Reconciling a Broken Covenant

This past week, a private company in Japan called Space One saw its first-ever rocket launch into space. The Kairos rocket stood on the platform at 59 feet tall and was poised to make Space One the first private company in Japan to put a satellite in orbit. According to the company, the rocket launch is a very automated process taking only about a dozen staff on the ground.

The unmanned rocket lifted off from western Japan carrying a small experimental satellite for the Japanese military. The flight lasted about 5 seconds before the entire rocket exploded. There are no reports of injuries, but it was not something anybody expected.

Soon after the failure of the launch, the company’s president said this: “The rocket terminated the flight after judging that the achievement of its mission would be difficult.” In other words, it wasn’t that some error directly led to the rocket exploding. It was that the computer sensed that something was wrong either in its flight path, its speed or its control system. Since problems like that could cause a crash that puts people on the ground in danger, the rocket’s computer triggered the “autonomous flight-termination system” also known as a self-destruct. In other words, a critical error led to its complete destruction.

When that happens to a rocket, someone usually loses out on tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. But worse than losing out on all that money is when something like that happens to an eternal soul. You and I can make a critical error that leads to our complete destruction. Jesus spoke of the tragedy that it is for a man to gain the world yet forfeit his soul.

One of those critical errors in a person’s life is to ignore or to minimize repentance. A biblical understanding of “repentance” is that it is a changing of the mind that results in a changing of your life. This was the call of the Old Testament prophets. This was the call of John the Baptist. This was the call of Jesus, and it was the message of His Apostles. Turn from sin and trust in God in order to be forgiven. Without repentance, there is no salvation.

That doesn’t mean that it’s your obedience that saves you. It means that genuine salvation is connected to a heart surrendered to Jesus Christ. Another way to say it is, “If you don’t recognize Jesus as King and Lord, He is not your Savior.” God will not forgive or rescue anyone from eternal judgment who simply claims to believe but does not have a life committed to Him.

This was the collective critical error that we see repeatedly in the Old Testament from the nation of Israel. They keep turning back to their sin. When God frees them from slavery in Egypt, they go back to false worship. And in order to be restored, they need to repent. Sin needs to be dealt with.

For example, before Joshua’s generation was going to enter into the Promised Land, the men were commanded to be circumcised, otherwise they would not be successful. Later, when the Israelites went to fight against the city of Ai, God allowed them to be defeated because a man named Achan had stolen items that were forbidden.

God cares about sin. And if His people want to experience the fullness of His blessing, sin needs to be dealt with. This is what we see fleshed out once again as we come to the final chapter in the book of Ezra.

Ezra left Persia hoping to reform the people in Jerusalem. When he arrived, he learned that the people and the leaders had ignored God’s command by intermarrying with foreign women, opening themselves to the abomination of paganism. This was an attack on the purity of their devotion to God. It was the same sin that led to the downfall of Solomon.

Ezra responded by publicly mourning and confessing. He was This wasn’t an act; this was a genuine expression of his anguish over what was happening. Ezra was devastated, and his response impacted the people around him.

Let’s continue the story in chapter 10, verse 1. It tells us this—While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.

These people were now burdened because of Ezra’s example. His humble fear got transferred to them. That’s a key identifier of a true leader. Ezra is not a man who simply wants to give orders; he leads others to feel what he feels and to care about what he cares about.

In verse 2, one of the men who came with Ezra comes forward to say something—And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. [3] Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.

The end of the chapter includes a list of the men who had married foreign wives. Verse 26 mentions a man named Jehiel along with what appears to be his brothers who were all sons of Elam. This guy Shecaniah is the son of Jehiel of the sons of Elam. That means that this man’s own father and uncles have fallen into this disobedience. But Shecaniah, as a representative of the people, valued fearing God more than protecting his own family. That’s a testament to the sincerity of his commitment, and it’s such an important ingredient in true repentance.

Even if Ezra already had a plan to restore Israel, it wouldn’t have been effective if the people weren’t willing to change. In the grace of God, however, the people responded correctly to their sin. They want to be restored. So, their plan is to take an oath to separate themselves from their illegitimate wives, and they want Ezra to lead them through this. In verse 4, Shecaniah says to Ezra—Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”

They’re saying, “Lead us, Ezra. Help us make this right.” What an encouragement! This is not a small task, but the people are ready. Verse 5—Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.

