Results 1 - 6 of 6
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Intermarriage | Ezra 9:2 | ischus | 115330 | ||
PART 3 5) As Ezra continues to misapply scripture in his prayer and address to the nation, we come to verse 12. "So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever." *** Let's contrast this verse with an actual command from God, found in Jeremiah 29:6-9. "Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 'Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.'"For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. 'For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,' declares the LORD." --- Is this not the exact opposite of what Ezra is suggesting, followed by an ironic warning against a different message than this? Isn't it ironic that Ezra and Jeremiah both use 'shalom' (peace, well-being, prosperity), but in opposite commands? Which do we honor as God's revelation- Ezra's opinion, or Jeremiah's 'thus says the LORD?' I would take Jeremiah here. FOUR MORE VERSES, AND THEN I AM DONE. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LONG POST, BUT THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. :-) 6) Now, let's go to chapter 10 verses 2 and 3. "Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, 'We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.'" AND ALSO VERSES 11 and 12. "Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.' Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, 'That's right! As you have said, so it is our duty to do.'" *** A couple of things need to pointed out here: Sheconiah seems to think he has a good idea here, and the people believe his words (again, like Jeremiah spoke of). However, it is intersting that THE ONLY PROPHET to EVER speak about mixed marriages is Malachi. Read ALL of Malachi chapter 2 in context and see what God thinks about it. *** Now, in verse 11, the people are told to separate (the term that later became the word for pharisee) from their wives...They are told to DIVORCE them!!! Is this from God? May it Never Be! --- Already we have seen in Malachi that God Hates Divorce! Let's also look to Paul, in 1 Corinthians 7. I will not quote the whole chapter, BUT READ IT. You know these verses! God would have never commanded the people to do ANY of the things found in Ezra 9 and 10! This passage it a representation of man's failure, and his abiblity to twist God's word into his own desires. I strongly believe that Ezra and the others are mistaken. They are SINCERE, but SINCERELY WRONG. ischus |
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2 | Intermarriage | Ezra 9:2 | srbaegon | 115520 | ||
Hello ischus, Let me quote from the Expositor's Bible Commentary on the issue of putting away the foreign wives. Though the actions of Ezra and later of Nehemiah may strike some readers as harsh, they were more than racial or cultural measures and were necessary to preserve the spiritual heritage of Israel. Both from the principle and from exceptions to the rule, warnings against intermarriage were clearly concerned not so much about racial miscegenation as about spiritual adulteration. David Bossman ("Ezra's Marriage Reform: Israel Redefined," BTh 9 [1979]: 32-38) argues that Ezra's purification of the people followed a "priestly ideal of separation from all that is unclean." What happened to a Jewish community that was lax concerning intermarriage can be seen from the example of the Elephantine settlement contemporary with Ezra and Nehemiah. Intermarriages took place among both lay leaders and priests. According to Porten (Archives, p. 174), "Some of the pagans who married Jews may have, like the early Samaritans, continued to worship their ancestral god(s) at the same time that they adopted the worship of YHW. Conversely, some of these Jews occasionally expressed devotion to the god(s) of their spouses at the same time that they continued to revere YHW." The Jews at Elephantine worshiped not only Yahweh, but the goddess Anath-Yahweh (cf. Jer 7:16-18; B. Porten, "The Religion of the Jews of Elephantine in Light of the Hermopolis Papyri," JNES 28 [1969]: 116-21). Myers (The World of the Restoration, p. 122) concludes: "It is not accidental that Jewish communities in exile gradually disintegrated--for example, the one at Elephantine.... A pure cult with a pure people conducted in their religious and domestic affairs in a pure language was essential." I don't understand the comparison with Jer 29. In that passage the Lord directs them to marry and have families, but it does not say to marry the Babylonian women. I'm not sure where you were going with that. Steve |
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3 | Intermarriage | Ezra 9:2 | ischus | 115538 | ||
Steve, After Israel returns from exile, the is never another account of them falling into idol worship or polytheism. I am sure that those who took wives were well aware of what they were doing, and were fully commited to Yahweh when they married. Also, Do you have anything to say about the divorce that was "commanded" or the fact that God never has a problem with people marrying Gentiles as long as they remain faithful to him? |
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4 | Intermarriage | Ezra 9:2 | Emmaus | 115542 | ||
ischus, I will say that even in the New Covenant beliervers are warned against being "unequally yoked" to unbelivers and the mixed marriages there are only tolerated because they were contracted before the beliver came to faith. I have no idea of your age or background but the real practical problems of mixed faith marriages are not insignificant nor easily overcome, even in a loving relationship, once the haze of infatuation has lifted and children start arriving. Ask around to those who have been there and are there. I guess if God could command Hosea to marry a whore to make a point, Ezra upon whom "God had his hand" might command divorce to make a point. Moses gave laws on divorce because of the hardness of men's hearts despite God hating divorce. However, you are entitled to your opinion on Ezra. I am trying to find another particular passage that you might find sinmilarly fascinating. Emmaus |
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5 | God gives statutes that are not good? | Ezra 9:2 | Emmaus | 115543 | ||
ischus, What is your take on this verse, does God give statutes that are not good? "I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live; and I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the LORD." Ezek 2:25-26 Emmaus |
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6 | God gives statutes that are not good? | Ezra 9:2 | Emmaus | 115545 | ||
Incorrect citation. Should be Ezek 20:25-26 | ||||||