LifePoint Lubbock

Day 268
Ezra 7-10

I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the LORD my God was on me. Ezra 7:28b (NLT)

Sixty years transpired between the sixth and seventh chapter of Ezra. In Persia, Artaxerxes has succeeded Xerxes. The events contained in the book of Esther are placed chronologically between chapters six and seven of Ezra. Ezra is described as a skilled scribe. Scribes preserved the word of God, taught the word of God, and administered the word of God. Where prophets received a new revelation from God, scribes explained and applied the old revelation from God. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem about 60 years after the first exiles returned. He studied and obeyed the laws of the Lord so he could teach them to the people of Israel. The letter from Artaxerxes reveals the king’s authorization and investment in Ezra’s journey. Ezra acknowledges that only God could put such a thing on the heart of a pagan king.

As Ezra prepared the people for the journey, they fasted and prayed for God’s protection and provision. Ezra repeats the now familiar phrase, “And the hand of our God was upon us”. God’s hand would protect, guide, and bless His people. With the king’s authority, Ezra would come to Jerusalem as a reformer, dealing with sin and compromise. The spiritual condition of the post-exile community was not good. The people as well as the priests had not separated themselves from the pagan people who occupied the region. Ezra mourns over the condition of Jerusalem, realizing these sins of idolatry and compromise are what originally led to the exile.

The people were also struck by the conviction of their sin and their need to confess and repent. Shechaniah called for actions of repentance and not mere sorrow over sin. Such repentance, the decision to stop sinning and start doing God’s will, is essential to the Christian life. Our response should be the same as the people of Jerusalem: “Yes! As you have said, so we must do.”

Day 267
Esther 6-10

For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. Esther 8:16 (NIV)

Today’s passage is filled with the providence of God. The king cannot sleep so he reads the chronicles of his reign. His servant chooses the volume containing the story of Mordecai. There are no coincidences. God is guiding every step. After hearing the story, the king asks what reward was given to the man who saved his life. The answer was nothing had been done. The king asks who is in the court and Haman had just entered the court to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows. Again, this is no coincidence. This is God at work. The book of Esther shows us that God manages the affairs of mankind.

When the king asks Haman how to honor the man who delights the king, Haman assumes it’s him. Haman had come to ask for Mordecai’s ex*****on. Instead, he was forced to celebrate the life he wished to end.

At the banquet Esther revealed that Haman was not a trusted advisor but rather an adversary and enemy. His decree in essence called for the ex*****on of the king’s wife. Haman’s fate was sealed, and he found his end on the gallows he constructed for Mordecai. While Haman was eliminated and Esther and Mordecai were safe, the king’s decree was still in place and could not be revoked even by the king himself. Another decree was issued giving the Jews support against their attackers. Joy came before the appointed day because they were assured of victory and could rejoice ahead of time. When the people saw how God had worked on behalf of His people, they wanted the same relationship with God. From the beginning this has been God’s plan. He desires that His people live in such a way that others will want what they have in their own lives and desire a relationship with God.

Day 266
Esther 1-5

And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14 (NIV)

The Persian Empire was the largest the world had ever seen, spanning from India to Ethiopia. In the third year of his reign, Xerxes threw a party that lasted 180 days. The king wanted everyone to see his great wealth and power. When Xerxes was drunk, he called for his queen to parade around in her crown. Queen Vashti refusal cost her the crown. To replace the Queen, Xerxes held a national beauty contest. Mordecai was a Jew exiled by the Babylonians who had raised his younger cousin, Esther, after the death of her parents. Esther was selected as a “contestant” in this search for the new queen. From the beginning she found favor with everyone, eventually finding the favor of Xerxes and being named the new queen.

Mordecai learned of an assassination plot against Xerxes by two servants. He passed the information to Queen Esther who informed the king, crediting Mordecai. In all these dealings, we see God at work behind the scenes.
Xerxes promoted Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites – sworn enemies of Israel. Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. With his ego bruised, Haman plotted against Mordecai and all the Jews. Haman began to orchestrate a genocide of the Jewish people. When approaching Xerxes for approval of his plan, he falsely portrayed the Jewish people as subversive lawbreakers. Appealing to the king’s ego, the law was decreed that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month all Jews would be killed.

