Find 1 John 1:9 in your Bible and read it slowly two or three times. Many Christians are familiar with these words; perhaps you have them memorized. We agree that God wants us to confess our sins to Him. We believe that God is faithful to forgive His children by the blood of Jesus. But do you find it easy to confess your sin to God? If not, why? Do you believe the lie that keeping quiet about our sin will prevent God from knowing about it?
In Ezra 9, leaders approached Ezra and declared to him the grim reality of the people of Israel who were caught up in devious behavior and lifestyles. Following the second return of exiles to Jerusalem, the men of Israel began to intermarry with foreign women again. It was as if they had completely forgotten God. Ezra’s response of honest confession before a holy God ought to teach us something about his character and about our need to do likewise.
First, Ezra stood before God and the faithful of Israel, and he cried out before the Lord. Ezra didn’t point fingers as he went before God. He didn’t shift the blame or use the chance to gossip about others in his community. Ezra did precisely what we see later recorded in 1 John 1:9: he confessed his sin to God.
Ezra truly believed that it was right to bring his sin and the sin of his community before God, to lay it all out before the Lord and to seek God’s forgiveness by faith and repentance. And not only did Ezra see the good of confession, he found reason to celebrate as he did.
Read Ezra 9:13. Ezra recognized the necessity of confession and then celebrated that God’s grace was still enough, still active, and still effective toward His people.
Ezra took his sin seriously and confessed it before a holy God. And Ezra confessed with hope that the God he had sinned against, had been gracious and would continue to be so.
When we bring our sin before God, let us do so with humility rooted in our deep need for God and confidence grounded in our understanding of His amazing grace.
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