OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 3

Nehemiah 3:1-32

3:1 The first portion of the wall the leaders of Israel undertook for repair was the Sheep Gate in the north of the kingdom. The high priest and his fellow priests were responsible for the Sheep Gate. In scripture, sheep are significant: not only is Jesus the sacrificial lamb, but God's children are symbolized as His flock of sheep. The Lord is our shepherd. For Jerusalem to thrive once again, it needed to focus on the protection of the sheep.

Moreover, Jerusalem needed to commit to sacrifice to God; in their day, sacrifice meant animal sacrifice. In our day, God asks for thankfulness, Psalm 50:14: a spirit and lifestyle of gratitude to God. Both Israel and Judah had fallen because the people neglected, opposed and eventually forgot God. They disposed their spirit of gratitude for all that He had provided and replaced Him with corrupt desires.

Each portion of the wall represents (protects) an aspect of the lifestyle lived within the kingdom.

3:3-5 The rebuilding of the Fish gate.

3:6-7 The rebuilding of the Old Gate.

3:8-13 The rebuilding of the western portion Jerusalem's wall.

3:14 The rebuilding of the southern portion of Jerusalem's wall.

3:15-32 The rebuilding of the eastern portion of Jerusalem's wall.

The development of our faith is the development of a comprehensive border around our lives. Reparation is fortification; and when we arduously, steadfastly commit to spiritual reparation, God fortifies our lives.

1 Peter 5:10
...may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

God resourcefully uses the details our journey to fortify us. Jerusalem was spiritually broken down but the faithful, righteous community of fellow-workers under God created a renewed atmosphere of impenetrable strength.

OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 2

Nehemiah 2:1-20

2:1 Nehemiah was the king's trusted cup-bearer; he had the ear of the king, Artaxerxes. Even more notably Nehemiah also had the ear of the King of kings, our God. Like Joseph, Genesis 41, Nehemiah had been placed by God into a position where he could help the plight of his people. 

2:2 King Artaxerxes observed Nehemiah's sorrowful countenance and inquired about it. 

2:3 Nehemiah answered truthfully; he was overcome with despair because his people were not safe. 

2:4 Based on Nehemiah's answer, the king asked him what his request was; to Artaxerxes it was obvious that Nehemiah could not continue with his routine as cup-bearer while his people suffered in Jerusalem. God orchestrated a moment where Nehemiah did not actually have to ask for anything, it was offered to him. 

2:5 It would have been imprudent, and likely against his character, for Nehemiah not to address the king with deference. Politely, Nehemiah told the king that he would like to be sent to Judah, the place of his family, in order to rebuild it. 

2:6 That easily orchestrated is the Lord's will: the king simply asked Nehemiah how long he would need, and when he would return. The situation is ironic; the king allowed Nehemiah to leave and make another kingdom stronger. The king was pleased to send him.

2:7-8 Nehemiah also requested letters for the governors of the region he would be passing through in order to avoid conflict. He also requested access to the king's timber to build the wall and a house for himself. 

And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Note that Nehemiah did not say: and the king granted them to me according to his goodness, or his generosity. The king granted Nehemiah every opportunity and material he needed for his purpose according to the good hand of his God upon him. God provided. God swayed the king into Nehemiah's favor. Always pay close attention to preciously Who is parted the sea in your life. 

2:9-10 Nehemiah was allowed to pass safely and swiftly through the region beyond the river toward Jerusalem. There were people who did not want to allowed Nehemiah to pass (Sanballat and Tobiah), in fact they were deeply disturbed by it. They wanted the children of Israel to fail. Despite resistance, God arranges for His children to pass safely and swiftly through. 

2:11-12 Once arrived in Jerusalem, Nehemiah awoke in the night to privately observe the condition of Jerusalem. 

2:13-16 Jesus also had private, night-talks with God. Before announcing his purpose in Jerusalem, Nehemiah looked at the area God had appointed him to. He saw it with his own eyes, he analyzed the work that needed to be done. He learned what he was choosing to take responsibility for. God always either fully prepares or fully provides; He never leaves us to handle life on our own. 

Although God had trusted Nehemiah in an important role of leadership, Nehemiah remained humble. He did not charge into Jerusalem with a long, loud speech. He entered quietly, solemnly and with a wholehearted intention to know the problem well before tackling it.

2:17 When he felt fully prepared, Nehemiah spoke of his intention to the leaders within Jerusalem: Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach. Their faithlessness made them a reproach to the people around them, their corruption tarnished the reputation of the faith they were supposed to represent. If Jerusalem could strengthen its faith, its spiritual wall would render it impenetrable.

2:18 Rather boldly, Nehemiah expressed his trust in God's hand over his life. Though it was an extraordinary task ahead of him, Nehemiah was able to solemnly, courageously approach it. God had cleared the path and arranged the circumstances along it to work in his favor. Faith in God supplied Nehemiah with every tool and material he needed, and he confidently explained that to the people around him. Again, we see in scripture how reliance on faith is worthwhile!

2:19 Predictably, those who did not believe in God laughed at Nehemiah's mission and confidence in its God-divined success. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem tried to portray Israel's reconstruction as rebellion against the king. But Israel's restoration was a spiritual matter, one between God and His children. That and those which were in the periphery were not involved. 

2:20 Nehemiah remained unshaken in the face of opposition and mockery. Galatians 1:10, For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ. It did not matter if he had the approval of the people around him. It did not matter if he had the support of the people around him. Nehemiah had the approval and the support of God and it was quite enough. 

