Our merciful Father
Every day we’re asking four questions about part of the Bible. Today Liz Nixon answers:
What did I like about today’s passage?
I admire Ezra more and more! His prayer on behalf of the people is amazing! He identifies with them and asks God for forgiveness of their sins. It is easy to make these chapters all about who we should or shouldn’t marry. But Ezra puts it more simply (several times throughout these chapters) and gets to the heart of the matter: unfaithfulness. The people have been unfaithful to God, again, and this is their sin. Sadly, it is not just the people but also the leaders and the priests who have been unfaithful. The act of intermarriage is just an outworking of the heart, a symptom of the unfaithfulness. They have not prioritised God and what He wants, but prioritised self and what they want.
God’s word is clear about how He would love us to live our lives and what His best is for us, but we ignore His heart and pursue our own agendas. The actions of our lives reflect the reality of our hearts and so when we lie, harbour jealousy, fudge our accounts, date people who don’t love Jesus, refuse to forgive, have sex outside of marriage, remain bitter, choose not to be kind – these behaviours come from a heart that is removed from the Father’s heart and His intentions for our lives.
It’s good to see that the people respond to Ezra’s “praying, confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God”. They recognize that they have been unfaithful to their merciful and loving God and want to make things right. However, we sadly read in the book of Nehemiah, some 25 years later, that Israel was still wandering away from her God.
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
We see in Ezra a man who understands the gravity of our sin and the deep mercy God has for us. It can be helpful to understand the difference between justice, mercy and grace:
Justice is getting what you deserve
Mercy is not getting what you deserve
Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. (Read more here!)
Mercy means we don’t get what we deserve and Ezra comments in 9 v 13: “Our evil deeds and our great guilt . . . yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved…” Justice demands punishment for our sins, but the mercy of God means God punishes us much less than we deserve – in fact not at all! On the cross, Jesus takes our place of punishment and pays the debt we owe. God’s grace means our account isn’t back to zero, but He credits us with righteousness, Jesus’ righteousness, and we are once more sons of a loving Father. We are welcomed back into His home, His presence and His arms. Isn’t that amazing?
What am I going to do differently as a result?
Be more mindful of the mercy of God – that He does not treat me as my sins deserve, but He treats me as His beloved daughter.
Who am I going to share this with?
My friend Abi.