"Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, 'You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt. Now make confession to The LORD, The God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.' The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: 'You are right! We must do as you say.' " Ezra 10:10-12 (NIV)
When Ezra, the prophet and a priest, learned that the people of Israel, including some of the priests and the Levites, had not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable idol worshipping practices and had even married them, he tore his clothes, wept, fasted, and prayed because they had gone against the commandments of God not to do so. (Ezra 9:1-15) As the people saw him and heard him, they began to join in with him. They confessed, repented, and promised to correct the error of their ways. (Ezra 10:1-5)
When we sin, we go against The Word of God and we fall out of His favor. In order to get back into the goodness of God' favor, we must confess our sins, and repent, and turn from our sinful ways. "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
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