This might seem unjust at first glance. It’s not. When we see something like this in the Word we have to go back to what we know sets a precedent for dealing with situations like this, and apply it first. God is just, holy and good and hates divorce. That is first, so let’s go from there to understand what happened in Ezra with Israel and the strange wives and children they ended up with, because they disobeyed God.
In the law God gave Israel in the beginning, we see that anyone from any nation, anywhere, could come worship the one true God of Israel. They would come into the fold and be absorbed into the nation, becoming therefore a Jew. So we have to assume that this was the case with the strange wives and children Israel took into the fold. If the wives, when confronted with this decree to put all the unbelieving wives and children away, listened, and the women and children said, I will worship God, then they remained. How do I know? Because God said this is the protocol. He doesn’t have to belabour the point again because as usual, He is assuming and requiring that they and we already know all of this. God doesn’t re-establish every minute detail of the Word every time He states a truth. This is our responsibility to know, and the Holy Spirit comes alongside us to show us this, if we seek truth.
For those not really seeking truth, but are rather seeking an excuse to blame God for being cold or unjust, they will not follow this path. They will get perturbed, blame God for being an unjust God and put the Word down as being untrustworthy. This is also God’s plan to weed out the unbelieving.
So we can rest knowing that any wife and child during this curious time in Israel’s history, who decided to worship God alone were spared and remained. Any who went after the strange gods, had to be removed. This is good, just and right.
God knows that good character is corrupted by bad company. He knows that light has no fellowship with darkness. He knows all things. Let’s not think for one minute that any wife or child in question in Ezra, who would believe in God and worship Him alone, were put away. God longs that none would perish but that all would come to the saving knowledge of God in Christ Jesus.
Thank You Lord!