The Tables Are Turned.

Esther 9-10

“Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted to crush and destroy them on the date determined by casting lots (the lots were called purim). But when Esther came before the king, he issued a decree causing Haman’s evil plot to backfire, and Haman and his sons were impaled on a sharpened pole. That is why this celebration is called Purim, because it is the ancient word for casting lots." – Esther 9:24-26 NLT

Haman, the enemy of the Jews was dead. But the royal decree he had convinced King Xerxes to implement was irreversible. So on March 7, the edict became official.That was the day that Haman had set aside for every Jew in the land of Persia to be killed. But because of the efforts of Mordecai and Esther, another royal decree had been issued, giving the Jews permission to defend themselves against any and all who would try to harm them. So when March 7 came, the Jews went on the offensive. They "struck down their enemies with the sword. They killed and annihilated their enemies and did as they pleased with those who hated them" (Esther 9:5 NLT). Across the country of Persia, they killed hundreds of their enemies, including the ten sons of Haman. No one could stand against them because they were afraid of them. And as a result of this unlikely victory, the Jews instituted an annual festival called the Feast of Purim This day was set aside each year as a memorial and a celebration of God's deliverance of them from their enemies.

God had used two unknown individuals, Mordecai and his adopted niece, Esther, to help save an entire race of people from complete annihilation. He had orchestrated the whole affair long before either Mordecai or Esther were even deported to Babylon. God knew what was going to happen and who He would use to bring about His divine plan for protecting His people. These two individuals were instruments in His hands, faithfully answering His call when He needed them. Both did their part. They stepped up and risked their own well-being and comfort in order to be used by God to accomplish His will for His people. They could have easily come up with excuses or hidden their heads in the sand, ignoring what was going on around them. But instead, they recognized that they were uniquely positioned by God to make a difference. They understood that the events surrounding their lives were not just happenstance or luck, but were part of a divine appointment scheduled from the very throne room of God.

Even after these events passed, Mordecai and Esther continued to use their positions for the good of the people. We're told that Mordecai became the second-highest ranking official in the kingdom. "Mordecai the Jew become the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants" (Esther 10:3 NLT). This man rose from obscurity to power, but never seemed to lose sight of the fact that his position was God-ordained, not earned. He was where he was by the sovereign will of God, not because he was special. Rather than use his position for his own benefit and to see it as an excuse for self-centeredness, he chose to use it as a platform for good. What if each of us saw our role here on this planet from the same perspective? What if we understood that we are here for a reason greater than our own good or our own personal profit? Paul reminds us, "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). We have been placed on this planet for a reason. We have been redeemed by the blood of Christ for a reason. We remain on this earth after salvation for a reason. God has a job for each of us to do and He has uniquely positioned us to make a difference for His kingdom. May we have the same attitude that Mordecai, Esther, Paul, Joseph, Daniel and so many other saints of the past had. We were born for just such a time as this!

Father, as believers we should never wonder what our purpose in life is all about. We have so much to do for You. We have so many opportunities every day to accomplish great things for You as You reveal situations and circumstances in which we can step in and make a difference. Open our eyes and help us see Your agenda instead of ours. Forgive us for our self-focus and self-centeredness. Let us see what You are doing behind the scenes and step alongside Your work. Give us an eternal perspective that is bigger than us. Thank You for the story of Mordecai and Esther, but also for the reminder that it is always You who are working behind the scenes to accomplish the impossible in the lives of men. Amen

You Can't Make This Stuff Up.

Esther 6-8

“The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere. In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them." – Esther 8:16-17 NLT

The wicked Haman has plotted to annihilate all the Jews living in Persia. He has convinced the king to issue a decree declaring a day on which every man, woman and child of Hebrew heritage will be killed. Mordecai informs Queen Esther of the plan and encourages her to do whatever she can to help stop it. Esther, knowing the risks to her own life, agrees to go before the king, even though it means she must reveal to him for the first time that she too is a Jew.

In the meantime, the king has insomnia one night and in an attempt to make himself drowsy, has his attendants read to him out of a book containing the history of his reign. While doing so, they happen to read how Mordecai foils an attempted assassination plot on the king. When Xerxes discovers that nothing had been done for Mordecai, he decides to ask Haman for advice. When the king asks Haman, "What should I do to honor the man who truly pleases me?" (Esther 6:6 NLT), Haman mistakenly thinks the king wants to honor him. So he comes up with the perfect idea. "…he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head. Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king’s robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’" (Esther 6:8-9 NLT). The king loves Haman's idea and instructs him to put it immediately into effect, commanding him to do everything he suggested – for Mordecai – Haman's enemy! As a result, Haman is humiliated.

But wait, it gets worse for Haman. He is invited back to the palace for a second banquet hosted by Esther for he and the king. This time Esther reveals Haman's plot and that her own life is at risk because she too is a Jew. The king leaves the room in a rage, only to walk back in and see Haman begging Queen Esther to spare his life. To the king it appears as if Haman is accosting the queen right there in the royal palace. This seals Haman's doom and he is impaled on the very pole he had had erected in his own courtyard and on which he had planned to murder Mordecai. His property is given to Queen Esther and the king's signet ring, which Haman had worn, is given to Mordecai. And in an attempt to reverse the decree that Haman had convinced King Xerxes to sign, the king gives Mordecai the power and authority to write a new decree giving the Jews permission to defend themselves against anyone who might try to harm them. This second decree is sent throughout the land and the impact of it is significant. The people of Persia not only decide to leave the Jews alone, but many of them convert to Judaism out of fear for what the Jews might do to them.

What had been planned as a plot to destroy the people of God had been used by God to bless them. He had taken the plans of men and used them for His own glory and His peoples' own good. Haman was no match for God. And Mordecai and Esther were uniquely and divinely positioned to be used by God to accomplish His will on behalf of His people living in the midst of a pagan nation. This story, like all the others in the Bible, is not really about Esther or Mordecai. It is about God. To a Jew reading this historical event, the presence and power of God would have been readily apparent. His hand is all over this story. It was God who planned for Mordecai and his adopted niece to end up as exiles in Babylon. It was God who had arranged for Mordecai to adopt Esther when her parents had died. It was God who predetermined that Esther would become queen. It was God who orchestrated Mordecai's job working as a gatekeeper at the palace. Every step along the way, God was working behind the scenes, using unlikely individuals like Esther and Mordecai, and ungodly individuals like Haman and Xerxes, to accomplish His divine will. Our God is in control.

Father, why do we doubt You? You have proven over and over again Your ability to control circumstances and accomplish Your will in the face of the greatest challenges and odds. Sometimes we have a hard time seeing Your hand at work. The situation can look dire and the prospects bleak, but we need to continue to remind ourselves that You are not done yet. And we need to remember that You have chosen to work through people like us. So help us to see what it is that You might want us to do to make a difference. Never let us lose hope. It is never too difficult or too late for You to work. Amen

For Such A Time As This.

Esther 4-5

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" – Esther 4:14 NLT

Through a series of strange, yet sovereign circumstances, Esther, the young Jewish girl, has become queen of one the most powerful nations in the world. What could easily appear as luck or fate was actually the hand of Almighty God. This dramatic change in the circumstances of this young woman's life had not just happened, but had been orchestrated by God. As you read the account of Esther, you can't help but be reminded that God is always working behind the scenes in ways that we often overlook or simply cannot see. As Esther was adapting herself to her new role as Queen, her uncle Mordecai was performing his new job on the royal payroll as a gatekeeper. Both of these people were now in positions where God was going to use them to do something incredibly significant for Him.

