Rebuilding the Temple - Ezra 8-9
Insight Into Scripture
Today, we are reading chapters 8 and 9. Chapter 8 tells Ezra's return to Jerusalem with about 5,000 men, women, and children, how they prepared, and how GOD protected them on their journey.
Chapter 9 tells how the people started to inter-marry (exogamy) with the different tribes, the tribes GOD had not wanted them to become mixed up with. GOD knew if they intermarried it would weaken their religious identity, especially the priest and Levites.
The canal of Ahava was one of the many canals that radiated out from the Euphrates River near Babylon (8:15)
In verse 8:21 you will read where they fasted. The act of fasting is a process leading to purification and humbling oneself before GODEzra's journey across the desert was a dangerous one. They were traveling around 900 miles, without a military escort, with large quantities of gold and silver. No wonder they fasted and sought GOD's protection.
Bringing the Bible Alive
Our Bible has so many words that we do not recognize. But, each of these words that we do not know, have very profound meanings, and can impact our readings in a whole new light. For example, Ahava in Hebrew means this deep intense love. So, as you are reading Ezra 8:15 it states that they assembled at the canal that flows towards Ahava (Love) see how this word is used in v.15, 21, 31. Word studies are very interesting!
Scripture
4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. 24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits[a] and its breadth sixty cubits.
7 Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. - Ezra 4:4-5, 23- 24, 6:3, 7
Thought For the Day
Good Morning! I am so happy to be with you again this Monday. I hope that you have had a good weekend and have found some time to rest in Christ.This is a great "Behind the Scenes" story that we have an opportunity to see. So, let us take a look at the big picture of the rebuilding of the Temple and see if there is anything that we can apply to our lives.
After GOD put it in Cyrus' heart to rebuild the temple, do you think that it was an easy task?
No, it was going to be a hard task, in fact it says in Chapter 3:3 that the people went on building even though they were in fear of the people around them.
Do you think that satan was happy that the temple was going to be rebuilt? NO, satan had won the battle (he will win little battles here on earth, but, we know how the story ends) the temple was destroyed and GOD's people were in captivity. The last thing that satan wanted was for his work to be undone. That is why in chapter 4:4 we read about how satan used people to discourage the people of Judah from progressing. Read verse 12-15 and you will see the people in opposition lied and used money to influence the king to stop production.
Yes, satan did again win a little battle, but he was no match for YAHWEH! The people of Judah wrote a letter back, and instead of a counter attack, they spoke the truth, and challenged the king to search the truth (5:17) satan and man were no match for GOD.
GOD changed the attitude of the king of Assyria and the building resumed again.
There are a few points that I believe this story can help us with in regards to our troubles today.
Doing GOD's Work is Never Easy - It is a labor of LOVE for our King. I hope that none of us experience to the point of being in fear of your life, as the people of Judah were, but sometimes it can be an up hill battle. Never quit, and let us always encourage each other. We all need that!satan Will Win Little Battles - It is OK. GOD allows satan to win those little battles, so we become stronger and closer to Christ. Do not let those little losses bother you. Press on. Let the little pip squeak think he is winning.
Always Speak the Truth - When the people of Judah were told to stop, they could have told another lie or attacked the other people involved, but they chose to speak the truth with humility. People can't argue with the truth, it will always shine through.
GOD Always WINS!!! - KNOW this, LIVE everyday like this. There may be little battles lost here and there, but WE WIN. Never loose sight of that!
Have a great Monday, see you Tuesday!
Closing Prayer
Dear Jesus
A restful Sabbath Father, thank You. Father I pray today that we walk away from this devotional with a closer look at You and a better understanding. I pray Father that we will always keep it in our minds that You are there with us in our battles and that satan can not defeat us. I pray Father for those that need rest in Your name and that they find it.
I love You and pray in Your Great Name,
Amen.
Oh you are so right those little losses should strenthen us and when we are in the WILL of God satan truely is a PIP SQUEAK. Below are the verses that I always think of when I hear any stories of the rebuilding of the earthly temples. Todays story of rebuilding really brings it home always because of:
ReplyDeleteEsra 6:3
In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained.
The measurements of the temple being built here by man:
Its height shall be sixty cubits[a] and its breadth sixty cubits.
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FOR INTEREST NUMERICAL MEANINGS:
#3 Divine completeness and perfection
#6 Man, Weakness of man, Manifestation of sin, Evils of Satan
#60 Pride
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Looking at the meaning of numbers of the measurement giving of the temple bult by man here are significant. Especially when you look at the temple was constantly being destroyed and being rebuilt. Even a temple being built by man at God's direction is just that built by man and man still has WILL.
There is a TIME coming that no temple will ever be built again.
We find this time and why no temple will ever be needed in Revelation 21
I am stating with verse 15 and will end with the preceding verses.
Before you read the verses look at the meaning of couple more numbers:
4 Creation; The world; Creative works (# of sides square)
12 Governmental perfection
144 The Spirit guided life
TEMPLE BUILT OF MAN or CITY WHERE NO TEMPLE WILL BE OR NEEDED
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.
16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits[b] thick,[c] by man's measurement, which the angel was using.
18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of
!!!SINGLE !!! pearl. The great street of the city was of
!!!PURE!!! gold, like transparent glass.
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22 I DID NOT SEE A (what?) TEMPLE in the city, BECAUSE the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb ARE ITS
TEMPLE.
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23 The city !!!DOES NOT NEED!!! the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.
26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
NOW THE PRECEDING VERSES:
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5 He who was seated on the throne said,
"I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6 He said to me:
"It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven FROM (who) God.
11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.
14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
IF YOU DID NOT NOTICE READ AGAIN
VERSE 24 take in what it states!!
VERSE 25 night, what is it symbolic of ?
VERSE 6 "It is done" always reminds me of and a time these words were said "It is finished"
My thoughts are always upon being the
BRIDE OF CHRIST
and the
COMING OF THAT CITY
and
LIVING IN THE NEW CITY
I only thought I experienced excitement, joy, happiness and any other descriptive word I might use to describe my Wedding Day 37 years ago(and did) but there are NO or ANY AMOUNT OF words to even touch the WEDDING coming
IN CHRIST
Ecc.3
Donna
Bible Trivia:
ReplyDeleteWhen a good woman speaks, what do her words have?
ANSWER: wisdom and kindness
Proverbs 31:10,26
IN CHRIST
Ecc.3
Donna