Ezra and Dividing Families

Ezra the scribe came from Babylon to Judea to restore the Law of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) to the people.

Although not specifically stated his obvious goal was to rebuild the people so that God would bless them and restore the Nation as it was in the days of King David and King Solomon. He was motivated.

He honed in on Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy 7. The people, among other things, had violated the commandment not to intermarry with the peoples of the land (Canaanites, etc.) which led to idolatry and which led to their destruction and captivity.

Then Ezra hears the report that even now the people are repeating the exact same sin of intermarriage and he had a visceral and demonstrable negative reaction.

Keep in mind that the King of the Persian Empire had empowered Ezra to be a Judge and to punish offenders of the Law of Moses and the Persian Law with Death, Banishment, Confiscation and Imprisonment (Ezra 7). And the text sites in the case of intermarriage with gentiles that he threatened those punishments Ezra 10).

The violators responded by vowing to put away their Gentile wives and their half jewish children. Keep in mind that God did not command them to do this, they chose to do this of their own volition.

It looks like Ezra was a book, chapter, verse guy. The Holy Text said no intermarriage and the text didn’t provide any exceptions. It was clear and to the point and that’s the Law that Ezra taught and would impose.

Here are some things to consider…

- Pretty soon after entering the promised land an exception is made for Rahab the Harlot.

- Deuteronomy 10 says that if you are fighting the enemy and capture a beautiful woman you could, under certain conditions, keep her for a wife. Hmmm.

- The scriptures are replete with examples of Jews/Israelites who married non-jewish women and most of them were not seduced to worship Idols.

- No pre-exilic prophet ever condemned the practice of intermarriage. Not even during the day of one of the most prominent violators… Solomon.

- Deuteronomy 23 states that if you make a vow before the Lord God almighty and violate that vow then you are guilty of sin. Presumably that includes a marriage vow made to God and your spouse. Jesus Christ had 3-4 Gentile women in his lineage.

I respect Ezra for wanting to correct the behaviors of the people but I don’t think he stated the whole case to them (of course I wasn’t there).

I don’t know the motivations of the Jewish men who got rid of their wives and children. It may have been a heart felt conviction but in the back of my head I wonder if they had any concern that Ezra could punish them with death, banishment, confiscation or imprisonment… because if Ezra didn’t then he would have been violating the command of the King of Persia who was inspired by God to restore the people of God.