Day 221

Ezra 8:21–9:15; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 21:1-2

IN OUR READING from Ezra today, we traced Ezra’s journey to the remnant of Israelites who had survived exile and had been allowed to return to rebuild Jerusalem and God’s Temple.

Upon arrival, Ezra quickly learned about the behavior of these survivors and was completely appalled. He wrote, “I tore my cloak and my shirt, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down utterly shocked” (Ezra 9:3).

What shook Ezra so severely was the fact that the few who had survived the exile were participating in the very behaviors that had undermined and destroyed their culture to begin with: They were immorally intermingling with neighboring cultures and had once again been led into idolatry. They clearly knew better but were willfully abandoning and rebelling against God.

Ezra prayed, “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens” (Ezra 9:6).

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we see the same kind of willful rebellion taking place about five centuries later. A man and his stepmother within the church at Corinth were openly having sex and were being affirmed by the community. Paul was as appalled as Ezra had been:

I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you —something that even pagans don’t do. . . . Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?

In both stories, we witnessed the extremes of deception. The participants knew the truth, but deception and pride allowed them to rationalize their immorality.

When we allow deception to run amuck within ourselves, we will invariably be led into some sort of immoral behavior and will justify just about anything. Intermingling with sin in ways that we know are wrong will destroy us in the end. It is the same for us now as it was 2,500 years ago for Ezra and 2,000 years ago for Paul. The reason these behaviors are so problematic is that they establish a new normal. What was once avoided slowly becomes acceptable. We don’t realize that sin has taken hold of us, and we don’t usually become aware of it until destruction is upon us.

Let’s consider today what we are rationalizing and justifying. The voice of deception will tell us that there is no problem. It will tell us that real freedom allows us to have no boundaries and no rule of life. In fact, it will twist us into believing that a moral code is only a cage to control us. These are lies. Real freedom comes when nothing false is within us and we have nothing to hide. The examples we find in Scripture simply allow us to see the outcome. If we take an honest assessment of what we are hiding, we will most certainly find the presence of deception and pride. In today’s world, sinful behavior is often considered acceptable. It is so pervasive that at times we have difficulty even recognizing its presence. Yet God still holds us accountable for these things. What can you learn from Ezra and Paul about addressing sin in your life?

MEDITATION:

People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart.