“Let Your Word Be Confirmed”
“Let Your Word Be Confirmed”
Blessings folk!
Solomon continues to pray to the Lord…
2 Ch 6:16-17
“Now therefore,
O LORD, the God of Israel,
keep with Your servant David, my father, that which You have promised him, saying,
‘You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way, to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’
“Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel,
let Your word be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant David.
Solomon was speaking forth a promise that the Lord had made to his father David.
David’s lineage would remain upon the throne if they…
- Walk in the way of the Lord.
- Walk in God’s law.
- Walk before the Lord.
Solomon was now asking that the Lord would confirm His Word spoke to David.
Solomon was king.
He desired to walk in the way of the Lord…at least at that moment.
Do we walk in the way of the Lord?
What is our desire?
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“Spoken By Mouth. Fulfilled By Hand”
“Spoken By Mouth. Fulfilled By Hand”
Blessings folk!
Solomon is kneeling before the Lord and the people with his arms reaching up.
He now prays…
2Ch 6:14-15
He said,
“O LORD, the God of Israel,
there is no god like You in heaven or on earth,
keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants
who walk before You with all their heart;
who has kept with Your servant David, my father, that which You have promised him;
indeed You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day.
Solomon begins with declaring the Truth of the God of Israel..
There is no god like Him.
In heaven.
On Earth.
God is a “covenant keeping” God.
God shows lovingkindness to His servants…servants that walk before Him with all their heart.
God fulfilled His promise to David…the building of the Temple through David’s son.
God spoke it with His mouth.
God fulfilled it with His hand.
This is the Lord we serve.
This is the Lord that will move by the Might and Power of His hand.
Rejoice!
Fear not!
Reject fear!
Manifest faith!
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“Knelt and Stretched Out”
“Knelt and Stretched Out”
Blessings folk!
King Solomon steps forth.
The building is done.
The Ark is in place.
What is next?
We will see that Solomon will pray.
Note his posture.
Note his position.
Note who is there.
2 Ch 6:12-13
Then he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands.
Now Solomon had made a bronze platform,
five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.
Solomon had a bronze platform built upon which to stand.
So he could see the people?
So that the people could see him?
Likely both.
He stood on the platform, as expected of a king.
He knelt on his knees in the presence of the people…unexpected/rare for a king.
He then spread out his hands (and arms!) toward heaven.
A position of humility.
Before the people.
Before the Lord.
(Interesting that today kneeling has become a position of defiance&hellip
Oh how we as the people of the Lord need to walk in humility before one another and the world.
Jas 4:10
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
1Pe 2:17
Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
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“The Lord Has Fulfilled His Word…”
“The Lord Has Fulfilled His Word…”
Blessings folk!
The glory of the Lord filled the Temple.
The priests were on the ground due to the Presence of the Lord.
Solomon gives a summation of what has occurred and the purpose…
2 Ch 6:1-11
Then Solomon said,
“The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
“I have built You a lofty house,
And a place for Your dwelling forever.”
Then the king faced about and blessed all the assembly of Israel,
while all the assembly of Israel was standing.
He said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hands, saying,
‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man for a leader over My people Israel;
but I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there,
and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’
“Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the LORD,
the God of Israel.
“But the LORD said to my father David,
‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name,
you did well that it was in your heart.
‘Nevertheless you shall not build the house,
but your son who will be born to you, he shall build the house for My name.’
“Now the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke;
for I have risen in the place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
“There I have set the ark in which is the covenant of the LORD,
which He made with the sons of Israel.”
The Lord had fulfilled His Word.
The Temple was built.
The Ark was in place.
Remember, all this is context for 2 Chron a 7:14…”if my people…”
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“Filled With the Glory of God"
“Filled With the Glory of God"
Blessings folk!
