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before him with our guilt

Ezra 9:1-15

Ezra 9:1 After these things had been done, the leaders approached me. They said: “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the surrounding peoples whose detestable practices are like those of the Canaanites, Hethites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
Ezra 9:2 Indeed, the Israelite men have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so the sacred seed has become mixed with the surrounding peoples. The leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”
Ezra 9:3 When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and robe, pulled some hair from my head and beard, and sat down devastated.
Ezra 9:4 Everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat devastated until the evening offering.
Ezra 9:5 At the evening offering, I got up from humiliation, with my tunic and robe torn. Then I fell on my knees and spread my hands to Yahveh, my God.
Ezra 9:6 And I said: My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face toward you because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt is as high as the sky.
Ezra 9:7 Our guilt has been terrible from the days of our fathers until the present. Because of our iniquities, we have been handed over, along with our kings and priests, to the surrounding kings and the sword, captivity, plundering, and open shame, as it is today.
Ezra 9:8 But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from Yahveh our God, to preserve a remnant for us and give us a stake in his sacred place. Even in our slavery, God has given us a little relief and light to our eyes.
Ezra 9:9 Though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. He has extended grace to us in the presence of the Persian kings, relieving us to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
Ezra 9:10 Now, our God, what can we say in light of this? For we have abandoned the commands
Ezra 9:11 you gave through your servants the prophets, saying: “The land you are entering to possess is impure. The surrounding peoples have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness by their impurity and detestable practices.
Ezra 9:12 So do not give your daughters to their sons in marriage or take their daughters for your sons. Never pursue their welfare or prosperity so that you will be strong. Eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.
Ezra 9:13 After all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and terrible guilt– though you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have allowed us to survive–
Ezra 9:14: should we break your commands again and intermarry with the people who commit these detestable practices? Wouldn’t you become so angry with us that you would destroy us, leaving neither remnant nor survivor?
Ezra 9:15 Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we survive as a remnant today. We are before you with our guilt, though no one can stand in your presence.

before him with our guilt

God had granted his people a little reviving, and that had served to highlight the faithlessness of the people. They had intermarried with the idolatrous nations around them – something that the LORD told them not to do. It would have been a visible reminder of their disqualification.

LORD, forgive us for failing to live up to our promises to you. Allow us to deal radically with our own failures, so that we can represent you to a world that needs you.