After learning that Haman had convinced the king to issue a royal decree to have all the Jews living in the land summarily executed on the same day, Mordecai went into a time of mourning and fasting. As the news spread across the nation, mourning broke out among the people of God. This was devastating news and they were powerless to stop it. Mordecai's mourning and presence just outside the palace gates seemed to have been an embarrassment to Esther. The king was still unaware of her Jewish heritage and I am sure she feared that Mordecai's presence and the appearance of her uncle walking around in burlap just outside the palace gates was going to let her secret out of the bag. So she sent Mordecai a change of clothes in the hopes that he might break his fast and stop his mourning. But he refused. Instead, he asked her to go before the king and beg for mercy for the people of Israel. This posed two serious problems for Esther. First, she would have to admit to being a Jew. This was a huge risk for her. She would also have to come before the king uninvited, which could end in her death. But Mordecai sent her a sobering message and a reminder: "Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed" (Esther 4:13 NLT). Her position as queen would not guarantee her safety once the decree went into affect. The law required that every single Hebrew man, woman and child would be killed on the same day – no questions asked, no mercy given Mordecai went on to remind Esther that if she chose to remain silent and do nothing, God would simply raise up someone else to do His will. Mordecai knew that her refusal to get involved would not prevent God from rescuing His people, but he also seemed to know that God had placed her where she was for a reason. He believed she had a divine appointment, a God-given responsibility to use her new position as queen to intercede on behalf of the people of God. He told her, "Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14b NLT).

There is a certain sense in which Mordecai or Esther could not know conclusively if God had placed Esther in her role as queen specifically for the purpose of saving the people of Israel. God had not spoken to either one of them. Mordecai had not received a direct word from God. But Mordecai knew that it would be wrong for her to refuse to use her position as queen on behalf of the people. She had to do what she could do. She was uniquely positioned to make a potentially life-saving impact on an entire nation. Mordecai seemed to understand that our existence here on this planet is not just to seek our own self-interest and to preserve our own safety and security. God had us here for a greater purpose. He wants to use us for His purposes. He wants us to make a difference in the world in which we live. Esther could have just refused to do anything and just let someone else do something about this problem. She could have just assumed that God would use someone else – someone better qualified and better suited to be a savior. But Mordecai convinced her that she couldn't sit back and do nothing. She had to act, even at great risk to her own life. Her final words to Mordecai reveal her determination to do whatever she had to do to make a difference. "And then, though is is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die" (Esther 4:16b NLT).

Have you ever stopped to think about why you are here on this planet? Do you ever consider that there might be a more significant reason you live where you live, work where you work, are married to whom you are married, and have the children you do? Is there a chance that God has positioned you for something greater than simply making a living? Who knows if perhaps you are here for just such a time as this?

Father, give us an eternal perspective. Give us the ability to see the bigger picture and not just focus on our everyday roles. Never let us think that we are here just for our own satisfaction. You have bigger plans in store. You want to use us to make a difference in this world. Give us boldness and a willingness to be used by You, even if it is risky and we don't feel qualified. You have placed us right where we are for reasons that we might not know right now. Help us to see what You see and do what You have uniquely positioned us to do. Amen

Meanwhile, Back In Babylon.

Esther 1-3

“Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them." – Esther 3:13 NLT

Not every Jew returned to the Land of Promise with Zechariah and Zerubbabel. In fact, only a small portion of the Jews living in exile were part of those who decided to return. That left tens of thousands of Jews still living in captivity, now under the rule of Xerxes, the king of the Persians, who had defeated the Babylonians. The story of Esther is the story of God's dealings with those who remained in exile. He had not forgotten about them. While He was busy assisting Zechariah and those who had returned to Jerusalem with the restoration of the Temple and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, He had not taken His eyes off of those who had been left behind. These first three chapters set the stage for a dramatic confrontation between God and the enemies of the Jews. It is a snap shot of what has been going on for centuries and reflects the intense hatred for God's chosen people that has manifested itself in a variety of ways since the day God called Abram out of Ur and promised to multiply his seed and make them into a great nation.

The book of Esther is all about the sovereignty of God, yet it reflects the remarkable fact that He chooses to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. The main heroine of the story is Esther, for whom the book is named. Esther is a young Jewish orphan living in Babylon with her uncle, Mordecai, who had adopted her after the death of her parents. In a bizarre act of fate, Esther is chosen to join in what was, for all intents and purposes, a beauty pageant. King Xerxes had banished his queen for having refused to do what he commanded her to do. King Xerxes was a powerful man who was accustomed to getting what he wanted. He was wealthy and prone to excess. He was a hedonist, who loved the finer things in life and enjoyed displaying his power and possessions any chance he could get. After banishing the queen, he set about looking for her replacement by having all the beautiful, young virgins in the land brought to his palace where they were subjected to a six-month "makeover." Esther was one of these young women. So the story begins. A young, obscure Jewish girl suddenly finds herself living in the palace of the king. Is it luck, or the sovereign hand of God? That's the point of the whole story.

This entire book is written to the people of God to remind them of the sovereign, protective power of God. He is ALWAYS in control. He is ALWAYS working behind the scenes in ways we can't see or even imagine. In a miraculous turn of events, Esther passes her "audition" and is crowned the new queen by Xerxes. She went from orphan to concubine to queen in record time. Meanwhile, her uncle Mordecai had scored a job on the palace staff as a gatekeeper. One day, while on duty, he overhears two men plotting to assassinate the king. He reveals this news to Esther, who tells the king. And all we're told is that this act is recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes' Reign. Enter Haman, the second-most-powerful man in the kingdom. He is a megalomaniac who ends up with a hatred for Mordecai because he will not bow down and worship him. So in a fit or rage, he convinces the king to sign a decree setting a date one year into the future when every single Jew living in the land will be executed – on a single day. Where did this come from? How did the simple slight of a single man turn into a plan to annihilate an entire race of people?

So the stage is set. The young Jewish girl, Esther is the new queen. Her uncle Mordecai finds employment at the palace where he has a run-in with Haman, the most powerful official in the kingdom. King Xerxes signs a decree, giving Haman the power and the resources to pull off his plan to kill every single Jewish man, woman, and child living in the land of Babylon. What's going to happen? How will this story end? And where is God in all of this? It is interesting to note that God is not referred to in the entire book. That fact caused many in the early days of the church to question whether it should be included in the canon of Scripture. But I think the absence of God's name is purposeful. While we do not see His name in the book, we see His hands all over the events taking place in the story. We don't have to see His name to recognize His handiwork. We don't need to be told who it is that is causing these things to happen. It's God. No one else could orchestrate a plot like this in order to accomplish His will. Things are looking bleak. The situation looks completely out of control. But wait. God's not done yet.

Father, I shouldn't have to be told that You are working. I should simply see it and intuitively know it. Your name is written on every second of every single day of human history. You are silently, yet sovereignly working Your divine plan to perfection. You know the ending of the story. You know how all things are going to turn out. Nothing is a mystery to You. So while the king and Haman sat down to drink, You were busy putting Your plan into action. Amen

Ken Miller Grow Pastor & Minister to Men kenm@christchapelbc.org

On That Day!

Zechariah 12-14

“And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord – his name alone will be worshiped." – Zechariah 14:9 NLT

Zechariah and his fellow returned exiles are sitting in Jerusalem, staring at an unfinished Temple and a city with walls still in need of repair. Everything looks bleak and overwhelming to them, but God knows how this story ends. Not only had He read the last chapter, He wrote it. He is not concerned or worried about how things are going to turn out, because He has already foreordained the ending, and now He reveals it to Zechariah. In a wave of imagery, God tells Zechariah exactly how things are going to turn out in the end – "On that day." Zechariah gets the fantastic news that a day is coming when God will restore the fortunes of Israel, not back to what they were in the days of Solomon or David, but to what they should have been all along. The defining moment is the return of Christ – His second coming. "On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south" (Zechariah 14:4 NLT).