This is not a pinkie promise. This is an oath before God to make things right. They are invoking God’s judgment if they don’t follow through.

Now, those of you who understand what the Bible teaches about marriage know that God places a high value on marriage. It’s a sacred covenant between a man and a woman intended by God to express the loving relationship between Christ and the church. God’s design was that marriage be for life.

This is the truth Jesus communicates to the Pharisees in Matthew 19. The Pharisees come at Him using Deuteronomy 24 as an excuse for their own divorces. But Jesus come back at them with Genesis 2, and He explains that Deuteronomy 24 doesn’t mean they could get divorced whenever they wanted; it simply included laws about divorce.

We also see God’s heart for marriage in 1 Corinthians 7, where the Apostle Paul says that if two unbelievers get married, and if one of them comes to faith, and if the unbelieving partner wants to enjoy a committed marriage, the believing partner must not jump out of that relationship. The believer brings a blessing upon that home. Marriage is God’s design, and it’s a commitment that matters, even between a believer and an unbeliever.

So, we know God’s original design, but we also know that sin exists in the world and in our hearts, and this leads to severe problems. When problems arise in marriage, the best scenario is reconciliation, but there will be cases when that’s not going to happen, and a divorce takes place.

Two allowances for divorce given in the New Testament are for abandonment and adultery. The Bible doesn’t say those things must lead to divorce, but those are cases where it is permissible because of how devastating they are to the marriage and to God’s design. And even where a divorce is legitimate, the Spirit of God grieves over the sins that led up to it.

Now, how does that compare to what’s happening here in Ezra? I assume the pagan wives didn’t have a problem with the marriages, and there is no explicit mention of adultery on the part of the wives. So, why is Ezra calling for divorces to take place?

We know that divorce grieves God, but in this case their original rebellion brought an even greater problem that needed to be addressed. The marriages to foreign women was a clear violation to the Old Testament law, and it placed Israel in danger. These were marriages that should never have happened in the first place. These were not just unwise decisions; these were sinful unions. Therefore, repentance meant undoing that initial act, and it would come at a personal cost.

These men needed to take legal action which, according to God’s law, meant writing their wives a certificate of divorce which would help provide for them after the separation. This was going to cost them. True repentance always has a cost.

I think a good parallel for this kind of divorce would be the dissolving of any marriage that was the result of deviant sexuality. So, for example, if the man in First Corinthians 5 had actually the woman he was sleeping with, his stepmother, I think the Apostle Paul would have called for a divorce. That marriage would have been unlawful in the first place. A separation needs to take place.

And I believe the same is true with any homosexual relationship in which one or both partners comes to faith. That initial union, which isn’t really a marriage at all in God’s eyes, though that’s what the culture calls it, is illegitimate. It should never have taken place. It is not God’s design. That doesn’t mean the change is going to be easy, but that’s where the church steps in to bear burdens and love and support, even in the difficult steps of repentance.

Sadly, there are plenty of churches today, and popular ones at that, that ignore the need for repentance. I saw a video a few years ago where a pastor who now leads a very large and influential church in southern California was asked about this very issue. If a homosexual couple comes to faith, should they get divorced? The pastor’s basic answer was “I don’t know. God hates divorce. I don’t know.” He didn’t want to commit to an answer, and I think that’s because he doesn’t understand the nature of sin and the nature of repentance.

As challenging as undoing that prior commitment would be, it has to be part of true repentance because that lifestyle is clearly in contradiction to God’s law. You cannot have your identity tied to sin and immorality and yet want to be identified with Christ. Sadly, I think that pastor’s main concern wasn’t the holiness of his people; it was his appeal to the world.

Thankfully, this was not the heart of the Israelites, and it was not the heart of Ezra. Let’s continue in verse 6—Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. [7] And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem, [8] and that if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles.

This is a serious concern and a serious calling, and it comes with a serious warning. Come to Jerusalem, so that this issue can be addressed, or you forfeit your property, and you forfeit your place among this people.

Verse 9—Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.

