“Now honour the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.” Ezra 10:11 NIV
We often down play our sin. The result of that, is that we don’t take the appropriate steps in addressing nor correcting the sin. When we sin it only pleases us. In this verse, Ezra is telling the Israelites to now please the Lord and to part from their sin. The only way for them to do so is by changing their lifestyle. This change would not be easy as it would include separating themselves from the pagan people (their friends) and their foreign wives.
When sinners mourn for their sins and tremble at the word of God, there is hope that they will forsake them. In order to love God and forsake our desires, it must affect us, as it did the Israelites. But it is only in a strong desire to change that this will prove to be lasting.
May we say to the Lord as the Israelites said to Ezra their leader, “You are right! We must do as you say.” (Verse 12)
Lock Your Wings 
I was saddened by the long list of broken families and wondered what happened to those families in a society where women relied on their spouse for financial support. Although I initially thought it was terrible that all these men were saying they would divorce their wives and leave their children, part of me wonders if the ‘investigation’ found that some foreign wives were found to be ok?? Or is would there be too much of a danger to believe they would change or abandon their own pagan beliefs to stay married??
The reality is that there are huge and life changing consequences for sin. When we indulge in sin we cause suffering not just to us but also those around us can also face consequences.
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