In verses 1,2 the people ‘s leaders went to Ezra and reported that people, the priests and the Levites had not separated themselves from the occupants of Canaan. They had intermarried with the pagan occupants so that ‘the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of the lands of Canaan, and especially the leaders and rulers were foremost.’
The spiritual condition of the people in general but particularly the priests and Levites was very poor. They had compromised and failed to separate themselves from the heathen occupants of the land who worshiped false gods. They had married wives, and so had their sons, of the pagan occupants. This led to all aspects of life being affected and idolatry becoming rampant.
The law of Moses in Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy 7 had forbidden these inter marriages. Because of this they lacked the power of God to deal with their enemies when they should have been displaying the true God and influencing them for good.
When Ezra heard this, he was distressed and tore his clothes and pulled out hair from his head and beard (v3) in astonishment. Maybe he thought things would be different, but he was so disappointed that he sat in dismay. Tearing clothes and plucking out hair was a mode of repentance, not for his own sins but those of his people. One would have thought the people would have learned their lesson as those things had led to their exile in the first place. Ezra’s distress led others to join him, those who feared The LORD (trembled at His words) (v4). Ezra and others sat down in astonishment, recognising their sin, and knowing they could also face God’s judgment.
Ezra rose at the time of the evening sacrifice from his fasting and fell on his knees before God, holding out his hands and prayed saying, “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.” (v5,6)
He recognised the greatness and holiness of God and confessed that he was not worthy to come to God. He acknowledged the greatness of their sin. Ezra had not long since arrived, but he still includes himself in the iniquities.
I’ve often wondered if it is possible for one man to confess the sins of a nation. Note that he said, ‘our iniquities and our guilt.’ He included himself in the sin of the nation even though he had not partaken of it. There are several instances of this in the Scriptures. I believe that we should come in humility before God confessing our own sin but also that of our nation. God will answer in His own way and we can be sure of that.
We read that Ezra prayed but he was probably praying before those who sat with him in astonishment. He was probably leading them in prayer. Praying on one’s knees and with outstretched hands was a common way for Jews. We read of others in the Bible, but it is not restrictive. God hears and answers prayer wherever we are and posture. Jonah was in the belly of the fish when he prayed.
God’s people had gone astray and been disobedient many times before and confessed their sins and it seems that Ezra felt ashamed to be asking again. He admitted that their sins had gone monumental, using the phrase, ‘higher than our heads, even to the heavens.’
From experience we all know that we keep transgressing and have to confess and come before The Lord in repentance.
In verses 7-9 Ezra continued, “Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.”
Ezra reminds them of God’s faithfulness to them in the past despite their sin, but he reminds them also that it was God’s justice that they were taken into bondage, and that The LORD had never forsaken them. He uses an interesting phrase ‘give us a remnant to escape and to give us a peg in His holy place.’ How gracious The LORD had been to bring them back home and give them a peg in His holy place. A peg seems to indicate that they were given a secure place in God’s place. At school we used to have pegs in the cloakroom with each ones’ name on it. That peg was mine and it spoke of my place. It wasn’t to be taken for granted or lightly, but it spoke of being part of the place and being their home.
Others had joined him in this confession, and it must have given him encouragement. He reminded them that The LORD had given them the opportunity to rebuild His house and the wall and to revive and forgive them in His mercy. He warns them of the dangers of forsaking God’s commandments in this unclean land with its abominations (v10-14) and urges them not to give their daughters as wives for the sons of the nations, nor take their daughters to your sons. Notice they were never to seek peace and prosperity. That seems to go against Jesus saying that ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’ The purpose of this was so that they would maintain their strength and their inheritance in the land promised them by God. He reminded them that this was why things had gone wrong before and suffered God’s punishment. Ecclesiastes 3:8 says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. War is sometimes necessary, especially spiritual warfare. One writer says that God was telling them that they may think that this is a way of making leagues and marriages to establish and settle you, yet I assure you it will weaken and ruin you and the contrary course will make you stronger.
He even suggests that they deserved very much more punishment than they actually received, and that God had been gracious and merciful to them, and if they continue in disobedience that they are throwing God’s mercy back in His face and will suffer final judgment. God could have wiped them out completely, but He didn’t. They could have even died in exile, but He gave them a chance.
The Bible says that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). We deserve to die, every one of us, but God in His grace and mercy, offers us forgiveness and a new life.
Ezra called on the name of The LORD (v15), “O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!” He confessed that they were guilty. He didn’t make excuses for it, stark and simply, they were guilty. It is only in our admission of guilt can we be cleansed and made whole. He recognised that they were not able to stand before this Holy God. The Psalmist in Psalm 103:3,4 says, “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.”
