When was the last time?

I had just finished reading the Book of Ezra (my first time!). Like Micah, Ezra can easily be mistaken for a girl's name. But Ezra in the Bible was a guy and a zealous Bible scholar they called a scribe in those days.

The Jews had been captured and sent to Babylon on exile (meaning, prisoners of war) for 70 years as prophesied by Jeremiah. When the time to return to their homeland finally came, Ezra was "the man" King Artaxerxes ordered to lead them in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem! And he actually pulled it off! He organized everything with integrity and complete transparency. He wasn't just a godly man, he was also an effective leader and administrator.

But my respect for Ezra shot up sky high when I read about him sitting down in utter shock when he found out that the leaders themselves weren't as righteous as he thought they were. They had married foreign women and raised families with mixed beliefs, including the horrible practices that God had condemned. Have you ever ripped your clothes apart (those you're wearing!) and torn your hair and beard (if you have one) in fierce anger? That was how mad Ezra was when he found out how rampant the intermarrying was. He probably sat down in a daze until, the Scripture says, the evening sacrifice. How many hours do you think was that?

Finally, Ezra got down on his knees still wearing his torn clothes with bits of his hair scattered around him, and prayed to God. With uplifted arms and tears running down his face, he confessed the sins of his people and asked for forgiveness. Such a scene would have turned us off as overly dramatic but the effect on his fellow Jews was the opposite. Chapter ten says that a large number of men, women and children gathered around him and cried bitterly. Could you imagine children crying along with their parents over their sin?

When was the last time you read or known someone who loved God and hated sin this much? I admit that I don't have this kind of zeal. Is it any wonder then that we have yet to see a genuine inter-generational revival sweep our land? The tough part is seeing it begin with myself.