Introduction

I have always been fascinated to hear the confessions of politicians, celebrities, and other public figures. It happens all the time. A politician gets caught breaking the law, a famous person says something offensive on TV, or a celebrity pastor gets caught in adultery. They’re forced to publicly apologize for their sins.

We all know how it normally goes. They can never just say, “What I did was horribly wrong, and I’m sorry.” It’s crazy to me because most reasonable people are forgiving when you just own what you did and commit to change. But that’s too easy, and it takes way more humility than most powerful people have.

Instead, they resort to vague generalities, empty excuses, and flaky reasons why it wasn’t really that bad. The result is always that we despise the person more not less, because he’s obviously only sorry that he got caught, and he is far more concerned about minimizing his own consequences than about the people he hurt. You’re left wondering, “Couldn’t you at least fake a little humility?”

Our world is running low on true humility and repentance. But Christians ought to be different. Afterall, the Bible teaches that confession should be our regular habit because we value relationships with people and especially with God. And sinners can’t enjoy either without confession.

This morning, we are going to look at a powerful confession in Ezra 9. It is among the greatest confessions in Scripture, and it sets a wonderful example of how we should respond when we have sinned. It begins by defining the problem that inspired the confession.

I.  The Problem (vv. 1–4)

Verse 1 begins, “Now when these things had been completed” referring back to Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem. So, this story took place soon after Ezra arrived. In fact, 10:9 says the problem of chapter 9 will come to a head within only 4.5 months of Ezra’s arrival.

Most likely this is because Ezra immediately began teaching God’s Law and calling Israel to obey it. He also sent others throughout the countryside to do the same.

And God’s Word began to convict as it always does. When you study this book with a teachable heart, the Holy Spirit finds our sores and infections quickly. So, as the people heard God’s Word, they quickly realized that we have a problem. The “princes (i.e., leaders)” of the people came to Ezra with the devastating news that many of the people and especially the “princes and rulers” had married foreign women in disobedience to God’s Law.

We know that this was a major issue for the returnees because Ezra, Nehemiah, and their contemporary prophet Malachi all address it. To make matters worse, Malachi 2:10–16 say that they weren’t only marrying foreigners; many of the Jews divorced their Jewish wives so that they could marry Gentiles.

When Ezra hears the news, he is heartbroken (v. 6). His grief is palatable. It’s important that we understand exactly why Ezra was upset so that we make right application.

I especially want to emphasize that Ezra’s sorrow is not rooted in racism but passion for holiness. The problem is not interracial marriage but interfaith marriage. And ultimately, the issue is obedience because God had clearly said that Israel must not intermarry with pagans peoples (Deut 7:1–6).

In our day, this passage might make us feel uneasy. It may sound, arrogant, violent, and racist. Therefore, we must appreciate the priorities of v. 6. God zealously desired Israel’s undivided devotion and holiness. Without them, God could not draw near to Israel, manifest his grace among them, or use them as a light to the nations. Holiness was paramount.

Therefore, God forbids Israel from intermarrying with their pagan neighbors lest, “They will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods.” So, God had been very clear.

You can imagine the awkward silence in the crowd when Ezra read this passage and it’s parallel in Exodus 34. At least some recognized they had a problem. They hit the nail on the head when they report, “The holy race…”

Again, I want to emphasize that the significance of a “holy race/seed” is not genetics but godliness. Afterall, the Bible speaks favorably of Gentile wives like Rahab and Ruth because they worshipped the true God. God’s concern is that Israel maintains an undivided devotion to him and that they raise their children to have the same devotion, which, of course, would be nearly impossible if their mothers worship false gods.

I must emphasize that the NT also demands that Christians only marry Christians. “A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord” (1 Cor 7:39). She must only marry a fellow believer.

That only makes sense because nothing is more precious to a Christian than his or her faith. If your spouse does not share that faith, you don’t share your most precious possession, and it will be a drag on your marriage and especially on your walk with the Lord. It will certainly compromise your ability to raise your children with an exclusive devotion to Christ.

So, teenagers and all single adults, decide right now that marrying an unbeliever is out of the question; therefore, even dating one is out of the question. It’s not because you think you are better; it’s because Christ is better. Why even open your heart to the temptation of crossing that line by becoming romantically involved? Keep it simple and stay away.

Well returning to the story, when Ezra receives this awful news, and he is devastated. He tears his garment and literally pulls out some of his hair. And it’s interesting that v. 4 describes those who gathered around Ezra in his sorrow as those “Who trembled at the words of the God of Israel.” You cannot have a high view of Scripture and a low view of disobedience. Rejecting God’s command is always a serious matter.

Therefore, Ezra and his companions mourned, v. 5 says, in “humiliation” over “the unfaithfulness of the exiles” for several hours until the time of the evening sacrifice.

That’s a very different response than the public figures I mentioned earlier. Ezra didn’t make excuses, blame shift, or pass off the sin as no big deal. Instead, he faced it head on.

It’s worth emphasizing that our faith in a sovereign but gracious God who has provided forgiveness in the gospel uniquely equips Christians to face their sin in a way unbelievers hate doing.

I appreciate the way Jerry Bridges put it, “The gospel, applied to our hearts every day, frees us to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God. The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don’t have to play defensive games anymore. We don’t have to rationalize and excuse our sins. We can say we told a lie instead of saying we exaggerated a bit…We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross” (Bridges, Transforming Grace, p. 22–23).

That’s so good. We can confront our sin with a confidence no unbeliever enjoys because we are secure in the Father’s love and certain of his forgiveness. We aren’t terrified of facing our sin because we aren’t going to the principal’s office but to our Father.

We also don’t put on a pressure-packed performance designed to impress God and buy back his favor with how we beat ourselves up. Instead, we truly grieve over the evil of our sin and then run to the cross where we rest in the mercy of God. I’m so thankful that we can experience confession in a way that no other religion enjoys. With that in mind let’s read Ezra’s confession.

II.  The Confession (vv. 5–15).

Something surprising about this confession is that Ezra includes himself. He doesn’t proudly distance himself from the sin; instead, he says, “I am ashamed and embarrassed” and “our iniquities have risen above our heads.”

He does this because Ezra had a sense of corporate solidarity with the nation that individualistic Americans have a hard time comprehending. Therefore, he understood that shared in Israel’s guilt even though he did nothing wrong. So, he brings Israel’s guilt to the Lord pleading that God would forgive his people.

As a side note, we must be careful about making one-for-one applications of this sort of thing to America. Israel was God’s covenant people, but America is not, and God has not given our nation the same promises he gave to Israel. The closest application would be a prayer of confession for the sins of the church since the church is the new people of God. If we see sins in the church, it is appropriate to confess them to the Lord, not as political theatre, which unfortunately happens a lot, but out of genuine sorrow over sin.

But that’s not to say it would be wrong to seek God’s forgiveness for national sins. That could be a great thing. We just have to be cautious about directly applying God’s promises to Israel of both blessing and judgment to America because they aren’t the same thing.

With all that said, let’s focus our attention on this wonderful prayer. I’d like to divide our study of vv. 5–15 into 4 lessons about confession that we can learn from Ezra’s example. 1^st…

Be honest about sin’s severity (vv. 6–7). Can you imagine a celebrity talking this way about his sin? No way! Frankly, it’s hard to imagine many Christians talking this way. Shame and embarrassment have no place or hardly any at all in the theology of many Christians.

But Ezra says, “I am ashamed and embarrassed…” One of the tragedies of our modern age is that we have lost all sense of how evil sin really is. We’ve worn sin down to nothing more than a mistakes or a tragedy of environment. But Ezra declares that sin is horrible. It is a rebellious offense against a holy God.

Furthermore, we aren’t good people who occasionally do bad things; instead, he says, “Our iniquities have…” The Bible is clear that we are all rebels at heart, and our sin deserves the eternal wrath of God. We don’t help ourselves or anyone else by ignoring this reality. We need to be clear.

Ezra does this in v. 7 as he sets the current issue in historical perspective. To appreciate this, we must remember that Israel had endured 150 years of violence and brutality. It was bad. But Ezra says they deserved it all because Israel’s history was mostly a history of rebellion, not righteousness.

It’s important that we are just as honest about our sin. My sin is rebellion against God, and the cost of my sin was the infinite life of Christ. Yes, it’s hard to face this reality. It hurts. But the only way I will truly hate my sin and run to the grace of God is if I see it for what it is.

So, when you sin, don’t ignore it or dismiss it. Confess it to the Lord for the evil that it really is. And let me add that the spirit of this verse is a telling fruit of a genuine work of the Spirit leading someone to salvation. Getting saved is not merely turning over a new life or making God a part of your life. It begins with understanding that I deserve wrath because I have broken his law.

