Ezra 9:5-9 5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God, 6 saying: “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. 7 From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. 8 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. 9 For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. (ESV)
In Ontario we have now entered another state of emergency. Public officials have declared how dangerous the situation is, to stay home, yet many of those same municipal, provincial and federal officials, continued to travel. Many have been caught. Some have resigned their positions. From that, there is visible public anger over the mixed messaging. People have complained that they were told to not be with their families over major events like Christmas, while these officials did not seem to heed their own advice.
The most remarkable feature of Ezra’s confession in Ezra 9 is the thoroughness with which he identifies himself with his erring countrymen, is ashamed of their transgressions, and for their misconduct. All their sins he appears to consider as his sins, all their disobedience as his disobedience, all their perils as his perils. Another striking feature in his sense of the exceeding sinfulness of the particular sin of the time (see vers. 6, 7, 10). He views it as a “great trespass”—one that “is grown up into the heavens”—which is equivalent to a complete forsaking of God’s commandments, and on account of which he and his people “cannot stand before” God. This feeling seems based partly on the nature of the sin itself (ver. 14), but also, and in an especial way, on a strong sense of the ingratitude shown by the people in turning from God so soon after God had forgiven their former sins against him, and allowed them to return from the captivity, rebuild the temple, and re-establish themselves as a nation. If after their deliverance they again fell away, the sin could not but be unpardonable; and the punishment to be expected was a final uprooting and destruction from which there could be no recovery (vers. 13, 14). Although there is a biblical directive to be angry at sin and hypocrisy (Eph. 4:26), we must take great pains to avoid accusing others of unrighteousness and perform unrighteousness ourselves. There is no room for a smug satisfaction, like that of the Pharisee who thanked God that he was not as sinful as the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14). (Brug, J. F. (1985). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (p. 52). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.). Unlike the Pharisee, the (tax collector) in our Lord’s parable (Luke 18:9–14), Ezra was too ashamed to look up to heaven as he prayed. The inability to blush because of sin is a mark of hypocrisy and superficial spiritual experience (Jer. 6:13–15, 8:12). Words and actions that would have made earlier generations blush in shame are today part of the normal “entertainment” diet of the average TV viewer. When a nation turns sin into entertainment and laughs at what ought to make us weep, we are in desperate need of revival. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Be heroic (pp. 51–52). Colorado Springs, CO: ChariotVictor Pub.)
When Revival Comes to a people, sin is not excused, or played down but repented of. God does not want a people to work themselves worthy, dismiss sin or be paralyzed in guilt. When Revival Comes, people experience true freedom in Christ, repent of sin and live lives in the fullness of godly joy, free from the bondage of sin. Ezra 9:5-9 shows us three ways that Revival Comes: 1) When people acknowledge their Personal Sinfulness (Ezra 9:5-6), 2) When people acknowledge their Collective Responsibility (Ezra 9:7), 3) When people acknowledge their Godly Activity (Ezra 9:8-9)
First, Revival comes:
1) When people acknowledge their Personal Sinfulness (Ezra 9:5-6)
Ezra 9:5-6 5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God, 6 saying: “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. (ESV)
The time of sacrifice in verse 5 was the fittest time for prayer, especially for a prayer in which acknowledgment of sin was to form a large part. Sacrifice symbolized expiation; and Ezra probably felt that his supplication would be helped by the expiatory rite which was being performed at the time. He was “fasting”. The Hebrew word translated as “fasting” conveys more of an attitude of humiliation than of self-denial (Roberts, M., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1993). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Vol. 11, p. 141). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
He rose from his fasting, and with his garment and his cloak/mantle torn, fell upon his knees and spread out his hands to the LORD his God. The OT knows of no single posture for prayer. Ezra here took up one appropriate to the confession he was about to offer: he prayed on his knees as a sign of humility and self-abasement, and with his hands spread out. What does it mean to spread out your hands to God? It means that you are not concealing anything. It means when you go to God in prayer, friend, that your mind and soul stand absolutely naked before Him. Ezra went to God with his hands outspread. He was holding nothing at all back from God. The apostle Paul put it this way, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Tim. 2:8) (McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: History of Israel (Ezra/Nehemiah/Esther) (electronic ed., Vol. 15, p. 51). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
• If we want revival, then their must be a difference in our prayer life. We must be honest with God with our need for His forgiveness. The time is gone for polite general prayers. Real change happens when a corporate hunger for prayer sweeps over a people and they cry out to God regarding their spiritual situation and condition.
In the first part of the prayer in verses 6-7, Ezra began by establishing his solidarity with this sinful people by the use of the first person singular (‘O my God, I am ashamed and blush/am humiliated to lift my face to you, my God’, 9:6a) before switching to first person plural (‘for our iniquities have risen higher/increased until higher than our heads’, 9:6b). Ezra was blush/humiliated because of the sins of his people. …the prayer contains only confession, with “no supplication in the imperative or jussive whatsoever.” … Even though he had not personally committed the specific sin he is praying about, the scribe still identified himself with the remnant as a whole (e.g., “our iniquities,” “our guilt”). It is not simply that certain individuals have broken the law, but that the community has sinned in being the kind of community where such actions could occur and be tolerated” (cf. 1 Cor 5:1–8) (Breneman, M. (1993). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (electronic ed., Vol. 10, p. 152). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.). Their brazen disregard of God’s law reaped the seventy years of exile in Babylon. … Identification is the key to effective prayer. A greater than Ezra, (Jesus Christ) was ‘numbered with the transgressors … he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors’ (Isa. 53:12). Those who know the divine Intercessor pray with tenderness for sinners. (Evers, S. K. (1996). Doing a Great Work: Ezra and Nehemiah Simply Explained (p. 86). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.)
• Ezra’s sense of responsibility for the sins of others might seem peculiar to us. Yet it was an appropriate reaction. This becomes clear when we remember that God’s people are an organism that works like the human body. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; … Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:12, 27). When you have a headache or stomachache, your whole body can be so incapacitated that you cannot perform your daily work. Poison that enters the body through a wound in the foot can kill the whole body. In the same way, when part of the nation of Israel defied God’s law, the whole nation suffered the devastating consequences of that sin, namely, captivity to heathen nations. Today too when a member of Christ’s body, the church, falls into a grievous sin, the work of the whole church can suffer. When unrepented sin is ignored, the poison can spread to other members of the body (Brug, J. F. (1985). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (pp. 52–53). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.).
Please turn to Psalm 38
Ezra blushes and burns with shame for the sins of his people. Our iniquities have kept on rising like a flood; “gone over our head” (Ps. 38:4), and overwhelmed us. And our trespass has grown to such a height that it has attracted the notice of God, and made him angry with us. Ezra’s language of shame and humiliation may allude to Ezekiel 36:32, in which Ezekiel calls upon the exiles to make a response of shame and confession. Though Ezra himself had not contracted a marriage with a foreign woman, he prayed on behalf of and in solidarity with the sinful people of God (Goswell, G. (2013). A Study Commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah (p. 198). Darlington, England: EP.).
Notice in Psalm 38, David’s acknowledgement of both the seriousness and personal responsibility for His sin:
Psalm 38:1-6, 18 1 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! 2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. 3There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, 6I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning….
18I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. (ESV)
• David sees his iniquity (v.4) as going over his head. There is nothing he can do to solve the situation. He admits that it is his fault (v.5) because of his foolishness. In response (v.6) he humbles himself before God and (v18) confesses that his sin offends God and is sorry for that sin evidenced in his repentance before God for it.
• When this occurs, people all begin to play a part for renewal. When we place blame outside ourselves, we are less likely to be active in changing the situation for holiness. In revival, people no longer blame their environment, outside forces, others in general, or their family histories for sin. They take ownership, even when they themselves have sought righteousness.
Illustration: 5070 Billy Graham On Revival
After a successful meeting, Billy Graham was asked, “Is this revival?” Graham replied, “No. When revival comes, I expect to see two things which we have not seen yet. First, a new sense of the holiness of God on the part of Christians; and second, a new sense of the sinfulness of sin on the part of Christians.” We might add a third and closely-related indication of revival: a new working of the Holy Spirit in the local church. Why? For two big reasons, among others; first, because the Word of God calls for it; and second, because the world challenge calls for it.( Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (pp. 1152–1153). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.)
Second, Revival comes:
2) When people acknowledge their Collective Responsibility (Ezra 9:7)
Ezra 9:7 7 From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. (ESV)
Why was Ezra so ashamed? Because his people hadn’t learned their lesson from all the trials that the nation had experienced (Ezra 9:7). The new generation had grown up in Babylon and become so accustomed to the evil around them that they had no true fear of God. They should have been like Paul in Athens, who grieved over the wickedness that he saw (Acts 17:16), but instead, they first accepted Babylon’s sinful way of life, then approved of it, and then enjoyed it. This compromising attitude went with them to Jerusalem and eventually revealed itself in their disobedience. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Be heroic (p. 52). Colorado Springs, CO: ChariotVictor Pub).