The only person who might possibly speak to the king was his queen and even she had to be invited. Mordecai reminded Esther that her fate would be the same as every other Jew. The fate of the Jewish people did not rest in Esther’s hands. It was where it had always been – in God’s hands. But Mordecai knew that God had a purpose in promoting this Jewish exiled orphan to the queen of this world’s largest empire. Now Esther must have the courage and wisdom to fulfill her purpose. The same truth applies to us as well. God places us where we are for a purpose, and we must have the courage and wisdom to walk in it. God places His lamps where He wants them to shine. Like Esther, God has you positioned for such a time as this.

Day 265
Zechariah 10-14

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. Zechariah 13:1 (NIV)

Zechariah ends with great hope found in the Messiah. In chapter 10 the Messiah is the promised perfect shepherd of God. In chapter 11 we see the contrast between foolish shepherd and the perfect shepherd. The foolish shepherd does not care for those cut off, while the godly shepherd seeks the lost. The foolish shepherd does not seek the young, while the wise shepherd cares for all. The foolish shepherd will not heal the broken, but the godly shepherd heals them with God’s love and His word. The foolish shepherd will not feed the flock, but the good shepherd faithfully feeds His sheep. The foolish shepherd sacrifices the herd for himself, but our good shepherd laid down His life for His sheep.

Zechariah 13:1 speaks of a fountain that will come in that day which ties it to chapter 12 when Israel returns to the LORD through the Messiah. The fountain brings cleansing for sin. The cleansing comes after their mourning for the One whom they have pierced. The fountain is open and will remain open! “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins; and sinners, plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains” (There is a Fountain, William Cowper). Cowper originally named his hymn, “Praise for the Fountain Opened”. That fountain continues to flow and continues to cleanse.

Zechariah 14:20-21 tells of a great day to come when the glory of the LORD will fill the earth and the rule of the Messiah is enjoyed throughout the earth. The phrase “holiness to the LORD” was only found engraved on the high priest’s headpiece. Zechariah looks forward to a day when that phrase would be everywhere. Everything is set apart to God and His purposes. Everything in our lives should be dedicated to Him and bring Him glory.

Day 264
Zechariah 5-9

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a c**t, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 (NIV)

In Zechariah 6:12-13 Jesus is the Branch, the Priest, and the King. This prophecy clearly speaks of Jesus Christ the Messiah. It begins with an invitation to “Behold the man”. This is the phrase Pontius Pilate used to introduce the bloody, bruised, and beaten Jesus of Nazareth. When Pilate spoke these words, he invited the mob to look upon Jesus in humiliation and defeat, but when Zechariah said it, he invited us to look upon Jesus in glory and triumph. As followers of Jesus Christ, we should behold Him both in His agony and triumph.

The Branch is a familiar title for the Messiah found in Zechariah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. It represents fruitfulness and life. Jesus used this analogy to teach the disciples His final lesson in John 15. He is the Priest and the King. In Israel these were two different offices, never occupied by one person. But Jesus will reign as both priest and king. Behold Jesus as the Branch in His glory and receive Him by connecting to His life-giving, fruit-bearing power. Honor Him as both priest and king in your life. Recognize His reign over you and come to God the Father through Him as your great Hight Priest.

Zechariah 9:9 prophesies of the coming Messiah but not as the people of God had expected. Once again, we are commanded to “behold”. The world missed the Messiah because they were looking for the wrong kind of Messiah. They were looking for a powerful, political leader not a Savior from sin. Jesus came riding on a donkey. The stallion was the symbol of war while the donkey was the symbol of peace. The people are told to rejoice greatly and shout when the Messiah comes. This verse clearly prophesies the Triumphal Entry when Jesus entered Jerusalem presenting Himself as the Messiah. We must make sure that we are looking for the right kind of Messiah – the branch, priest, and king.

Day 263
Zechariah 1-4

Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Return to me,” declares the LORD Almighty, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 1:3 (NIV)

Zechariah, a contemporary of Haggai, was both a priest and a prophet. He begins with a warning from God that the people need to hear and heed: “return to me and I will return to you”. These 50,000 people who returned to Jerusalem were the remnant of hundreds of thousands taken into exile. These were the faithful remnant, yet they needed to be reminded that they could follow in the same footsteps as their ancestors if they were not careful. Some eighteen years after returning, their work was hard and their enemies were hostile. They became discouraged and felt that God was far from them. God promises to run to meet us when we return to Him.

Zechariah 4:6 says, “not by might nor by power but by My Spirit says the LORD of hosts”. Might represents collective strength, whereas power represents individual strength. The temple would not be rebuilt by their intellect or physical strength, but by God’s Spirit. Whenever we trust in our own resources, we don’t enjoy the full supply of the Holy Spirit. Just like the olive tree that supplied oil to the lamps, God wants our reliance on the Holy Spirit to be continual. Whether as individual Christians or as the collective Body of the Christ, we must never rely on our might or strength to accomplish the task God has set before us. We must constantly and continually rely of the Spirit of God to work in us, on us, and through us.

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Day 262
Haggai 1-2

“I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the LORD Almighty. Haggai 2:7 (NIV)

The Old Testament includes 12 minor prophets – 9 before the Babylonian exile and 3 (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) after they returned. The glory and greatness are gone. All that remained was the rubble of Jerusalem, the remnant of people, and the daunting task of restoration.

In the book of Ezra, we read how the work of rebuilding the temple was off to a glorious start. The foundation was laid, the priests blew their trumpets, the Levites clashed their cymbals, and the people sang praise and thanksgiving to God. (Ezra 3:10-11) But after two years the work ceased, and fourteen years passed before Haggai’s prophecy. Their excuses and poor priorities showed they were not living like God’s people.

In Haggai 2:3 God addresses those who remembered Solomon’s temple. In Ezra we read that while the rest of the people shouted for joy at the laying of the temple’s foundation, the elderly men wept loudly because it did not compare to the temple they remembered. While this house might “seem like nothing”, God promised to fill it with glory that would be greater than the former house and in this place grant peace. The glory of this rebuilt temple would be greater because Jesus Christ, God in flesh, would visit it. The LORD Almighty says, “what is desired by all nations will come” (Haggai 2:7). Whether they realize it or not, Jesus Christ is what is desired by all nations. For us as His followers, Jesus Christ is what we desire for all nations. This understanding of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God drives evangelistic and missionary efforts. When the world cries out for a true reformer, for one who brings real justice, they unknowingly cry out for Jesus. Jesus is truly the desire of all nations and our desire for all nations is Jesus.

Day 261
Ezra 4-6, Psalm 137

May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. Ezra 6:12 (NIV)

Judea was not completely empty during the exile period. Some were left behind; others drifted in and intermarried. These people were not happy with the return and became adversaries. A letter was written to King Artaxerxes, which was a mixture of truth and lies, as the enemy often does. While their adversaries were successful in delaying the work, they could not succeed in defeating the work of God and His people.

God sent two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, to help the people complete the work. Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the river, sent a letter to King Darius, complaining that the work was illegal. He asked the king to research the matter, basically search the permits. The king responded that King Cyrus had originally decreed it and that now Tattenai would pay for it out of their tax revenue. Their objections furthered the work rather than hindering it. The temple was completed and dedicated. The Passover was observed, remembering the central act of redemption of the Old Testament.

Many scholars believe Psalm 137 was written after the return from exile. They wept over their many losses but hopefully they also wept over their sin which brought this judgment. In the end, ancient Babylon lies in ruins. God will not be mocked. Only God can turn opposition into opportunity. Those opposed to the rebuilding of the temple ended up paying for the project!

Day 260
Ezra 1-3

The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Ezra 1:2 (NIV)

Cyrus recognizes God’s hand upon his life. The king’s command not only allowed the exiles to return but also to rebuild of the temple. Although all exiles were allowed to return, only a small percentage did. The central theme of the book of Ezra is the rebuilding of the temple. The king decreed that this remnant of exiles reestablish their religion. Cyrus returned the articles taken from the temple by Nebuchadnezzar.

Zerubbabel was appointed as governor over Judah. He was a descendant of the last king to reign in Judah. It is significant the Zerubbabel is a descendant of David. It shows that the exiles have retained some form of national character. God had fulfilled His promise to bring His people back from exile. Out of the rubble, an altar was erected to receive sacrifices. They understood the significance of the altar to their worship of Yahweh. Their spiritual priority was to atone for their sin and dedicate themselves to God. Once the altar was restored, they began the reconstruction of the temple. Once the foundation was laid, they celebrated and praised the LORD, singing, “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel”. God inhabits the praise of His people!