The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build...

We should challenge ourselves to conquer each day with the verse above pressing us forward into the places God has prepared for us and prepared us for.

OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 1

Nehemiah 1:1-11

The name Nehemiah means: God comforts. It is fitting that Nehemiah should have this name as he is known for seeking the comfort of protection from God for his people, in the form of a wall around Jerusalem. Nehemiah was answered affirmatively by God.

1:1-3 Nehemiah inquired after the people of Israel returned to Jerusalem. Men from Judah and a man named Hanani informed Nehemiah that their people were in great distress and reproach. Their main physical defense, the wall of Jerusalem, was broken down and burned. The state of Jerusalem always reflected the state of the people's faith; because it was broken down, we know that the people needed spiritual revival.

1:4 In response, Nehemiah for several days wept, fasted and prayed to God. The state of Jerusalem's wall (faith) would entirely define the state of their kingdom; without a defense system (spiritual or physical), they would be swiftly and consistently plagued by enemy breaches. 

It was as if Nehemiah were inquiring after a loved one, only to find that they were vulnerable and emotional broken, stressed and with only brittle faith. Rightly, Nehemiah immediately released that though he was unable to directly respond, God was able. It is so prudent for us to release that our inadequacies can be supplemented by God through prayer. 

Sometimes the intercessory prayers we make for others become opportunities given by God for us to help. Nehemiah had been set up by God to have the power and position to help Jerusalem restore itself. They process, as ever, began with a sincere prayer. 

1:5 It is both instructive and powerful to pray the prayers of servants of God from scripture, our spiritual history. Their words were concise and thorough, yet wholehearted and sincere. They knew God well and were therefore able aptly to communicate with God. Nehemiah's prayer is beautiful as it begins with a statement of God's beauty: great, awesome (awe-inspiring), steadfast, merciful, loving, sincere. Our ultimate blessing is that we can rely on those promised, unchanging characteristics of God in our own lives. 

“I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,

1:6 Nehemiah requested God's attentiveness. He prayed that God would analyze the situation in Jerusalem which was the basis of his prayer. The best thing that can happen to our situation (whatever it is) is that it be perceived from God's omniscient position. He is best able to map the journey, or draw the blueprint, which will accomplish whatever our situation truly requires.

Nehemiah prayed without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:7. The situation was dire, his heart was entirely invested. Our communication with God is unlike the communication system we have in the word. We should not tap into Him like text-messaging when we think we need Him, because we always need Him. We should have our line of communication open throughout each day, in order that we are able to perceive His presence and receive His purpose in all moments. 

He prayed day and night because his whole body and soul was committed. That level of dedication evidences to God that we are ready to co-accomplish something major with God. It evidences that we are willing and steadfast.

Nehemiah approached God with humble honesty. He recognized that he and his people were imperfect. He relied on the reason God ever chose this people in the first place. In Deuteronomy 7:7, God explained that they were small and weak. It was a miracle because of its illogical nature but it was one Nehemiah was grateful for and called upon. The people of Israel were still those small people in great need of Him. 

...please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.

1:7 Just as Ezra wept and admitted in the previous book, the people of Israel had behaved corruptly. They disobeyed the commandments of God, even though they knew better. Whenever we approach God, we must be willingly transparent. God knows our hearts anyway, Jeremiah 17:10. To approach Him dishonestly is pointless, cowardly and unproductive. Nehemiah exposed their sins because those were the places their lives most needed God. If there is darkness in our life or our heart we must expose it to the light. It might be difficult, ugly, and or scary, but it must be done to put the chaos into order.

We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.

1:8 In Deuteronomy 11:26, God presented Moses and the children of Israel with a blessing and a curse. Nehemiah recalls it here:

Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;

God was very clear that steadfast blessing depended on steadfast adherence to His commandments. The commandments He made are the road-map to both the destination and maintenance of blessing. Faith and righteous-living draw blessings in. Unfaithfulness and disobedience cause us to go off course and shut blessing out.

1:9 Yet God placed a saving-grace within His promise: should a person return to Him, even after a period of unfaithfulness, the same blessings would be available to them. Nehemiah acknowledged that the people of Israel broke their faith and then relied on God's promise that it did not mean the covenant was irretrievable. 

...but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’

1:10 God had given the people this opportunity to live, build and worship freely; to organize themselves as a strong, independent nation. All of that blessing is made possible when we submit ourselves to servants of God's will. When we serve God, He utilizes our faithful labor to build beautiful lives for ourselves and the people we care about. 

Nehemiah gave all credit to God. It was God's power, design and hand that released them from captivity. It was the very same which would enable them to remain free. Nehemiah called upon that Divine-skill and generosity, he humbly leaned on that dependence. 

Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.

1:11 The word servant was used three times in one sentence. Nehemiah wanted to serve God above all else; he was clear that though he desperately sought to save his people, he would do precisely what God ordered. Nehemiah felt in his heart that he had an opportunity to help. He was about to approach the king of the nation he served with a request to leave to help his people; he knew that permission would only be granted if it were orchestrated by God. 

O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
For I was the king’s cup bearer.

We we devote ourselves to God, we devote the elements of ourselves to His kingdom, His mission, His people. Nehemiah had some power and position and he intended to donate it to the well-being of God's people. He proudly elected to be an instrument through which God would bring restoration to Jerusalem's wall. 

Individuals with massive faith make astounding, progressive impact when they co-work with God, 1 Corinthians 3:9. 

