Ezra 9:6–15

He does not separate himself, even in spirit, from those who had sinned. He and they — indeed, all the people — are one before God, counted together as one people. God Himself saw it this way. When Achan sinned, He said to Joshua, "Israel has sinned." Ezra understood this, and that is what qualified him to become an intercessor for the people with God. Unless we grasp our oneness with God's people — that their sin and sorrow are our sin and sorrow — we cannot truly carry them on our hearts before the Lord in their time of need.

Instead of this, Ezra prayed as though he was just as guilty as the rest of Israel in this sad mixing of the Jews with the nations. He confessed the sin of all as though it had been his own, though he was not personally involved in it. He saw this: Israel had sinned, and he was part of Israel. As God's priest, he was eating the sin offering (Lev. 6:25-26). That means feeling before God how serious Israel's sin was, and the priest was to count himself involved in it.

"O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you." The Lord Jesus certainly had no sins of His own. But He took the responsibility on His own shoulders for the sins of Israel, confessed them before God, and in fact bore them "in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24).

Their sin was far beyond their control or their ability to check it. But he does not limit his thoughts to the guilt of that moment. He confesses that it had been there "since the days of our fathers" (v. 7). Speaking this way, he remembered that such guilt had led to their captivity. Their kings and priests were handed over to foreign kings because of it, and brought down to shameful humiliation.

The truth he had not grasped was that God, to whom he was answerable as a sinner, was ready to pardon. A divine invitation went out to him and to every other guilty person: "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other" (Isa. 45:22). Ezra the priest confessed his own sin and the sins of his people. He acted on this invitation and lifted up his eyes to God despite his sense of guilt.

Ezra called together no committee; he laid no elaborate plans for reforming this abuse; he just FELT things before God, and as they affected God. He felt things so much that he tore his clothes, pulled out his hair, and sat down astonished. Then, realising the full extent of it all, he fell on his knees and began a memorable prayer of confession: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God."

He has owned the sins of his brothers, and has declared God right in His ways with His people. Next he magnifies the grace that had visited them in their low state. That grace had brought them back to the land — only a remnant — and had allowed them once again to set up the house of their God. But why does he recite this proof of the Lord's grace and mercy? It was to show the character of His people's sin.

The remnant through His mercy had escaped, and God had given them "a nail in His holy place" (Isaiah 22:23). Like a nail in the wall, fixed and immovable, so God had established them in Jerusalem.

The word "nail" is really "tent peg." It is a small item that looks unimportant, in a place almost out of sight. Yet how vital it is to the safety of the structure!

The authority and the throne at Jerusalem, with the power to appoint that went with them, were not set up again. God gave no public seal of approval. Still, God blessed the remnant of His people when they were faithful. And the main thing, the thing that should stay on our hearts, is the grace that could still bless His people — grace in the middle of such ruin, and while the throne of a foreign power stood, set up because of Israel's sin.

Ezra deeply appreciated the great kindness of God in the small measure of recovery He had given His people, though only a remnant. He had given them "a peg" in His holy place, a small support on which to hang their confidence. The peg was to give them enlightened eyes to see the truth of God more clearly, and some measure of reviving, though they were still in bondage. Verse 9 is rightly translated, "we are slaves." Even so, God had not forsaken them in their bondage. He had extended mercy to them in the sight of the kings of Persia. His aim was that they might at least rise in spirit above their circumstances, and have the temple of God repaired and the wall of Jerusalem rebuilt. Does this not show us that even in a sadly confined state God is able to provide grace to worship Him rightly? The temple speaks of that worship. He also gives grace to be in some true measure separate from the world, which the wall pictures.

Israel began as "the fewest of all peoples" (Deut. 7:7)... In the days of the exile, God raised the spirits of some (Ezra 1:5), but the revival was very limited in scope.

How our hearts long to see affections stirred in loyalty and devotion to Christ and to the truth of His Word! We do not look for spectacular movements of outward greatness. We want our prayers to mingle with Ezra's, "that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving" (Ezra 9:8). Conditions in Ezra's day were like ours in a moral sense. God's throne was no longer set up in Jerusalem. His rights were disowned, His people scattered and in captivity.