Let us think a little more about what happened at the Temple…
Reread…
2 Ch 5:11-14
When the priests came forth from the holy place
(for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions),
and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen,
clothed in fine linen,
with cymbals, harps and lyres,
standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets
in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the LORD saying,
“He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,”
then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,
so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud,
for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
The glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
So much so that the priests could no longer stand.
Note what occurred.
The priests and Levitical leaders had worshipped before the Lord.
With one voice.
In unison.
With abandon.
Declaring “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting”.
The Lord responded to the Oneness of Praise of Him.
Now, what does this have to do with us as true Believers.
We experience the same thing.
Rather than a physical building, the Temple, we are the Temple of the Lord.
2 Co 6:16
Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?
For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
From the time of the first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection we have been empowered by His Presence, His Glory, within us.
Act 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind,
and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves,
and they rested on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Know this…
1 Co 3:16
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
May the Presence and the Glory of the Most High rule and reign within each Believer.
Quench not the Spirit.
Be the Temple filled with the glory of God.
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“The Glory of the Lord Filled the House of God”
“The Glory of the Lord Filled the House of God”
Blessings folk!
The Ark of the Covenant is now in place in the Holy of Holies.
Watch what happens…
2 Ch 5:11-14
When the priests came forth from the holy place
(for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions),
and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen,
clothed in fine linen,
with cymbals, harps and lyres,
standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets
in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the LORD saying,
“He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,”
then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,
so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud,
for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
Wow!
What a loud time of worship!
Cymbals.
Harps.
Lyres.
120 trumpets…do you know the volume of such? Immense.
Singers.
All in one voice.
All unison.
All declaring “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting”.
The Lord’s response?
He filled the house…the temple…with His Presence.
His Presence manifested as a cloud.
So much so that the priests “could not stand to minister because of the cloud.”
Hummm…
What does that mean?
It could mean they bowed down before the Lord, but it says “could not stand …”.
Not “did not stand”.
I suspect that the Presence of the the Lord was so powerful, so overwhelming, so intense that the priests were “pressed” to the ground. Other portions of the Word give us hints to such.
Regardless, the Lord filled His temple.
The priest could not longer do their priestly thing.
The people worshipped.
As true believers, are we overwhelmed with the Presence of the Lord, or are we just going about “priestly duties”?
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“The Ark is Placed…”
“The Ark is Placed…”
Blessings folk!
Remember, we are looking at the context of the well-known 2 Chron 7:14 verse… “If My people…”
2 Ch 5:7-10
Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place,
into the inner sanctuary of the house,
to the holy of holies,
under the wings of the cherubim.
For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark,
so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles.
The poles were so long that the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; and they are there to this day.
There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb,
where the LORD made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
The people of the Lord have the ark of the covenant. (They no longer have it…it is “missing”&hellip
They placed it where it belongs…in the Holy of Holies.
The ark was the place of the Presence of God.
It must be properly placed.
Why the “negative” statement of the last verse?
There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of Moses…
The new testament book of Hebrews gives some understanding…
Heb 9:3-4
Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place,
having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold,
in which was a golden urn holding the manna,
and Aaron’s staff that budded,
and the tablets of the covenant.
The Ark had once contained…
- A golden urn with some manna
- Aaron’s staff that budded
- Tablets of the covenant.
Now it just had the tablets.
No explanation is given.
The wording does leave us with the impression that “something was missing” or “something else use to be there”.
Still, the Ark is in place.
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“Solomon Assembled the Leadership…”
“Solomon Assembled the Leadership…”
Blessings folk!
The house of the Lord was completed.
Solomon had finished the construction work.
Now…
2 Chronicles 5:2-6
Then Solomon assembled to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes,
the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel,
to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
All the men of Israel assembled themselves to the king at the feast, that is in the seventh month.
Then all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.
They brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up.
And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.
Solomon gathered the leadership of Israel.
The purpose?
To furnish the Temple, the completed building.
To bring in the Ark of the Covenant.
They brought the Ark.
