The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ezra 9:8-9, “But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage.
9 “For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but has extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

The people had sinned. The prophet has prayed. Now, he cries to the LORD, saying,
“…give us a peg in (Your) holy place” that you might give us “a little reviving in our bondage.”

The prophet Ezra is not-at-all stymied by what has taken place. He knows without a doubt
that the LORD has heard and reverenced his prayer for the people. Forgiveness is not a
signal that designates the people as sinless against their God. Rather, it is a signal that
while the people are indeed guilty of their sin, they worship a God who is able and ready to
forgive.

Asking forgiveness carries with it the innate promise of the sinner not to sin again against the LORD. A “peg” is a piece of wood that is driven into the wall and upon which something is firmly held. It amounts to the people crying, “LORD, just give us another opportunity to be stable and not ever to sin in this way again.” How often we all have prayed like this!

Hopefully, we will learn from our mistakes. We sin. We ask forgiveness. The LORD forgives us. But, then–! We all need to slow down and think! Was it not David himself who prayed,

“…keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule
over me. Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great
transgression” (Psalm 19:13).

May our gracious, loving, patient and forgiving LORD erase the wrongs we have committed! And may He give us the opportunity to show love to Him by forsaking our sin.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom