Ezra 10:7
And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
The verse records a proclamation made throughout Judah and Jerusalem summoning all the children of the captivity, the returned exiles of the return from Babylonian captivity, to gather themselves together unto Jerusalem. The gathering was to take place within three days on the direction of the princes and elders, and anyone who failed to come would forfeit his substance and be separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away. At that time the people from the rulers downward were in a deplorable moral condition and completely demoralized by intermarrying and mingling with the surrounding nations in forbidden alliances.
After Ezra humbled himself before the Lord in supplication, the people gathered about him, came to realize their situation, and made confession. The episode belongs to the experiences of the Jews in backsliding, humility, seeking God, and receiving faithful reproof. The gathering led to a general agreement to put away foreign wives and other heathen abominations, with a committee appointed to whom each individual should come to have his case inquired into and decided, a work of separation that occupied two full months.
The proclamation began the practical separation from the world that had to take place before the people could be taught the law. It formed part of Ezra's effort to separate the people from heathen practices and prepare them spiritually for rebuilding Jerusalem. It teaches that thorough preparation of heart, complete separation from the world, and determination to do His commandments are essential to a proper understanding of the law.