Ezra: The Lord Helpsنموونە

We live in a blame culture that promotes self-righteous justification. We unhelpfully point the finger in part to excuse ourselves. But that will never lead us towards personal confession and will stop us from following Ezra’s example. 

These verses record Ezra’s prayer of confession. The first thing that is so striking is how Ezra identifies with God’s people. He talks of ‘our sins’ (vv. 6–7), though he hasn’t personally committed those sins that led him to be so ‘appalled’. He could easily have prayed self-righteously: ‘O God, look at the state of the nation. What have they done? O Lord, change them.’ Yet he knows that he is part of the people of God, so the sins of God’s people are his sins. 

It is very easy for us to look down our noses at the sins of others in the church and then begin to feel self-righteous. That leads to proud praying, which is a misnomer. Biblical confession includes identifying with the sins of God’s people corporately and feeling the weight of our sins. 

Next notice how Ezra’s confession starts by acknowledging the gravity of sin. He doesn’t make light of or excuse it – ‘We’re only human after all.’ Rather, Ezra feels ‘ashamed and disgraced’ (v. 6). It’s as if he can’t look God in the eye – he’s ‘too ashamed … to lift up my face to you’ (v. 6). He paints a picture of sins piling up – and the pile is very high: ‘our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens’ (v. 6). 

Then Ezra concedes that the sins of God’s people deserve judgment and exile – separation – from God (v. 7). 

Praying like this could be considered depressing, leaving us crushed. But remember this was in the context of the morning and evening sacrifice of an unblemished lamb. That points us to the one sacrifice – the one perfect lamb – that was made once for all of us. Jesus’ sacrifice is enough to cover all sin, so we can pray openly and honestly in confession knowing that, no matter how great our sins are, they are forgiven. What’s more, when we grasp the depth and enormity of our sin, it makes us even more amazed by the grace of God and even more thankful for the forgiveness that is ours in Christ.

Reflection

Consider how you are tempted to be self-righteous, distancing yourself from the sins of others in your church family. Ask God to help you grasp the depth and enormity of sin. Spend time confessing your sin and owning the sin of other Christians, then rejoice in the forgiveness that is yours in Christ.