Readings:
Ezra 7-10

We have a bit of a time jump here, with the first 6 chapters being Ezra’s recounting of recent history and chapters 7-10 are Ezra’s first hand accounts after he arrives some 50 years after the completion of the temple.

Ezra us commissioned by Xerxes, the king of Persia, to go to Jerusalem with as many men as would volunteer and to take all the silver and gold they could gather from what was looted by Nebuchadnezzar. Also any Jew that chose to give a freewill offering was encouraged to do so. The point of Ezra’s mission is to reform some things that seemingly had gone astray.

After some initial business is taken care of, the leaders come to Ezra with a disturbing report. They say that it has become a common practice among the people to take wives from the gentile peoples around them. Not that marrying a non-Hebrew was a grave sin (look at Ruth and several other examples of holy gentile women), but unrestricted intermarriage led to some disastrous consequences including several kings. Solomon’s pagan wives led him into all kinds of idolatry and sin. Having just returned from exile, an exile due to sin, and sins that could be at least partially traced back to Solomon’s hundreds of wives, Ezra is understandably distraught.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
Nehemiah 1-3