They brought the holy utensils.
Solomon and all the congregation were assembled before the ark.
They could see it. (That likely breaks some previous mindsets/thoughts&hellip
Their response?
They worshipped.
They sacrificed sheep and oxen.
Innumerable.
Sacrifice without consideration of cost.
Extravagant.
May we worship in the same heart of extravagance…
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“The House Is Finished”
“The House Is Finished”
Blessings folk!
A very well-known promise…
2 Ch 7:14
and My people
who are called by My name
humble themselves and
pray and
seek My face and
turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Who is speaking?
If we back up a couple of verses we see it is God.
To whom is He speaking?
Solomon.
Why?
Well, this is interesting, so let’s go back further…
2 Ch 5:1
Thus all the work that Solomon performed for the house of the LORD was finished.
And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated,
even the silver and the gold and all the utensils,
and put them in the treasuries of the house of God.
Ah!
The immediate context is the house of the Lord.
Solomon had been tasked with building the Temple.
David had desired to do so, but the Lord would not let him.
Solomon, his son would…
1Ki 5:2-5
Then Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying,
“You know that David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which surrounded him,
until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
“But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side;
there is neither adversary nor misfortune.
“Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God,
as the LORD spoke to David my father, saying,
‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’
The Temple was now complete.
Solomon brought in the things dedicated by David…things to be used in the Temple.
Think on this.
Do we “think” generationally like this?
In what we do, are we laying a ground-work for subsequent generations that will follow?
We should be.
Are you?
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“…My People…”
“…My People…”
Blessings folk!
We have seen prayers in the Word offered on behalf of the people of the Lord.
Daniel.
Nehemiah.
Ezra.
We must call upon the Lord.
We must repent.
We must confess.
Then, we must press on in the power of the Spirit.
One of the most “popular” verses related to prayer is…
2 Ch 7:14
and My people
who are called by My name
humble themselves and
pray and
seek My face and
turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Note that the verse is only part of a thought.
There is much more going on here than meets the eye.
We shall look at the entire account -
For today…
Call on the Lord.
Humble yourself.
Pray.
Seek His face.
Turn from your wicked ways.
Know the Lord hears.
Know the Lord forgives
Know the Lord will heal our land.
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“Summer and Winter”
“Summer and Winter”
Blessings folk!!
Transition.
Change.
Upheaval.
Such is the way of the world.
We even see it in the seasons.
Today is the first day of summer…in the northern region.
At 4:44 pm CDT summer begins.
Did you know that it might have not always been that way?
Check this out…
Gen 8:20-22
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD,
and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself,
“I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”
This is after the Flood.
Noah builds an altar unto the Lord.
He worships.
The Lord spoke…to Himself.
He declares He will never curse the ground again on account of man.
He declares the truth of the evil intent of man’s heart.
He declares He will never again destroy every living thing.
He then gives us insight into how the earth works…
- Seedtime/harvest
- Cold/heart
- Summer/winter
- Day/night
…all shall not cease.
Were there no seasons before the Flood?
Likely.
We know there had been no rain in the manner of the hydrological cycle that we experience.
Hummmm….
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“Investigation Finished”
“Investigation Finished”
Blessings folk!
The people had suggested that appointed leaders help handle the matter and expedite the confession of the people…
Ezra 10:14
“Let our leaders represent the whole assembly and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the fierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.”
Not everyone agreed…
Ezra 10:15
Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this,
with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.
Still the people pressed on…
Ezra 10:16-17
But the exiles did so.
And Ezra the priest selected men who were heads of fathers’ households for each of their father’s households, all of them by name.
So they convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.
They finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives
by the first day of the first month.
The investigation took several weeks.
Yet, the people were faithful.
They did as they said.
They put away the foreign wives.
The book of Ezra ends with a list of those who were investigated.
We won’t recount that now.
But, we will close with this.
Note how the priest had also sinned…
10:18-19
Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah.
They pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty,
they offered a ram of the flock for their offense.
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“Let Our Leaders Represent…”
“Let Our Leaders Represent…”
Blessings folk!
The people agreed with Ezra and the leadership.
They had sinned.
They needed to confess and repent.
But there were logistical considerations.
The people brought this up…
Ezr 10:12-13
Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice,
“That’s right! As you have said, so it is our duty to do.
“But there are many people;
it is the rainy season and we are not able to stand in the open.
Nor can the task be done in one or two days,
for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.
There were many people who sinned.
It was the rainy season and it would be difficult to stand in the open awaiting their turn.
They knew it would take some time.
They knew they has transgressed greatly.
The people then offered a suggestion.
Ezr 10:14
“Let our leaders represent the whole assembly and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city,
until the fierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.”
They suggested that their leaders represent them.
The guilty would come before the elders and judges.
They would do so until all had confessed and the fierce anger of God be turned away.
Do you see the big picture of how all this is happening?
Levites told Ezra there was a problem.
Ezra goes before the Lord.
Shecaniah receives a Word from the Lord.
Shecaniah tells Ezra what to do.
Ezra does it.
The people agree, but then offer a logistical suggestion.
We will see that the leaders followed the suggestion of the people.
Input in varied ways from all.
Let he who has eyes, see.
Let he who has ears, hear.
Let he who has a brain, think.
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“It Is Our Duty…But…"
“It Is Our Duty…But…"
Blessings folk!
We saw yesterday that Ezra told the people what to do in light of their sin…
Ezra 10:11
“Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will;
and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”
How did they respond?
Ezra 10:12
Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, “That’s right!
As you have said, so it is our duty to do.
The people agreed.
They had sinned.
The people agreed.
They should confess.
They should separate themselves.
They agreed.
It was their duty.
Want to guess what the next word is?
…”but”…
Humm…could that be good?
Too often we know what we should do, then we say “but”.
Ezra 10:13
“But there are many people;
it is the rainy season and we are not able to stand in the open.
Nor can the task be done in one or two days,
for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.
The people were aware that there was a logistical problem.
The weather was bad.
They had transgress greatly in this matter.
It was to take more than a couple of days to confess.
The “but” was related to a need to logistically determine how confession would occur…
This is good…as we will see…
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“Confess. Do. Separate.”
“Confess. Do. Separate.”
Blessings folk!
The people gathered together.
They were trembling.
Trembling because of the weight of the matter at hand.
Trembling because of the rain.
Read…
Ezra 10:10-11
Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them,
“You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel.
“Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will;
and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”
The Word of the Lord had come through Shecaniah to Ezra.
Ezra arose.
Ezra knew it was his responsibility to address the issue.
Ezra was to be courageous.
Ezra was to act
He did.
He declared the truth.
He revealed the problem.
The people had been unfaithful.
The people had married foreign wives.
This act had added to the guilt of Israel…hummm…interesting.
Ezra then provided the solution.
Confess to the Lord.
Do the will of the Lord.
Separate yourself from the peoples of the land.
Separate yourself from the foreign wives.
An insightful patter for us today.
Confess.
Do the will of the Lord.
Separate yourself from the world and things that distract.
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“Trembling…”
“Trembling…”
Blessings folk!
The people had been summoned to Jerusalem by Ezra and the leadership.
They had three days to arrive.
Would they come?
What would happen?
Read…
Ezra 10:9
So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days.
It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain.
They came!
Note the precise time - 9th month, 20th day.
All the people…not just men…gathered in the square before the house of God.
They were trembling.
Trembling because of the matter at hand.
Trembling because of the heavy rain.
Heavy rain?
Yes, we will see more.
Could God not have stopped the rain?
Of course He could have.
Did God “send” the rain?
Perhaps
Was there a picture here?
The heavens “mourning” over the sin of the people?
The heavens a picture of the people mourning?
Perhaps.
Still, the people gathered.
They did not use the “weather” as an excuse to not attend…
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“Come Within Three Days"
“Come Within Three Days"
Blessings folk!
Ezra made the people take an oath…
Ezra 10:5
Then Ezra rose and made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this proposal;
so they took the oath.
Remember the “proposal”…
Ezra 10:3
“So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
Read what happened…
Ezra 10:6-9
Then Ezra rose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, he did not eat bread nor drink water,
for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles,
that they should assemble at Jerusalem,
and that whoever would not come within three days,
according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders,
all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.
Ezra continued fasting.
He was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the people.
Ezra and Jehohanan made a proclamation that all the exiles of Judah/Jerusalem were to assemble in Jerusalem.
They had three days to come.
Whoever would not come would be excluded - excommunicated - from the assembly of exiles.
They were serious about dealing with sin.
Are we?
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“Ezra Made…”
“Ezra Made…”
Blessings folk!
Shecaniah exhorted Ezra…
Ezra 10:4
“Arise!
For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you;
be courageous and act.”
What did Ezra do?
Ezr 10:5
Then Ezra rose and made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this proposal;
so they took the oath.
Ezra arose.
Ezra “made” the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel take the oath…according to Shecaniah’s proposal.
Ezra did what Shecaniah suggested.
Such is rare today.
Sadly, many (most?) “leading leaders” in the church today resist/refuse ideas/insights if they are not their own…or, being honest, if people do not think it was “their idea/from them”.
Such should not be.
We see humility in Ezra.
We see him accepting that the responsibility is his.
We see willingness to receive the Word of the Lord from others.
We see a teachable spirit.
We see one who responds to God’s answer.
We see one moving in courage, even in the face of despair.
We see one who acts.
Such are needed today.
Will we be…?
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“There Is Hope In Spite Of This”
“There Is Hope In Spite Of This”
Blessings folk!
Read the passage from yesterday…
Ezr 10:2-4
Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra,
“We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.
“So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
“Arise!
For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you;
be courageous and act.”
Notice what Shecaniah said.
He stated the problem - they had been unfaithful to God, they had married foreign women from the land.
But, then Shecaniah does a wonderful thing!
He declares there is hope.
Hope for Israel in spite of what they had done.
Then Shecaniah does something else.
He does not just declare hope.
He gives a path.
He gives a suggestion for action.
He encouraged the people to make a covenant with God and put away the foreign wives and children.
According to the counsel of the Lord.
According to the Law.
Some believe that Shecaniah himself had a foreign wife.
Perhaps.
Would this be hard?
Of course.
Did they care for their families?
Absolutely.
Yet, it must be done.
Shecaniah had one more word…all of this was from the Lord!
He exhort Ezra!
Told Ezra to arise!
Told Ezra the matter was his responsibility…he would lead in dealing with the matter.
Told Ezra that they, the people, would be with him.
Told Ezra to be courageous.
Told Ezra to act.
Just some “average person” was used of God to…
- Present the truth
- Present hope
- Present the plan
- Present exhortation and encouragement to the leadership
God does the same today.
Be willing to be what God desires to be in your life.
Let Him use you as He did Shecaniah.
Regardless of “where you are” at this moment, “there is hope in spite of this”.
Rejoice!
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“Hope! Arise!”
“Hope! Arise!”
Blessings folk!
Ezra and the people were crying out before the Lord.
Read carefully.
Note what happens.
Who?
To Whom?
Why?
Ezr 10:2-4
Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra,
“We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.
“So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
“Arise!
For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you;
be courageous and act.”
Suddenly someone spoke out.
Shecaniah, whose name means “dweller with Jehovah”.
We do not know his position, status, role, function, etc.
He simply spoke.
He spoke to Ezra.
Look at what he said.
“There is hope!”
“Arise!”
May we receive this Word.
…more later…
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“The People Wept Bitterly”
“The People Wept Bitterly”
Blessings folk!