When Christ returns, it is not going to be like the first time He came. His initial arrival on earth was wrapped in secrecy and insignificance. He came as an innocent, helpless baby born to an obscure couple from a backwater town. His first coming went unnoticed by most of the world, but that won't be the case when He returns. When His feet hit the Mount of Olives, it will split in two. Christ is coming, "and all his holy ones with him" (Zechariah 14:5 NLT). He will come as a warrior and He will wage war against the enemies of God one last time. And He will be victorious. The result will be that all nations of the earth will end up worshiping the God of Israel. The Israelites, their eyes opened by the Spirit of God, will finally recognize Jesus as their Messiah and mourn over their rejection of Him the first time He came. But this story has a happy ending. In fact, it has a holy ending. The last few verses of the book of Zechariah paint a picture that is hard for us to imagine. Christ is on His throne. The enemies of God have been destroyed. The world is at peace and the people of the world are worshiping the one true God. And in the end, everything and everyone is set apart or holy to the Lord – once and for all. "On that day even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words, HOLY TO THE LORD. And the cooking pots in the Temple of the Lord will be as sacred as the basins used beside the altar" (Zechariah 14:20 NLT). There will no longer be a division between that which is sacred or holy and those things that are not. ALL will be holy and completely set apart for God's use. There will no longer be lost and saved, believer and unbeliever. All will believe. All will be His. All will worship the Lord. All will be holy. Today, God is setting apart, making holy, a people for Himself. We are a remnant, just a portion. We live in a world that is living apart from God, refusing to acknowledge Him as God. Like Zechariah in his day, we are a minority surrounded by the enemy. We have been set apart by God for His use, but our numbers are few when compared with those of the enemy. The future can sometimes look bleak and overwhelming. It can appear as if we aren't making any difference. It can feel like our efforts are futile and worthless. But God reminds us that the day is coming when He will make ALL THINGS holy. He will make ALL THINGS His. He will restore the world to the original splendor and glory that it had before the fall – before sin entered the scene. He will reestablish shalom – peace, order, unity, wholeness to the world. And we can rest in the fact that this promise is from the one "who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit" (Zechariah 12:1 NLT). It will all happen just as He said it would.

Father, keep my attention focused on the ending. Don't let me lose heart because things don't appear to be going well. Remind me regularly that You have already worked out the ending and there is no need for me to worry or fret. The day is coming when all will be holy to the Lord. Help me live like that even today. Amen

Looks Can Be Deceiving.

Zechariah 8-11

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies." – Zechariah 8:6 NLT

God is telling Zechariah incredible news regarding Israel's future. He is describing a time in the future when Israel will not only be restored, Jerusalem rebuilt and the Temple completed, but the people of Israel will be abundant, filling the land and once again serving Him. Things will be radically different. Instead of punishing His people as He had done in the past, God will bless them abundantly and restore them to favor. This all had to be hard for Zechariah to comprehend as he looked around at a partially completed foundation on the Temple, the incomplete walls of the city of Jerusalem, and the demoralized remnant who were struggling with the task God had given them due to the opposition that faced them. And God knew what Zechariah was thinking. So He tells Zechariah, "All this may seem impossible to you now." It's as if God is saying, "I know this doesn't look so good right now, but don't judge Me based on what you see." But isn't that what we do? We take a look at our current circumstances and make sweeping judgments regarding everything from God's faithfulness and presence to His love and power. If things are not going too well for us, we automatically assume that God is either angry with us or oblivious to us. He is upset and punishing us or out of touch and ignorant of us. We pray and He doesn't answer us in the way we believe He should, so we conclude that He is not hearing us or is simply refusing to do what we've asked Him to do. Our view of life begins to influence our view of God, when it should really be the other way around. God tells Zechariah, "I know this all seems impossible to you right now. After all, there's just a handful of you and the job is far from complete. BUT THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU!"

The point of it all is that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD. He knew what was going on. He was well aware of the situation. He was not surprised by what was taking place down in Jerusalem. He had a full grasp of the facts regarding the status of the Temple, the presence of opposition, the size of the work force and the condition of their hearts. Which is why He took so much time to tell Zechariah His full plans for their future. Then He simply said, "Be strong and finish the task!" (Zechariah 8:9 NLT). "So don't be afraid. Be strong, and get on with rebuilding the Temple" (Zechariah 8:13 NLT). This wasn't about their strength and ability to get things, but about their faith and trust in a God who could do ANYTHING. They just needed to do what He had called them to do and leave the rest up to Him. God had gotten them back to Jerusalem, provided a royal edict to secure their work, and provided the funds to pay for the entire restoration project. He had more than done His part. But they had failed to complete theirs. It was way too easy for them to take a look at their relative lack of success and the overwhelming size of the task at hand and become disillusioned. The same thing is true of us. We get overwhelmed and begin to feel way in over our heads, and start to wonder if God is with us at all. If we ever begin to think it's all up to us, we are missing the point. Nothing is impossible for God. That's the point. There is not one thing He can't handle and doesn't have fully in His control. Nothing is impossible for God. That's the message we need to hear. There is nothing that God can't do. There is not a single circumstance that is out of ability or power to handle. Nothing is impossible for God. That's the message of the Bible. It is all about God, not us. It is all about His power, His will, His promises, His faithfulness, His salvation, His Kingdom, and His ability to finish what He has begun and to restore what is broken. Nothing is impossible for Him. Do you really believe that today?

Father, I admit that too often I am like Zechariah, doubting Your power and Your presence. I wonder whether or some things really ARE impossible for You. Intellectually, I know that's not true, but when things get tough, I begin to wonder. I start to try to solve my own problems and begin to take matters into my own hands. Rather than turn to You, I start to turn to other things and begin to place my hope for salvation elsewhere. Never let me forget that nothing is impossible for You, and that I can't judge the reality of that statement based on the circumstances of life. You are never limited by the odds or the opposition. Amen

When God Is Not Our Focus.

Zechariah 5-7

“Say to all your people and your priests, ‘During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and in early autumn,d was it really for me that you were fasting? And even now in your holy festivals, aren’t you eating and drinking just to please yourselves?" – Zechariah 7:5-6 NLT

The visions continue. Each one seemingly more strange than the one that came before it. God is continuing to reveal to Zechariah things that will be taking place in the future. He is providing His prophet with a glimpse of things to come in order to help Zechariah and the people deal with life in the present. They can trust God for the future and, therefore, live with peace and confidence in the here and now. They have no reason to fear or doubt the outcome of their efforts, because God is behind it all.

But the people have a question for God. They want to know if they should continue to mourn the destruction of the Temple as they had for the 70 years they were in captivity. After all, the Temple is now being rebuilt, so should they keep on commemorating its destruction now that it is being restored? It seems that the people had held a fast and a time of mourning each summer during those 70 years of captivity and want to know if they can stop. But God sees behind their request and reveals something about their hearts that they probably had no idea was there. God tells them that there was one important thing left out of all their mourning and fasting during those years in exile: HIM. They weren't fasting or mourning because they were separated from Him or because they had offended a holy God. They were fasting and mourning because of their situation. There was no repentance based on their sins and the fact that God had only given what they deserved. He had warned them that if they continued to rebel against Him and reject His will, He would punish them severely. And He did.

