Ezra 10:1-44: Ezra Calls the People to Lives of Repentance

Ezra’s prayer of confession is taken to heart by the people of Israel. They join with him in confession, evidenced by the request of Shecaniah for Ezra to instruct the people to live from this day forward in repentance. After a night of fasting, Ezra calls all the returned exiles to gather in Jerusalem, and they faithfully come. As they gather in the heavy rain, Ezra reminds them of their sin of intermarrying with idolaters and tells them to make confession and bring these faithless marriages to an end. The people make a plan to do this in a deliberate way, accomplishing the task over a course of three months. The list of those who had intermarried with idolaters is a reminder that God calls sinners like us to Himself in repentance. Although the command to end such marriages is not in effect for Christians today, this text provides an example of people who seek to amend their lives to line up with God’s Word. Rev. Mark Squire, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezra 10:1-44. "God Brings His People Home” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. After 70 years in exile, the LORD began to fulfill His promise to bring His people back to the Promised Land. In the years that followed, faithful clergy and dedicated laity worked together to rebuild Jerusalem physically and restore the people of God spiritually. Through it all, God was at work to keep His promise of bringing the Savior into the world in the fullness of time.