Ezra 9:1-4

Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying,
“The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians and the Amorites.

“For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race (seed) has intermingled with the peoples of the lands;
indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.”

When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe,
and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled.

Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.

The people had sinned.
They had not separated themselves from the people of the land, especially related to marriage.
They had intermarried.
The Lord had told them not to.
They had also adopted practices of the people of the land.
The Lord had told them not to.

The princes and rulers…political and religious…had led in the sin.

Ezra had now learned.

His response?
Tore his garment.
Tore his robe.
Pulled some hair from his head.
Pulled some hair from his beard.
Sat down appalled.

What did the people do?
Some trembled at the words of the God of Israel because they were unfaithful.
Note who.
Everyone who trembled.
Not all trembled.
The “tremblers” gathered with Ezra.
He sat appalled until the evening offering.

Are you appalled at the state of the professing church?

We might rightly be appalled at the state of the world, but the world will be the world.

We should be appalled of “the church”.

…to be continued…

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