Ezra stated that they as a people were standing guilty before the Lord.
What happened next?
It is good to acknowledge guilt, but is there more?
Let us consider this in “bite-size” thoughts.
Ezra had been praying, as we will now read, emotionally.
Note the response of the people…
Ezr 10:1
Now while Ezra was praying and making confession,
weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God,
a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel;
for the people wept bitterly.
Ezra was praying.
Ezra was making confession.
Ezra was weeping before the Lord.
Ezra was prostrating himself before the house of God.
This was not a show…as so often occurs today.
This was not done to “motivate” (manipulate!) the people.
This was a heart crying out to God.
What did the people do?
They gathered to him.
A large assembly.
Men.
Women.
Children.
And they wept bitterly.
Remember, some of the leadership knew the wrong that was occurring.
They told Ezra about it.
One man, Ezra, led the way to the Lord in repentance.
Where are those individuals today?
Do not look to most “leadership positions”.
Look to the true Body of Christ.
Begin with yourself.
Does the Lord desire to use you in such a breakthrough?
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“You Are Righteous…”
“You Are Righteous…”
Blessings folk!
Ezra concludes his prayer…
Ezr 9:13-15
“After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt,
since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve,
and have given us an escaped remnant as this,
shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry
with the peoples who commit these abominations?
Would You not be angry with us to the point of destruction,
until there is no remnant nor any who escape?
“O LORD God of Israel,
You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day;
behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this.”
What had the people of the Lord done?
Evil deeds.
Great guilt…guilty.
Broke His commandments.
Intermarried.
Committed abominations.
What did the Lord do?
Brought punishment against them.
Requited them less than their iniquities deserved…did not give them what they deserved.
Gave an escaped remnant.
What do we learn about the Lord?
Judge.
Righteous.
Forgiving.
Merciful.
Can be righteously angry.
What do the people do now?
Acknowledge guilt.
Stand before the Lord.
They trusted in the Lord to forgive.
The rested in the the Lord.
We should do likewise…
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“God, What Shall We Say…”
“God, What Shall We Say…”
Blessings folk!
Ezra continues to pray.
He now focuses in on the issue at hand…
Ezr 9:10-12
“Now, our God, what shall we say after this?
For we have forsaken Your commandments,
which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying,
‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands,
with their abominations which have filled it from end to end and with their impurity.
‘So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons,
and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’
The people had forsaken the Lord commandments, particularly these restated in Deu. 7…
Deu 7:1-3
“When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it,
and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you,
and when the LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them.
“Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons.
The land was unclean due to the people.
The Lord would lead His people to posses the land.
The Lord would deliver the unclean to His people.
The Lord would clear the way.
The Lord’s people would defeat them.
The Lord’s people were to utterly destroy them.
The Lord’s people were to make no covenant with them.
The Lord’s people were to show no favor to them.
The Lord’s people were not to intermarry with them.
Ezra was now confessing that they had not done so.
They had not utterly destroyed.
They had sought peace and prosperity with the people of the land.
They had “played with” the abominations of the people.
They had intermarried.
The Lord had promised them…
- Strength
- Eating the good of the land
- Inheritance forever
They had not.
They did not.
Now, they were in the situation…
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“We Are Slaves…”
“We Are Slaves…”
Blessings folk!
Ezra is praying.
We saw previously that he acknowledged that they were still slaves, yet, they were back in the land of the promise?
Read…
Ezr 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.
“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 of the Lord had been in bondage to Babylon, and now the Medo-Persian, empires.
Still, God had not forsaken them.
The kings of Persia had extended lovingkindness to them to return home and build the house of God…to restore the ruins of the house and the wall of Jerusalem.
The ruin was decades old.
The work was hard.
The work met resistance, as we saw in Nehemiah.
Ezra still considered himself and the people to be slaves in bondage.
Why?
