7/17/2011 7:02:57 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: He (God) gave them a safe journey
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ezra 8:31-36
Message of the verses: “31 ¶ Then we journeyed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way. 32 Thus we came to Jerusalem and remained there three days. 33 On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 Everything was numbered and weighed, and all the weight was recorded at that time. 35 The exiles who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, 12 male goats for a sin offering, all as a burnt offering to the LORD. 36 Then they delivered the king’s edicts to the king’s satraps and to the governors in the provinces beyond the River, and they supported the people and the house of God.”
This is the last main section in this the third chapter of Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on the book of Ezra that he entitles “Be Heroic.” This last main point has five short sup-points in it that cover the six verses above. It was a long journey from Babylon to Jerusalem and I have often thought of the first Gulf War against Iraq and those “scud” missiles that Iraq sent against Israel. It took only minutes for them to arrive while it took these exiles four months to cover the nine hundred miles. Those missiles also cause me to think of some verses at the end of the book of Daniel where Daniel was an old man living at this same time period in Babylon, an early exile from Israel captured by the king of Babylon. He had gone through a lot in his 80+ years and near the end of his life after seeing visions and writing one of the most important prophetic books of the Bible, he was wandering what it was all about and so an angel came and spoke these words to him: “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.’” I first read these words in 1974 and as I look back from that time I have seen knowledge increase in many areas of life, especially in technology and travel, but if one looks back to the time of Daniel and Ezra knowledge has increased many times, and so there are many believers today that think that this world is very close to the events that have been foretold in the pages of prophecy that tells of the “end of time.”
The first sub-point covers verse 31 and Dr. Wiersbe entitles it “Arriving.” In this short verse it tells of the time that it took these exiles to cover the 900 miles of travel, and the important thing to remember from this verse is the phrase that has been repeated many times in this section of Ezra “and the hand of our God was over us.” Yes God who began a good work in these people’s hearts to cause them to go on this journey that was dangerous has brought them through safely. What the Lord starts He will complete.
The second sub-point covers verse 32 and Dr. Wiersbe entitles it “Resting.” This is the shortest verse in this section and it tells of the rest that these exiles took after this long journey. Jesus spoke of resting to his disciples after they had been out doing the work of the Lord, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while, (Mark 6:31). Rest is important after a long journey to clear your mind and to give your body the rest that it needs.
The third sup-point covers verses 33-34 and Dr. Wiersbe entitles this “Reckoning.” This section tells about the accountability of these leaders of the exiles who were in charge of the treasures that they brought to Jerusalem. This is a reminder of 1Cor. 14:40 where it says, “But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.” There is a NT Scripture that goes along with this and it speaks of how the Apostle Paul and his friends took care of an offering that was collected by the churches to help out the suffering believers in Jerusalem: “21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.”
The forth sub-point covers verse 35 and is entitled “Worshiping.” This verse tells of the offerings and sacrifices that they offered to the Lord, giving thanks for the safe journey and remembering all of the twelve tribes of Israel in their worship of the Lord. This was unlike the first offerings that were offered on the altar some 75 years ago when there was some grumbling going on by the older members of that party causing division in the worship.
The fifth and last sub-section covers the last verse in Ezra eight and is entitled “Clearance.” When I first say this title I had to wonder about its name, but after looking at this verse again it became clear. Ezra was now doing what the king had instructed him to do upon his arrival at Jerusalem, and that is taking care of the “paperwork,” as he gave the letter to those Persian officials who were in charge and after seeing the letter they obeyed what the king had written. It must be remembered that this was only a copy of the letter that was sent as the original was kept in Babylon.
As I look back on these two chapters in Ezra I conclude that “the hand of our God was over them,” and He is still over my life today some 2500 years later.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Philippians 1:6 is what I am reminded of after reading this section of Ezra. “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” This journey that Ezra and the exiles took, as stated in an earlier SD, is a reminder of my journey as a believer in Jesus Christ on this earth, for there are parts that are uncomfortable, and difficult, but there are also many parts of my life that are wonderful and this is only the beginning, for heaven is ahead and that is the hope of all believers.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service.
2. Be prepared to worship the Lord at church this morning.
3. Continue to learn contentment.
7/17/2011 8:00:12 AM
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