Wednesday – History

Reading – Ezra 9-10

Highlight Verse:

“For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages. Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in this outrage.””
‭‭Ezra‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You might say this is an odd verse for the son (me) of a white mom and a Mexican dad.

Truth be told, this chapter has always made me uncomfortable.

It sounds like it is telling us that racism is good.

But it’s not about racism.

The act of marrying non-Hebrew women in this context was an act, at least of apathy toward God, if not outright rebellion.

The marriages involved not just accepting the wives but their pagan religions as well.

If you need further proof that God is not racist, look up Rahab and Ruth,

both foreign women who accepted the Hebrew ways and were accepted not just into God’s good grace but into the bloodline of the Messiah.

Have you struggled with this Scripture before?
How does it make you feel to know that this is about dedication to God instead of race?