Ezra 9

The Explanation

Ezra had come home. That is what it felt like, anyway. He and his people had lived far away in a strange country for a long time, like prisoners. Now God had brought them back to Jerusalem. The temple was standing again. There was a wall. There was bread. There was hope.

And then, one morning, the leaders came walking up to Ezra. Their faces were serious.

"Ezra," they said, "something is wrong. The people have not stayed apart from the nations around us. They are living just like them. And the worst part is, the leaders went first."

God had said something to His people long ago, through the prophets. He had said: do not mix yourselves with the peoples of this land, because they worship other gods and do terrible things. Stay close to Me. But the people had forgotten. They had walked straight past God's words as if they were nothing.

Ezra heard it. And then something happened that you would have stared at with big eyes.

He grabbed his coat and tore it. Rip. He pulled the hair from his head and from his beard. Then he sat down on the ground and said nothing at all. Nothing. Not one word. He just sat there, all morning, all afternoon, stunned, like someone who has been hit.

Slowly other people came and sat down around him. They were the ones who still trembled when God spoke. They did not talk either. They sat with him until evening.

Then, when the evening offering was brought, Ezra stood up. His coat was still torn. He went down on his knees and spread his hands wide open toward God, like a beggar with empty hands.

"My God," he said, "I am ashamed. I cannot even lift my face to look at You. Our wrongs are piled up higher than our heads. They reach all the way to heaven."

Would you have dared to pray like that?

Ezra did not say "they did it." He said "we." He counted himself in. And then he said something surprising. He remembered how good God had been. "You did not leave us," he prayed. "You gave us a little light in our eyes. You gave us a place to stand, right here in Your holy house."

At the end he said no excuses at all. "Yahweh, the God of Israel, you are righteous." That means: God, You are completely right. "Look, here we are, guilty, standing in front of You."

What Does This Mean?

Ezra did not shrug and say, "Oh well, everybody does it." He took God's words seriously, so seriously that it broke his heart.

And notice what he did with his broken heart. He did not hide it. He carried it straight to God, on his knees, with open hands, telling the whole truth. That is the bravest kind of praying there is.

The Common Thread

Ezra ends his prayer sitting in the dust with nothing to offer. No one can stand before God like that, he says.

But God had a plan Ezra could not see yet. Many years later Jesus came. He never did one thing wrong, and He took our guilt on Himself, all of it, the whole pile that reaches to heaven. Now, because of Jesus, we can come to God with open hands and He lifts our face up. Ezra could not lift his eyes. Because of Jesus, you can.

For You

Tonight, when something has gone wrong in you, do not hide it under your blanket. Say it out loud to God, in your own plain words. "God, I lied about my homework. I am sorry."

And do one more thing, like Ezra did. Say thank You. Name one good thing God gave you today, even a small one. A friend. Food. Someone who sat next to you.

Talk About It

Why do you think Ezra said "we" and not "they" in his prayer?

What is something you find hard to tell God? Who could sit with you while you pray it?

Praying Together

God, You are right and we are not always. Thank You that we may come to You anyway, because of Jesus. Help us tell You the truth, and thank You for every good thing You give. Amen.