1 After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. 2 They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.” 3 When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled. 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.
After Ezra and his comrades had arrived in Jerusalem, rested and sacrificed, a terrible truth arrived of Ezra’s doorstep: the people of Jerusalem had once again poisoned themselves. Instead of carrying on as an autonomous people, they have once again mingled with the neighboring cultures, have forgotten their allegiance to God, have taken up the cultural practices of those around them.
But this isn’t only a problem for the people. The priestly class has been infected and has led people away into a false doctrine. This has led to intermarriage, which seems to be a violation of Deuteronomy 7:1-4.
Ezra’s response to this is one of complete horror and despair. He had just made an arduous 900-mile, 4 month journey to join and lead Jerusalem. He’s gone in front of the king and impressed him. The king has given him every allowance to lead Jerusalem the right way. Ezra, to an extent, probably believed he was entering a city that was both Godly and righteous. Tearing a tunic is an OT way of expressing misery.
He also has a very human reaction to this. You can almost see Ezra sitting there for most of the day stewing, completely floored by the behavior of Jerusalem. However long he does this is a long time, because he stews about it until the evening sacrifice.
5 Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God 6 and prayed: “I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7 From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today. 8 “But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. 9 Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
Ezra makes quite a scene. Presiding over the evening sacrifice, tunic shredded, he falls to his knees and pleads for Israel. He recognizes that this small conglomeration of Jews is a remnant, which is the small remainder that God leaves in a generation to carry forward his word and work. He is thankful for Artaxerxes’ kindness. He reminds them that God, in His graciousness has allowed them to return to Jerusalem to build the temple.
10 “But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands 11 you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. 12 Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’
You’ll notice that Ezra includes himself, and those who have arrived with him, in the prayer of repentance. Why? Because even though they haven’t partaken in this exact sin, they are still all sinners. God’s grace is for all of them. The world has infiltrated Jerusalem and the people have fallen into the trap again. He reminds them of God’s Law: don’t intermarry, don’t make treaties. Why not? Isn’t that a kind thing to do?
When we allow darkness into our lives, it tends to spread. This is evidence that we are still inside the world to some extent, corrupted and lost. Sin and corruption always grows. God doesn’t want the people of Judah to entertain the practices of the culture around them because it makes them susceptible to the falsehoods of their beliefs. Intermarrying into a family of pagans will introduce one to a pagan faith structure that has the ability to rob them of the true God over time. Making treaties binds one together with a pagan culture system.
13 “What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this. 14 Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor? 15 Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.”
What Ezra has done was put Judah on notice, to remind them of their sin and to bring them to a place of repentance. They can’t effectively stand before God and claim righteousness, not after all that God has done for them and what He continues to do.