• There is a collective responsibility to learn from the mistakes of the past. If patters of unfaithfulness are not recognized, then emotional driven actions will soon get trapped in sinful patterns. When the triggers and causes of sin are identified, they can be avoided and replaced with Godly patterns and motivations. Revival is not just an emotional euphoria. Revival can be seen in tangible effects including a hunger for God’s word, prayer, worship, evangelism and holiness.
Ezra further acknowledged that the people’s sinful actions were part of their history. The whole nation—kings and priests, as well as the people—had sinned in the past, and they had suffered for it at the hand of the kings of the lands. This suffering had included the sword, loss of life; captivity, loss of freedom; plunder, loss of property; and humiliation, loss of honor. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 581). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
• From these and similar passages we learn that every person is responsible for his or her own behaviour before God. We cannot go making excuses, or putting the blame on others, as happened at the Fall when Adam blamed the woman and the woman blamed the serpent. This shifting of responsibility is characteristic of today’s society. (Everyone sees themselves) as the victim of heredity and environment, and uses that as an excuse for their behaviour. Some even blame God when it suits their argument. (As we are quarantined at home and see) the suffering in the world and people ask: ‘Why does not God do something about it? It’s His fault, anyway, for not making the world a better place than it is.’ But God did make it better than it is. ‘God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good’ (Gen. 1:31). It is humanity who messes things up through sin and disobedience, but people refuse to accept responsibility for that. (Williams, P. (2006). Opening up Ezra (pp. 106–107). Leominster: Day One Publications.)
The time phrases, ‘From the days’ (9:7a) and ‘as at this day’ (9:7b) express the perspective that the Israelites were still (in some sense) in exile. Although the Israelites were home again in Jerusalem, offering the prescribed sacrifices in the temple and waiting for the Savior to come. God’s people could truly claim to be free, even though their political freedom was not complete. They were still, like their (‘our’) fathers, suffering for their (persistent) sins by being under the yoke of foreign sovereigns. Believers have that priceless freedom which comes through God’s Word and the Savior. As Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31, 32). Freedom from sin, death, and Satan’s power—this is the greatest liberty of all! (Brug, J. F. (1985). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (p. 55). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.)
• Under this state of emergency everyone seems focused on the external lack of freedoms: To come together in corporate worship, to travel, associate, to shop etc. The freedom we should most be concerned about is freedom from the bondage to sin.
• When revival comes, it is utter foolishness to live as if we are still in bondage to sin. When God redeems a people it is foolish to choose enslavement to sin. God call us to live as we have been redeemed. Revival is calling others to cast off the shackles of sin and live in the true freedom in Christ.
But, how does learning of past mistakes relate to our present collective obedience?
Please turn to Romans 15
Scripture is clear in its intent for our collective reviving. Learning from past sinfulness is intended to change present behavior. As we understand the sinfulness of the human heart and our collective call for holiness, it changes the way people relate to others.
Romans 15 explains this relationship:
Romans 15:1-7 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (ESV)
• Verse 4 is clear that whatever was written in former days (including all of the Old and New Covenant) was written for our instruction. This instruction, through the work of the Holy Spirit, enables faithful endurance and hope. These testimonies are written for our encouragement and that our collective lives may be changed
Illustration: 5069 Torrey’s Prescription For Revival
R. A. Torry who wrote extensively, was a pastor, the first superintendent of the Moody Bible Institute, Biola University, and involved in evangelistic campaigns in the United States and Canada said: “I can give a prescription that will bring a revival to any church or community or any city on earth. “First, let a few Christians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential. If this is not done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing. “Second, let them bind themselves together in a prayer group to pray for a revival until God opens the heavens and comes down. “Third, let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ. That is all! “This is sure to bring a revival to any church or community. I have given this prescription around the world. It has been taken by many churches and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed; and it cannot fail!”(Bryer, K. J. (1992). Torrey, Reuben Archer. In J. D. Douglas & P. W. Comfort (Eds.), Who’s Who in Christian history (p. 680). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.. Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1152). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.)
Finally, Revival comes:
3) When people acknowledge their Godly Activity (Ezra 9:8-9)
Ezra 9:8-9 8 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. 9 For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. (ESV)
Revival doesn’t stop with feelings or learning lessons, it moves to actions. As God was bringing revival to His people, Ezra called the people to action. The time for action is now. This brief moment of God’s favor needs to be seized. As the temple lay in ruins, Ezra describes how the presence of God and the repair of His temple is representative of His reviving His people. The second part of Ezra’s prayer beginning in verse 8 with: ‘But now’ (we?attâ) is meant to bring the brief historical review (9:7) down to the present. Here we see a “brief moment of favor shown by the LORD our God”. The “brief moment” spoken of by Ezra is a reference to the eighty years from the decree of Cyrus allowing the Jews to return to their land to the present time. This decree had been issued in 538 B.C. Ezra’s return took place in 458 B.C. The nation was still in its land. It can be assumed that there was a somewhat steady migration of Jews back to Israel throughout these eighty years, including the returns of Sheshbazzar and Ezra. (Loken, I. (2011). Ezra & Nehemiah. (H. W. House & W. D. Barrick, Eds.) (Ezr 9:8). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)
This moment was described as “brief”. The implication of the fleeting nature of the relief may be that it would be lost unless they repented. The prayer is an important theological review of the narrative up to this point. Ezra’s prayer speaks of God’s ‘favour’ (te?innâ), which has taken the form of the God-inspired assistance of the Persian kings.
• When true revival occurs it does not just effect the church but society as a whole. There is a general “God consciousness”. Even the unbeliever becomes sensitive to the things of God. They are careful in their business dealings, public activity and concern for others. When God is acknowledged as present, life is considered more than just fun and games.
• We cannot and must not be content in just seeking God for ourselves. You and I have been put on this earth to be God’s agents of revival. We must wholly surrender ourselves to Him and be so controlled by Him that whatever He asks of us, we respond in obedience and faith. That response is not just for our edification but community transformation. We must be the change in Durham region. We are called to bring Christ’s light to a fearful, isolated and frustrated people.
This brief moment of favor back in verse 8 was “shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant” (p’leythah). The “remnant” being that which had escaped the two dangers of destruction and absorption, and had returned from Babylon to Palestine. Those who had returned are characterized as a ‘remnant’. By God’s favour a remnant had been allowed to return to their homeland, though they were still slaves in their own land. The use of the designation ‘remnant’ also suggests their small number and vulnerability. The decimation of the Jewish population is seen in the repetition of the term “remnant” in this prayer (vv 8, 13, 14, 15). Perhaps a few hundred thousand Jews lived in Israel during the time of Ezra. Millions had been killed or carried away into captivity by the Assyrians and Babylonians.( Loken, I. (2011). Ezra & Nehemiah. (H. W. House & W. D. Barrick, Eds.) (Ezr 9:8). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)
Ezra pleads with God to “secure hold within his holy place. Some translations specify a “wall”. First of all, the wall around Jerusalem would not be rebuilt until later (Neh. 6). Second, at no time did a wall surround the entire region of Judah. Thus, this verse describes here as “secure hold” here no doubt to signify a metaphorical wall of protection that God provided for the people, not an actual physical barrier (Roberts, M., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1993). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Vol. 11, p. 142). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
• When revival takes hold of a people, they move their focus from external threats to possibilities. Instead of cowering in fear, there is a holy boldness with the Gospel. As Paul tried to embolden fearful Timothy, in 2 Timothy 1:7: 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (ESV)
Their favourable change of circumstances is described as a restoration of strength and health: to “brighten our eyes” (cf. 1 Sam. 14:27; Ps. 13:3). This refers to the immediate sense of physical revival that nourishment can bring following a period of hunger and thirst (1 Sam 14:27, 29). (Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ezr 9:8). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)
Ezra prays as well to “grant us a little reviving in our slavery” which is a renewing of life (cf. Hosea 6:2; Ps. 71:20). The return to the land served to demonstrate a “little revival” in the midst of the nation’s bondage. The author evidently considered the nation dead during the exile and in need of reviving (cf. Ezek 37:1–14). Although the nation was still subservient to a foreign power, the various returns were the initial signs of the resurrection of Israel (Loken, I. (2011). Ezra & Nehemiah. (H. W. House & W. D. Barrick, Eds.) (Ezr 9:8). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.).
