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 hand 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 to not 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 before 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 that 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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