Ezra: Concern for God’s reputation rather than his own
God’s People on Mission
Ezra: Concern for God’s reputation rather than his own
In Genesis chapter 3, when Adam and Eve have fallen into sin, and been foolish enough to try and hide from God, their foolishness goes to a whole new level as they seek to pass the blame for their failure. Adam blames Eve, who in turn says; ‘the serpent deceived me, and I ate.’
Too many memories come to mind, of my own foolishness when I was a whole lot younger than I am now, or maybe not nearly ‘a whole lot younger’ enough, if you know what I mean. And I made the same mistake, or even worse.
We are quick to try and pass the blame when we can, and to distance ourselves from foolishness and error. And that’s why I’m truly challenged by the prayers of some of the Saints in the Bible.
Men like Ezra and Daniel, who when they prayed, rather than distancing themselves from the mistakes of their forefathers, owned those sins and repented of them as if they were their own. Listen to the prayer of Ezra:
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. 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. (Ezra 9:6 – 7)
The difference between Ezra, and if I’m honest, me, is that my primary concern so often is for my own reputation. I see the errors in others, and I point them out in such a way that distances me from them. I build a wall aiming to ensure I’ll not be tarnished by their mistakes. If I manage not to speak like that (and I’m not sure that I manage that) I certainly think it way too often.
The difference between me and Ezra is that his primary concern is God’s reputation, for God’s Name, rather than his own. He understands that he isn’t separate from his fellow Israelites. He is one of them. And their mistakes, and their failures are his failures because of that bond that they share.
And that’s a powerful realisation, because if he can own their sin, then he can repent of it too, and with repentance comes forgiveness, and with forgiveness, God begins to restore and to rebuild.
And the application that I’m reaching for in this is that it is easy for us to try and put that wedge in between us and others. To distance ourselves in order to protect our reputation, but when we do, nothing good comes from it. If instead, we recognize that we are all a part of Christ’s body, and therefore we can own the sins of the body and repent accordingly, then God’s power of restoration and healing can go to work, and importantly, His Name can be honoured and praised in the eyes of others.
So let’s repent when we hear false teaching, and God might open blinkered eyes. Let’s repent when we witness idolatry in the Body, and God may begin to expose and break those idols. And let’s repent when we witness sleepiness and laziness in the body, and the Holy Spirit may begin to waken a generation to holiness, and to bold and powerful witness, bringing glory to the name of Christ.
When I drive a wedge between me and my brothers and sisters who walk in error, not only may I open myself up to hypocrisy, I render myself powerless and continue to allow God’s name to be dragged through the mud. But when I own their sin as my sin, and they do likewise, I’m convinced that that’s when the Spirit goes to work, and God’s Name is exalted.
So like Ezra, Daniel, Paul and so many others, let’s not show any concern for our name or our reputation, rather let’s humble ourselves by exalting, treasuring and showing deepest concern for the Name of The Lord. Then I believe we’ll pray and act Biblically, and God will act powerfully in His Church, for His glory.