If your sin doesn’t grieve you or you have no interest in forsaking it, it’s very possible that you need to truly repent and be born again because God’s Spirit never leaves us comfortable in our sin.

I know all of that may sound harsh, but it’s so important because the only way my heart can be filled with the grace of God is if it is first emptied of self-righteousness and pride. So, be honest about sin’s severity. Because it enables you to practice the 2^nd

Give thanks for God’s kindness (vv. 8–9). Again, we have to see these verses in light of the horrors Israel had endured and their continued struggles. Life was not easy. But because Ezra understood sin’s severity, he was able to see God’s marvelous grace through the fog of these trials.

Specifically, Ezra rejoices over the grace that God had shown Israel during the past 80 years. Thousands of Jews had come home, the temple was rebuilt, and God was bringing revival. Yes, none of these things seemed overly impressive from a human perspective. But considering what Israel deserved, all of it was grace! Therefore, Ezra gives thanks for God’s lovingkindess, or steadfast love, as seen in everything he had done for the returnees.

We need this example because we all have proud hearts that produce an inflated sense of what we deserve. We think God should do more for someone as wonderful as me. Sometimes, even when we are confessing our sins, we think, “God, if you wouldn’t make things so difficult, maybe I would obey you better.”

But when I discipline myself to see my sin for what it really is, I have clarity to see God’s kindness as it really is. It’s important that make myself see this kindness and that I worship God for it. It is so helpful for my perspective on God, on my sin, and where I need to go from here. The 3^rd lesson…

Submit to God’s commands (vv. 10–12). The thought is similar to vv. 6–7, but with a special focus on the authority of God’s commands. Ezra doesn’t say, as we so often hear today, “It’s a matter of perspective.” Or, “The way I see it,” or “According to my truth.” Instead, he says “We have forsaken Your commandments.” The assumption is that they are authoritative.

Then vv. 11–12 summarize what God had said about Israel’s relationships with its idolatrous neighbors. He was clear that they were to remain separate so that their neighbors would not tempt them to abandon God or their exclusive commitment to him.

Ezra acknowledges that this was for Israel’s good. They would “be strong and eat the good things of the land.” Yes, going our way may bring temporary pleasure, but you never serve your own best interest by disobeying God. Sin is always foolish.

So, Ezra doesn’t make excuses or explain away the sin. He confesses that Israel had rebelled against God’s good and authoritative word. And it’s so important the you do the same when you sin against God. Acknowledge God’s authority, and call your sin what it is—evil rebellion.

And then look forward to the secure fellowship that only comes after real confession. I’ve seen it in my kids many times. I discipline one of them for disobedience, and then I ask them to say, “I’m sorry.” Sometimes, it’s a struggle to say it, but once they do, they collapse into my arms for a hug. Similarly, you can’t collapse into God’s arms until you own your sin. So, confess it and rest in him. The 4^th lesson is…

Plead for God’s mercy (vv. 13–15). Verse 15 is a powerful conclusion to this prayer. We might be surprised that he would cite God’s righteousness in a plea for mercy, but the Bible teaches that God’s righteousness not only compels him to judge; it also compels him to show mercy.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just/righteous to forgive” (1 John 1:9). There are other times where God’s covenant promise compels him to show mercy when we don’t deserve it. So, Ezra is saying, “God, we aren’t back in this land because we earned it; we are here because you are mercifully faithful to your promise.

And then he humbly casts himself on this mercy. He doesn’t tell God how lovely Israel is, and he doesn’t offer to buy back God’s favor because he knows he can’t. Instead, he says, “Here we are in our guilt. We don’t deserve mercy, and we have no merit on which to stand. Our only hope your mercy.”

I want to emphasize that this is the attitude of the sinner who comes to Christ for salvation. You don’t become a Christian by impressing God with your emotional speech or good deeds. You don’t argue him into believing you are something special. No, you come as a broken sinner saying, “God, be merciful to me the sinner.” Then you cast yourself on the salvation of the cross. If you’ve never done that, please come to him today and be saved.

And then we maintain this same humble dependence on the mercy of God throughout our Christian life. John Newton said on his death bed, ““My memory is nearly gone. But I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour.”

Maybe God’s Spirit is convicting you over some sin, you need to make right. Don’t make excuses, don’t minimize it, and don’t try to hide it. Come to Christ broken over your sin with honesty and humility. Confess it to the Lord, and enjoy the matchless grace of God at the foot of the cross.