Ezra 9:6 “And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.”
What does it take to embarrass you?
That’s an interesting question! I’m sure the answers would be numerous and varied. We recently painted a building on the Ranch that desperately needed to be painted, frankly, a long time ago. If that building had not been painted by the start of summer, it would have been a constant source of embarrassment to me. Here, Ezra was embarrassed over a far more serious thing.
In verse 1, we see that upon their safe arrival at Jerusalem, Ezra was told that “the people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations. . . .” Not only had his own people been acting like the heathen, but also their bad testimony was being lived out before the king of Persia and other unbelievers.
After all of the mercy and goodness that God had shown to them in paving the way to rebuild the temple, they had utterly forsaken His commandments (verse 10). Ezra was ashamed, and rightly so! He prayed and wept before God in the sight of the people, and his shame brought conviction to the people as a whole (10:1-2).
In chapter 10, we see the first step toward change and the blessing of God: they took responsibility for their actions. Shecaniah in verse 2 says, “We have trespassed against our God. . . .” They acknowledged what they had done. But the end of the verse says, “Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.”
Hope! There is a difference between hoping that everything will just turn around and having hope that things will be made right. This was not just wistful wishing on their part; it was a solid hope in God’s response to their repentance based on His character.
This hope led to the courage they needed to do what needed to be done. In other words, their repentance was concrete-they acted. In verse 3, they made a covenant of action with God. This could not be just an emotional response; their actions had to convey their repentance. So they were challenged in verse 12 to “separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.” Their response was, “As thou hast said, so must we do.” These things would not be easy for them to do, but their hope in God gave them the courage to do what was right.
Are you going to live in shame before God today, or are you going to live in hope and courage before Him? It is up to you to recognize your sin for what it is and to take responsibility for it. Then know that there is solid hope in God based upon His character. If you will repent and take action against your sin, God will forgive and grant blessing again to your life. Let that give you courage to do what you ought to do today!
Prayer Requests:
1. Revival services tonight in Plainfield, IN; Sarasota, FL; and Marana, AZ
2. BRR Senior Adult Retreat this week (9/24-26)
3. Recruiting of college summer staff today and tomorrow (9/21-22)