Ezra 9-10

"But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God ..." (9:8). When Ezra realized that many Israelites had married foreign wives, he collapsed from grief. The Israelites had been invaded and conquered because of rebellion. But after years of exile, God had given them "a brief moment of grace," - undeserved favor - by allowing many to return to Judah. Instead of clinging to their Redeemer, some had married pagan women, bringing into the community all the idolatry and sin of pagan cultures.

God extends grace, over and over. Our response (acceptance or rejection) determines our future.