February 26, 2022

Passage Read: Ezra 10 - Nehemiah 3
Meditation Verses: Ezra 10:10-12

Thought

Those commands to not intermarry with foreigners actually reveals a couple things about life long ago: It shows that many father's didn't actually oversee their own homes and exercise real dominion there. They left so much to their wives, especially the training of the children. Fathers might have been faithful to train their sons to work alongside them, but they didn't take full responsibility for their spiritual training! So much like today! But it also shows how wives operated pretty independently of their husbands in training the children. If the father truly took charge, then there wouldn't be such a problem with marrying foreign wives, and if the wives were committed to doing exactly as their husband's desired, again, there wouldn't be a problem with foreign wives. So clearly, the disunity of husband and wife has been an age old problem! The New Testament lays it out as clear as can be, no longer "taking for granted" what was supposed to be understood in the Old Testament.

Application

People make much of patriarchal society as being problematic, unjust and unfair towards women. Without doubt there have been countless instances of abuse. But the purpose of the Lord in creating man and woman has also rarely been seen, where husband and wife are truly united as one, like the Father and Jesus, both pursuing one vision as laid out by the husband. Husband and wife have seldom been united as God intended, such that God has to forbid intermarrying with foreigners who would lead their children to follow other gods, rather than lead the foreigners to follow the true God. God intends for the husband to lead and the wife to be committed to carrying out her husband's desire, just as he should be fully committed to carrying out God's desires.