Rarely are the right choice and the easy choice the same thing. God’s will is never said to be easy.
At the pivot point in Ezra’s prayer, he says, “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this?” (Ezra 9:10). Have you ever been in a situation where you know something has to be done to start the process of restoration, yet none of the options seem to align with God’s will? The men of Israel had been careless about the Lord’s warning regarding marriage to the demon-worshipping inhabitants of the land. “You commanded…‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land,…with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another…Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons” (vv 11-12). Ezra knew they couldn’t expect God’s blessing while flagrantly defying Him. But what should be done? I admit it’s a quandary. Present in Jerusalem were the Nethinim (2:70), offspring of the Gibeonites who were Amorites (2 Sam 21:2; Ezra 9:1). In that case, although duped, Israel felt it right to maintain the covenant they had made with them because, they said, “We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel” (Jsh 9:19). It was wrong to let them live. It was also wrong to go against the promise they made in God’s name. In that case, they showed mercy. Here they found themselves on the horns of another dilemma. It was wrong to be married to foreign wives. But wasn’t it also wrong to divorce them (Mal 2:16)? It’s a hard fact that sin always complicates things. Perhaps these people were otherwise slated for death, and divorce was an act of mercy. Although nothing is specifically mentioned, the women and children may have been supported until they remarried among their own people. But there’s more to this tortuous story, as we shall see.