Because, they were still dependent upon the Persians.
And, they were still enslaved to sin and rebellion against the Lord.
We saw that in Daniel 9.
Many professing believers are enslaved today.
Enslaved to fear.
Enslaved to doubt.
Enslaved to anxiety.
Enslaved to the processes of man.
Etc.
Be not enslaved.
Remember…
Gal 4:6-7
Because you are sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
True believers are no longer slaves to sin…
Rom 6:6
knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him,
in order that our body of sin might be done away with,
so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
False believers continue enslaved to sin.
True believers are slaves to righteousness…
Rom 6:18
and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
False believers are not slaves to righteousness.
We all are slaves.
Either to sin.
Or to righteousness.
Which are you?
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“For A Brief Moment…”
“For A Brief Moment…”
Blessings folk!
Ezra was confessing before the Lord.
We saw this previously…
Ezra 9:7
“Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt,
and on account of our iniquities we,
our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands,
to the sword,
to captivity and
to plunder and
to open shame,
as it is this day.
Iniquities and guilt.
Given into the hands of other kings.
Given to the sword…captivity…plunder…shame.
Now, the next verse.
Ezra 9:8
“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.
But now, grace had been shown by the Lord…for a brief moment.
How was this grace manifested?
A remnant of the people of the Lord had escaped captivity.
All had been set free from the Medo-Persian (previously Babylonian) land.
A few had decided to walk in the freedom and liberty and return - a remnant.
The Lord had given them “a peg” in His holy place.
A place to “hang” in His land.
Why?
So that God could enlighten their eyes.
So that God could grant a little reviving in their bondage.
God desires to enlighten us.
God desires to set at liberty those bound…”to vive”…to grant life.
God desires to revive those who have experienced His life in the past.
Remember this Word of the Lord…
Eph 1:18-19a
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened,
so that you will know what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
Lord, enlighten us.
Lord, You are our hope.
Lord, may we know Your calling.
Lord, may we know the riches of the glory of Your inheritance.
Lord, may we know the surpassing greatness of Your power toward believers.
Enlightenment.
Hope.
Calling.
Inheritance.
Power.
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“Great Guilt”
“Great Guilt”
Blessings folk!
Ezra continues to pray.
He states the issue succinctly.
Ezr 9:7
“Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt,
and on account of our iniquities we,
our kings and our priests have been given
into the hand of the kings of the lands,
to the sword,
to captivity and
to plunder and
to open shame,
as it is this day.
Ezra spoke the truth.
He gave the time frame - from the days of their fathers.
He gave the problem - they were guilty.
Guilty of iniquities.
They had sinned against the Lord.
Because of iniquities they had suffered and continued to suffer.
Leadership being given into the hands of the kings of other lands…
The sword…
Captivity…
Plunder…
Open shame…
It continued to that day.
It continues today to those who reject the Most High.
Sound familiar?
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“O My God…”
“O My God…”
Blessings folk!
Ezra was appalled at the sin of the people.
He sat until the evening prayer.
Others gathered with him.
Then…
Ezra 9:5
But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation,
even with my garment and my robe torn,
and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the LORD my God;
Ezra arose “from my humiliation”…”fasting”.
He stayed in this torn clothes…outward sign of humiliation.
He fell on his knees.
He stretched out his hands (palms) to the Lord…
Ezra 9:6
and I said,
“O my God,
I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You,
my God,
for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.
As Daniel did, Ezra did not exempt himself from the sin of the people.
He didn’t say “they have done this/that”.
He acknowledged that their iniquities had “risen above our heads”…multiplied.
Their guilt had grown…even to the heavens.
Their sin was great.
He was ashamed.
He was embarrassed to lift his face to the Lord.
And yet, he did.
He knew the Lord.
He knew what God would do with/for those who humble themselves before Him.
Do we know?
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“Appalled”
“Appalled”
Blessings folk!
