(REFLECTIONS ON Ezra 10:18-44)

And so we come to the end of the Book of Ezra with a list of names of those priests that had married foreign wives. We see that although they had repented and committed to doing what was right, their names are captured for all of time in the Holy Bible.

Their names are listed on the wall of shame for all generations to see, and serves as a reminder for all generations that we have all fallen short of the holiness that the Lord requires of His people. Those names also represent our names, for we have also all fallen short of the holiness of the Lord.

Our names are also on the wall of shame, and all the things we have ever thought and done, that are not pleasing to the Lord, are right next to our names.

The names on the wall of shame for the Israelites were etched in stone, and we as the church still read their names even to this day. However, for us that are in Christ, it is a reminder of the significance and power of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. What could not be erased from the Bible through the Old Testament Law, can be erased by Jesus Christ on the cross for you and for me.

Our names were also on the wall of shame, but the blood of Christ has covered us and cleansed us of our shame, and in Him we have new life.

What was once the wall of shame has turned into
the wall of fame for His grace, glory, and majesty.

May we no longer live in the shame of the past, and know that in Christ we have true healing that turns our shame to life, that is life in Him. If we still can’t shake the image of our names on the wall of shame, may we do as Ezra and the people of Israel did, kneel before the Lord, weep, and cry out to Him.

The Lord will hear our prayers and the Spirit of healing will lift us up, not using our own strength and righteousness, but the strength and righteousness of our God. May we know today that our past can be changed, and turned from shame to His glory.

Rise up, and stand firm as the people of God, clothed not in rags of dirt and mud, but in Christ Himself as our Lord and Savior.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Ezra 10