“Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away” (Ezra 10:6).
TEXT — Ezra 10:6-8
Message
People often forget the cost of forgiveness. Consequently, they treat sin with levity. But with God, sin is serious, and He deals with it seriously! The Cross is an awful reminder of what it cost God to procure forgiveness for mankind. Sin sent man out of Eden’s delight and caused God’s only Son to die on the Cross. So, don’t ever trivialise sin or pervert God’s forgiveness.
Today’s text describes Ezra’s attitude and drastic response to the sins of the Israelites who returned from exile. No sooner had the people returned from captivity than they began to walk again, the path that led them to exile. They got into mixed marriages with the heathen and adopted pagan practices in violation of God’s commandments. Ezra responded promptly and took steps to rectify the situation. He fasted and mourned over the people’s unfaithfulness and assembled them to make proper restitution. Ezra was troubled and showed deep remorse when he heard that the priests, Levites, and leaders of Israel were ringleaders in this sin. Though he interceded for the people and asked God to forgive them, he took drastic action to deal with their sins. Ezra knew it was futile to expect forgiveness without leading the people to repent and make necessary restitution.
Ezra’s response to the sins of the people challenges us to examine ourselves concerning our attitude to sin. If we allow sin to linger in our lives and the congregation or treat it with kids’ gloves, we risk becoming hardened by its deceitfulness. Before long, we may begin to tolerate and make excuses for evil. This is how some people get to a point where they think they can obtain God’s forgiveness by glibly confessing their sins without forsaking them or making necessary restitution. That is nothing but perverted forgiveness. However, the appropriate way to deal with sin is to repent, confess, and forsake it. Genuine conviction compels you to put away your sin and make appropriate amends.
Thought for the day
Be urgent; deal with sin drastically and promptly.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
