Ezra 8

Have you ever given much thought to God’s reputation? I guess if you asked ten different people what they thought of God, you would probably get ten different answers. But the fact that there are so many atheists in the world might suggest that, with some, God’s reputation isn’t a very good one. Many would rather believe that there is no God as opposed to believing in the kind of God they’ve been introduced to by some Christians. Makes me think of that bumper sticker I see from time to time: Please, Lord, save me from your followers!

Living in a world where the media controls so much of what we think, it’s astounding to realize that, for the most part, God leaves His reputation in our hands. He entrusts His public image to us. I think that, a lot of times, we fail to do justice to His name. But there are also times when we rise to the occasion. In this chapter, we saw Ezra rise to the occasion:

"There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, 'The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him.'" (vs 21-22)

Ezra was getting ready to make a trek across the open desert with literally millions and millions of dollars in precious valuables. There was a very clear and present threat of danger, as robbers and bandits lurked in the region, always on the lookout for some loot. Obviously, Ezra was well aware of this danger.

Yet, Ezra had spoken to the king about God’s character. He had told the king (1) that Israel’s God was more than able to protect them and (2) that God was gracious and more than willing to bless His people. After describing God in this way, Ezra couldn’t bring himself to ask for any outside assistance. Instead, he decided that he would walk in faith and trust God for the protection they needed.

Incredible! Ezra was more jealous for God’s reputation than he was worried about his own safety. He was unwilling to beef up his personal protection if it meant possibly tarnishing God’s good name. This in itself is a reflection of God’s own character, for God is more concerned about us than He is about His own reputation.

From the very beginning, God has done what is best for us, regardless of what it made Him look like. He practices tough love and makes the hard choices in His dealings with us—even when these actions cause Him to be misunderstood. He would rather have a bad reputation than to needlessly lose one of His children.

Yes, God has a reputation, and in large part, He has left that reputation in the hands of His followers. That’s because He cares more about His followers than He does about His reputation. In this respect, Ezra took after his God. Will we?