• This revival is the “already and not yet” of our redemption. In salvation we are brought from the dead, but the burden of sin still remains. Although we are in our land so to speak in the Kingdom of God, we are still in bondage to our choice of sin. We are in need of revival to cast that sin away and truly look to the completion of our salvation in glorification.
Please turn to Psalm 71
Unlike Psalm 38 that we looked at, where the Psalmist was looking at his own sin, Psalm 71 is an individual lament, suited to a faithful person in danger from enemies who would cause hurt by taking advantage of any weakness or distress (vv. 9–11). (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1023). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
Psalm 71 is a hopeful prayer to God when threats abound:
Psalm 71:19-24 19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? 20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. 21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. 22I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. 23My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed. 24And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt. (ESV)
• The Psalmist in the midst of his difficulties, troubles, and calamities is seeking to be revived by God. The purpose of this revival is to strengthen him to do what God has called him to do. It starts with worship, and in the anticipation of giving testimony in worship ; he expects to talk of God’s righteous help all the day long (i.e., even outside of the gathered congregation) (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1024). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
• For the people in Ezra’s day God was granting reviving from their slavery, to rebuild the temple and restore the outward sign of His presence. Revival is never meant to be just an internal spiritual feeling, but an outward worship and work to display God’s greatness. When we truly live by faith and call others to faith, God’s greatness is shown.
Since the issuing of the decree of Cyrus there had been some relief, yet Ezra still went on to conclude in verse 9 that “our God has not forsaken us in our slavery” God’s promise not to forsake the nation was, in its outer, typological aspect, conditional (cf. Ezra 10:5). If Israel forsook God and the covenant by disregarding the law, she would forfeit the blessings and experience the curses (Deut. 28:20; 29:24–25; 31:16–17). But even so God would never finally desert Israel, through whom Christ would come. (cf. Lev. 26:44, 45; Ps. 89:30–37; Is. 54:7; Rom. 11). (Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Ezr 9:9). Nashville: T. Nelson.)
Because of their disobedience, Ezra described their situation that “we are slaves’ (?a?a?îm) and spoke (twice) of ‘our slavery’ (?a??utenû) (as the Levites will in Neh. 9:36, 37). The Jews had not recovered their independence. They continued to be the subjects of a despotic monarch, and were therefore ’abâdim, “slaves.” All the favour shown them by the kings of Persia had not changed this fact. The city wall still lay in ruins (see Neh. 1:3; 2:13, &c.). The “kings of the lands” that we saw in verse 7 (i.e., Assyria, Babylon) were the kings used by God to judge His people. (Now) the Persian kings were being used by God as His instrument of deliverance for the Jews (Isa 45:1–7). God raised up these Persian kings and stirred their hearts to allow the remnant to return to the land of Israel (Cyrus), to restore the temple of (the Lord) (Darius), and to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem (Artaxerxes) (Loken, I. (2011). Ezra & Nehemiah. (H. W. House & W. D. Barrick, Eds.) (Ezr 9:9). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.).
Ezra here is praying for God’s enabling for a “reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem”. God’s generous dealings with his people are brought to the fore by repeated reference to his ‘giving’. For Ezra, the ‘steadfast love’ of God (7:28; and again here in 9:9) had been supremely shown in His having moved the Persian kings to restore the temple. God’s use of the kings was acknowledged by Ezra, but little credit went to the kings (Goswell, G. (2013). A Study Commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah (pp. 200–201). Darlington,
Like Ezra, we should feel grief, not smugness, when fellow Christians fall into sin. Like Ezra and like Moses at the time of the golden calf (Exodus 32), we should intercede for our fellow Christians at the throne of grace, praying that God will grant them repentance. We should also pray for our nation, so that the drift into moral indifference and self-centeredness will be halted by the clear words of God’s law. If the people of a nation live in reckless disregard for God’s law, the whole nation will ultimately pay the price. It will not only be the fault of others “out there” somewhere. We too will share the blame. We are indeed our brothers’ keepers. We are involved and responsible. Interceding for others before the God of mercy is one of the most important ways of fulfilling our Christian responsibility. We need a heartfelt compassion and concern regarding the sins of others so that we never close our eyes through smugness or indifference. Instead, we will pray for them and confront them with God’s Word. (Brug, J. F. (1985). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (p. 53). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.)
• Revival has come to our land in the past but we face returning to captivity if we do nothing. May we earnestly pray and act to experience revival of our land, our family our congregation and ourselves.
(Format Note: Some base commentary from Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Ezra (pp. 140–141). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