Their fasts were fruitless because God was not their focus. They were simply going through religious rituals that were devoid of an emphasis on God, His holiness, and their own sinfulness. And now that they were back in the land, God tells them that their holy festivals and feasts were more about them than Him. "And even now in your holy festivals, aren’t you eating and drinking just to please yourselves?" (Zechariah 7:6 NLT). It's amazing how easily we can turn worship into something God never intended it to be. We can make it all about us when it was supposed to be all about Him. We can come together for worship and focus all our attention on what WE get out of it, instead of the one to whom we have come to worship. Their problem was that they were still not listening to God. Their hearts were still far from Him. They were still disobeying His commands, treatingDo not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other. each other unfairly and living unjustly among one another. "This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other" (Zechariah 7:9-10 NLT). All their religious fasts, feasts, and festivals meant nothing if they were still disobeying God and refusing to live their lives according to His revealed will. They were still doing the very things that God their ancestors sent into exile in the first place. God was not the center of their worship, thoughts, and actions. God wanted them to worship Him by obeying Him. Anything else is not worship at all. To worship Him is to give Him the honor and worth He deserves. It is to recognize who He is and live out lives in such a way that it reflects our knowledge of and respect for Him. What God wanted from His people was for them to have truly repentant hearts and a desire to return to Him in obedience and reverent worship. He wanted them to make Him the focus of their efforts and actions. He desires the same from us today.

Father, it is so easy to lose our focus and begin to zero in all our activities and think that as long as we are doing "religious-type" of activities, we must be doing the right thing. But we can do all of those things without thinking about You in the least. You look at our hearts and You know when they are not focused on You. Give us insight to see when we have lost sight of you. Amen

Do Not Despise These Small Beginnings!

Zechariah 1-4

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand." – Zechariah 4:10 NLT

Zechariah is given a series of"night visions" or dreams, in which God reveals to him things that are going to take place -- some in the near future and some that have yet to take place even in our day. Zechariah is prophesying to the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. God is giving Him a message for them that lets them know what is going on and what is going to take place. God reminds them that all that has happened, including their 70-year exile, has been in exact fulfillment of His Word. "He has done what he said he would do" (Zechariah 1:6 NLT). But God is not done yet. He assures Zechariah and the people of His love for them. "My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong" (Zechariah 1:14 NLT). He lets them know that He has come to show them mercy, to see that His Temple is rebuilt, and to repay the enemies of Israel for their actions against them. One of the visions receives is a future Jerusalem overflowing with people and protected by the presence of God Himself. This is one of those future visions that has yet to be fulfilled. God is revealing what it will be like in Jerusalem during the Millennial Kingdom under the righteous reign of Christ. There is also a day coming when God will replace the sins of the people with purity. He will take off their old, filthy clothes (sin), and give them new clothes (righteousness). This will only be possible through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. So God tells Zechariah that His servant, the Branch is coming, and He will remove the sins of the land in a single day. This is a reference to the crucifixion of Christ, which paid for the sins of all mankind on the cross. On that day, sin was paid for and God's righteous wrath was satisfied, once for all.

God reminds Zerubbabel, the man who was assigned the task of overseeing the rebuilding of the Temple, not to "despise these small beginnings." In other words, he was not to look at the seemingly small role he was playing and think that his part what not significant. Each step in the chain of events God was enacting, was important. It was vital that the Temple be rebuilt and the sacrificial system be restore. It was important that Zerubbabel do his job faithfully and completely, and leave the results up to God. We don't have to worry about the future because God has that part handled. We just need to be faithful to do what God calls us to do. It may seem small and insignificant, even unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but God has a reason for each thing He calls us to do. "The Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand (Zechariah 4:10 NLT). What is God calling you to do? What part has He asked you to play? Do not despise these small beginnings. Just be faithful to do your part and leave the rest up to God. He will do what He has promised to do. He always does.

Father, there are times when what I do doesn't really seem to matter. My part appears to be unimportant and insignificant. But You remind me that my job is to be faithful to what You have called me to do. I don't have to worry about the results because You have that all worked out already. You love to see us doing our parts, faithfully fulfilling Your calling on our lives. Keep me focused more on obedience than significance. Amen

Be Strong!

Haggai 2

“Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid." – Haggai 2:4-6 NLT

God knows us so well. He knows how easily we get defeated and demoralized by the slightest thing. Setbacks and disappointments leave us questioning God's faithfulness and wondering if this thing called the Christian life is worth it after all. God knew that those who had returned to the land of Israel to rebuild the Temple were struggling with their assignment because the Temple they were building was nothing like the one that had been destroyed. It was just a shadow of its former glory. God knows what they are thinking. He says, "Does anyone remember this house - this Temple - in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing to you at all!" (Haggai 2:3 NLT). God understood that the people were having a hard time getting excited about building something that didn't seem to have much significance. They were putting a whole lot of effort into a task that was beginning to seem futile and fruitless. They were comparing and losing heart. So God tells them, "Be strong!" Once again, God reminds them to not judge what He is doing based on what they can see. The significance of the Temple was not about the building they were constructing, but about the God who would occupy it. He tells them, "I will fill this place with glory" and "the future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory" (Haggai 2:8-9 NLT). The point is that it is the God who fills the Temple who gives it glory and signficance. There were going to be other Temples. This Temple would be replaced by Herod's Temple. That Temple has been destroyed and it will be replaced by the Temple to be built in the Millennial Kingdom. It was NOT the building, but God that was important. They had missed the point and had begun to see the structure as more important than their God.

How easy it is for us to focus on the task at hand, even a good, decent spiritual task, and lose sight of the one for whom we are working. God is and always will be the focus. He is the one who gives what we do significance. Paul reminds us, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT). Our entire lives are to be focused on one thing and one thing only: God's glory.

Father, never let me get my eyes of off You and begin to think that what I do for You is the important thing. Never let ministry take precedence over You. Never let Bible study become more important than You. Never let me think that living the Christian life is somehow more important than You. Nothing has value without You, including my life. Amen

Spiritual Atrophy.

Haggai 1

“This is what the Lord of Heavens Armies says: The people are saying, 'The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.'" – Haggai 1:2 NLT

The rebuilding of the Temple had begun in 538 B.C. with the return of the exiles from Babylon. But due to opposition from the people who had moved into the land while the people of God were away, the Temple had never been completed. Fifteen years had gone by with no work taking place. The people had become apathetic to the project and spiritual apathy had set in. They had started out well, but had somehow lost their momentum. Other things occupied their minds. They had a different set of priorities other than completing the assignment God had given them. It's clear to see from the passage that they were busy planting crops, vineyards, building houses, and making a living. But because they had let these things take the place of God's call on their lives, all their efforts were proving fruitless and in vain. "You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!" (Haggai 1:6 NLT). The picture is one of futility and frustration. They were working their tails off, but getting nowhere. Their attempt to make their own agenda a higher priority than God's was not working out too well. God clearly tells them that He is the one behind their less-than-perfect circumstances. He wants to know why they can leave His house unfinished while they busy themselves with building find houses for themselves. They were learning the painful, but valuable lesson that a life of self-centeredness does not produce satisfaction.

But God reminds them that He is with them. His presence has not left them. Part of their spiritual apathy was because they had faced opposition as soon as they arrived on the scene. Things had not been easy. Doing the will of God never is easy. It is difficult and requires diligence and determination. When things get tough we are tempted to take our eyes off of God and focus on our circumstances. We lose our focus. We get distracted. We decide there are other things that are more important than that which God has called us to. But God wants us to know that He is with us and still expects us to do our part. "I am with you, says the Lord!" (Haggai 1:13 NLT). There was no reason to fear the opposition. But there was also no excuse for them to set new priorities and make their own plans more important than God. He still expected them to do what He had sent them their to do. Paul reminds us of this very same thing. "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). God saved us, not so that we could spend our time building houses, careers, portfolios, or our reputations. He has work for us to do -- work associated with His Kingdom purposes. He has left us here for a purpose. Are we doing it? Or are we suffering from the same spiritual apathy and atrophy as the people of God in Haggai's day? Self-centeredness still does not produce satisfaction. Let's remember that the Lord is with us, and get busy about His business.

