra emphasized that God gave them “life.” He saved their life, gave them what they needed, and revived them so that they could do the work that needed to be done in the city of Jerusalem. Moreover, He revived them so they could be “whole” again.

But they were throwing away all God’s blessings by intermarrying with idol worshipers. The wholeness that God wanted for His people was being undermined by their choices. Ezra was worried that they could not continue to be fully revived as God’s people if many of them chose to bond themselves with partners who had no regard for God. Especially at this time of starting over as a nation, being only a remnant group, Ezra felt it was imperative that the Israelites follow God and not get mixed up again with practices that would lead them away from Him. Strict conformity to God’s Word was especially important at this time, because the children in these marriages would not even know the language of the Bible.

Ezra 10: The Solution

Ezra’s concern and deep conviction over this issue impressed upon the people the gravity of their actions. They started gathering around Ezra and weeping with him. One man or woman who is deeply dedicated to God can have a profound influence on those around them. A godly leader who does not overlook evil actions inspires godliness in others. The leaders came up with a solution of sending the wives and children away. These marriages were not according to God’s will; therefore, the word for divorce is not mentioned.

Today, when deciding on the question of separation from unbelieving spouses, we look at the principle behind their actions rather than at the letter of the word. Paul counsels believing spouses not to leave their unbelieving spouse who truly wants to remain married. On the other hand, no one should force an unbelieving spouse to remain married to a believing spouse against his or her will (1 Cor. 7:12–15). No one can force such an unequal arrangement. Therefore, the principle that comes to the forefront is making godly choices in all areas of life. Thus, according to God’s instructions, we must choose wisely whom we marry. Also, we must live wisely in marriage, whether to a believer or an unbeliever. In addition, we must make wise choices. We must represent God in how we conduct business, do our jobs, raise children, and interact with others, including the way we address issues with our spouse or with someone who is angry at us.

An important word that appears within both chapters is chared, which means “to tremble” or “to fear” (Ezra 9:4, Ezra 10:3). The first instance states that “everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled” to Ezra. The second instance reports that the solution of separation was done because of the advice of those who “tremble at the commandment of our God.”Therefore, trembling at the “word of God” and the “commandment of God” is linked as one, meaning that each phrase is just a clarification of the other. The idea of trembling at the Word of God is mentioned in a few other places in the Bible, such as in Isaiah 66, where it is mentioned twice. “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isa. 66:2, ESV). “Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word” (Isa. 66:5, ESV). The idea of trembling before God and His word connotes the right spirit of humility in approaching God and the Scriptures. We acknowledge that we do not know everything and therefore approach with humbleness to learn and willingly follow what we hear or read. We are not critical of the Word but rather the Word functions as a guide for us.

Thus, the greatest lesson we can learn from the issue that Ezra and Nehemiah had to deal with is “trembling” at God’s Word. The people trembled before God and, therefore, were willing to do the maximum in order to have a strong relationship with Him. Trembling before God leads to obedience to God’s Word and, in turn, to happiness and joy in life. May we also tremble at His Word, and let nothing come between us and obedience to the Scriptures. Being a disciple means obeying, not just knowing. “Trust and obey” as the song says, “for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey” (The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, no. 590).

Part III: Life Application