Calling a Rainout

In sports like football and baseball, weather is a huge factor. When championships are at stake, you don’t want rain, snow, sleet, or cold playing a bigger role than the two teams on the field. Sometimes you have to postpone. Sometimes you have to call a rainout. There’s too much on the line to let weather impact the outcome. That’s exactly the situation we see as the camera zooms in on the scene in Ezra 10:12-15. Thousands of people are standing in a torrential downpour in the temple square of Jerusalem. In many ways, the fate and future of the Israelites hangs in the balance. Very important decisions need to be made. But the conditions are far from perfect for such a critical moment. The people readily admit their guilt and plead with Ezra to call a rainout. Instead of trying to rush and get everything done in a couple of days during wretched weather, let’s take the time to do this right. Like a good leader, Ezra listens to the people and modifies the plan. He calls a rainout.

So just why are several thousand people standing in the rain outside the temple in Jerusalem? The word is out that more than a couple Jewish men have thumbed their noses at the LORD’s command to not hook up with women who don’t worship the same God (Ex 34:11-16; Dt 7:1-6; Ez 9:1-2, 10-15; 10:2, 10). This became a huge deal after Yahweh delivers His chosen people out of captivity in Babylon for the past 70 years and allows them to return to the Promised Land under the leadership of men like Zerubbabel and Erza. Once they hit town, apparently some Hebrew dudes started checking out some of the local ladies and eventually starting hooking up and shacking up with them. Before you know it, these disobedient Israelites aren’t worshiping the God of Israel but bowing down before idols. 

Once Ezra gets tipped off, he gets ticked off (Ez 9:3-4). He prays publicly (Ez 9:5-15). He prays privately (Ez 10:6). Officials let everyone know that there’s a mandatory family meeting (Ez 10:7-8). They’ve got three days to get to the temple. Be there or be square. Sure enough, there’s perfect attendance for the meeting (Ez 10:9). As they grab a seat to hear what Ezra has to say, the skies open up. This isn’t just quick shower. We’re talking a torrential downpour. It starts and doesn’t stop. Ezra’s accusation of failing to trust God comes down just as hard as the rain. They’ve “broken faith and married foreign women” (Ez 10:10). He gives them a very simple two-point plan (Ez 10:11). Confess your sin to God. Ditch your pagan girlfriends. Hard words in hard rain.

This is a crucial moment in Israelite history. How will the people respond? What will they do? This could go badly. VERY badly. Let’s read on, shall we? “Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, ‘It is so; we must do as you have said’” (v12). Instead of telling Ezra that he has no right to tell them who they should date or sleep with, they realize the gravity of their sin. They shout back, “It is so” (v12). This is a very common Hebrew word (Heb. dabar) which means a word, speech, something that is said, or a matter that’s been discussed. In essence, the people respond, “Word!” You said that right, Big E. You’re all over it. You speak truth. That ain’t no lie. They big crowd goes on to say, “We must do as you have said” (v12). They confess their sin. They’re going to do what needs to be done. It’s critical to remember that when we confess our sin, we need to do something about it. Confess. Repent. React. Simply feeling sorry just doesn’t cut it. But can we be honest? Chances are this won’t be a one and done. We’ll mostly likely need to be in a continual state of confession and repentance as we lean on our most merciful God. He knows you and I are going to struggle on this side of eternity. It’s really no shock to Him.

The people readily admit their rebellion. Later they confess how they have “greatly transgressed in this matter” (v13). The original language uses the verb pasha’. It means to rebel against a ruler, revolt, or reject authority. They’re rebels with a sinful cause. They’re revolutionaries against the King of Kings. They’ve rejected the rule of Almighty God. Now before we get all high and mighty, we need to remember we’re no better than these folks. The Apostle Paul wrote to his Roman friends, “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom 5:8). Our supernatural civil war against God’s kingdom makes Al Qaeda look like a Boy Scout troop. Once again, God demonstrates His mind-blowing grace toward His people. He doesn’t just do great things for good people. He pursues His enemies and showers goodness on rebels. That includes you and me.

The people are ready and willing to do what needs to be done. But it’s raining. I mean it’s coming down in sheets. The terrible conditions require a slight change of plan. One, there’s a boatload of people to talk to. Two, it’s absolutely raining cats and dogs and they’re standing outside. Three, this is going to take a lot longer than a couple of days. Ezra tells us that “the people are many” (v13). There are several thousand sitting in the storm. Almost 1,500 men made the trip with Ezra (Ez 8:1-14). You can take it to the bank that this also was a huge problem among the larger number men who were already in the Promised Land and came back under Zerubbabel (Ez 2:3-67). Thousands of Israelites are getting soaked. “It is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open” (v13). The people suggest Ezra call for a rainout. The monsoon conditions make it next to impossible for anyone to get a fair hearing. This is too important to rush through in the rain. “Nor is this a task for one day or for two” (v13). There are so many people involved that the eventual investigation takes three months under multiple judges (Ez 10:16-17).

At this point, the repentant people offer a suggestion. “Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city” (v14). The rain-soaked crowd asks the high priest if representatives could stand in for them to wrap up this massive meeting. It would streamline the process. And instead of trying to get this done in Jerusalem in the next couple of days, they suggest that we break this up into local hearings with local judges. Ezra, please call a rainout. This is too important to finish in these terrible conditions. 

They understand the situation. They realize that something must be done so that “the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us” (v14). The original text literally describes God’s red-hot anger as His face is on fire! The LORD is certainly “slow to anger” (Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Neh 9:17; Ps 86:15; Jnh 4:2), but that doesn’t mean He will never lose His divine cool. His fuse is very long, but it will eventually run out. The rain-saoked Israelites have stoked the blaze of His wrath with their rebellion and sexual sin. They’ve done it to themselves. Something must be done and done immediately. In a little less than 500 years, God will do something Himself to keep you and me from facing His anger. Jesus would come and take the full brunt of God’s fiery wrath for our sin so that we wouldn’t have to (Rom 5:9). We don’t have to step into the fiery furnace of the LORD’s anger. Jesus did that for you and me. Trust in what He did that we could never dream of doing for ourselves. 

There’s a very interesting little note that Ezra adds at the end before he calls a rainout. “One Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them” (v15). We’re not sure why they opposed the people’s suggested changes to the plan. It doesn’t appear to be because they had shacked up with their pagan girlfriends since none of them are listed among the guilty (Ez 10:18-44). You will find a dude named Meshullam in the list (Ez 10:29). This guy mentioned here is probably one of the “men of insight” Ezra used to find more Levites (Ez 8:16). We need to understand that opposition isn’t necessarily bad. It’s good to openly discuss important ideas, especially ones that impact a lot of people. And it appears that they eventually submit to Ezra’s leadership and do what he decides. But there’s at least some discussion.

Good leaders listen. They listen to God for His guidance through prayer and fasting. They listen to godly wisdom of those people He places in their lives. Like any good servant leader, Ezra listens. And on this day, he calls a rainout.