Ezra 9:1-2 — Sixty years had passed since the return from captivity in Babylon and sadly, God’s people had fallen into sin. There was widespread intermarriage with the pagan peoples that surrounded Judah and with these unlawful marriages came the practice of idolatry.
As we consider this regrettable set of circumstances we find an important lesson for Christians today regarding the necessity of separation from sin and worldliness.