Father, it is so easy to get distracted by all that is going on around me. I can lose sight of why I am here and begin to think that life on this planet is all about me and what I want. But You saved me for a purpose. You redeemed me and made Your own so that I might accomplish Your will, not mine. We have work to do. Help us keep our eyes focused on You and Your will, not our own. Amen

No Longer Set Apart.

Ezra 9-10

“For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages. Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in this outrage." – Ezra 9:2 NLT

When Ezra began his survey of the spiritual condition of the people living in Judah, he was shocked at what he found. Conditions were worse than he probably expected. He was told by the Jewish leaders, "Many of the people of Israel, and even some of the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the other peoples living in the land. They have taken up the detestable practices of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites" (Ezra 9:1 NLT). The Hebrew word for "separate" means to be distinguished or set apart. The people of God were no longer distinct. They had broken the law of God and intermarried with the people living in the land and, as a result, had begun worshiping their false gods. They were no longer worshiping God alone, blatantly breaking the first of the Ten Commandments. The very action that had resulted in their exile to begin with was still going on after they returned to the land. Ezra receives the appalling news that "the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages" (Ezra 9:2 NLT). The Hebrew word for "holy" means set-apartness or separateness. Instead of living set apart and distinctly different than the nations around them, the Jews had "polluted" themselves by intermarrying with non-Hebrews. They had lost their distinctiveness.

Ezra is shocked by what he saw. He didn't take it in stride or excuse it as understandable under the conditions. No, he was an expert in the law of God and knew that they were blatant disobedience. As a result, Ezra mourns and prays. He asks God for wisdom in how to handle this situation. In his prayer recorded in verses 6-9, Ezra includes himself in the sins of the people. He knew this was a corporate issue. He confesses on behalf of all the people, acknowledging their guilt and asking God's forgiveness. He appeals to God's mercy. Ezra knew what they deserved from God for their actions, and he knew that God would be just in whatever punishment he meted out. "O Lord, God of Israel, you are just. We come before you in our guilt as nothing but an escaped remnant, though in such a condition none of us can stand in your presence" (Ezra 9:15 NLT). As Ezra prayed, weeping and lying face down in front of the Temple, a huge crowd gathered and listened to his words. They became convicted and began to confess their sins before God. They appeal to Ezra to get up and do his job. They beg him to help them make this right. They want to do whatever they have to do to restore their relationship with God and avoid His righteous indignation. After another night of prayer and fasting, Ezra calls a sacred assembly in Jerusalem, requiring every Israelite to be in attendance or face permanent expulsion from the land. As they stood trembling in the rain, Ezra addresses the people and commands them to confess and repent, but then he gives them the most difficult step of all. They must separate themselves from the women they had married. This is the same Hebrew word used earlier. They were to do what they should have been doing all along, set themselves apart and live distinctively different from the world around them. To do so, they were going to have to make some painful decisions and take some difficult steps. Not only were they going to have to separate themselves from their pagan wives, they were going to have to walk away from the children they had fathered with them. We read this and are appalled at the unfairness of it all. We are shocked that a loving God would require such a harsh treatment of these women and their children. But we have to remember that sin always has consequences. And OUR sins always impact the lives of others. Sin is never committed in a vacuum. The men who had chosen to rebel against God and marry foreign women were endangering the lives of those they purportedly loved. To make things right, they were going to have to go through the painful process of cleaning house and purging their lives of the vestiges of their sin. Now, we have to be careful here that we don't try and build a biblical case for a man divorcing his non-Christian wife. That is not what this passage is teaching. It is simply a reminder that God has called us to live lives that are set apart and separate from the world. We are not to "fall in love" with the things of this world and allow them to draw us away from God. Ezra knew that as long as these men kept their pagan wives, their faithfulness to God would be compromised and the nation would suffer as a result.

The real difficulty of this passage is having to consider what we have "married" ourselves to in our day that is drawing us away from God and compromising our worship of Him. What have we fallen in love with and allowed to replace our devotion to Him? Are we willing to confess it and then take the painful step of removing it? Does our sin bother us enough to cause us to repent, but then also remove what is offensive to God? Spiritual renewal and revival would not come until the people of God repented and took steps to remove the things that were offensive to God from their lives. How badly do we want revival in our land?

Father, we live in a constant state of spiritual compromise, loving the things of this world and having ongoing relationships with those things that You have called us out of and away from. Too often we live lives that are no longer separate and set apart. We have become polluted by the world. Open our eyes and convict us of our sin. Lead us to repentance and give us the strength to remove from our lives whatever is offensive to You so that we might live holy and set apart unto You. Amen

The Missing Ingredient.

Ezra 7-8

Ezra … arrived at Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel. – Ezra 7:9-10 NLT

God had miraculously arranged for the people to be given a royal decree, not only allowing them to return to Jerusalem to rebuilt the Temple and restore Jerusalem, but He had made sure they had the resources necessary to complete the task. They had all the material needed to build, the people to do the work, and God had take care of the constant harrassment of their enemies. But one thing was missing. They had plenty of people, gold, silver, wood, and hours in the day to accomplish the work. But God knew that without His Law, they would end up right back in the same condition that resulted in their captivity in the first place. So God raised up Ezra, "a scribe who was well-versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel" (Ezra 7:6 NLT). As a Scribe, Ezra was intimately familiar with the Law of Moses, given by God to the people of Israel back on Mount Sinai. A span of 58 years will take place after the events recorded in chapter six end and Ezra arrives in Jerusalem from Babylon in chapter seven. It has been 80 years since the first wave of exiles returned. God has been watching and waiting. He has been raising up the right man to bring the one ingredient the nation needed most. Ezra would not have even been born with the first exiles returned. Ezra was a direct descendant of Aaron, the high priest. He had a spiritual heritage and a godly upbringing that made him perfect for the job for which God assigned him.

The Persian king, Artaxerxes, issued a royal decree commissioning Ezra to go to Jerusalem and conduct an official inquiry into the situation there "based on your God's law, which is in your hand" (Ezra 7:14 NLT). This pagan king officially ordered Ezra "to use the wisdom your God has given you to appoint magistrates and judges who know your God's laws to given all the people of in the province west of the Euphrates River. Teach the law to anyone who does not know it. Anyone who refuses to obey the law of your God and the law of the king will be punished immediately, either by death, banishment, confiscation or goods, or imprisonment" (Ezra 7:26 NLT). Once again, God had sovereignly ordained His will to be done through the power and position of an ungodly king. This monarch effectively gave Ezra the authority to conduct a spiritual revival in the land of Israel.

Knowing he was being sent by God didn't prevent Ezra from praying for God's hand of mercy and protection as they made the journey home. He called a fast and ordered the people to humble themselves before God, praying for safe journey and protection along the way. They were carrying large amounts of gold and silver, and were traveling a very long distance through potentially dangerous conditions accompanied by women and children. Ezra had refused to request an armed escort from the king, but had chosen to trust God instead. So after prayerful preparation, they set off. It would be four months before they arrived in Jerusalem. But they arrived unharmed with every ounce of silver and gold accounted for. Ezra acknowledged that it was God who had protected them along the way, saving them from their enemies and bandits along the way. They celebrated their safe arrival with sacrifices. Then the real work began. The law of God had to be given and the applied. It was not going to be easy. But it was necessary.

Father, how often we leave out the key ingredient for our own success. We take on all kinds of responsibilities and tackle all kinds of task without consulting Your Word and asking about Your will in the matter. The people of God were doing the will of God, but had neglected the law of God. As a result, they were doing God-ordained tasks all the while they were living in open disobedience to Your revealed will. Forgive us for doing the same thing today. Never let us neglect Your Word and attempt to do Your will our way. Amen

God Is Watching.

