God, aren't You appalled?

“When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.  Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.” (Ezra 9:3-4).

When Ezra heard that the Israelites, especially the leaders, disregarded the commands (v.10) by not keeping themselves “separate from the neighboring people with their detestable practices” (v.1) but took “some of their daughters as wives and thus mingled the holy race with the people around them” (v.2).  When Ezra heard this, he tore his tunic and cloak, pulled hair from his head and beard and sat down appalled until the evening sacrifice (vv.3-4).  Although “for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary” (v.8) the Israelites polluted themselves “by the corruption of its people” and by their detestable practices (v.11).  In fact, they filled themselves with the Gentiles’ “impurity from one end to the other” (v.11).  Although God was gracious to the Israelites by punishing them less than their sins have deserved and have given them the remnant (v.13), the Israelites break the Lord’s commands again and again.  And I think we are no different from the Israelites.  We tend to forget God’s grace and commit sins against God by not being separate from this world and by being polluted by this world.  Wouldn’t God be appalled?