Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hands of foreign kings, as it is today. (Ezra 9:7)As Ezra made his journey to Jerusalem, he no doubt reflected on what had caused Judah's destruction and delivered them into exile. From the beginning, the men of Israel had been warned not to intermarry with foreign women who would lead them astray after their gods, and from the beginning they had ignored this advice. Here we have another example of how disobeying the 1st Commandment led to ruin for the people of Israel. You shall have no other gods beside me (Exodus 20:3). Then he arrived in his homeland and discovered that the returning exiles were engaged in the same practices. It must have struck him as inconceivable.
But in retrospect, as we look over the biblical accounts, it is clear there were times that men of Israel married foreign women without reverting to the worship of foreign gods. Jesus' genealogy includes Ruth (a Moabite) and Rahab (a Canaanite). Though technically personae non gratae, these women hold positions of honor in Jewish tradition.
We look to these stories of inclusiveness, and to God's promise that all peoples of the earth might be blessed through Abraham's seed, as clear signs that God loves all people - not just a select few.
Are there people outside your circle whom God would invite you to embrace?
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