Ezra 5-6

But because their God was watching over them, the leaders of the Jews were not prevented from building until a report was sent to Darius and he returned his decision. – Ezra 5:5 NLT

There are times in life when it appears as if God is not around. Because of our circumstances, we assume that He must be busy someplace else or is simply unaware of what is going on in our life at the moment. But that is not the God of the Bible. He is never distracted, disinterested or distant. He is always there, always watching, and always complete aware of what is going on -- every single moment of every single day. The people of God who had returned to build the Temple and restore Jerusalem were going to learn that. Things did not go well for them upon their return. They faced opposition and constant threats from the various people groups who had moved into the land when it was vacated after the Jews had been exiled to Babylon. At one point they had had to halt construction because of a royal edict. But when they started back up again, their enemies were quick to stir up trouble again. It would have been easy for them to assume that God was not there or that He was unaware of their situation. But nothing could have been further from the truth. We cannot judge the faithfulness or nearness of God based on our circumstances. We read in verse five that "their God was watching over them." He had not taken His eyes or His hands off of them, even though it may have appeared that way from their perspective. He was there and He cared. He was still in control. And in spite of all the attempts of their enemies to stir up trouble, God had other plans. When letters were written to King Darius back in Persia, asking him to put an official stop to the construction once and for all, they were expecting another royal decree to be issued commanding the Jews to cease and desist in their rebuilding efforts. But to their shock and surprise, the message they received from Darius contained an official edict to "let the Temple be rebuilt" (Ezra 6:3). Not only that, the very men who had attempted to thwart the efforts of the Jews to rebuild the Temple and reconstruct the walls of Jerusalem, were commanded to HELP. "Moreover, I hereby decree that you are to help these elders of the Jews as they rebuild this Temple of God. You must pay the full construction costs, without delay, from my taxes collected in the province west of the Euphrates River so that the word will not be interrupted" (Ezra 6:8 NLT).

What a God we serve. He not only was fully aware of what was going on, but He had a plan to use the plans of these enemies of Israel to accomplish His will. He turned what they meant for evil into good. The Jews received funding they never would have dreamed of from a source they never could have imagined -- the very people who had been trying to put a stop to their efforts. It would have natural for them to take a look at their circumstances and assume that God had abandoned them, or that He was somehow punishing them. But they would have been wrong. God was working behind the scenes in ways they could never have imagined. Assuming God's absence or indifference is a dangerous thing to do. It is no less than doubting the faithfulness of God and rejecting the promises found in the Word of God. God is constantly faithful. He is ever-present. His faithful love endures forever. We must judge God based on His Word and His character, not our circumstances. What is visible is not always an accurate indicator of what is going on. God 's efforts are not always visible to our eyes or apparent to our senses, but that does not mean He is silent or still. Our God is always watching out for us and working on behalf of us, whether we see it or believe it. He is there.

Father, thanks for reminding me yet again of Your faithfulness and dependability. I confess that I too often judge You based only on what I can see happening around me. I sometimes let my circumstances dictate Your presence and limit Your power. But You are always there, working behind the scenes in ways that I can't see. Never let me forget that. Amen

Distraction. Discouragement. Delay.

Ezra 4

When this letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai, and their colleagues, they hurried to Jerusalem. Then, with a show of strength, they forced the Jews to stop building. – Ezra 4:23 NLT

The people were being faithful. They were offering sacrifices to God and had already rebuilt the foundation of the Temple. So why in the world would God allow them to undergo the constant harassment they endured at the hands of their enemies? From the moment they arrived in the land, they were under a daily barrage of verbal attacks. They were libeled, slandered, and falsely accused by their enemies. And who were these enemies? When the Assyrians had taken the northern kingdom of Israel captive, they had encouraged their own people to move to the land and settle there. In time these people had intermarried with the remaining Jews. They worshiped Assyrian gods, but also worshiped Yahweh, because they viewed Him as the God of the land. This mixed race of people became known as the Samaritans, a group that was still despised by the people of Israel at the time of Christ. The Jews viewed them as half-breeds and traitors. And here they were causing daily consternation for the people of God as they attempted to follow the will of God by rebuilding the Temple.

After a letter-writing campaign to King Artaxerxes, the enemies of the Jews finally got their wish. They convinced the king that the Jews were a threat to his kingdom and if he let them continue rebuilding the city of Jerusalem, the Jews would rebel against him. So Artaxerxes gave them the royal authority to force the Jews to stop building. Work would not continue in earnest for another 16 years. So why the delay? Why were the Jews seemingly thwarted in their attempt to remain faithful to God? It is easy to sit on this side of the story and question why the people did not persevere and simply continue to build in the face of opposition. But they were greatly outnumbered and ill-equipped to stand against their enemies. This was a time of great discouragement and disillusionment. The people of God had to feel confused by the events surrounding them. They had to question whether God was in control. They had to wonder whether they should have ever returned. Setbacks and standstills are common in our spiritual journeys. We should not be surprised by them, but instead, we need to learn to expect them and push through them. God was not done yet, and because He is sovereign and all-knowing, He was fully aware of the opposition and the pressure put on the Jews to give up on their God-given task. We will face opposition as well. We will be tempted to throw in the towel when the going gets tough. But we have to remember that God is with us. He will not leave us or forsake us. The rebuilding did begin again. After a delay, the people once again took up the task of completing God's Temple. God was still in control. Distraction, discouragement and delays are inevitable. But in the end, God's will always wins out.

Father, You are there even when things look bleak. You are there even when the opposition seems too strong for us. When we face delays in our spiritual journey, it is easy for us to lose hope and give up. But never let us lose sight of Your constant presence. Never let us be surprised when we face opposition. It is part of the process. It is par for the course. But You never stop working. You never get distracted or discouraged. You are always there, behind the scenes, fulfilling Your will in Your way, and in Your perfect timing. Amen

Godly Living Is Not The Easy Life.

Ezra 3

Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old sight. Then they began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord each morning and evening."– Ezra 3:3 NLT

Living godly in a godless world is not easy. Attempting to conduct your life according to God's will while surrounded by those who oppose you is guaranteed to be difficult and, sometimes, impossible. The people of God had been allowed to return to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the Temple. When they arrived they found their land occupied by foreigners, people who had been relocated to Israel when the Assyrians conquered the Israelites and took them captive. These people had migrated down into the south and taken up residence in Judah while the people were in exile in Babylon. So when the people of God returned to Jerusalem, they found themselves surrounded by enemies who were opposed to their presence and would do anything to prevent their relocation and rebuilding attempts from being successful.

But the first thing the people of God did was build an altar on which to offer sacrifices to Him. In the face of their enemies and in spite of their own fears, the people proved to be obedient, building the altar and reinstituting the sacrificial system Moses had established years before. They also brought back the feasts and festivals, as well as the daily sacrifices. Only then did they begin to build the Temple. They knew they had to get their hearts right before they went about building God's house. And they knew they had to build the Temple before they began constructing on the wall or any other structures. He had to come first. Getting their spiritual lives in order was paramount. They knew a rebuilt city with strong walls was useless without the presence and power of God to protect them. They had learned that painful lesson from experience. So they built and when the foundation was laid, they celebrated. Some rejoiced at the accomplishment. Others wept because they knew that the new Temple would never match the glory of the old one. But they were faithful to do what God had called them to do. They faced their fears, stood up against their enemies, and they built. It would take them four years to finish the Temple, and they also had to rebuild the city walls and the city itself. This was a gargantuan task, and they did it all under constant pressure and attack from the opposition. God never told them it would be easy. But they were going to find that God was in the midst of their efforts. He was there and He cared. Godly living is not easy. It never was meant to be. It takes effort, courage, obedience, and faith. The presence of opposition is not an indication of God's absence, but a reminder that we need His power. Our weakness is a great opportunity for Him to reveal His strength. We just need to be faithful and do our part. He will do His.