OT: The Book of Ezra, Chapter 10

Ezra 10:1-44

10:1 Ezra brought an emphatic prayer to God; he wept and bowed prayerfully. His humiliation was deep, his sorrow was sincere. Ezra had prepared his entire life to lead these people under the will of God; the people's outright rejection of God, whom he loved so much,  hurt. A very large assembly of men, women and children joined Ezra in his prayer. Together, they presented a heartfelt apology to God.

10:2-4 A man named Shechaniah spoke to the despairing Ezra and his words encouraged Ezra that there was a course of correction. Those who had disobeyed God were willing to divest themselves of their wives whom God did not approve. They were willing to renew their covenant with God. Shechaniah reminded Ezra that if they dealt with the probably responsibly, according to the commandment of God, there was still hope. 

10:5 Spurred into action, Ezra required that the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all of Israel swore an oath of re-commitment to God's commandments. The people had regressed and disobeyed but with effort toward righteousness, they began to make progress again (entirely due to God's generous forgiveness). 

10:6 Still, it was not easy for Ezra to release his sorrow. He fasted bread and water; likely he searched for clarity and for direction from God. It's difficult to be fully committed among people who are not. Ezra was not content for the people of the tribes to continually make and break and make their covenant with God. 

10:7-8 Only those who were willing to submit to God's commandments were welcomed. Each person was to gather in Jerusalem; whoever did not attend would lose their property, their portion, their inheritance from God. Similarly God invites us into the courtyard of His kingdom, if we neglect or reject the invite, we also reject our inheritance. We reject that invite by not living righteously.

10:9-11 It was a gathering heavy with rain and the weight of shame and regret. Ezra informed everyone gathered that they must change their lifestyles, repent and separate themselves from corruption. Upheaval of corruption from our own lives requires change, repentance and separation from things (and people) we desired to have that do us harm. It is an arduous process but it is necessary and ultimately beneficial.

10:12-15 The people were willing but acknowledged that it would be a long process of correction. Marriages needed to be nullified. Lifestyles across the land needed to be changed. 

10:16-17 Ezra and other leaders began the process case by case. 

We now have the benefit of working personally, directly, with our God; He hears our case (soul-to-soul), outlines the process of correction (guides along the way), and hands us magnanimous acquittance once we submit His word and will. We do ourselves a severe disservice when we do not access the tools a personal relationship with God provides. God is willing to help us make righteous adjustments to our lives, take Him up on the offer! 

10:18-44 A lengthy list of men who had taken idol-worshiping wives is listed. If they were to recommit to the word and will of God, it was necessary for them to cleanse their lifestyle. We cannot build strong, untainted faith if we do not filter out toxins: toxic relationships, desires, behaviors, thoughts, spoken words.

OT: The Book of Ezra, Chapter 9

Ezra 9:1-15

9:1-2 Ezra and the people of Judah (freed from captivity) arrived in Jerusalem in the previous chapter. God had designed and ordered their release; He provided them all they needed to succeed anew (permission, provision, protection). Foremost, He impressed upon them His will and word. So many times in scripture God simplified the equation of life for humanity, Deuteronomy 11:26-28.

“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.

Yet humanity has not followed the simple advice. In Deuteronomy 7:3-4, God explained that the people of the tribes of Israel were not to marry pagan people. He explained that association with people whose beliefs were in direct opposition to their own would corrupt their lifestyles and cause them to forfeit the blessing of God.

In the beginning of this ninth chapter of Ezra, the leaders approached him to deliver a devastating message: the people had begun to intermarry with the corrupt nations around them.

9:3-4 The news of the transgressions galvanized Ezra into despair, humiliation and finally, humble prayer. Ezra astonished that the people would so directly disobey God and so immediately after He had done so much for them. The people who had remained faithful to God joined Ezra in his sorrow. 

9:5 It took Ezra awhile to recover from his painful shock. Often, righteous children of God feel hurt and confused by the choices people make in the world. For children of God, the equation of life truly is simple and to see it so flippantly rejected does not compute. The people of Judah were expertly set up to survive and thrive and they threw it away to serve their temptation for people and lifestyles that were not good for them.

9:6 God had enabled them to climb so high and suddenly, Ezra felt they had fallen back to base level... perhaps below it. Ezra felt ashamed and humiliated to even open communication with God due to the ungrateful, disgraceful actions of the people. Even though Ezra felt ashamed to approach God after such blatant ingratitude, for Ezra, God was refuge. For His faithful children, God's presence is our home base. 

Ezra spoke to God from his heart: our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. It simply did not seem appropriate to approach our holy God from such a spirituality dirty place. 

9:7 Ezra pointed out that the people had been consistently undeserving of God's love and mercy. God generously provided chance after chance and many people just continued to waste the mercy bestowed upon them. The irony of the situation pained Ezra: finally, the children of Judah had been released from disciplinary captivity and with their freedom, they committed the exact same transgressions as before!

9:8-9 Ezra could not justify asking further forgiveness from God. He felt it was especially undeserved. God is so gracious, even though we each fall short of His glory, Romans 8:23. The remnant of Judah was small, enslaved, broken but God had remembered them and blessed them. 

And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

Except for God's love, they were insignificant. He loved them anyway; His love decided them significant. Ezra felt impossibly blessed, wholly undeserving but entirely grateful for the revival and light God gave to their lives. God provided them another blessed chance at a place in His kingdom and they squandered it away. 