"For," he said, "we are slaves" (verse 9). The context, and even the verse itself, requires this — not "were," as some versions have it. People are quick to read it that way, forgetting God's ways and His people's sin. Not for a moment did he think the Jews of that day could do all that Moses or Joshua, David or Solomon, did in their days. He sought to do all that God's word authorised them to do in their actual circumstances. The all-important condition is a right sense of where God's people are, and a heart humbly set on obedience. It is not our own ideas and self-confidence trying to put everything right.

They were subjected to the nations because of their sins. They were to stay aware of their state until the glorious restoration of the people through the promised Messiah. … This is what irritated the proud spirit of the people in the days of Jesus. It made them dare to say to Him: "we have never been enslaved to anyone!" (John 8:33). The consciousness of our ruin should mark us today, as it marked the people in the days of Ezra. We cannot and should not deny it or shrug the burden off our shoulders.

Still, God blessed the remnant of His people when they were faithful. The most prominent thing, the thing that should stay on our hearts, is His grace. In the middle of such ruin, and with the Gentile throne set up through Israel's sin, that grace could still bless His people — even though they acknowledged that throne, which God had established in judgment on them. Their position is clearly and touchingly stated in Ezra 9:8-9.

Verse 9 is rightly translated, "we are slaves." Despite this, God had not forsaken them in their bondage. He had extended mercy in the sight of the kings of Persia, so that He might at least lift them in spirit above their circumstances, to have the temple of God repaired and the wall of Jerusalem rebuilt. Does this not show us that even in a sadly confined state, God can give grace to worship Him rightly? That is what the temple speaks of. He can also give grace to be separate from the world in some true measure. That is what the wall pictures.

But why does he recite this proof of the Lord's grace and mercy? It was to show the character of His people's sin. He goes on, "And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments." Then he confesses that they had sinned against both light and grace. He conceals nothing and excuses nothing.

Ezra had foreseen that rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem had to be the next step after building the temple, if the people were to continue in the spirit of the revival (Ezra 9:9). But this had not been the case. Long years passed with no sign of activity or energy. There was nothing except growing affliction and reproach.

But why does he recite this proof of the Lord's grace and mercy? It was to show the character of His people's sin; for he goes on, "And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken your commandments;" and then he confesses that they had sinned against both light and grace. He conceals nothing, and excuses nothing, but spreads it all out before God. He owns what would follow if they broke God's commandments again after all this mercy, and joined with these peoples in their abominations. God might well be angry with them until He had destroyed them, so that no remnant would be left.

Knowing the word of God through Ezra, they have discovered in it the character of God who can in no way associate Himself with impurity. Has He not said, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44)? And so in his prayer Ezra refers to the word of God, which he knows so well: "For we have forsaken your commandments, which you have commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, The land which you go to possess is an unclean land through the filthiness of the peoples of the lands."

Ezra was a man of prayer. His prayer held confession, thorough and holding nothing back. In a day of ruin, when we look at the state of God's people, there can be no true prayer without true confession. And true confession is not saying, "They have sinned," but, "We have sinned." "Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this."

At the time of the evening sacrifice, the offering gave a small picture of the sacrifice of Christ. Ezra got up with his torn garments and fell on his knees to come near to God in the remarkable prayer recorded in verses 6-15. In that prayer he made no actual request. From first to last it was humble and heartbroken confession of sins in which he personally had no share.

Notice that Ezra does not ask forgiveness for the people, but simply confesses Israel's guilt before the Lord, leaving God to do as He sees fit with them.

The serious question was mixed marriages. Of two people already married, one had been won to Christ by the gospel and the other had not. In this the grace of Christianity stands in striking contrast to the strictness of Judaism. One of the ways Israel remained a holy people was by refusing to mix with the nations in marriage. Those who married in this way, or took foreign wives, were polluted, and their children were unclean. When they felt and judged the sin, they proved it by offering a ram for the trespass and by putting both away.

