Ezra 6:22 "With great joy they celebrated the Feast of Unraised Bread for seven days. God had plunged them into a sea of joy (the biblical ax had splintered and shattered the frozen sea). HE had changed the mind of the king of Assyria to back them in rebuilding The Temple of God, the God of Israel." They had waited patiently on God, not on any man, both in captivity and now for more than 15 years. Ezra 7:1 says: "After all this, Ezra." Ezra 7: 6 - He arrived from Babylon, a scholar well-practiced in the Revelation of Moses that the God of Israel had given. Just at the right moment in time. You never know what you are preparing for. Because God's hand was on Ezra, the king gave him everything he asked for. Ezra had committed himself to
studying the Revelation of God, to
living it, and to
teaching Israel to live its truths and ways.
Ezra's response: Ezra 7: 27,28 - "Blessed be God, the God-of-Our-Fathers, who put it in the mind of the king to beautify The Temple of God in Jerusalem! Not only that, he caused the king and all his advisors and influential officials actually to like me and back me. My God was on my side and I was ready to go. God did something for me today to show me that HE was on my side and I never expected it. Am I living like I am ready to go? God is doing more than I can see this day. I just want that biblical ax to fall hard on my own frozen sea. Thaw, o my soul, under the Intense Heat of His Gaze.
How courageous it was for them to plead to continue building the temple!
ReplyDeleteIf you've ever experienced captivity, you know you don't want to go back there!!
These people could have stopped building the temple and let King Darius know that they would obey his order. Just to keep from offending him and going back under captivity.
But they pled to continue building by telling the king about the reason why Cyrus allowed the building to take place.
And the scroll was found! Proving what the Israelites said about the temple.
I love how Ezra is introduced here.
Why, of course God was already in this detail for them! A man learned in the revelation of Moses suddenly appears. Right on time.
Plan A continues.
How can I be a part of Your Plan A, my brilliant Jesus? May my focus continue to be rebuilding the temple of my heart for You to dwell in, Lord. Even when confronted with old enemies like bad habits. Or confronted with a risk...a fear of going back to a time of suffering when deserted by God.. Let me keep my focus on the thing God is calling me to do. He provides.
May God give us victory over old enemies and threats of desertion by God.