9:10  Ezra was so ashamed he could not find words worthy of God. How could they disregard God and replace Him with idols? They rejected the basis of His entire philosophy by living lifestyles in opposition to it. They submitted to their corrupt temptations rather than to their righteous God.

9:11-12 Ezra remembered God's exact words of caution.

‘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 one end to another with their impurity. Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’

Ezra was a scribe for the word of God, he knew it well as he had dedicated his life to it. In Isaiah 43:26 we learn how beneficial it is for us to know the things God has promised. God supplies everything we need to maintain our freedom, blessing, and joy. In scripture, He also supplies us with everything we need to divinely-escape into freedom from temptation, fear, enemy, sin, condemnation. 

Put Me in remembrance;

Let us contend together;

State your case, that you may be acquitted.

Ezra knew the word of God and therefore he knew how specifically the people had gone against it. Yet because he knew the word of God, he would have known that though they were not deserving of God's magnanimity, they would receive it anyway if they opened repentant hands and hearts toward it. If they turned their hears, they would be acquitted. 

9:13-15 Ezra felt that God had already been lenient and magnanimous with them. He felt that they hadn't begun deserving and they were even further from deserving after the transgression. He could not bring himself to ask God for mercies he did not feel they had any right to receive. 

In our own present time, the same quandary persists. So persists the love and mercy of God. Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Know that Jesus makes intercession for you, claim that opportunity to be welcomed into the kingdom. The Kingdom is pristine and we have mud on our feet, we should not logically be allowed in. Our adherence to God's word and will is a cleansing as well as an invitation to the place we should most hope to belong. 

OT: The Book of Ezra, Chapter 8

Ezra 8:1-36

8:1-14 Ezra listen the names of the heads of the families who returned with him to Judah:

These are the heads of their fathers’ houses,and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes: of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush; of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and registered with him were one hundred and fifty males; of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; of the sons of Shechaniah, Ben-Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males;  of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males; of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males; of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males;  of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males; of the sons of Shelomith, Ben-Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males; of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah—and with them sixty males; also of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

 As individuals, we always want to be counted among the list of people who choose to return to God. More specifically, we should endeavor to be listed in the book of life. Revelation 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

The list of names written by Ezra comprise a body of people who rededicated themselves. They redirected their lives. In many cases, when we dedicate our lives it God, it requires an upheaval of the life that is familiar to us. Jesus explained to us that only those who lose their life will find life, Matthew 16:25; He meant that when we awaken spiritually, and commit to it, we become new. Our perspective as well as our directions changes. Our motivation and well as our inspiration changes. We are no longer ourselves but hosts of the spirit of God and pillars within His kingdom. We change from flesh to spirit, finite to infinite; selfish to selfless.

A covenant relationship with God requires more than acquiescence to function and strengthen. Even more, a relationship with God requires more than willingness. Indeed Jesus taught us that though our spirit may be strong and willing, our flesh is not so naturally inclined. Willingness and intention do not necessarily, enthusiastically bind with effort and steadfastness. We all fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. Yet with an awareness of our shortcomings and a grateful dependence on God, spirit prevails. Ezra listed the names of families who chose gratitude and dependence, because of that and despite their imperfection, there names were written. 

8:15-17 Ezra arranged for the temple to be filled with Levitical servants. God appointed the Levites over the temple in the book of Numbers. It became their responsibility to serve the kingdom of God as teachers and preservers of the faith. If Judah were to rebuild, it was imperative that people God had chosen, and taught to lead in accordance with His will, were at the center. 

8:18-20 Ezra began, ...by the good hand of our God upon us... He was so aware and thankful for God's presence and powerful design. What Judah required to reestablish itself, Ezra trusted God to provide. The temple required men of understand; people who could discern the will of God from the way of the world.

Judah was surrounded, as before, by peoples and kings and nations who had created their own systems. Judah had been influenced and corrupted by those systems. Without leaders who understood God's way, they would quickly be so crooked led again. 

8:21 Ezra proclaimed a fast at the river of Ahava. At the beginning of their journey, Ezra humbly accessed God. God offers His presence, power, provision and protection but do we access it? Ezra recognized that such blessing was available to him and the group and humbly accessed it. They needed direction for their precious crew and cargo. 

God does not just give us direction to the right destination. God gives us directions to reach every single blessed checkpoint along the way. 

8:22 Ezra was encumbered and embarrassed by the soldier escort the king had sent with them. He did not want anyone to think that God's people needed any protection other than God's own. Ezra wanted God's children to understand they they did not rely upon the amiability and generosity of the man king. Moreover, it was vital to Ezra that God knew He had their trust. 

Ezra explained to the king: “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” Something to take from the leaders and prophets of God: they had full confidence in what He had spoken to them. Most beautifully, they had complete confidence in what He had spoken to them in the face of danger and fear, captivity and death. 

The New Testament reiterates the same promise of God, Matthew 6:33. When we seek God, when we become a vessel for Him, a host of heaven, He fills us up. To the brim and beyond it, Psalm 23:5. Ezra trusted that God would fill every and all requires for protection and provision they would need on their journey. 

8:23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer. Ezra and his group were in alignment with what God had taught them: dependence on Him, a spirit of gratitude, the soul-deep posture of humility. Their prayer was answered because they listened to the instructions on how to most effectively deliver it. 

8:24-27 Ezra distributed the offerings of God to be dedicated by twelve of the leaders. We are each trusted with a precise and personalized portion of work for the kingdom.

