Ezra 9
Ezra was aware of the religious lethargy that the Jews in Judah had fallen into despite their restoration to the land. Yet he was quite overwhelmed when he discovered that the major aspect of this backsliding was the intermarriage of Jews with pagan peoples even by those who should have known better, the priests and Levites who were supposed to lead and teach the Law of God to the people. The Lord had forbidden such marriages because this led to apostasy and idolatry (Exod. 34:11-16; Deut. 7:1-5). Such sins the very ones for which the Lord had punished their ancestors and sent them into exile. And what was worse, as Ezra acknowledged in his prayer, the people had completely dishonored the Lord who had blessed them by restoring them to the land and by His hand of protection.
Such an issue as religious intermarriage may seem strange to us, something we in the modern age of tolerance have surely no reason to concern ourselves with. But the truth is intermarriage of Christians with nonbelievers is not something to be taken lightly. It is a serious sin primarily because it is a deliberate violation of the revealed will of God. Of course such marriages can honor the Lord if both parties submit to His will, but still, the very act is in violation of God’s law. Despite thoughts and protests by those who marry those of other faiths that they are spiritually strong, at the very least such relationships will lead to strife and spiritual laziness. At the worst intermarriage will surely lead God’s people away from Him into idolatry and spiritual death.
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