Ezra 10 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Ezra 10 Short Summary:

Ezra chapter 10 is the final chapter in the book. It documents the solution to the problem introduced in chapter 9. The Jewish men had married foreign wives, women who did not share the religious convictions of the people of Judah. Their bad influence was dangerous to the nation. After being confronted with their sin, the men of Judah agreed to separate from these foreign women. Ezra and the leaders of Judah directed this significant cultural change from Jerusalem.

Ezra 10 Summary

WHEN:

• 538-537 BC - The people of Judah return to Judah.

• 536 BC - Rebuilding of the foundation of the Temple.

• 536-530 BC – The adversaries of the Jews oppose the Temple rebuilding.

• 530-520 BC – Work on the Temple stops by decree of King Artaxerxes.

• 520 BC – Work on the Temple resumes.

• 516 BC – Work on the Temple completed.

• 457 BC – Ezra arrives in Jerusalem.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Jews – The descendants of Israel who were repopulating the land of Judah after returning to it following 70 years of captivity in Babylonia.

• Ezra – A priest and scribe who was skilled in the Law of God.

• Men Who Had Married Foreign Wives – This chapter provides the reader with a list of the Jewish men who had broken God’s Law and married non-Jewish wives.

WHERE:

• Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple.

OUTLINE:

• THE JEWS ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR GUILT IN MARRYING FOREIGN WIVES (10:1-8):

  • As Ezra prayed in front of the Temple and expressed the shame he felt because of his people’s sins, many of the people gathered around him and started crying.

  • One of the men, Shecaniah, admitted his guilt and proposed a solution.

  • He proposed that every Jewish man who had married a foreign woman should separate from her, so that Israel could be purified from the bad influence of the sinful foreign nations.

  • The other Jewish men agreed with Shecaniah and took an oath to do it.

  • A proclamation was made that all the people of Judah were to gather in Jerusalem in 3 days’ time to be made aware of this decision and to begin enacting this significant cultural change.

•  THE JEWS GATHER IN JERUSALEM TO FIX THEIR MISTAKE (10:9-17):

  • All the Jews heeded the order to assemble, and they gathered in Jerusalem by the third day.

  • They sat in the square to listen to Ezra’s instructions. The text tells us they were trembling because it was raining heavily.

  • Ezra stood up and confronted them about their sin. He told them they needed to repent, and that any man who had married a foreign woman needed to separate from her.

  • The vast majority of the congregation was convicted and repentant, and they agreed to do as Ezra instructed.

  • Because of the heavy rain, and the amount of time it would take for Ezra to oversee the process, it was decided that the people would return home. Ezra would then call on all the men who had married foreign wives and deal with their situation cases by case.

  • Ezra selected leading men of the people and began the process on the 1st day of the 10th month.

  • It took 3 months to address all the cases. The task was completed by the 1st day of the 1st month.

• A LIST OF THOSE WHO HAD MARRIED FOREIGN WIVES (10:18-44):

  • The last section of the book documents a list of the names of those who had broken God’s instructions and married foreign wives.

  • “All these had married foreign women, and some of the women had even borne children” (10:44).

APPLICATION:

• The people of Judah were a special nation, chosen by God to have a unique identity.

• Rather than embracing that distinction, they often diluted their identity by mixing with the nations around them.

• As Christians, we have a unique identity in Christ.

• 1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

• As Christians, our unique identity is something to be protected, something to be proud of, not something to be diluted with the influences of a sinful world.

• Many Christians try to look as much like their non-Christian friends as possible, while still holding on the Jesus. They try to fit in with everyone else whenever and wherever they can.

• This is a trick from Satan!

• The Jews didn’t abandon their Temple worship, they still held on to a part of God’s Law, but in other areas of their lives they started making compromises.

• Satan may not be able to convince you to give up your identity in Jesus entirely, but if he can get you to dilute it, he has already won a battle.

• We should be proud of our identity in Jesus, never dilute it, and be on the mission to be more like Christ, not more like the non-Christian world around us.