8:28-30 Those who commit their lives to righteousness are holy to God, set apart. When we extract ourselves from the way of the world, the way of selfish living, we become set apart for divine purpose. We each, like the leaders in this chapter, willingly offer the gifts and blessings God has provided us back to Him, in service of His kingdom. 

The group assembled with Ezra's faithful leadership became prepared to enter into a new blessing from God. That is, they were focused on God's word, subservient of His will, dependent on His power and grateful for His mercy. Anytime we enter a new season or blessing of life, how we enter it will determine how we maintain and survive it. 

8:31-32 God protected the group from an ambush on the road. God's extraordinarily generous design protects us from what appear to be close calls; but because God is our unfailing leader, even danger that comes within a hairsbreadth is never really a threat to us at all. Ezra did not rely upon the prospect of calm waters, instead He relied upon the promise of God's deliverance through even storm.

8:33-34 The silver and gold to be dedicated to God were weighed. What we offer to God is weighed by Him, in a sense. What we offer must be sincere and wholehearted, Proverbs 27:21. 

8:35 Ezra identifies this group of the children of those who had been carried away captive; moreover, he describes them as the people who had came out of the captivity of the world to submit themselves to spirit, to God. God granted these people freedom after their parents squandered it away to corruption. They appropriately utilized their freedom for devotion to God. Such is always the way to keep it! 

8:36 Though the support of God was all that the people needed, God gave Judah the support of the people around them as well. God sets his children up to thrive. Ezra repeatedly uses the phrase God's hand was upon us/me and his trust and gratitude for that made all the difference in his life. 

OT: The Book of Ezra, Chapter 7

Ezra 7:1-28

7:1 The events of this seventh chapter of the Book of Ezra occurred sixty years after the events of chapter six. The events of the book of Esther took place between the periods of time. Ezra was the leader of the second return to Jerusalem (Zerubbabel led the first).

7:2-5 Ezra's genealogy reminds us of the person-to-person journey God makes with His children; his genealogy is written to provide evidence that he was born of a long line of people dedicated to teaching God's word, the priestly line (Aaron's family):  Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron.

The name meanings for each man in the family represent the concentric faith threaded through their genealogy for the benefit of God's children.

• Ezra: Help
• Seraiah: Jehovah is ruler (Son of Seraiah is a phrase which means Ezra's line of descent rather than his actual father.)
• Azariah: Jehovah has helped
• Hilkiah: My portion is Jehovah 
• Shallum: Retribution 
• Zadok: Righteous 
• Ahitub: My bother is good, goodness 
• Amariah: Jehovah speaks 
• Azariah: Jehovah has helped
• Meraioth: Rebellious 
• Zerahiah: Jehovah has risen 
• Uzzi: Strong
• Bukki: Wasting
• Abishua: My Father is Rescue (safety), or is opulence 
• Phinehas: Mouth of brass
• Eleazar: God is helper 
• Aaron: Light bringer 

7:6-7 Ezra came out of Babylon with God's word absorbed body and soul. He was skilled in the word of God and therefore quite able to preach it and solidify it in the lives of God's children. Ezra was allowed to leave Babylon with the king's permission, but the king's permission came by God's orchestration. 

God notices His children who are profoundly devoted to Him and He arranges for them to go up and out toward great purpose. In the verse, the phrase "according to the hand of the Lord his God upon Him" is used. Ezra had deep, studious faith and because of that, he was able to perceive God's presence within and surrounding his life. 

The Law of Moses simple refers to God's law which came from God through Moses in Exodus and Deuteronomy. 

7:8-9 Ezra began his journey out of Babylon in March-April. He reached Jerusalem in July-August in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. Ezra's journey was covered by God's good hand. We do not often perceive the amount of time and arduous effort within the lives of those in scripture, but even for them, life was a day-to-day spiritual journey. Ezra spent a lot of his life studying and learning and growing in God's word. The depth of his relationship with God was a day to day journey and he poured his time and effort and heart into it. Ezra had great purpose and there was a lot of work behind it. 

God's good hand is upon our lives as well, but we do not necessarily benefit from that until we understand it, believe it. Ezra cultivated a relationship with God and therefore the minor and major details of his life were in trusted alignment with God's design and direction.

7:10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statues and ordinances in Israel. Ezra dedicated his whole life and whole heart to learn from God, to obey God, and to spread His teachings. 

God placed His hand on Ezra's life because Ezra gave his life to God. In Matthew 16:25, Jesus told us that whoever loses their life for God's sake would gain their life. Ezra set aside worldly, selfish desires and submitted himself to God. He pursued the kingdom of God rather than personal interest, Matthew 6:33, and God blessed him with a purposeful, divinely-arranged life. 

When we hand our lives to God, we place our lives in His hand. God's hand is a haven, a fortress, the safest place we could ever be. 

7:11-12 King Artaxerxes wrote a letter to Ezra reestablishing Judah's right to return to their land. Although we individually are often unable to sway the minds of kinds and other authorities, God is able. Judah made a commitment to return to God and therefore God re-initiated His commitment to ensuring their freedom.  

7:13 Anyone of the tribes of Israel who wanted to return had the freedom to. Such is the way of faith; God does not force or restrict Himself from anyone. They had the right to return rather than a commandment to return. They had the freedom to return rather than a restriction from doing so. God is so generous to offer personal choice.

7:14-17 King Artaxerxes sent Judah back to Jerusalem with silver and God, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests. Judah returned to Jerusalem with offerings for God to express their gratitude and His greatness.

