by Jamie Roussie

Once again, I see Ezra leading on behalf of the returning exiles. This time, he is the first to repent for the sins of the exiles. Ezra leads the people to recognize the acts they've committed against God's standards, the very same kinds of acts for which God drove the exiles' ancestors from the land to which they have recently returned.

Notice how Ezra responds—abject contrition. He confesses the sins of the people and repeatedly mentions how Israel has been unfaithful in the past. But as frequently as he mentions Israel’s sins, he points to God’s goodness, justice, and faithfulness to Israel. Ezra speaks of God’s restoration of “the remnant back to Israel.” The remnant represented a group of people that God had kept for himself and those to whom God showed his special favor by bringing them back to the promised land of Israel.

Ezra’s prayer reveals the depth to which God is faithful to his chosen people. Despite their sins being higher than their heads—as Ezra puts it—God graciously brings his people back into the land where they can worship him rightly. Ezra’s prayer shows the reality of life though, Israel’s sins weren’t without consequence, but God dealt with those sins and the consequences and continued to bring blessing upon the remnant. This seems just as real today. We see God continue to hold on faithfully to his people, but work through the realities of the world as it is. Even in the realities of the present state, we can be thankful that God is at work on behalf of those whom God loves.

A fellow traveler,
Jamie