The Failure of the Gatekeepers
Submitted by Ted Mock
September 18, 2024
Ezr 9:2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
The laws and commandments of the LORD state clearly that fathers and mothers are the gatekeepers of their homes and children’s hearts (Deuteronomy 6). Sadly, Ezra 9 records the tragic failure of spiritual leaders and parents. They had failed to guard their homes from the influences of the heathens who were re-settled in Israel during the captivity years.
When Ezra was told that the people, the priests, the Levites, and princes had not separated themselves and corrupted the holy seed of the godly line, he was overcome with grief and sorrow. He publicly displayed his heartbrokenness by ripping his robes and plucked out his hair and his beard.
One by one, “those who trembled at the words of the God of Israel” (Ezra 9:4) assembled before Ezra. They continued to sit “astonied [appalled] until the evening sacrifice” (Ezra 9:4b). Ezra, having said nothing, arose at the evening sacrifice (3:00 pm) and fell upon his knees before the congregation. There he “spread out [his]hands unto the Lord” (Ezra 9:5) and prayed (Ezra 9:6-15).
One by one, they came to be judged for their sins, and promised they would separate themselves from these unholy unions. The last, verse in the book is one of the saddest in the Bible. It says, “All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.”
Ezra’s response to the people’s sins and compromises graphically displayed his sorrow and fear of the LORD’s judgment. He understood that the people’s sins and disobedience invited God’s judgment. Casting himself and the nation before the LORD, Ezra prayed for His mercies.
The spiritual leaders and fathers of Israel failed to be the spiritual gatekeepers of their homes and children’s hearts. They failed to insulate their families from the heathen and their sinful ways (Ezra 9:2). Their failure led to familiarity with the heathen’s sins and, eventually, a bond of friendship that led to marriage. Ezra realized that intermarriage with the heathen endangered the nation’s future.
Mom and Dad, you are the spiritual gatekeepers of your home and family. Are you guarding your children’s hearts from friendship with the wicked and insulating them from the sins and allurement of the world?
By Travis Smith, redacted with permission. www.heartofashepherd.com