7:18-20 The people of Judah were finally freed from discipline to do according to the will of God. They had failed to adhere to the will of God and it cost them everything. God gives us commandments and instructions in order to align us with righteousness and His abundance love. It is prudent to follow the will of God because all things work for the good of those who love Him, Romans 8:28.

God provides; with His provision He has a purpose and plan for us. King Artaxerxes charged Judah to do with their excess what was in accordance with the will of God. God blesses us so that we have what we need to bless others, to let those blessings abound. When God provides abundantly, never waste the excess. Utilize what He gives to do more on behalf of righteous compassion.

7:21-23 Judah had been given the opportunity from God, through their captor, to work diligently at restoring their kingdom of faith. Our relationship with God is lifelong; it is also moment-by-moment presence and effort. To diligently listen and obey Him is to build a strong relationship, one that survives tempests and temptation, fear and doubt.

7:24 The spiritual teachers were freed from tax; God had always planned for the teachers of His faith to be wholly committed to the word. The most trusting and diligent teachers of God's word understand that when they devote themselves to the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God devotes itself to providing for them.

The disciples/apostles dedicated themselves to God's word. They were travelers, nomadic except for their spiritual residence with God. They had what they needed to sustain their body and spirit. They had God divined joy and purpose; because they had Him, they had their heart's desire. Children of God steadily learn that their relationship with Him outweighs any other desire they ever had.

7:25 Ezra was trusted to reestablish the spiritual and justice system of the kingdom. It is described that Ezra had God-given wisdom. Ezra received the gift of wisdom from God and he devoted that gift right back to the One who gave it. The most sincere thing we can do for God is to honor Him by utilizing the gifts He gives us for His purposes. When we live as instruments, vessels, conduits of His hand, spirit and energy, we make ourselves not only meaningful but impactful. 

7:26 Judah needed to prepare itself to eliminate people and ideas which were contradictory to the lifestyle they were rebuilding in Jerusalem. They had been led astray before by corruption; they could not afford to tolerate it or give into its temptation. Neither can we. Our lives depend on our ability to mute, destabilize and destroy corruption around and within us.

7:27-28 Ezra knew that the multitude of blessings had come directly, powerfully from God:  Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes.

We beautify the house of the Lord (which is within us, 1 Corinthians 3:16) when we live righteously. The gold and silver and beauty of our time is love and justice, wisdom and righteousness, faith, hope and joy, friendship, laughter, patience, forgiveness.

So much of life is about perspective. Ezra had the perspective to realize the opportunities God made for him. Most importantly, Ezra had the faith take on those opportunities with courage. Ezra had a daunting task ahead of him. Great responsibility often conjures fear but because of God's presence in his life, Ezra was encouraged.

Ezra was a capable leader because he himself chose to be led by God. It was not such a daunting task to lead a kingdom when the King was leading the way. King of Kings, our God. The same applies to our lives: we do not have to fear the walk if we choose to be led by God, who goes before us to prepare all things for our benefit, John 14:3; Deuteronomy 31:8.

OT: The Book of Ezra, Chapter 6

Ezra 6:1-22

6:1-2 The people of Judah were accused of building the temple without permission. In response to the accusations, they encouraged King Darius to search for the very proof of their granted permission in Babylon. 

6:1-5 King Darius ordered a search for the document and found that they people of Judah had made a truthful claim: King Cyrus had issued the decree for Judah to return to its kingdom to rebuild. In fact, king Cyrus gave very generous permission. He allowed Judah to return the treasures of the house of the Lord back to Jerusalem. 

6:6-7 Moreover, the people of Judah were to be left in peace to rebuild. If Judah had written the decree themselves it might not have supported them as well! God wields the details to provide us what we need.

6:8-10 God's blessings always exceed our expectations. The people of Judah were freed from captivity, allowed to return home, allowed to rebuild their home, allowed to restore their home with former treasures, allowed to be left in peace and were compensated for their work at the king's own expense! Whatever they needed to restore their home, they were permitted to have it. 

When we build a life with God, a temple for Him within us, He provides ample material and the best conditions for us to do so. 

6:11-12 To ensure that Judah would be allowed to rebuild, the decree had a clause which threatened anyone who went against the decree. Death and destruction awaited anyone who thwarted Judah's progress.

6:13-14 The decree silenced and stilled Judah's enemies. So Judah built and they began to thrive. Through repentance and discipline, faith and determination, Judah began to breathe in freedom again. Stand with strength and dignity again. As individual's, the same process done with God delivers us into freedom, strength, clarity and blessing. 

6:15 When the temple was finished, Judah celebrated. The arduous journey of faith culminated into something beautiful. Our relationship with God is beautiful and eternal, entirely worth the work of a righteous life on earth. 

6:16-17 All of Judah celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. A child of God is at all times within His holy residence. Even in difficult times, we can find joy in the residence of our God. Joy in the fact that He is present and powerful, arching over us in all directions. 

6:17 Judah made offerings and sacrifices to God; they dedicated the best of what they had to God. It was symbolic: their offerings spoke of His worthiness and their gratitude. Offerings and sacrifices in our day look differently than they used to. We do not offer animals, we offer empathy. We offer our attention to His word. We sacrifice time and give it to Him to do with us what He wants to. We sacrifice selfish desire for a humble lifestyle. 

