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.