LINK: Ezra 9
BACKGROUND
A few months after his arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra met with some of the leaders and was informed of the many mixed marriages among the priests, Levites, civil leaders, and the people in general in the land. It's possible that this occurred after the reading of the law described in Nehemiah 8. This was likely an official report, in accordance with the decree of Artaxerxes to "keep the law of your God and the law of your king" (Ezra 7:25-26). The law was given in Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy 7 that they were not to marry the pagan Canaanites when they entered the land. The sin is not mixed racial or ethnic marriages, rather it is an issue of religious holiness.
CHARACTER STUDY
What kind of attitudes, actions, reactions, etc. do you see in Ezra in this chapter?
How does Ezra view God?
What is his view of himself and the other Israelites before God?
How does Ezra respond to sin?
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