No matter what we give to God, He utilizes it constructively. He grows it. Blesses it. Lightens it. Strengthens it. Colors it. Yet we must learn to live lifestyles of offering and sacrifice for that to happen. We have to trust Him with the best of what we have.

6:18 The people of Judah began to organize. In the days of Moses, God charged the priests and Levites to teach and keep the faith of the people. They had just left captivity. Their faith was fresh and new but also fragile; they needed a system in place to cultivate and grow their relationship with God to avoid repeating past mistakes. 

Even we require order and dedication to maintain and grow our relationship with God. They decided on their priorities and made them the foundation and system of their lives.

6:19-20 Judah reintroduced the traditions of their ancestors: celebrations of God graciousness in their history. God kept retrieving them from the pits they repeatedly, stubbornly, wickedly insisted on walking themselves into. 

6:21 The people who had made personal, lifestyle choices to separate from corruption came together to seek the Lord. Ultimately, that is what every child of God is constantly, consistently doing: seeking God in all things. We seek His presence, His counsel, His comfort, His direction, protection, provision... our physical, emotional and spiritual lives are all a focused effort to be closer to and more like Him. 

6:22 God blesses such sincere dedication. God intricately turns situations and people and events into our favor. Our God is fiercely compassionate. We are not subject to the world. He moves what for us is immovable. He makes impossible, not just possible but certain. If not for God, Judah would not have been freed. They would not have been allowed to return to and rebuild their home. They would not be protected by a decree of peace from their former captor! 

It's special to study the moments when God's people come into blessing; but we cannot forget the journey that occurred beforehand. They had to learn and grow and fail and experience some ugly elements of life before they reached a point that was undeniably beautiful. They had rejected God, opposed Him, nearly lost Him, lost everything else: their home, themselves, their freedom. But they learned from all of that loss and regression and destruction. They allowed God to teach them and lead them. We are so blessed that He offers to do so! 

Graciously, God sees beauty in us during every part of our journey, the ugly and arduous, the beautiful and easy. To some degree, we must also see the beauty in every part of our journey. Each season of life possesses crucial material to be learned from. Know that our lives always culminate in beauty and grace when we dedicate them to God. Dedication is an arduous journey but a beautiful one. 

OT: The Book of Ezra, Chapter 5

Ezra 5:1-17

5:1-2 God is present with us in every moment of our lives; the moment He makes His presence apparent is always a stunning one. Judah's progress on the temple had been thwarted by their enemies and halted by the king. God sent two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, to encourage and help Zerubbabel and Jeshua to resume their work on the temple of God. The prophets did not arrive with orders to dictate or scold. The were sent to help. No matter our place in the kingdom of God, prophet or not, Son or not, we are fellow workers with God. Our mission is God's mission: to make life better and good. To help. To help build.

As a side note: it's important to remember that all positions of leadership in scripture require humility and work ethic. The prophets are amazing to read about not because they have been chosen by God, because we all have been chosen by Him. The prophets are amazing and special because once chosen, they diligently obeyed. 

Jesus also promised to arrange God's help in our lives as well, John 14:16. Whenever we are righteously living, behaving, conversing, interacting, speaking, or thinking, we are doing work on the temple of God. Whenever we are working on the temple of God, which we now know to be within us, God will send the help we need to start, resume, continue our righteous work. All we need is the faith to receive it. 

5:3-10 Judah had resumed work on the temple and their adversaries resumed their work of torment as well. Faith builds patience and resilience and trust within us for a reason. Since neither enemy nor adversity will rest, neither should our faith. Judah's enemies want to know Who gave them permission to build the temple and finish the wall. As children of God, we are quite aware of Who has given us permission to build and grow and love and thrive. But as our enemies, fears and tribulations do not recognize God the way that we do, they often press us to validate ourselves.

5:11-16 We could crumble under the pressure because of fear or self-consciousness or we could declare the truth, aloud and within us.  God has granted permission. Judah had been given permission to rebuild, it was orchestrated by God. King Cyrus had issued a decree allowing, encouraging, the children of Judah to return home after captivity to rebuild.

Time had passed. Rulers had changed. Decrees had been forgotten. Builders had been challenged. Adversaries had thwarted. But through it all, God remained steadfast and steadily, progress on the temple was made. It's a metaphor for life: Despite change and tribulation, the fickleness and fear within humanity, God's mission pushes forward. If our faith keeps us tethered to Him, we are part of the progressive trajectory. 

5:17 They had permission and it was conveniently (but not coincidentally) located in the king's own house. It is always extraordinary to experience how simply yet powerfully God orchestrates our victory. 

OT: The Book of Ezra, Chapter 4

Ezra 4:1-24

4:1-2 The people of Judah and Benjamin began to rebuild the temple. The establishment that would not only represent their faith but would also host it. We are now the host of the temple (verse) and like the people in Ezra's day, we have to be careful when choosing the material and labor for it. People of a different, false god offered to help rebuild the temple. Yet it was people with idolatrous beliefs who ruined the temple in the first place. Scripture uses the term adversary to describe the people offering to help. They had a contrary lifestyle and thus it was unrighteous. 

4:3 Wisely, Zerubbabel refused the "help" from the adversaries. The rebuilding of the temple would be done by faithful children of God and without any additional labor. When you create something, within yourself or in the world, God wants you to do it with righteous help alone. Though Judah had a monumental task ahead of them, they were not tempted to accept help from the wrong sources.

Zerubbabel means born in Babel. He was born in captivity but God ensured that he would not stay there. No matter where we start or land, God will always lead us into the place He designed for us to be.

