Bible Studies
Radical Commitment (Ezra 10:9-15)
Series: Studies In EzraIntroduction:
1. Some of us in this room have made some radical commitments.a. Some of you have been in the military where you offered years of your life to your country. There was even the risk of sacrificing your life for your country.
b. Every parent in this room has committed their life to their children. They do not expect to have to die for them, but they would if called on to do so.
c. Every marriage represents a radical commitment. Wives have entrusted themselves to their husbands and husbands have been called on to love their wives like Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.
2. Most of the time when we make such commitments we do so with a certain innocence—not realizing just how much may be required of us. In our youth we make a commitment in marriage and cannot comprehend what all that commitment is going to require. 3. Ezra 10 describes a radical commitment made by the exiles of Israel. They promised their loyalty to God. It would require courage. They would have to separate themselves from the peoples of the nations and this meant that some would have to separate from their wives and children. Ezra called them together in Jerusalem. 4. They sat in the rain, in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of their guilt. 5. Reading of Ezra 10:10-11.Discussion:
I. God had always called on His people to be separate.A. This was not a new teaching.
1. When God brought them out of Egypt He made a covenant with them. Ex. 34:10 describes it as a “fearful thing.” They were not to make any covenant with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan lest they “play the harlot with their gods” (Ex. 34:11ff).
a. It was not a matter of Jews being racially superior to Canaanites.
b. It was a matter of covenant loyalty to God. Marrying the Canaanites permitted the influence of idolatry to destroy their relationship with God.
c. Reiterated in Deut. 7:2ff
2. Many years and many generations had passed since this teaching. Now during this time of restoration the exiles were committing to making the necessary changes. The situation was desperate as evidenced by the demand to meet in three days under penalty (10:7), and in the rain.
B. It is always more difficult to straighten things out after we have done wrong than to avoid the wrong in the first place.
1. This is one reason for studying and giving attention to the word of God before making judgments that we may regret later.
2. When we do not counsel with God on our decisions we often find ourselves trying to extricate ourselves from situations we should not have been in in the first place.
3. Some just continue in their sin because of the severity of trying to extricate themselves from the problem.
a. For those who tremble at the word of God this is not an option.
b. Guilt demands changes (10:10).
c. They must be courageous and act (10:4).
C. God calls on us to be separate (2 Cor. 6:14-18).
1. This is a radical commitment.
2. It is described in Scripture as a darkness to light transformation (Col. 1:13).
3. A death to life transformation (Col. 2:13).
4. Abraham gave up Isaac (Heb. 11:17).
5. Moses gave up his identity as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He gave up the passing pleasures of sin (Heb. 11:24-25).
6. You cannot give yourself to God and give yourself to sin! You cannot give yourself to God and to anyone or anything else.
II. Ezra called on the people to confess to the Lord God, to do His will; and separate themselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives (10:11).A. They agreed, but begged for time (12ff).
1. Many people—take time to investigate the situation.
2. It was the rainy season—though the situation was desperate the weather slowed the process.
3. “We have transgressed greatly.”
B. Confession is appropriate and natural for the penitent.
1. Confession challenges our ego.
2. We prefer to have a perception of ourselves that we are “perfect.”
3. Confession acknowledges imperfection, thus it is humiliating. Shame and embarrassment are the result (9:5-6).
4. This was an emotional situation for a variety of reasons.
a. Personal--guilt, humiliation, shame and embarrassment.
b. Relational—grief, stress, difficulty in the tearing of relationships—spouses and children.
5. Can you imagine coming from this meeting and addressing this with your mixed family? Why did you even marry me? You knew this before! Can you imagine the anger, hurt, grief? Can you imagine trying to figure out the details of how you would execute this separation in your family? When are we going to start this? Will there be financial considerations? Where will I live? What if I convert? Sleepless nights and days!!!
6. While most seemed to have gone along, there was some opposition (10:15). Their opposition is noted briefly and that is the only mention of it.
C. The move to end the intermingling with the peoples of the nations went forward.
1. A list was created of the offenders.
2. They pledged to put away their wives.
3. They offered a ram in sacrifice for their offense (10:19).
a. This reminds us of the wrath of God against sin (10:14). As a husband whose wife has been unfaithful so God had every reason to be angry (cf. Ezek. 16:38-43). They had promised loyalty to Him and had given themselves to idolatry.
b. This reminds us of the grace of God for forgiveness. “Grace,” you say, “If God wanted to be gracious He should not have demanded so much.” Oh how we minimize sin and its consequences! This sacrifice did not take away their sin. God sacrificed His son for theirforgiveness!
4. By my count, there were 113 families separated because of their sin.
III. Our relationship with God must be our TOP PRIORITY.A. It is not our relationship to our family.
1. Throughout Scripture loyalty to one’s family is advocated.
2. But loyalty to God preempts loyalty to family.
B. In Ex. 32 Israel had made a golden calf and had fallen down to worship it while Moses was receiving the ten commandment law. Moses called for a separation. “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” (v. 25). The sons of Levi separated themselves apart. The Lord said, “Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.” The sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men fell that day. Moses said, “Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He (God) may bestow a blessing upon you today.”
C. In Deut. 33:9 it is said of the Levites: “Who said of his father and his mother, ‘I did not consider them’; and he did not acknowledge his brothers, nor did he regard his own sons, for they observed Your word, and kept Your covenant.”
D. We frequently tell of how Abraham sacrificed his son, Isaac (Gen. 22). Do we know what that means?
E. Jesus said: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37). “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Lk. 14:26).
F. Peter said, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us? Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:27-29).
Conclusion:
1. These passages are not mere academic statements. A covenant with God is serious business. 2. It is indeed a radical commitment. 3. The people of God cannot maintain a friendship with the world and be married to the Lord (James 4:4). We must cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. We must come out from the world and be separate.