Father, forgive me for always wanting my life to be easy. Forgive me for getting angry when things get difficult or trials come my way. Keep me focused on You in the midst of it all. Help me to remain faithful in the face of opposition. You have always been there for me and You always will be. Thank You. Amen

A Remnant Returns.

Ezra 2

So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah, in addition to 7,337 servants and 200 singers, both men and women. – Ezra 2:4-5 NLT

God has spoken, a decree has been issued, the leaders have been chosen, and the people selected. Now the return to the Land of Promise can begin. Under the leadership of Sheshbazzar and his nephew, Zerubbabel, the grandson of King Jehoiachin, a relatively tiny remnant of Jews begin their journey back to Judah all the way from Babylon where they have lived in God-imposed exile for 70 years. Few, if any of these would have been a part of the original group who were captured and taken prisoner to Babylon. Those individuals could have still been alive, but like Daniel, they would have been advanced in years and unlikely able to endure the rigors of the long, arduous trip back to Judah. So there were descendants of the original Jews who were take captive by Nebuchadnezzar. They had lived all their lives in a foreign land, but now they were going to be allowed to return to the Promised Land. In spite of the sins of their fathers, God was going to restore them to the land He had given the people of Israel all those years ago. This would have been a rag-tag group, made up of all kinds of people. Some were commoners, some the descendants of priests or Levites, some were the sons and grandsons of servants who worked in the Temple or who served Solomon. And the only thing they had in common was that they could prove their Jewish ancestry. The only thing that deemed them worthy to return to the land was that they were part of the people who had been chosen by God. It's interesting that God did allow some who could not prove their Jewish ancestry. There was a small group of individuals who were given the right to return to the land even though they couldn't prove they were descendants of Israel. What a reminder that many of us, in fact, all of us who are non-Jews, have been allowed entry into God's kingdom through the mercy and grace of God.

Obviously, there were tens of thousands of Jews who chose to remain in Babylon. We'll never know their reasons for staying, but we can only guess that some feared the trip, while others refused to leave the comforts of life in Babylon. There were probably many who had grown accustomed to life in captivity. The thought of traveling all those miles back to Judah only to live in abject poverty was less than appealing. The number who chose to return was relatively small. When you consider that they were tasked with the job of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and the Temple itself, it seems impossible. How can this small, rag-tag group of individuals accomplish something so great and against such huge odds? There strength lie not on their numbers, but on their God. It was He who would make their impossible task possible. Jeremiah had expressed this reality in a prayer, "O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!" (Jeremiah 32:17 NLT). And God had confirmed it. "I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27 NLT). God was going to use this remnant to accomplish His will. He was going to use the weak to reveal His power. He was going to accomplish the impossible through the improbable. And He is still doing the same today. Our success lies not in our strength, but in our God. It is He who accomplishes the task and wins the battles, not us. God doesn't need great numbers to do great things. He just needs a few. Jesus only needed a few loaves and fishes to feed a huge crowd. He takes our insufficiencies and accomplishes the impossible and improbable.

"Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God." – 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NLT

Father, nothing is impossible for You. You are always taking a remnant and doing the impossible and improbable through them. You take what is weak and reveal Your strength through them. That way we can never boast that we did it. We can never grab the glory. Raise up a remnant today Father who would be willing to watch You work through them to accomplish great things in our day. Amen

Restoration.

Ezra 1

This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: "The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah." – Ezra 1:2 NLT

The year is 538 BC. The people of Israel have been in exile in Babylon for 70 long years. But God is about to lift His hand of judgment and restore the people to the land and back into His favor. The amazing thing is how God chooses to bring this all about. When He punished the people 70 years earlier, He had used Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to accomplish His will. This Babylonian king was like a puppet in the hand of Almighty God – accomplishing His will and fulfilling His plans for the people of Judah. Now, 70 years later, Cyrus, the king of the Medo-Persian Empire which had defeated Babylon, becomes the next pawn in the hands of God. This powerful leader has his heart stirred by the Spirit of God and issues a decree allowing the Jews to return to the land of Israel. Not only that, recognizes that God has appointed him with the responsibility of rebuilding the Temple at Jerusalem.

God used Babylon to defeat Judah, demolish Jerusalem and destroy the Temple. Now He was going to use Persia to return the people to the land, restore Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. What an amazing God. This powerful pagan king becomes an instrument in the hands of God to accomplish His will and fulfill His promises to the people of God. What a wonderful reminder that God is in control.

So Cyrus issues his decree, commanding those who chose not to return to financially support the remnant who would be making the trip back to Jerusalem. Cyrus also returns to the people of God all the items that had been plundered from the Temple during the days of Nebuchnezzar. Thousands of bowls, basins, incense burners, and other articles are placed into the hands of God's people, so that they might be restored to their original purpose, the worship of God. All of these items had at one time been set apart – made holy – and dedicated to the worship of God through the sacrificial system. Now they were going to be restored to their original intent. They had been set aside for a time due to the sins of the people, but now they were being restored. The same thing could be said of the people of God. They had one time been set apart for the glory of God, but sin led to their being set aside. They were God's chosen people, His instruments, dedicated to His use and designed to bring Him glory among the other nations of the world. But they had been set aside for 70 long years. Now they were being restored. They were being given a second chance by God. What incredible grace. What amazing love. What an unforgettable reminder of how much God loves us and desires to restore us to fellowship with Him when we stray. God had told the people that if they failed to serve Him faithfully, He would be forced to punish them, and He did. But He had also promised to restore them, and now He was. Just as He said He would.

In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you, and when you are living among the nations to which the Lord your God has exiled you, take to heart all these instructions. If at that time you and your children return to the Lord your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you. Even though you are banished to the ends of the earth, the Lord your God will gather you from there and bring you back again. The Lord your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. Then he will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors! – Deuteronomy 30:1-5 NLT

Father, what a wonderful reminder of Your unfailing love. You are the covenant-keeping God who never fails to keep His word or fulfill He promises. Thank You for choosing me and for never giving up on me. Thank You for constantly calling me back to You when I stray, for restoring me when I fall. May I never take Your grace for granted. Amen

You Will Rise Again.

Daniel 12

As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you. – Daniel 12:13 NLT

This is it – the final chapter in this amazing book – and it closes with a glimpse into the distant future. God gives Daniel a view of what is yet to come. While much of what He revealed to Daniel in chapter 11 had to do with Antiochus Epiphanes and events that have already taken place, chapter 12 contains details about events that have yet to take place – even in our day. They most likely refer to the like seven year period – part of God's 70 sevens (chapter 9). God is revealing to Daniel the final phase of history before Christ returns to the earth. He refers to it as a period of unparalleled persecution of the people of God – the Jews. "Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence" (Daniel 12:1 NLT). "When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened" (Daniel 12:7 NLT). This all seems to be pointing to the Tribulation, the seven year period of time right before the Second Coming of the Lord. It will be marked by intense persecution of the Jews because of the rise of the Antichrist – a powerful political figure who will make the exploits of Antiochus Epiphanes pale in comparison.

