Ezra 10 (Part 3) Bible Study (Those Guilty of Intermarriage) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Book of Ezra Series)

And with the great anticipation now I invite you to turn with me

to Ezra chapter 10 as we meet together in God's holy and

Ezra 10 · chapter mention

precious word. Allow me to remind us tonight

that in the short book of Ezra, Ezra the author, the historian,

the theologian behind this account, places three large

lists of names in it. We've already examined the 1st

2:00. There is one in chapter 2 and

there's another one in chapter 8, and both of them have the

same purpose. They describe to us the people

and the families and those who represent certain towns who made

the courageous decision to leave behind the comforts and the

conveniences of Babylonia to go back and honor God in Jerusalem.

But there is 1/3 list, as I mentioned, and this is what we

are going to explore tonight. And unfortunately, this registry

is not as honorable as the former to if you look here at

verse 18 of chapter 10, there will be name after name after

name until the very last verse of this entire book.

It's how this book closes, and its purpose differs

significantly from Ezra's first two directories.

What you and I have before us in this list are the identities of

those who have committed the great sin of interfaith

marriage. That is plainly stated in the

beginning of this census, and we're going to see that in a

moment. But what may not be as clear is

the purpose of this list. We understand why it's your what

it's defining for us. But my question, and looking at

this over and over again, is why did the Holy Spirit feel and

sense and deem it necessary to publicly and permanently record

the names who are guilty of this grievous offense?

I understand the former lists. I understand inscribing the

names in a book that would last forever in order to honor those

who made the step of faith, of selfless sacrifice to worship

God and to build His house to the glory of His name.

But why also make known those who were involved in a national

scandal? And I believe there are at least

two reasons. The first one reminds us that

this is one of many examples in Holy Scripture that testified to

the transparency of Scripture, which lends weight to its

authenticity and its accuracy. You know, there are there are

people who claim that this book is a man made production.

You probably heard it. You probably believe that at one

point there are all these argumentations and thoughts

behind that. But that argument is weakened by

the fact that over and over again, the authors of these

books reveal the failures and the shortcomings of those who

belong to the community of faith in the one true God.

Now, if if these authors of these religious texts had a

personal agenda, then you would think that there would be much

more embellishment and a lot less embarrassing accounts.

But that's not what we find. Instead, we reminded, even in

this study in the Word of God, that this book called the Bible

is a remarkably objective and honest account of real people

throughout redemptive history. But there's a second reason for

this list at the end of Ezra, and it's much more practical.

This list of names is a sobering reminder to us that sin, even

when repented of, often carries unwanted consequences.

And the consequence that is before us tonight is how willful

disobedience can sometimes stain our names in the sight of men.

The book of Proverbs speaks to this reality, among other

passages, the reality of the importance of protecting our

reputation. One verse that comes to mind is

Proverbs 22 verse one where the author states a good name.

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches and

favor is better than silver or gold.

What a thought provoking statement.

Here's the Holy Spirit is saying in that verse, if you have the

choice between godly integrity and millions of dollars, choose

the former. And while it is possible to have

both, it is possible to have a good name with great riches.

The reason why this contrast is presented to us is because all

too often the pursuit of wealth comes at the expense of a good

name because of things and temptations like greed and

manipulation and pride, and the abandonment of godly ambition

often accompanies that pursuit. And we can say much more about

this. But the main reason why I bring

it up is to emphasize how the Lord highly values our

reputation of noble character and for exhibiting the fruit of

the Holy Spirit. A good name is to be chosen

rather than great riches. And when you and I are

intentional about that, when we're not careless with our

testimonies, when we don't just think that we can do whatever we

want, say whatever we want, act however we want, and instead are

protective over our names, then we secure for ourselves greater

joy, deeper peace, more glory for God, and even greater

opportunities for our lives. Then even, for example, those

who may have great riches but lack a good name.

Here's one example that comes to comes to mind.

When you look at the list of qualifications for a pastor in

the New Testament, you will never find anything close to the

requirement for somebody to be wealthy.

If that is in your Bible, you have the wrong translation.

But you know what you do find of the qualifications for an elder

being well thought of by outsiders?

Unfortunately, with this list of names in Ezra chapter 10, they

Ezra 10 · chapter mention

did not choose a good name. They chose their personal

preference and a wife. They chose perhaps security.

