It is one thing for the religious leader to be broken by sin of the people. It is another for the people to recognize their sin and be willing to repent. This chapter is the story of the people; they recognize their sin and are willing to repent and change. Halleluiah!
A significant aspect of the account that I recognized is that Ezra the leader did not force upon the people repentance. Other leaders saw in Ezra righteousness and were convicted of their unfaithfulness to the Lord. Their newfound faithfulness rippled out among the people until the people of God embraced their sinfulness and repented.
In fairness to the text, some pressure was exerted on the people by the leadership, but it wasn’t life threatening or unduly cohesive. Clearly God was at work. The priests presented the concern clearly and people responded.
Again the leaders were not heavy handed, but they were clear…
For life change to be real and true it must come from a heart convicted and willing to repent. Coercion leads to outward change but not the inward change that God desires.
Lord, I surrender to Your gaze. Examine me and point out my areas of needed change. I pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment