The Supplication of the Scribe

There are so many qualities that we can learn from prophet and scribe Ezra, but in today’s reading, his attitude towards God and his fellow countrymen left a very deep impression in me.

Bible Passage: Ezra 9

From the time of Exodus all the way to entering the Promised Land of Canaan, God had in numerous times reminded His people to obey His commandments for their own sake.

But time and again, the people’s stubbornness caused God to punished them.

So when the nation sinned against God, was it that every single soul within the nation sinned? Or was it a majority of the people sinned that led to the punishment of God coming upon the whole nation?

I don’t think I can find a definite answer to this question, but I do want to believe that our God is a fair and righteous God, and He would know what to do to those minority who were in opposition to the majority’s sinful acts.

Then when the nation, or part of the nation (in this case), sinned against God in their ways, the prophet(s) would be the one(s) conveying the judgment of God to the people.

In this chapter, because the people sinned by inter-marrying with the gentile inhabitants of Canaan; so before God meted out His punishment to the people, Ezra the prophet and scribe felt the guilt of sin upon himself, and he prayed with such emotion that moved me to tears when I read of it.

Let’s read again vs. 3 – 5.

v.3 & 4 – Ezra tore his garments and was astonished by the things the people had done. I felt that he could not find any reason to justify why the Israelites intermarried with the uncircumcised; he was totally in anguish and astonishment.

v.5 – He knelt and prayed earnestly to God, a posture of supplication in humility and repentance, putting the sin of the people upon himself as if he was the one who sinned against God.

v.6 – He felt drowned in this grave sin, he bowed down knowing that no one can stand before the righteous God.

Ezra’s immense reverence for God is indeed worth our emulation. We who are called royal priests must not treat this kind of reverence as only a unique trait in Ezra, but is the trait that must be found in all of us whom God has called as His chosen nation and royal priests (ref. 1Peter 2: 9).

As we have read this chapter about the supplication of Ezra, let us ask ourselves these questions:

1. Are we diligent in keeping ourselves pure and unspotted by the world?

 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and

widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

James 1:27

2.   Can we empathize with the weaknesses of our brethren? If we can, do we go on criticizing them or do we pray for them like we are also weak and needing the mercy and help of God?

          to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things

          to all men, that I might by all means save some.

         1Corinthians 9:22

3.   Do we dare to go doing the things that are right in our own eyes, justifying ourselves with our own standards, but not knowing it is the mercies of God that we can remain alive until now?

    If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,

   O Lord, who could stand?

 Psalms 130:3

Let us ponder over the supplication of Ezra and continue to pray earnestly for the infilling of the Holy Spirit, so that we can be guided to be His royal priest that He desires us to be.

Shalom.