They chose perhaps to fulfill lust, and it polluted their

names. These are valuable lessons, but

this record contains even more for us to consider.

And a helpful place to begin is by trying to establish the

framework, the way Ezra organizes these names in this

census. And so let's just get a bird's

eye view of these verses. Look with me here in verse 18.

He begins with who. Now they were found some of the

sons of the priest who had married foreign women.

So he begins with the priest, but then he follows it with what

we find in verse 23. So between 18 and 22 he names

the priests. And verse 23, who we have of the

Levites. Who are the Levites?

They are the assistants to the priests.

And then in verse 24, very brief, but we have two other

categories of people. We have what of the singers and

right after of the gatekeepers, and lastly, verse 25 all the way

to the end of the book, we have and of Israel.

These are the common folk who do not hold any position, any

ministerial position, at least in Israel.

And so how we're going to go about this final study is to see

what we can learn from each of these groups.

We've done this with previous lists and we'll start by reading

Ezra 10/18 to 22, shall we? Now there were found some of the

sons of the priests who had married foreign woman Messiah,

Eliezer, Jereb and Gaddelaya, some of the sons of Joshua the

son of Josidac and his brothers. They pledged themselves to put

away their wives and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock

for their guilt of the sons of Imur, Hananiah and Zebediah, of

the sons of harem Messiah, Elijah, Shamaya, JAL and Uzziah,

of the sons of Pascher, Elionai, Messiah, Ishmael, Nethanel,

Josebad and Elisa. Let's pray.

Father, help us, please Lord, with these verses.

Make them come alive. Touch our hearts, move us, help

us, Lord, to ultimately choose a good name because our names and

our testimonies are attached to Christ's name.

This is why, Lord, we want to take these truths seriously,

because we are more concerned than anything else about

reflecting and representing our Master well.

May every truth, convicting, pressing, humbling be

accompanied with encouragement and hope.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

We're considering the first group tonight, and it may be

quite shocking to us to realize that among those who were

supposed to be the leading examples and the source of

guidance for the people and their holiness and their

godliness and their worship, we're guilty themselves of the

same crime. The priests, the priest married

idolaters. The priest married Pagan woman.

But it's even more staggering at that when you read carefully

because the first four names mentioned in verse 18 are no

ordinary priests. They are who some of the sons of

Joshua the son of Josidak. Does anybody remember who Joshua

the son of Josidak is? If you know, please answer.

Yes, very good. He's mentioned earlier in the

book of Ezra. We have studied him before.

If you need a reference for Joshua that is very important,

it's Haggai 11. Haggai was a prophet, alive and

ministering the time of Joshua, who worked alongside Zerubbabel,

who led the first wave of exiles 80 years before Ezra's time.

And Haggai 11 tells us that Joshua, also known as Joshua,

was the high priest at the time. Which tells us what, when we

come to this section of Scripture, that it wasn't just

the sons of priests who married for a woman, but the descendants

of the high priest himself. This is staggering.

This is sobering in many ways, but it's also very instructive.

Is it possible for the the children and the grandchildren

of a godly minister to walk in the opposite direction of their

spiritual heritage? A lot of heads are nodding, yes,

but we also have to remember that just because some may do so

does not indicate always that it's because of the poor example

of their guardians, of those who went before them.

Joshua, also known as Joshua, was not a compromiser.

Was he perfect? No, but he wasn't scandalous

either. In fact, Joshua was one of the

leaders who stood against the temptation and the invitation of

those who approached the first wave of exiles who returned to

Jerusalem that wanted to join them in building the House of

God. He was one of the voices that

said absolutely not. Do you remember this?

Go to Ezra 4. Let's look at these few verses

together to refresh our memories.

Ezra 4 Remember, we're looking now, we're rewinding 80 years

when Joshua the high priest, along with Zerubbel and other

leaders were ready to build the House of God.

But in that pursuit there was a great temptation in Ezra 4 verse

one. Now when the adversaries of

Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were

building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they

approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the father's houses and

said to them, let us build with you, for we worship your God as

you do, and we've been sacrificing to him ever since

the days of senior Haddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.

But Zerubabel, Joshua, and the rest of the heads of Father's

houses in Israel said to them, You have nothing to do with us

in building a house to our God, but we alone will build to the

Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the King of Persia, has

commanded us. Who would have imagined that the

direct descendants of this man would walk in the exact opposite

direction that he paid a great high price to make?

Remember, this would unleash great persecution.

