“And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?” — Ezra 9:13-14

It is a sad and frightening matter to turn away from God and reject the commandments He has given. A man in our Portland congregation testifies of how he went back on his commitment to the Lord, and yet, God reached out to him in mercy. 

“As a child growing up, I had a loving and caring mother, but God did not have a proper place in our home. Meanwhile, my grandmother was faithful to take every opportunity to teach me about the Lord. She prayed for me and also gave me some Christian literature. When I was in my late teens, my job included working at night and often by myself. I would read what she had given me, and the Lord began to deal with my heart. One night, as I was reading that literature and considering what it said, I just looked up and with a very simple prayer asked the Lord to make me right with Him. God’s Spirit came down in a powerful way, and I knew I was forgiven of my sins. 

“After that, I began attending church services. When I would pray at the altars afterward, many times the Lord met me. I went along for years like that. By then I had married the woman I loved, and we had three little boys. Yet as time went on, I slowly began to take my life back, just a little at a time, until I compromised to the point where I didn’t feel like I was doing the Lord any favors by calling myself a Christian. Then I made the decision to turn and go away from the good life the Lord had given me. I could have turned to the Lord at that time for help, and He would have straightened it all out, but instead, I went away for over ten years. 

“I don’t think there was one day that passed that I didn’t think about the Lord and truly wish that I was saved. But the further I went, the more impossible getting back to God seemed to become. The sins built up and wove their way around me. 

“Eventually, I began attending the Sunday morning services sometimes, and started reading the Bible a little and secretly praying. God was dealing with me in His wonderful way. One day I came home from work, and some events transpired that the Lord used to bring me to a crossroads. God let me know that if I would turn to Him, He would help me. Still I waited. For a moment I thought, If I turn away now—I had gone so far—where will I be if He ever calls me again? I decided to go to church. At the end of the service, I poured my heart out to God. I said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner,’ and told Him I was sorry for ever turning away. The Lord came down and put peace in my heart. God restored the relationship that I had broken when I walked away from Him. I didn’t deserve it, but I thank God for His mercy and His love.” 

In today’s text, Ezra was distraught when he learned that some of the Jews had committed the very same sins that had brought judgment upon their forefathers. He was fearful that their disobedience would bring God’s wrath upon them also, and he prayed for mercy. 

In these days also God is calling those who have turned away from Him. If you are praying for someone who is away from God, take heart! He is looking for anyone who will ask Him for mercy.

BACKGROUND

Chapter 9 marks a change of tone and theme in the Book of Ezra, as the narrative transitions from a historical record of the exiles’ return to a focus on the reforms undertaken by Ezra following his arrival in Judah. The Jewish historian Josephus places the events of chapter 9 about five months after the presentation of the Temple treasures and the sacrificial offerings recorded in chapter 8. In this chapter, Ezra received heartbreaking news regarding the spiritual condition of the post-exilic community. The beginning of the chapter describes his shock and anguish upon learning that the Jewish people had intermarried with the pagan population of the region against the commandment of the Lord. The remainder of the chapter records Ezra’s prayer and confession on behalf of his people. 

In verses 1-2, some of the Jewish leaders at Jerusalem came to Ezra and reported an existing situation that was contrary to the Law of Moses, likely because they were aware of Ezra’s commitment to the Law and his desire to teach it to the people. God had strictly prohibited marriage between the people of Israel and foreigners (see Exodus 34:11-16 and Deuteronomy 7:1-4). Marrying people who did not worship the true God was already leading to spiritual pollution through the infiltration of pagan practices into Jewish worship—the people were “doing according to their abominations” (verse 1). 

To add to Ezra’s distress over this news, among the chief trespassers in this matter were some of the officials and leaders of Israel—men who should have set a good example but did not. In verses 3-4, Ezra recounted that he was so aghast at this affront to God and His holiness that he tore his garments and plucked out his hair and beard, expressions of extreme mourning. He could not comprehend how the people, and especially the Levites, could so gravely disobey and offend God, who had blessed them so abundantly. Verse 4 indicates that there were those in the community who did respect God and were also horrified at the sins of their people, and these people joined with Ezra in mourning. 

Verses 5-15 describe Ezra’s prayer of contrition. At the evening sacrifice, Ezra arose from a time of deep heaviness and mourning, fell on his knees, and spread out his hands before God. Ashamed and humiliated by what the people had done, he acknowledged their sin and guilt. Even though he personally had not participated in the terrible affront to God, he felt a sense of shared identity and responsibility with the transgressors. 

In his prayer, Ezra used several figures of speech to convey his feelings. “Confusion of face” in verse 7 means “utter disgrace.” Ezra reflected on the goodness of God in bringing His people back from exile and allowing them to live in the Promised Land again. In the statement that God had given them “a nail in his holy place” the word nail refers to a tent pin, and indicated that God had blessed them with a foothold or place of security in the land. In verse 9, “to give us a wall in Judah” is not a reference to literal walls, as the walls around Jerusalem were not built until Nehemiah’s time. Here, the expression is metaphorical; the picture of a fenced enclosure or fortified town was intended to portray the concept of protection. 

In verses 13-14, Ezra stated that God had punished the people less than they deserved; if they had received the justice their sins earned, they would have been consumed by His anger. In the concluding verse of this chapter, Ezra did not offer an excuse or reason for the people’s wrongdoing. Israel had sinned and they were guilty, so his appeal was for God’s mercy.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

II. The reformation under Ezra
     B. The reform under Ezra
          1. The unfaithfulness of the remnant (9:1-15)
              a. The grief of Ezra (9:1-4)
              b. The confession of Ezra (9:5-15)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. What had the Jews done that caused Ezra such anguish? (verse 2)
2. What attitudes did Ezra show when he fell on his knees and spread his hands out to God?
3. How has God shown you mercy?

CONCLUSION

We can thank God for His mercy and trust that as He tarries, He is watching for those who will turn to Him and seek His pardon and grace.