Embarrassed much? Nope.

What is the problem with today’s culture?

We don’t know what to be embarrassed about.

Yes, that sounds odd, but think about it.

What embarrasses people in general today? Car, clothes,
house, kids, salary, hair, family, feelings?

What should embarrass us more than anything?

Sin.

Ezra 9 discusses the intermarriage with pagans that was
apparently popular. Ezra says, “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to
lift up my face to You, my God; for out iniquities have risen higher than our
heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.” (9:6 NKJV)

That, my friends, is a LOT of embarrassment.

And it wasn’t even his fault! As far as I can tell,
Ezra had no part in this. It was all the Israelites. And yet he was
embarrassed. He felt ashamed. Why? Because God’s people disobeyed God’s laws.

Today we are taught to turn our back to sin. Pretend it
isn’t there, and don’t even think about actually confronting someone about
their sin. Don’t bother with your own sin, either. It’d not a problem, doesn’t
need to be taken care of, right?

When did we lose our shame?

Sin is sin, and sin happens to be bad. Just FYI.

We
shouldn’t ignore sin, and we shouldn’t condone it.

We
should be embarrassed by it. And we should do what Israel was doing: confessing
and repenting.

Good
news!: “our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia to revive us…” (9:9)