So this man who stood on the integrity of God's Word, who

fought for his consecration and who was persecuted because of

it, after a few short decades had some of his own descendants

squander that and partner with these idolaters and one of the

worst ways possible by marrying their woman.

It's shocking, but it's realistic.

You know, I'm aware that there may be fathers here, there may

be mothers here, maybe even older siblings perhaps.

And you may, you may be wondering and trying to come to

terms with why it is that those closest to you, maybe you're

even your own children or grandchildren, are rejecting and

chasing after everything that you stood against according to

God's Word that you taught them about, that you warned them

about. And I know that some parents

even wrestle with guilt. Did I have a part to play in the

foolishness of my son and the brazen rebellion of my younger

sibling? And if you do have that haunting

thought, remember Joshua and let your conscience be free,

especially if you are a man like him who has clearly walked with

Christ. Not perfectly, yes, none of us

are perfect, but clearly and consistently to the best of your

ability, by the grace of God. This is one example among many

that even the most exceptional examples of righteousness are

not always imitated by those the closest to them.

And they're not at fault for that because in the end,

devotion to God is a personal choice.

You can only do so much to influence.

You can do only so much to point them in the right direction.

But in the end, every single one of us will stand before God for

our own lives. Now, thankfully, the same sons

of the high priest, along with the other priests, repented.

How do we know that? Because verse 19 it says that

they pledged to put away these wives.

And more than just promising, they made a humbling sacrifice.

They offered a guilt offering to admit their sin and to seek

atonement for it. Now here's what here's what

intrigued me. This is the only time an

offering according to the biblical code is mentioned in

this list of names of those who have repented.

That is not to say that others did not make an offering at the

temple, but it's Ezra's way of highlighting the severity of the

sin of the priest because of their leadership.

Spiritual leadership are held to a higher standard because their

decisions have a greater impact, for good or for worse.

And so Ezra strategically emphasizes and highlights how

they made a sacrifice because of the necessity for it by virtue

of their position and their influence.

Now here's what's very moving to us.

There are total names, total number of names here mentioned.

If we count them, that lead to 1717 priests.

And out of the 17 names, three of them share the same one.

It's the first one mentioned in verse 18.

Messiah. It shows up again in verse 21,

shows up again in verse 22. Why do I under score this?

Because you find this name repeated more than once in the

book of Nehemiah among another list of priests.

Now Nehemiah comes unto the scene 13 years after Ezra, and

where when you see how this, this name Messiah shows up in

Nehemiah, it should flood your heart with encouragement because

of what they're doing. So turn with me to Nehemiah

Nehemiah 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12. Notice what happens here.

Nehemiah in this chapter is organizing the dedication of the

wall. Remember, his purpose was to

rebuild the security of the city of Jerusalem through the

erection of these physical walls.

And here's the dedication service.

And like any good dedication service, you're going to have

some singing and you're going to have some choirs.

So there was choirs even back then.

Look at verse 40 of Nehemiah 12. So both choirs of those who gave

thanks stood in the House of God.

And I and half of the officials with me and the priest Eliakim,

Messiah, many a men, Mikaya, Elionai, Zachariah and Hananiah

with trumpets and Messiah, there's another one of them.

And Shamaya, Eliezer, Uzi, Johanannan, Melchiah, Elam and

Ezra. And the singer sang with Jezriah

as their leader. And they offered great

sacrifices that day and rejoiced.

They offered great sacrifices on that day and rejoiced.

Now, we can't say conclusively that the maicides of Nehemiah 12

are the same ones who sinned and repented back in Ezra 10.

But if they are, and it's very possible that they are, then

what we have before us is yet another reminder of something

that we have seen over and over in our studies in the Old

Testament, that God is a God of restoration.

Here's these men who sinned so grossly, who have stained their

names and have brought disgrace to their community, and yet, as

severe as the sin was, it did not cut off hope.

It did not delete forever God's future plans and desires for

them. The same priests, these are just

three of them that show up clearly in the next book, are

actually now not offering a guilt offering for their sin,

but are offering sacrifices to serve the nation and to glorify

God. God is rich in mercy.

God is incredibly kind, yes. So this list is not an honorable

one, but it it didn't mean that God did not restore them.

So let your heart be at rest that even though we may have

tarnished our testimony, that does not mean that God cannot do

something with our lives. In fact, all he asks of you is

what these men did, genuinely repent, because genuine

repentance is the key to a mercy so strong that it can restore

you in ways that you never knew would be possible and surely in

ways that we don't deserve. So this is what we see with the

priests. But let's move on now to the

Levites. Ezra 10 in verse 23 of the

Levites, Joseph Bad, Shemia, Kalaya, that is Kalita, Pythia,

Judah, Eliezer, and that's it. Now the brief mention of the

Levites here brings to mind their peculiar history in the

book of Ezra. Again, they show up in Ezra

Ezra 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 when the first returnees came back from

Babylonia into the holy city. The number of them around 74

Levites and then with the second sense is in Ezra chapter 8.

Ezra 8 · chapter mention

No Levites come initially, at least until Ezra organizes a

focus effort to recruit the Levites and then about 38 of

them join. And when you look at this from a

bird's eye view, when you consider these lists and

totality, you get the sense that the testimony of the Levites is

that there is very little interest in them to actually

walk in the fullness of their calling by going back to the

House of God and serving God the way they were called to.

And, and, and the reasons for that is because of, I'm sure,

the enticing environment that they became accustomed to in

Babylonia. We've discussed this many times

before. So we should applaud those who

did go. While many of them stayed back,

we can safely say thousands of them remained in a foreign land.

So we celebrate them, yes. At the same time we come to this

final list and we get a very telling insight of a handful of

them who did come back. And it is this.

Some of the Levites who made the right steps to return to

Jerusalem still struggled with an attraction to the world.

So yes, they left a foreign land, they left a foreign

people, they abandoned the attractions and the conveniences

of a foreign place. But their hearts, at least those

who are listed here, we're not completely consecrated.

How do we know that? Because they turned their backs

on Babylon, but they still ended up marrying foreign women.

This is very, very important for us to consider because what it

shows us is that as important as physical relocation is, right

walking away from bad places and bad environments and bad

atmospheres, as important as that is, as important as

partnering and participating in a faithful fellowship and even

serving in a certain ministry, as important as all of that is,

it is not enough to transform us.

None of that can provide the inner renewal that can only come

by way of God's miraculous power in the human heart.

Practically speaking, these Levites made all the right

choices, but evidently their hearts needed work.

And there are so many examples of this throughout the Bible,

and I want to bring to mind one from the New Testament.

Have you heard the name Dimas? Dimas is notorious for

abandoning the Apostle Paul in his greatest time of need.

He deserted Paul when he was imprisoned for the last time

before he would be ultimately executed.

But Dimas doesn't only appear in Paul's final letter.

He appears a total of three times in a New Testament.

Did you know that? And when you look at the two

other instances of Demas being mentioned in Scripture, it only

makes his abandonment that much more frightening.

It's only three. Can we look at it?

Let's go to find Lehman. This is a prison epistle.

It's a personal one. Paul writes to his friend And

when he gives them his final greetings, he mentions somebody

and finally in verse 23, no chapters, verse 23 Epiphras, my

fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus sends greetings to you and so do

Mark Aristocratus Dimas and Luke, my fellow workers.

There's Dimas and he's mentioned as to a fellow worker.

He's, he's listed with Luke. Mark, you study Paul's life.

He didn't recruit just anybody into his ministry team.

He was very, very, very selective.

Dimas must have shown some kind of resolve, some kind of

faithfulness, some kind of seriousness.

And he stuck around for a bit, I'm sure, because look at

Colossians now, another prison epistle.

And look what happens in chapter 4, verse 14 of Colossians,

Colossians 4, verse 14. Luke, the beloved physician

Colossians 4:14

greets you, as does Dimas. He's there again.

And the final time, as you know, is in Second Timothy 410.

Now as you turn there, many people make the mistake of

claiming that the reason why Dimas turned his back on Paul

and ultimately on Christ and the cause of Christ and the gospel

of Jesus Christ is because of the intense persecution.

Paul was willing to pay for it. Dimas wasn't.

But that's not what Paul brings to the forefront.

Why did Dimas walk away? He tells us clearly in verse 10

of chapter 4. Look at Second Timothy 410.

For Dimas in love with this present world, not for fear, but

because he had a different love. For Dimas in love with this

present world has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.

Demons had a heart problem. Now think about this.

What a privilege to serve alongside the great apostle

Paul. What kind of miracles did you

witness? What kind of example did you

have with you virtually 24/7? More than Paul.

Who are your comrades? Who are your associates?

Luke, the physician, Mark, other sold out believers, and yet with

with all of this fellowship, all of this opportunity, even this

accountability, because Dimas's heart, namely his affections

were not fixed and nurtured regularly for the Lord.

When the right opportunity arose, he took it because he was

in love with this world. This is a heart problem.

It's more than circumstance. It's more than environment.

It's going to, it's going to require much more than all of

that to transform us and to keep us where God wants us to be.

In fact, there's a contrast with Dimas's love.

Paul mentions another love 2 verses early.

Look at Second Timothy 48. Henceforth there is laid up for

me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous

judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but

also to all who have loved his appearing.

So in this verse, Paul highlights a love that keeps you

faithful until the end. But the object of his love is

Christ, His appearing, not just His commands, not just His

instructions, not just His promises Himself.

Paul mentions a love that keeps you going until the end, and

then he mentions another love in verse 10 that will weaken your

faithfulness and draw you away from the one that you claim to

love. How do we respond to this truth?

You know how I respond to it. Lord, help my heart, help my

heart. And the question you may have is

can God do anything with my heart?

Is the responsibility solely on me?

Do I got to maneuver and make things happen?

Do I got to hype myself up every.

How does this whole thing work for my heart's love to be on

Christ with no rival. So I I opened the service in

second Corinthians day because that's where I found myself this

morning. And there were so many verses.

I didn't know which one to choose.

And I thought, you know what, let me tuck this one into the

study. Paul speaks about his friend

Titus, who also served in the ministry, and he says something

about what happened to his heart that that so energized me this

morning. It became my prayer all day in

2nd Corinthians 816. Listen to what Paul says.

But thanks be to God who put into the heart of Titus the same

earnest care I have for you. Isn't that blow your mind saying

what about it? God put it in the heart of Titus

to have the same concern and care and compassion for the

Corinthians as Paul did. God can put it in your heart.

God can put in your heart a love for him, a love for God's

people. I mean, if there is anybody who

is really, really difficult to love, it was the Corinthians.

You really need God to put a love in your heart for the

Corinthians, but He did it. He can do it in your heart and

mine too. Amazingly, like the priests in

Ezra 10, some of the names of the Levites reappear.

Nehemiah, but in a more redemptive light.

Nehemiah 95. Nehemiah 1010.

Nehemiah 11/16. They are found serving alongside

Nehemiah by doing their part to advance God's purposes in a

meaningful way. The Levites.

So again, it amplifies the truth of God's mercy.

God's restorative grace was not reserved for the priest.

It was also made available to the assistance of the priests.

So they repented in Ezra, attendees, Levites, and God did

a work in their hearts, so much so that they were reinstated in

service to the Lord. And that's good news for each of

us tonight, because you may come to this church regularly, but

recently your heart is not here. In fact, you're actually scared

about it. You may even serve here.

But because of an honesty on your part, you can admit

perhaps, that you are growing more and more infatuated with

the world and you don't know what to do.

Because the tide is pulling you and you find yourself emptier

and emptier and emptier as you go through the motions.

I want to give you a message of hope today.

God can change that. He can change that radically.

It comes back to what these Levites did, who did all the

right things. They left Babylonia, they

sacrificed so much to help restore the activity and the

service and the worship in the House of God.

But some of them, their hearts evidently were not totally to

the Lord. All we have to do is admit the

coldness of our heart and ask God to change it.

And He is willing to do that. This is what we learn from the

Levites. Let's come to verse 24 now of

Ezra 10. Two groups of people in one

verse of the singers, Elijah, Ship of the gatekeepers, Shalom,

Tellem, and Uri. Instead of focusing directly on

the singers and the gatekeepers, I want to note that up to this

point, Ezra is drawing attention to the same categories of people

that he recorded in Ezra chapter 2.

Ezra 2 · chapter mention

So in Ezra chapter 2, that's the first list of names that we

Ezra 2 · chapter mention

encounter in this book. And we know what happens in Ezra

2, right? He begins by mentioning the

leaders who oversaw this expedition.

And then he goes on to mention the men of Israel from different

households and hometowns. And then after mentioning that

long list of refugees, he goes on to describe the the priests,

the Levites, the singers, and the sons of the gatekeepers.

But Ezra doesn't mention one group that is in Ezra 2IN Ezra

10. Does anybody know who I'm

referring to? We spent quite a bit of time

diving into who this particular group were.

The temple servants, remember? We spent time looking into the

potential history of the Temple servants.

Why were they so intriguing? Because evidence seems to

indicate that the Temple servants were not of Jewish

descent. They were more likely

Gibeonites, a group of people that Joshua failed to destroy

upon entering into the Promised Land and instead made a covenant

with. And because of that covenant,

they were forever vowed and bound to serving in the House of

God with the most menial of tasks, and they became the

official group known as the temple servants who operated

this way generationally. Ezra actually hints to this.

Look at chapter 8 verse 20. In Ezra 820, he mentions the

temple servants in his second census and notice what he says

about them. Besides 220 of the temple

servants whom David and his officials had set apart to

attend the Levites, these were all mentioned by name.

So you notice the hierarchy here in the ministry positions within

the temple, you have the priests.

Then you had the Levites who were assigned to assist the

priest, but with the Levites, you had the temple servants who

served them. Here's my question.

The temple servants, they appear in Ezra chapter 2.

Ezra 2 · chapter mention

They show up in Ezra chapter 8, the second list.

Ezra 8 · chapter mention

Why are they not found in Ezra chapter 10?

Ezra 10 · chapter mention

Because after the gatekeepers, we're going to go to the men of

Israel. So you skip over a category that

we've become familiar with. Some will say perhaps, well, it

wasn't necessary for Ezra to include them in this list

because of their origins. They were Gentiles, and what's

concerning to Ezra is those who are descendants of the holy race

they excluded from that. Sure, they have an oath with the

people of God to God Himself, but would it really matter as

much for them to marry outsiders?

If that's the case, then their omission from this list would

mean that Ezra did not hold them responsible to the same

covenantal framework that the Levites and the priests and

other Israelites were held accountable to, right?

The the Gibeonites, the temple servants, they didn't have any

tribal inheritance. They were not representing

Israel in the same genealogical way.

So it's not important really what they do in this regard.

So I'm wrestling with this because the easy thing to do is

say that just move on. But I realized something about

the temple servants, they show up again, Nehemiah, and they

show up at a very critical point in Israel's history that says

something about them and how they relate to the people of

Israel, ultimately to the law of God, which helps us understand

perhaps why they are not mentioned in Ezra chapter 10.

Ezra 10 · chapter mention

We're getting a workout here. Yes, Nehemiah in chapter 10,

this is when they make a renewed covenant with God.

Nehemiah with the other spiritual leaders want to

solidify their commitment to the God of Israel.

So there's this whole ceremony. Notice who shows up to the

ceremony and not just show up. I'll just read it.

Nehemiah 10, verse 28, The rest of the people, the priest, the

Nehemiah 10:28

Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, we've seen all these

people before. Who else?

The temple servants, the temple servants, and all who have

separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law

of God. Their wives, their sons, their

daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding,

join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse

and an oath to walk in God's law that was given by Moses the

servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of

the Lord, our Lord and His rules and His statutes.

We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or

take their daughters for our sons.

I understand the priest doing this.

I understand the Levites, I understand the singers and the

gatekeepers, the temple servants submitting themselves to the law

of God, including the prohibition of having their

descendants marry foreign woman or men.

And they are welcome to do so. Saying that's that's a good

observation, but why does it matter?

Because they're not of Jewish lineage.

They don't share the same blood necessarily.

And yet, when you rewind and come back to Ezra chapter 10

Ezra 10 · chapter mention

with what we just read in Nehemiah chapter 10, then the

Nehemiah 10 · chapter mention

most logical conclusion of why they are not included in this

indictment is because they were not guilty.

They took God's law seriously for themselves.

And why this is so amazing to me is because they have proven to

be more steadfast and committed to God's demands than the Jews,

who are the direct inheritors of the law and God's commands.

Moreover, think about their position and their function.

The deal was between Joshua and them.

You make a covenant with us. We can't kill you anymore.

But that doesn't mean that you just get to do whatever you

want. You will forever and ever and

ever become servants in the House of God.

And Joshua 927 tells us exactly what their day-to-day look like.

They were cutters of wood and drawers of water.

It's not very glamorous, the priest.

Very elaborate, very attractive. The Levites, Same thing, temple

servants. But who in Ezra 10 has shown to

break God's heart? It wasn't a temple servants, it

was the priest. It was the Levites and humanly

speaking, the lowest of the low in terms of work.

Those who had no public platform, those who did not have

prominence, those who did The Dirty work.

We're not guilty. You know, pleasing God is not

dependent upon your position. Bringing glory to God is not

dependent on who knows you or the accolades that you

accumulate for yourself. It's very simple to please God.

Just do what He says, live for Him, no matter what Providence

has put before you, no matter what limitations you feel are on

you. The temple servants outshined

the priests and the Levites because God is not impressed by

all these things. He simply wants faithfulness and

it came from the most unlikely group of people.

I was already impressed with the temple servants because when

they were removed from Jerusalem to go to Babylonia, that's a

clean slate. You can say we're free.

We never have to cut wood again. We don't have to wash anything.

Let's just start fresh here in Babylonia.

But when Cyrus made the call, so many of them said, let's go

back. We made a promise to the God of

Israel. And that covenant goes deeper

than this. We come now to Ezra 10.

We realize that they were not found guilty, though the others

were. It's amazing how you can be

moved by such details in the Word of God.

Let's come to the final group of people.

We are going to attempt to read these names together because

every part of God's word matters.

Verse 25 and of Israel, the sons of Perosh, Ramaya, Zia, Malkaja,

Mejamin, Eliezer, Hashabaya and Binaya of the sons of Elam,

Matanaya, Zechariah, JEL, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah of the sons

of Zatu, Elionai, Elisha, Matanaya, Jeremoth, Zabad and

Aziza of the sons of Babai were Johananan, Hananiah, Zabaya.

Athlea of the sons of Bani were Mushalam, Malukh, Adaya, Jashub,

Sheal and Jeremiah of the sons of Pahad, Moab, Adna, Khalal,

Binaya, Mehsaya, Matanaya, Bazelal, Binuyai and Manasa of

the sons of Harem, Eliezer, Ishiya, Malchiya, Shamaya,

Shimmyon, Benjamin, Maluk and Jeremiah of the sons of Hashem,

Matanaya, Matata, Zabid, Eliphelid, Jeremiah, Manasa and

Shamaya of the sons of Bani. Mehdi, amram Uel, Binaya,

Bedaya, Heluai, Vinaya, Miramoth, Eliyashev, Matanaya,

Matanaya, Jayasu of the sons of Binuai, Shamaya, Shalamaya,

Nathan, Adiya, Makhna, Dabai, Shashi, Shirai, Azarel,

Shilamaya, Sheremaya, Shalom, Amariah and Joseph of the sons

of Nebo GL, Mithya, Zabad, Zebanai, Jedai, Joel and Binaya.

All these had married foreign woman and some of the women had

even born children. So how do we approach this final

section of names listed without attempting to examine every

family brought to our attention? I think one way we can do so

effectively in a way that edifies us is to consider the

first family that is at the top of the list, which seems to

indicate that they are of great prominence.

And we can infer this because the same family shows up in Ezra

Ezra 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 at the top of the list.

So clearly they are important. Who am I Speaking of?

Verse 25 and of Israel of the sons Pirosh.

Ezra 2 verse 3 reads The Sons of Pirosh 2172.

Ezra 2:3

They are highlighted among the largest clans who chose to leave

Babylon. Nearly 2200 members of their own

clan. That speaks to the faith of this

family. That speaks to the convictions

that they shared as one unit for for all of them to make this

choice. We are going to turn our backs

on Babylon and go back and rebuild the ruins.

This is impressive. You can imagine then, how

shocking it would be, especially for the original readers to

discover this about the family Parash.

I'm sure they knew of their history to some degree, only to

realize that they are mentioned first among those who are guilty

of this great sin. The same family that inspired

and showed how God's Spirit can stir the hearts of members of

one household, one clan, also show up in a place of being

among those who put the nation at an existential risk.

What? What are we supposed to do with

this connection? Here's a lesson.

None of us are spiritually untouchable.

None of us. We must never become

overconfident because of our moral history, past testimonies,

or present stability even. Instead, you and I have to

remain vigilant always and depend on God day by day by day.

I've had people ask me, brother, I'm scared.

I don't know who I'm going to be a year from now.

I don't know if I'm going to be faithful to Christ five years

from now, and my answer remains the same.

Just take it day by day. Stop worrying about who you'll

be decades from now, and just worry who you are tomorrow

morning. His burden is light.

His yoke is easy. Don't add weight to it.

So the sons of Prash remind us that though we may think we

stand, take heed lest we fall. That's not to promote hysteria

or paranoia, but just this awesome awareness that I need

thee, Oh, I need thee. Not just day by day, not just

hour by hour, but moment by moment, I need thee.

Did you notice how the book ends?

Look at the last first. All these had married foreign

women, and some of the women had even born children.

Full stop. Book is done.

So it's a summary. But more than a summary, it's a

strategic way Ezra chooses to end his account.

And if we're honest, it seems a little abrupt, doesn't it?

It's not as polished as we would expect.

It's not accidental. He didn't run out of parchment.

He's led by the Holy Spirit and he deliberately mentions,

briefly but deliberately, the consequence at least a

significant one of these men's choices by bringing to surface

the fact that some of these women had children.

And then he puts a veil over this reality so quickly.

He doesn't give us too many details because the ambiguity

itself is intentional. It's meant to cause the reader

to ask and wonder. Oh, wait, wait, wait.

What? What now?

Hold on, there's children involved in this.

Where are they going to go? What's going to happen to these

families? How are they going to be

provided for? What's the emotional toll of

this reform? And So what Ezra does by the

Spirit ending, the way he ends, as he invites us into the

tension of this whole scenario and he lets us sit there.

He doesn't want us to gloss over it.

He doesn't put makeup on the whole situation to try to clean

it up. He provides silence for us to

have to deal with something that we often don't think about when

it comes to our sinful choices, The ramifications of it being

much more painful than we had planned, impacting factors that

we never hoped or thought or desired.

And some of the women even born children, period.

So yes, there there is repentance in this final section

of this book and that provides a note of hope.

But Ezra, the great teacher that he is, is honest and he wants to

let the reader know repentance does not always erase the

painful and lasting consequences of sin and this abrupt ending

also the Ezra and Nehemiah are two separate books prepares us

for the next major account that is connected to Ezra's story.

You know, sometimes when it comes to texts like what we had

before, us preachers feel the need to try to change the tone

of it so that we can end on a more happy thought.

We have to honor the way the Holy Spirit penned His Word.

And what we find here is that Ezra wants us to wrestle and not

just look at these names and these people, but then to look

at our own lives and ask Lord to to help us prevent walking or

making decisions that might create tension that we can avoid

if we just trust him and take him at his word.

So I invite you to do that with me as we end our study in the

book of Ezra. Let's take a few moments to sit

here, reflect, and ask the Lord to help us before we sing

another song. Bow your hearts with me.

When we think about all the the studies in this book, the amount

of times we have witnessed your Providence and your power over

kings and governments and officials, and we also encounter

how despite your goodness and your steadfastness, we blow it.

And we're reminded of that again at the end of this book.

Thank you, Lord, that with the priest, the Levites, and even

some of the men of Israel, they show up again in Nehemiah and

they are serving and they are standing with leaders and they

are helping the people of God. Thank You that you can rewrite

our stories even though we have tarnished our names.

But Lord, we also thank you for the honesty of Your word when it

comes to our choices. And we think about these

families that were torn apart, even though these marriages were

illegitimate to begin with, the children involved, and what

those conversations must have been like and what those tears

and the cries look like and sounded like and reminds us of

the brokenness that we often bring into our own lives.

Help us, Lord, be agents of good and holiness and love and faith.

Thank you that you're willing to forgive us.

But Lord, we're praying for more than forgiveness.

We want strength. We need power.

You have not given us these studies in your word just to

learn, but to be prepared. And so prepare us.

Prepare us to face temptation. Lead us not into it, but should

it come. Lord, give us the wisdom that

we've accumulated over these past few weeks in this book to

fight it well. Help us choose a good name more

than great riches. Help us choose that that we will

maintain and hold on to our integrity and our holiness and

our trustworthiness, because ultimately we bear your name.

And that is more important to us than anything else.

More important to us than money, more important to us than woman,

more important to us than men, more important to us than having

children. Living according to Your Word is

more important to us than any of that.

Remind us of that when it becomes hard to believe it.

Thank you Father, for guiding us so patiently, so insightfully in

Ezra. Bring us again to Your Word

wherever you take us next, with a great illumination and

inspiration. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen. Another book down, a long way to

go, but for now, let's celebrate progress and thank God for this

chapter, for this church. Let's stand and worship the

Lord.