4:4-5 The adversaries did not make it easy for Judah. They tormented them with discouragement and trouble. They frustrated their purpose and made cases for their failure. Such is the work of an adversary. Through scripture, God makes us aware of adversity's efforts against us in order that we learn not to be persuaded or thwarted by them. That is why it is imperative that we learn to recognize that fear and frustration cause us to doubt purpose God has already confirmed.

Had Judah given up, their freedom from seventy years of captivity would have been short and wasted. When God releases us from a situation, a physical or emotional state, we must recognize the opportunity and hold onto it with faith. There are many factors in the world that could crush our efforts before they even bloom. We must learn to understand those those worldly factors are powerless when we declare God's power over our lives.

4:6-16 A new king came into power and Judah's enemies seized an opportunity to halt the construction of the temple. Judah had to hold firm to their faith, fight for it. King Artaxerxes listened to the false claims without any investigation. Setbacks, perhaps especially at the onset of a season or project we begin, have the power to stifle our faith if we let them. If Judah wanted a relationship with God, they had to steadfastly pursue it.

4:17-24 With the king's (misguided) permission Judah's adversaries rushed in to stop construction. Artaxerxes listened to the false claims out of fear of losing money and power. He sided with self-interest rather than justice; but if the children of God were willing to trust Him, the termination of the project would be a blip, a pause, and most of all: an instructive lesson in strength of faith. 

OT: The Book of Ezra, Chapter 3

Ezra 3:1-13

3:1 Jeshua and Zerubbabel and their cohorts began to restore worship. We sometimes find ourselves at a point in life where it is time to build, or even rebuild. Faith is steadily grown after we make a commitment to God, to the righteous lifestyle He has taught us to construct. The people of Judah had returned home but it was not the land but God that housed them. Any place we are in, emotional, figurative, or literal is a space of desolation if it is without our relationship with God. It was time for Judah to build their home and they began with the restoration of worship. 

Worship is an imperative element of our relationship with God. The act at once celebrates and appreciates Him. It reiterates His goodness and expresses awe and gratitude. 

3:2-7 Every healthy relationship is mutual. God had already provided so much for Judah. Finally, they began to offer again to Him. Corruption and idolatry turned them away from God, from offering themselves as hosts of His temple and agents of His righteousness. Though animal sacrifice is now defunct, Isaiah 1:11, the people of Judah reinstated a practice which restored the reciprocal nature of their covenant with God. By giving and offering their best, they trusted Him with it. They expressed that He was deserving of it.

In our own generation, offering to God looks different but the meaning of the practice is the same. Our patience and generosity is an offering to God; our willingness to do and be better is an offering to God; our time and focused attention is an offering to God. When we sacrifice our self-focused activities and donate our precious time to learning His word, helping His children, worshiping Him, we make offerings to God.

3:8-10 With their priorities in place, that is: with their faith above everything else, the restoration of the temple began. In the New Testament, we learn to we host the temple of God within us, 1 Corinthians 6:19. We truly begin construction once we've cleared the land, our hearts, through worship and obedience. Once we have laid the appropriate foundation and on the right ground, Luke 8:8, God begins to build something extraordinary within us. 

3:11 As the work progressed, they praised God. As we develop and evolve in steadfast faith and righteous character, the praise of God cements our work. Praise keeps us adhered to Him, for it is in an open and raw state that we are closest to God. They praised God for His enduring mercy and rightly so, He had pulled them up out of a grave of immorality and death and into a new season. He gave them a new chance, a new life, a new hope... one they had not earned or deserved. And God does it again, and again, and again.

3:12-13 The young people were filled with joy. The older ones remembered the entire, bittersweet journey and it caused mixed emotions. They had gone so far from God and He had traveled so far to get them back. Staring at the new foundation, they could not help but to remember the former and how it was wasted. Neglected. Rejected. Opposed. Discarded. 

The lesson, the joy and pain of the journey was starkly apparent to them. So rarely do people understand the entire scope, the whole picture. The elders of Judah saw the senselessness of idolatry, selfishness, and corruption. They understood that while peace was freely given, it was not arduously maintained and therefore the kingdom crumbled. 

Maintain the blessings; be a conscientious student of God; arduous work to uphold justice; express compassion; cherish the wisdom and discipline of God, be obedient to it. Your kingdom will never crumble.

OT: The Book of Ezra, Chapter 2

Ezra 2:1-70

2:1-67 Almost 45,000 people returned to the kingdom of Judah. After a time of discipline, repentance and learning, God opens the door for us to walk into new, or former spaces. With fresh perspective, renewed appreciation and a whole arsenal of faith and wisdom grown from the season of discipline, we become better able to maintain our blessings. 

God's intervention always stems from love and restoration. His work prepares and equips us to have joy and keep it. Our lifestyle must be able to house and support our blessings otherwise they slip out of our hands. Judah had lost theirs but God determined it was time for them to rebuild. 

2:68-70 The elders of the houses began, with what they had, to gather money to restore the House of the Lord. They did not have much and they were only newly freed but their priorities were righted. They acknowledged and served their Sole Provider. As children of God, the quality of our lives depends on how deeply our roots are embedded in faith, in God, our source of life and every good element of it.  

God calls for our obedience because the more precisely we follow His instruction, the precisely we can be blessed. God does not force His authority or boast it out of selfish or arrogant motivation. He utilizes the trust we put in Him, in His way, to do amazing things in and with our lives.