These are the priests who had married pagan wives:
From the family of Jeshua son of Jehozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. They vowed to divorce their wives, and they each acknowledged their guilt by offering a ram as a guilt offering…
These are the Levites who were guilty: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
This is the singer who was guilty: Eliashib.
These are the gatekeepers who were guilty: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
These are the other people of Israel who were guilty…
Each of these men had a pagan wife, and some even had children by these wives.
Ezra 10:18-19, 23-25, 44 NLT
We are at the end of Ezra. Of course, the original book in the Septuagint had Ezra and Nehemiah as one book. Our priest will still make his appearance in the next chapter for the exiles.
But there’s still something about ending this part of Ezra’s reform. And I’m not a fan of how each of the 110 men who were disobedient and married foreign wives are listed.
But we all could be, huh?
Every person’s name could be listed here. Starting with the leaders as Ezra did; those who have the most for which to be accountable.
This is the CEO who is guilty. These are the board members and managers and chair persons who are guilty. These are the national leaders, the local governing bodies, the parents, the pastors, the business owners, the principals.
And these are the other people who were guilty…
All of us. We are all guilty before a mighty and majestic and holy God.
Oh, but Advent is coming.
When we celebrate how God came down as a teeny Baby to live it all perfectly and then die instead of us. To write His Name over ours for all eternity.
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
To declare us not guilty.
Oh come let us adore Him.