Made Them Stand in the Rain!?!

Oct. 26

Read: Ezra 9,10

Made Them Stand in the Rain!?!

“But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God…you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this…” (v.8,13)

The book of Ezra ends with quite a scene. Ezra’s response to the news that God’s people had been ignoring God’s instruction and intermarrying with the people of the land is extreme: “As soon as I (Ezra) heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled… (Ezra declaring to God) O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.” (v. 9:3,6, also 10:6) Ezra carries a certain weight as a priest for the people he is seeking to lead and love. We ought to feel the same. As a “royal priesthood” there is a way that we rise and fall collectively. There is a real sense of mourning and hurt when a brother or sister in Christ stumbles and is ravaged by sin. Ezra seems to take a sort of “responsibility” for the sinful actions of those people even though he himself is not guilty of the sin. We see the same response from the people as a whole. (cf. 9:4, 10:1-5)

I have to admit that I am surprised at how visceral and powerful the response is that comes from Ezra and the people. It reminds me of just how serious unchecked sin is. It is so much easier to distance ourselves from the “sinner” and highlight how we have not fallen to that particular sin than it is to fast, mourn, pray, correct, and call to action. Ezra walks the more difficult road! As a priest, he bears a responsibility to love the people of God enough to correct them and call them to action. The call to action is immediate and swift. He calls EVERYONE to show up for a meeting, and if they do not: “if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles.” (v.10:8) Ezra did not let this sin linger… he went to work in a serious way. When the men get there, they are afraid, “trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.” (v.10:9) Ezra ha them all gathered and standing outside in the middle of a thunderstorm waiting for their rebuke! LOL I would be afraid and trembling as well. It would take them about 2 months to truly work through the sin and come to a solution. The point being that Ezra took this sin very seriously. Have we - as royal priests for one another - become a little too comfortable with sin in the lives of each other? Are we calling each other to repentance and correction? Are we willing to rebuke and call for action from one another? Do we feel any weight for one another… like Ezra felt for the exiles?

In his prayer to the Lord, Ezra says something very interesting: "you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved…” A serious view of sin becomes an oppressive sort of “legalism” if it is not partnered with the Lord’s love and grace. As dire a matter as sin is, God’s love and grace is always greater for His people. Sometimes we are tempted to wallow in our own self pity, wondering why so many “bad things happen”… when maybe the real question is “why doesn’t more evil take place? Or why is there any good in this world?” The truth is that ALL of us have received grace and less “punishment” than we deserve! If the “wages of sin is death”, then EVERY breath… every moment of not dying… is a “gift from God” - a gracious and loving gift. (cf. Rom. 6:23) We didn’t deserve eternal life in Christ, but have been given it as a gift. By God’s grace, love, and sacrifice in Jesus Christ, we not only have our cosmic sin debt paid, but also are often shielded from the full earthly weight of our sinful actions here. In short, “you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve.”

As downtrodden as Ezra is here, he consistently reminds himself and the people of the HOPE they have in the Lord. God preserves a remnant. God forgives as the people repent. God is a God of restoration. We can have grateful hearts, knowing that the Lord has shielded us from the full consequence of our sin. Some of you today need to be reminded of the call to carry the weight of those around you - you are “royal priests''. Some of you are in need of repentance, and to take seriously the sin that has become too familiar. Some need to be reminded of God’s grace and love… you need to be reminded that there is HOPE despite how lost a situation may seem. These are the themes that the book of Ezra ends on… the people of God moved to a renewed holiness and relationship with the Lord through the work of a faithful and earnest priest among them! This is the impact one priest can make… the same is true of you. Love you guys. - JDP