This prayer of Ezra contains a solemn warning for us, so we do well to consider it. God has shown great mercy in the history of Christendom. Since the time of the Reformation revivals have come, but each one has been marked by the same tendency to go back to former evils. It would indeed be good if every true believer today knelt before God with words like Ezra's. Such words spring from convictions and a heart like his.

The first effect of Ezra's self-humbling is to gather around him those who tremble at the words of God. They are marked by what they have learned under Ezra's guidance. Through him they know the word of God, and in it they have found the character of God, who can in no way tie Himself to impurity. Has He not said, "Be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44)?

"You have broken faith," he says, "and have married foreign women." For an Israelite, as far as the people were concerned, this was the great mark of falling away. It was falling away from God, in taking a foreign god. It was falling away from the people, in taking foreign wives. It meant completely giving up their holy place of separateness to the Lord.

Ezra went on in his prayer to recall that God had warned Israel not to intermarry with the nations of the land. God had even warned them not to seek the peace of those nations — that is, not to make them comfortable about living together. This is a warning for believers today. We are not to marry unbelievers. We are not to make unbelievers feel that there is no difference between us and them. Today, though, we have a positive gospel for unbelievers. We seek to win them to the Lord, so that they may be saved and share the same blessings we have.

To join themselves to the nations was to give up being set apart for Him. Ezra's companions had valued this holiness, and it had guided them up to that day (8:28). This was the very thing their predecessors had failed to keep. Such alliances — which for us match worldliness — had taken them over. They spread like gangrene from the priests and leaders of the people down to the common people themselves. They had forgotten that when separation goes, three great things go with it: strength, the enjoyment of the good things of the land of Canaan, and a lasting inheritance for themselves and their children (v. 12).

One striking feature runs through the whole confession. He identified himself with the people, and confessed the evils as though they were his own. From start to finish he says "we" and "us", where we might have expected "they" and "them". He also owned that the evils in front of him were old sins coming back to life — sins that had stained his people from the very beginning, or, as he put it, "since the days of our fathers". What made it worse was this: they were repeating those sins after God had shown such mercy. He had already freed them from the consequences their former sins had brought.

And yet how often Satan deceives the Lord's people when evil has come out into the open. He suggests, through one person or another, "Let us pray about it." We must confess our sins. But even then we confess only as we seek grace and strength to deal with the evil and to separate ourselves from it. In this chapter Ezra lies before the Lord, owning his people's guilt. In the next chapter we see him acting with energy against the sin he had confessed, refusing to rest until he had put it away.

The order of Ezra's confessions is most instructive. He first owns the sins of his brothers and declares God right in His ways with His people. Then he magnifies the grace that visited them in their low estate, brought them — a remnant — back to the land, and let them set up the house of their God once again. But why does he recite this proof of the Lord's grace and mercy? It was to show the character of His people's sin... and he confesses that they had sinned against both light and grace. He conceals nothing, and excuses nothing, but spreads it all out before God.

After all Israel's disobedience and guilt, Ezra considered that God had punished them less than their iniquities deserved (v. 13). God had indeed punished them. But His purpose was to drive them back to Himself, not merely to punish them. Then He wonderfully delivered them from the harshness of that punishment by restoring them to their land.

The remnant through His mercy had escaped, and God had given them "a nail in His holy place" (Isaiah 22:23). Like a nail in the wall, fixed and immovable, so God had established them in Jerusalem.

One remarkable feature of the whole confession is that he identified himself with the people, and confessed the evils as though they were his own. From beginning to end he uses "we" and "us," where we might have expected "they" and "them." He also acknowledged that the evils confronting him were a revival of the sins that had defiled his people from the start — or, as he put it, "since the days of our fathers." But they were made worse because they were being repeated after God had shown such mercy in relieving them of the governmental consequences of their former sins.

