2Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel.
Sin’s choices can have some very negative consequences and some very difficult choices connected to it. Part of Israel returning to the Lord following the 70 years in exile involves repentance. And repentance can be very difficult. It can affect not only you, but those around you. The Lord had told the Israelites not to marry non-Israelite women. Those marriages were one of the main reasons the Israelites had fallen into sin and ended up in exile in the first place. The Lord did not want a repeat performance. So how many men are going to have to leave their wives and families? Well, this chapter concludes with a by name list of those men. Can you imagine the struggle for them and their wives and kids? These would have been heart wrenching times. The text does not say what provision was made for these women and children, but even aliens, orphans and widows get care under the Law, so they are not without hope. I am sure there was love in at least some of these marriages. And yet, their marriages were sin. They had disobeyed a clear command, and disobedience has consequences. But there is still hope. We have a friend who is struggling with an addiction, and the negative consequences of their actions. These are very difficult times in this family, heart wrenching times. But there is hope.