Daniel is given some shocking news that would have been difficult for even him to understand. He has watched his people suffer through exile for almost 70 years and now he is told that their persecution will last until the end of time. It will not get any better. While they were returning to the land of Israel even as Daniel was receiving this final prophecy, they would still end up scattered all across the planet in the years to come. Wars, persecutions, and countless attempts to exterminate the Jews over the centuries have left them a shell of what they once were. And while the occupy part of the original Promised Land today, they remain under constant attack, with other nations intent on their annihilation. But God is not done. He is not finished with His people. Their suffering will continue, but there is a day coming when He will restore them. There is one last great tribulation, but then His Son will return. There is hope. There is a happy ending to this story, because God has written it and He will fulfill it. So the angel tells Daniel to "go your way until the end." He gives Daniel an incredible assurance that all will work out, including Daniel's own resurrection to new life in Christ's future kingdom. Daniel will die, but he will rise again, so that he can spend eternity with the God in whom he had placed his hope and trust all those years living in captivity in Babylon. Daniel could rest knowing that God was going to faithfully complete what He had promised to do. And we can rest in that same promise.

Father, we tend to look at time in short segments, forgetting that You exist outside of time. You are not limited by time. You are eternal and so to You, past, present and future are all one and the same. To you, the life of Daniel is not ancient history, but as vivid as if it was happening right now. You can see the future like it is taking place at this very moment. I don't fully understand it all, but I am so glad that the future is not a mystery to You. It is as clear as the last 60 seconds is to me. You know what is going to happen and it is all within Your divine plan. You hold the future of mankind in Your hands. You hold my future in Your hands. And I can rest in the knowledge that You are not anxious, worried, or ignorant of what is going to happen tomorrow or a thousand years from now. Amen

The People Who Know Their God.

Daniel 11

But the people who know their God will be strong and resist him. – Daniel 11:32 NLT

The divine messenger sent to Daniel continues to give him news of the future – disturbing news that outlines the various wars and conflicts to take place in the years ahead. He tells him of the coming of Alexander the Great, the various kings over Egypt, and ultimately, the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian king who was so wicked that he foreshadows the coming of the Antichrist. The amazing thing about this message is its unbelievable accuracy. But then, we shouldn't be amazed, because it is a prediction from the mouth of God. He knew down to the smallest detail what was going to happen, long before it happened. He knew all about the coming wars between the Syrians and Egyptians. He knew who would win and who would lose. And while these great leaders could think that they were in control of their own destinies, in the end, their futures were in the hands of God. Throughout this chapter we read such phases as "the end will come at the appointed time,"  "then at the appointed time,"and "the appointed time is still to come." The rise and fall of nations is under the sovereign hand of Almighty God. He is in complete control. Daniel is reminded, "For what has been determined will surely take place" (Daniel 11:36 NLT).

This entire chapter sets up the rise to power of Antiochus Epiphanes, a conniving, flattering, and powerful king who seemed to have a special hatred for the people of Israel. His actions against them foreshadow the events of the end times, when the Antichrist will target the people of God and persecute them as they have never been persecuted before. At one point, Antiochus Epiphanes, frustrated over a battle lost to the Egyptians, orders his general, Apollonius, and a contingent of 22,000 soldiers to attack Jerusalem on a Sabbath, taking many Jewish women and children captive, plundering the temple, and burning the city. His goal was to completely exterminate Judaism and to Hellenize Palestine. He would forbid the Jews to follow the Mosaic Law or practice the Jewish sacrifices, festivals, and circumcision. He would even installan image of the Greek god Zeus in the Temple and offer sacrifices to him on an altar he had built there – even sacrificing a pig, an unclean animal to the Jews.

Yet, in spite of all these dire predictions, Daniel is told, "But the people who know their God will be strong and resist him" (Daniel 11:32 NLT). The people of God will always be there. There will always be a remnant of God-fearing, God-believing, God-empowered saints to stand against the greatest of enemies. God was calling Daniel and the people of God to remain strong in the midst of coming persecution, because He is strong and in complete control. We must remain strong as well. We should not be shocked at what we see taking place around us. There is a spiritual battle taking place that manifests itself in the material world. Wars and violence should not shock or scare us. They are to be expected and simply part of living in a fallen world that is at war with God. But we can rest in the knowledge that our God is great and He is in full control of the situation. But we must truly know Him and learn to trust in Him. We must continually seek to grow in our knowledge of God and our understanding of His character. Paul even prayed for the believers in his day that God would, "give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better" (1 Colossians 1:9-10 NLT).

May you and I grow in our knowledge and understanding of God so that we might be strong and resist the enemy in our day. As we grow in our knowledge of God, we will come to love and trust Him more – no matter what comes our way.

Father, help me to be one who knows You well. I want to be strong and resist the enemy, but to do so, I must know You. Give me a growing awareness of Your character, so that I will rest in the knowledge of who You really are. Amen

Be Encouraged. Be Strong.

Daniel 10

“Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.” – Daniel 10:19 NLT

The year is 536 B.C. and Daniel is an old man – well in to his 80s. He has spent nearly his whole life living in exile in the land of Babylon. Cyrus is the king and had issued a decree back in 538 B.C. allowing the Jews to return to their land in order to rebuild the Temple under Zerubbabel's leadership. Ezra tells us that by 537 B.C they had reinstituted the sacrificial system and by 536 B.C., they had begun work on the Temple. Yet Daniel remained in Babylon, perhaps too old to make the long trip back to the Promised Land. He was in retirement by now, having served as an official under the various kings who ruled over Babylon during his lifetime. But even in his old age and in spite of the fact that the real action was taking place back in the Promised Land, Daniel was still hearing from his God. Advancing years and decreasing activity did not keep God from giving His servant additional insights into future events concerning Israel. God sent Daniel a special messenger – "a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people" (Daniel 10:5-6 NLT).

Daniel had been in mourning for three weeks when this vision came to him. He was apparently in mourning over the opposition the returning Jews were experiencing back in Jerusalem. Things were not going easily for them. They were under spiritual and physical attack from their enemies, and Daniel was more than likely interceding for them, lifting them up in prayer. It was during this period of prayer and fasting that Daniel received his "visit" from God's messenger. When Daniel encountered this divine messenger, he reacted with fear. When he heard him speak, he fainted. But twice, this one sent from God assured Daniel that he was "very precious to God." This designation refers not just to Daniel's status as a Jew – one of God's chosen people – but to the fact that God had been precious to Daniel. Daniel had faithfully served God all the years he had lived in Babylon and remained obedient to God's will and glory. God encourages Daniel to take courage and be strong because what He is about to tell him is going to be difficult to hear. God lets Daniel know that there is a great spiritual war going on, unseen by men, and impacting the world in which Daniel lives. He also tells Daniel that things are going to get worse before they get better. There will continue to be conflicts on earth and in the heavens until God decides it is time to bring it all to an end. God is going to reveal to Daniel events that are going to happen in the future. These events will be disturbing and not encouraging. But God tells Daniel to be encouraged and to be strong. Why? Because God is in control. These things are all "written in the Book of Truth" (Daniel 10:21 NLT). These things must happen because God has ordained them to happen. They are all part of His divine plan. There is nothing that has happened or has yet to happen that God has not been fully aware of and is outside of His divine will. So we can be encouraged and remain strong even in the face of coming struggles. There is a spiritual war taking place that should not surprise or scare us. It is inevitable. But our God is all-powerful. He is in full control. Like Daniel, we have been given a glimpse into how things will turn out. We have been given a view into the future and we know how the story ends. We know that things will get worse before it gets better. We know the enemy will fight until the end. But we also know that God wins in the end. His will will be accomplished. His plan will be fulfilled. So there is no need to be afraid. We are precious to God. He has chosen us and He will protect us. We can take courage. We can be strong.

Father, I am precious to You. That is an amazing thing to consider. You love me and have my best interest at heart. Never let me forget that. Give me the courage to stand strong in the fact of adversity. Give me the strength to remain faithful even when things appear difficult and the future looks bleak. You are in complete control and I can trust You. Your will will be done. Your plan will be accomplished. Amen