Ezra 9 - Repentance

Repentance is an important step in the Renewal process; for whenever we need to renew our relationship with God, typically it is because the closeness was broken due to our sin.  Our response to sin should be similar to Ezra's in this chapter; for our God is a Holy God, and He hates sin.   Ezra was appalled when he learned that the previous group of exiles had not kept themselves separate, and had intermarried with their pagan neighbors and adopted their detestable practices.   Ezra tore his tunic, cloak, and hair in grief; and then he fasted and prayed. 

There is much we can learn from his prayer of confession which would lead to repentance.   Ezra came before God in humility, recognizing their sin in shame and disgrace.  He also remembered God's grace and mercy in allowing them to return from exile and begin to rebuild.  Verses 8-9 practically summarizes the book of Ezra "“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem."  Ezra also confessed that they had no excuse or defense for disobeying God's commands and that they deserved His wrath.  In closing, he knew that "not one..can stand in [His] Presence."

In this passage, we see the range of responses to sin.   At one end are those who lead the way to sin, and at the other end is Ezra is who appalled by it and takes action by starting with grief, fasting, and prayer.   In between, are those who go along with those who are leading them into sin, those who probably just accept it, those who may know that it is wrong but don't do anything about it, and those who maybe tried to oppose it but were not effective for whatever reason.   But also in this passage, we see clearly that the appropriate response to sin is to confess and repent.