Daniel 9 - a great prayer of confession and repentance before the Lord.
Nehemiah 9 - a great prayer of confession, recounting the acts of God and declaration of repentance.
Now, another.
Ezra 9
We are jumping in the middle of the context, but this is enough to set the scene…
Ezra 9:1-4
Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying,
“The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians and the Amorites.
“For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race (seed) has intermingled with the peoples of the lands;
indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.”
When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe,
and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled.
Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.
The people had sinned.
They had not separated themselves from the people of the land, especially related to marriage.
They had intermarried.
The Lord had told them not to.
They had also adopted practices of the people of the land.
The Lord had told them not to.
The princes and rulers…political and religious…had led in the sin.
Ezra had now learned.
His response?
Tore his garment.
Tore his robe.
Pulled some hair from his head.
Pulled some hair from his beard.
Sat down appalled.
What did the people do?
Some trembled at the words of the God of Israel because they were unfaithful.
Note who.
Everyone who trembled.
Not all trembled.
The “tremblers” gathered with Ezra.
He sat appalled until the evening offering.
Are you appalled at the state of the professing church?
We might rightly be appalled at the state of the world, but the world will be the world.
We should be appalled of “the church”.
…to be continued…
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“Neglect Not the House of God"
“Neglect Not the House of God"
Blessings folk!
The people had agreed, in writing, before the Lord.
They repented.
They then did deeds…they did what the Lord had instructed them to do.
Let’s read the balance of the aftermath of the prayer.
May we do what the Lord leads us in…
Neh 10:28-39
Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters,
all those who had knowledge and understanding,
are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of GOD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;
and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land
or take their daughters for our sons.
As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day;
and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.
We also placed ourselves under obligation to contribute yearly one third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God:
for the showbread, for the continual grain offering, for the continual burnt offering, the sabbaths, the new moon, for the appointed times, for the holy things and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God.
Likewise we cast lots for the supply of wood among the priests, the Levites and the people so that they might bring it to the house of our God, according to our fathers’ households, at fixed times annually, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law;
and that they might bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the LORD annually,
and bring to the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God.
We will also bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the oil to the priests at the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns.
The priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes, and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God,
to the chambers of the storehouse.
For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine and the oil to the chambers; there are the utensils of the sanctuary, the priests who are ministering, the gatekeepers and the singers. Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.
Neglect not the “house of God”.
His Body.
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The Word: Episode 1307 Psalm 119:46-48
“A Curse And An Oath”
Blessings folk!
The Levites finished the prayer.
Now, read what happened…
Neh 9:38
“Now because of all this
We are making an agreement in writing;
And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests.”
They had written the prayer as a document.
An agreement in writing.
They sealed the document with their names.
Names of leaders.
Names of Levites.
Names of priests.
They affirmed/confirmed the document by signing their names.
The next twenty-seven verses give us their names.
They were serious.
It was a serious matter.
Neh 10:28-30
Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding,
are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of GOD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;
and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.
They took on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law.
They agreed to observe all the commandments of the Lord.
All His ordinances.
All His statutes.
The ones who had knowledge and understanding did this.
What knowledge/understanding do we have?
How do we walk?
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“A Curse And An Oath”
“A Curse And An Oath”
Blessings folk!
The Levites finished the prayer.
Now, read what happened…
Neh 9:38
“Now because of all this
We are making an agreement in writing;
And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests.”
They had written the prayer as a document.
An agreement in writing.
They sealed the document with their names.
Names of leaders.
Names of Levites.
Names of priests.
They affirmed/confirmed the document by signing their names.
The next twenty-seven verses give us their names.
They were serious.
It was a serious matter.
Neh 10:28-30
Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding,
are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of GOD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;
and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.
They took on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law.
They agreed to observe all the commandments of the Lord.
All His ordinances.
All His statutes.
The ones who had knowledge and understanding did this.
What knowledge/understanding do we have?
How do we walk?
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