This is taking place about 4 months after Ezra arrives, and the weather seems appropriate. The people are burdened by their guilt and they feel the rain beating down on them as well. But this was the day the meeting had been called.

Verse 10—And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. [11] Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

The reality of what they need to do isn’t complicated, and the people understand. But the difficulty comes in overseeing how it all takes place. How can they be sure that everyone who needs to repent does so? And what about tricky legal cases? That’s going to take some time to figure out. Israel didn’t get herself into this in a day, and it’s going to take more than a day to fix it.

Verse 12—Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said. [13] But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. [14] Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.”

There’s a good lesson here for those who want to dive headfirst into repentance. Sometimes, repentance is going to take some planning before it all starts moving forward, and that especially true when you’re dealing with a group. Israel knows they need more people to help with this.

Now, since someone was apparently taking minutes at this meeting, we also get the note in verse 15—Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

It's not completely clear what these men opposed. Did they oppose the repentance? Or did they just oppose the plan that stretched out the timeline? I’m not completely sure, but I think this was an opposition to the repentance as a whole. Maybe they thought this plan was too disruptive.

Either way, it’s a reminder to us that repentance will not come without hindrances and obstacles. Sometimes, you’re going to find people, even well meaning people, who don’t want to take the drastic steps necessary to honor God. Be ready for that, and don’t be deterred.

Israel goes forward with their plan. Verse 16—Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men, heads of fathers' houses, according to their fathers' houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; [17] and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women.

Ezra selects trusted leaders to see this plan forward. They start making progress about a week after that meeting on the rainy day. If a foreign wife had genuinely turned to the Yahweh, the God of Israel, there was probably provision for them so stay together. But where the woman had not converted, that marriage was undone. In in all, it takes about 3 months for these leaders to see that every man guilty in this regard takes the necessary steps of repentance. This was a national repentance.

Now, the rest of the chapter, as some of you might have noticed already is a list of names. It starts with the priests in verse 18, which even included the sons of Jeshua, the priest who served with Zerubbabel. In verse 23, it shifts to the Levites, and then in verse 25, it goes to the rest of the men who were guilty.

Some people believe that the list here is abbreviated because it only includes about a hundred names, and three months might seem too long of a time to deal with only a hundred cases. Whatever the real number was, this was a serious problem that needed to be purged.

To quote from 2 Corinthians 6, the Apostle Paul asks—What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [17] Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing.

Those are strong words from God because repentance is a serious issue. Separation from the sin of the world is a serious thing. But that’s not where 2 Corinthians 6 ends. Listen to the end of the chapter—Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, [18] and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Repentance isn’t just a requirement for salvation. Repentance is the path to restoration and blessing. You have to internalize that in your view about God and about Jesus Christ. Repentance is the path to restoration and blessing. God’s call to repentance is not simply an expression of His holiness and justice; it’s also an expression of His grace.

Don’t miss that as we come to the end of this book. The book ends with a list of names. These were the men who had rebelled against God by marrying foreign women. Do you think these men wanted their names written down for every future generation to see? I think they did.

Our temptation is to see this list as a shameful thing. But this is more than that. This isn’t just a list of men who had sinned; this is a list of men who openly confessed their sin and were faithful to their commitment to repent. These are men who owned up to their mistakes and did what was necessary to make things right.

This is not a list for shame and judgment. Every name here is a testament to the grace of God to work in a man’s heart to bring genuine repentance and genuine forgiveness and restoration. This list is a testament, not to the sin of man, but to the grace of God.

I don’t know the specific sins that manifest themselves in your life, but I know they’re there. But if you have trusted in Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again, and if live in repentance, your name is on a list too. Your name is written in the book of life, and you belong to God. You are His child, to the praise of the glory of His grace.

As we conclude our study in Ezra, don’t leave here bothered by Israel’s sin. Leave here amazed at the grace of God, which we now have in Jesus Christ.

Israel learned her lesson. Israel is walking back on the path to righteousness. They’re headed back to the path of blessing because they walked through the door of confession and repentance.

Don’t be afraid to confess your sin. Don’t be afraid to take drastic steps, if necessary to repent. Proverbs 28:13 reminds us—Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Let’s keep walking on the path of mercy and blessing. Let’s keep walking on path of regular repentance.