You are probably wondering, by this point, why we are looking at this history of the fall of Israel and Judah in our discussion about marriage here in this chapter. The answer is simple; Ezra weaves through his writings how devastating bad marriages can be. It is one of his most important themes. Bad marriages can even destroy nations.
One bad marriage in Israel, between Ahab and the Sidonian princess Jezebel, did not just destroy the kingdom of Israel, it also destroyed the kingdom of Judah. Think about that? Just stop and think about that for a moment. That is intense. Ezra is famous for his handling of what he considered illegitimate marriages in the book named after him, but he also wove this theology through his exploration of the fall of the twin kingdoms of God’s people.
Some people would rather not consider the political implications of the Bible. But that is because they have an unhealthy perspective on the Bible, politics, or usually both. To say politics should have nothing to do with a book that describes the founding of a nation, the setting up of political structures, and laws about how to enact justice, is simply to be dishonest. The Bible reaches into every aspect of life. The implications in the Bible of bad marriages are spiritual, practical and political. This is a massively important topic, and Ezra goes out of his way in his writings to address it directly.
