“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.” (Ezr 10:3 AV)
Upon reflection, even though this had to be done, it must have been very difficult. When Israel returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and city wall, they were tempted to intermarry with the people they found there. This was a huge no-no and harkens back to Israel’s first major sin when they were delivered from Egypt. Way back in the book of Numbers, we are told Israel intermarried with the Moabites. The intent of the Moabites was to conquer God’s people slowly, over time, by compromising away their calling. God judged them for this, but the damage had already been done. Even though the guilty parties were killed by the hand of God, the precedent of compromise with pagan nations was laid. This was Ezra’s argument for the putting away of pagan wives and children. We can witness what they did and praise the LORD for this standard of obedience. We can think things like, “Good for them. That is what they should have done. What were they thinking in the first place?” Yet I think there might be another principle we can glean from all of this.
Having to put away your wife and children had to be a very difficult thing. These men did not disown them. That is not the understanding of it. What they were asked to do is to separate from their pagan wives and children and live alone. This is not to suggest that if the pagan wives and children wished to become proselytes of the Hebrew faith, they would be disallowed. The law made provision for this. Putting away wives and family suggests the pagan wives and children did not immediately wish to be proselytized. Having said that, I cannot imagine what it would have been like to separate for those whom you love because the law of God demanded it. These men could easily be judged as guilty. They were. They could have been thought of as condemned under the law. They were. However, one has to admire the willingness of these men to walk in obedience once they were called out for their sin. We can and should admire the saints who consistently walk with God. They should be recognized. There are those, however, who should be admired for paying a hefty price for obedience once found guilty of sin.
When I read this passage this morning, I couldn’t help but think of what it might have been to be alone. All of a sudden, their wives and families were removed to a more remote place. They could not go to temple together. They did not share meals together. Holidays were no longer shared as a family. Dad ceased to be the influence in his home that he could have been had this never happened. I was reminded recently of the reality of what being alone might feel like. It is not pleasant. So, when I internalized what these men might have gone through, rather than condemnation, empathy was my emotion. There was no other choice. They had to do it. No matter how painful it was, Israel must remain a pure blood line until Messiah comes. They sacrificed the fruits of disobedience for the sake of obedience. It was just. It was right. But it was still painful. A bit of understanding and support is due those who choose to walk right after they have walked wrong. We should not feel sorry for their circumstances nor make them out to be victims or heroes. They certainly are not. But admiration for a willingness to pay a stiff price for obedience is not a bad thing.
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