It should also be observed that Ezra does not once pray for forgiveness. With any understanding of the mind of God, it was impossible that he should do so. Suppose there is known evil in our hearts or among God's people. Our first responsibility is to judge it, not to pray for forgiveness. So when Joshua lay on his face before the Lord after Israel's defeat by the men of Ai, the Lord said, "Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned."

First he owned the sins of his brothers, and justified God in His ways with His people. Next he magnifies the grace which had visited them in their low estate. That grace had brought them — a remnant — back to the land, and had let them set up the house of their God once again. But why does he recite this proof of the Lord's grace and mercy? It was to show the character of His people's sin... he confesses that they had sinned against both light and grace. He conceals nothing, and excuses nothing, but spreads it all out before God.

You have transgressed, he says, and have taken foreign wives. For an Israelite, as far as the people were concerned, this was the great mark of apostasy — apostasy from God in taking a foreign god, and apostasy from the people in taking foreign wives. It was a complete giving up of their holy place of separation to the Lord.

In itself this broke a basic requirement of the Lord's will. It gave up that separation to Himself from the nations, which was essential to their standing as His people. They were not only surrendering their own privilege as the sole nation of His choice. They were rebelling against the rights and glory of God, Who had so favoured them.

After all the disobedience and guilt of Israel, Ezra considered that God had punished them less than their iniquities deserved. God had indeed punished them, but His purpose was to drive them back to Him, not simply to punish them. Then He gave them a wonderful deliverance from the severity of that punishment: He restored them to their land.

After such kindness shown by God, Ezra asks whether they should break His commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations. He saw this as a most ungrateful way of responding to God's grace. So he expected God to act in anger, and to consume Israel until no remnant at all was left.

His prayer held confession in it, thorough and unreserved. In a day of ruin, when we look at the state of God's people, there cannot be true prayer without true confession. And true confession is not saying, "They have sinned," but, "We have sinned."

The place of confession is always the place of restoration and of spiritual power. So it is always a sign of a bad condition when that place is rarely taken. Let us then challenge ourselves for a moment... Is it not true that we have largely "joined in alliance" with the people of the world? Have we not submitted ourselves to their habits, ways, and customs? Is not worldliness our ruin?

At the time of the evening sacrifice, when there was a small picture pointing to the sacrifice of Christ, Ezra arose with his torn garments. He fell on his knees to approach God in the remarkable prayer recorded in verses 6-15. In it he makes no request at all. From first to last it is humble and heartbroken confession of sins he had not shared in himself.

Notice that Ezra does not ask forgiveness for the people, but simply confesses Israel's guilt before the Lord, leaving God to do as He sees fit with them. He declares that God is righteous in leaving only the few Jews as a remnant. Yet because God is righteous, no one in that remnant could stand before Him, because of their guilt.

But why does he recall this proof of the Lord's grace and mercy? It was to show what His people's sin really was. He hides nothing and excuses nothing, but spreads it all out before God. He then ends by justifying God once more, and by taking His part against himself and the people.

These passages connect the thought of standing with the throne of God. Its action must go out in judgment against the sinner, unless God can forgive the guilty one. "But with you there is forgiveness," we read, "that you may be feared." Before that throne, then, the sinner in his sins cannot stand. Scripture does not teach that his standing is a bad one that he must change. It states plainly that as a sinner he has no standing before a God of judgment. He does not need a better standing, because by nature he has none at all. Apart from redemption and atonement the sinner has no standing before God's throne. What he needs is to gain one.

Confession, thorough and unreserved, was in it. In a day of ruin, when you look at the state of God's people, there cannot be true prayer without true confession. And true confession is not saying, "They have sinned," but, "We have sinned."

Is restoration possible at this moment for these poor escaped souls? Yes. It is found in the attitude of those who had no part in this defilement. They still take responsibility for it so fully that they identify themselves with those who remain under God's judgment. We shall see what this does. Held with a sincere heart before God, this attitude and this thorough confession of evil work on those who had sinned and bring them back.

The place of confession is always the place of both restoration and spiritual power. So it is always a sign of a bad condition when people seldom take that place.