None of the sons of Levi have volunteered to return to Jerusalem. Josephus points out that the Israelite nation as a whole remained in the country. Through the efforts of Iddo from Casiphia 38 Levies are recruited for the trip as well as 220 temple servants. Can you imagine how our ancestors felt with the same decision to leave “comfort” to face the perils of the North Atlantic on the Mayflower? Ezra and his party set out and arrive at Jerusalem after a 4 month journey. Like our founding fathers Ezra prayed “The hand of our God was upon us, and he delivers us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way”. Ezra first tackles mixed marriages. He is informed by the officials that many Jews, including priests and Levites have been intermarrying with the peoples of the lands. On hearing this news Ezra tears his clothes and pulls out his hair as signs of his deep remorse. Ezra’s prayer in 9:6-15 stands in line with the great prayers of the Bible. We note the words we, us and our, appear in his prayer of confession i.e. corporate guilt. Upon hearing the prayer the people wept bitterly. They vow to put away the foreign wives and their children. The list of offenders is posted and all these give up their wives and children. Rev. Michael Piazza in Liberating Word says “It is a classic example of what is so often bad about religions. Ezra is a good person, a leader and liberator, a person of great faith and moral devotion. He does historic good for thousand of people but his particular brand of religion blinded him to what was most important in life. Ezra was a man who believed that the rules were the highest objective good, elevating them even above our relationships and family. This seems to be the most significant correction that Jesus came to bring.”
None of the sons of Levi have volunteered to return to Jerusalem. Josephus points out that the Israelite nation as a whole remained in the country. Through the efforts of Iddo from Casiphia 38 Levies are recruited for the trip as well as 220 temple servants. Can you imagine how our ancestors felt with the same decision to leave “comfort” to face the perils of the North Atlantic on the Mayflower? Ezra and his party set out and arrive at Jerusalem after a 4 month journey. Like our founding fathers Ezra prayed “The hand of our God was upon us, and he delivers us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way”. Ezra first tackles mixed marriages. He is informed by the officials that many Jews, including priests and Levites have been intermarrying with the peoples of the lands. On hearing this news Ezra tears his clothes and pulls out his hair as signs of his deep remorse. Ezra’s prayer in 9:6-15 stands in line with the great prayers of the Bible. We note the words we, us and our, appear in his prayer of confession i.e. corporate guilt. Upon hearing the prayer the people wept bitterly. They vow to put away the foreign wives and their children. The list of offenders is posted and all these give up their wives and children. Rev. Michael Piazza in Liberating Word says “It is a classic example of what is so often bad about religions. Ezra is a good person, a leader and liberator, a person of great faith and moral devotion. He does historic good for thousand of people but his particular brand of religion blinded him to what was most important in life. Ezra was a man who believed that the rules were the highest objective good, elevating them even above our relationships and family. This seems to be the most significant correction that Jesus came to bring.”
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