Today’s reading is Nehemiah 1:1-3:14, 1 Corinthians 7:1-24, Psalm 31:19-24, Proverbs 21:4.

When I read the beginning of the story of Nehemiah, I saw the similarities between Nehemiah and Ezra.  Both wanted restoration of their beloved city and restoration of their beloved people.  They both wanted the people to be restored to right standing with their God.  They had been taken into captivity when the Babylonians had overcome them, just as Jeremiah and Daniel had prophesied.  True to the prophesy, 70 years after captivity, the Israelites began their return to Jerusalem and the Temple led by Ezra and Nehemiah.  The Babylonian captivity had great impact on the nation of Israel and they realized they had been corrupted by idolatry and false gods of the surrounding nations.  A similarity of Ezra and Nehemiah that stood out to me was their broken hearts.

We see that both Ezra and Nehemiah began their mission of restoration by being moved with grief when their eyes were opened to the sin that had entangled their people.  The wept with regret and sorrow over the sin.  This is what we see from Ezra:

While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.

Ezra 10:1

This is what we see from Nehemiah, when realized the sin of the people:

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:4

I also noticed that these two did not just point a finger at the sin of others, they took responsibility for their own part in the sinful state of the society.

⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fastedand prayed before the God of heaven. ⁵ Then I said:

“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶ let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. ⁷ We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

⁸ “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, ⁹ but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gatherthem from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

¹⁰ “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. ¹¹ Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

I was cupbearer to the king.

Nehemiah 1:4-11

Nehemiah and Ezra both used the word “we” in their repentant prayers on behalf of the people.  They realized that they, too, had sinned, even if the sin had been to simply keep silent.  We see the humility of these two who were called to be change-makers and torch-bearers.  And God had placed them exactly where he wanted them when the 70 years of captivity were over.

A practical application for us today can surface if we ask ourselves a few questions:

• Are we willing to let our heart be broken by the things that break God’s heart? If we are, then we, too, will come to a point of responsibility for the sin around us; we will confess our sins and pray about the sins of others, rather than point a finger of judgement.
• Are we willing to let that repentance lead us to revival? Are we willing to let God make us an agent of change in the sphere of influence He has placed us?

If we can answer yes to those questions, I believe we will be in a position of readiness to be used by God to effect change in our schools, cities, states, nation, and world.  Let’s go!

This is our last day in the book of Ezra and I keep thinking to myself, “Who is Ezra?”  Yes, I have read the story.  I understand some of it, but not all of it.  I think there are many wonderful principals that apply to us, and some of the storyline seems harsh and perhaps falls into a cultural awareness category.  Who is Ezra?

Ezra was a prophet who came to prominence after the Israelites were taken into captivity by the Babylonians.  In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah (which we will begin tomorrow) were one book.  In the Old Testament, they are divided into two books, but have a similar storyline and timeline.  The books cover the period of the fall of Babylon to the second half of the 5^th century.  During this timeline there were three men, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbable who led mission efforts to restore Jerusalem, the Temple, and the faith of the people.

I think it is helpful as we read through the story of Ezra to think of the “heart” behind the problems.  One of the main problems was that the Israelites had intermarried with other people groups, even though they were forbidden to do so.  Lest you think this was a prejudiced decision, we need to examine the why behind this rule.  In those days, the people groups were divided according to religion and family groups, more than physical distinguishing qualities.  When they intermarried, they took on the religious beliefs of their spouse.  They may have kept some of the faith of their forefathers, but they mixed it with the belief and practices of the spouse.  They committed idolatry and worshipped false gods and became spiritually connected to a false religion.  This command was not a prejudiced command, nor an isolationist command, but it was a faithfulness command—a faithfulness of worship command.

At first glance, it may appear that God wanted the people to be isolationists, which is not really the case.  He did want them to be separate—different from the ungodly world around them—but most of all, He wanted them to be faithful to Him. He loved them with a jealous love—though not in a sinful sense, of course.  And that jealous love for people is what prompted Him to send His only Son to die for those He so dearly loved.  That was the only way they were ever going to be capable of faithfulness.

For it is by grace, you have been saved, through faith, and it’s not from yourselves, it is a gift of God.                                                                                                Ephesians 2:8

And though God wants us to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world (James 1:27), he wants us to love the world and all the people in it.  If we are faithful to Him, we will faithfully love others.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.  One day, we will see just how loving and un-prejudiced God is when this comes to fruition:

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they were shouting with a great roar,

“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
    and from the Lamb!”

                                                                                                Revelation 7:9-10

Today’s reading is 2 Chronicles 4:1-6:11, Romans 7:1-13, Psalm 17:1-15, Proverbs 19:22-23.

Last night, I had the strangest dream.  I dreamed I was at an event with some young women.  The event was almost over.  I had held back my words of truth, because I didn’t think it was what they wanted to hear—what they would think was cool.  I had kept things light and peaceful.  But suddenly, I realized that I was almost out of time.  I had great compassion for their spiritual blindness and that helped me overcome my people-pleasing behavior.  There were just a few of them, but I felt so urgent to tell them about Jesus.  And it was important to me that they understood the whole thing—that the Old Testament was a prophetic reflection of the New Testament.  I started out explaining about the Tabernacle.

“Back in the Old Testament we learn that the people built a tent to try to get close to God.  It had a part of it called the Holy of Holies, and that is where the priests sacrificed the lambs…”  At this point there a big distraction and I knew I had lost them.  So, I tried again.

“Okay, there was a tent and a part of the tent was called the Holy of Holies…”  Again, a big interruption.  I tried again, this time with hand motions.

“There was a tent, a part of it called the Holy of Holies, the priests went in once a year to sacrifice a lamb for the sins of the people.  It was so holy, the priest had to tie a rope around his ankle, so he could be pulled out in case he died from being in the presence of such holiness.”  Again, I saw I had lost their attention.  I motioned for others to come help me.  They silently encouraged me, and I tried again, this time speaking very fast, because my opportunity was almost gone.

“Okay, a tent, Holy of Holies, a sacrificed lamb…”  And I saw I had lost their attention.  At this point, I just looked at their distracted faces and began to cry.  This got their attention.  While I was slightly embarrassed, I didn’t really care.  I had to tell them.

“This is so important.  Don’t miss it.  It is important because Jesus is the Lamb of God.  He is the final sacrifice.  He is the only way we can have permanent forgiveness of sin.  It is important because it was a reflection of Jesus.  The Bible tells us that He is the Lamb of God.  The perfect Sacrifice, the only Sacrifice we need for the forgiveness of our sins.  The Bible tells us that He was also the Greatest High Priest.”  By this time, I was talking fast, so I could get out the truth while I had the chance.

“From the time He was born, God was telling us who He is.  The wise men brought gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  This told who Jesus is.  The gold was a kingly gift, as He is the King of Kings, the frankincense was what the priests used, as He is the Greatest High Priest, and the myrrh was used to embalm a dead body, as He would die as a sacrifice for us, as the Lamb of God.  This is important and you need to know the truth.”

And then I woke up.  Remind me not to eat spaghetti at 10pm again.

But, as I read today’s assigned reading, I realized that indeed, this is important.  Knowing about the Tabernacle and the Temple, is important because it reflects Jesus.  Solomon and all the people rejoiced when the Temple was complete.  They had done their best work, offered their best gifts and talents to complete the work.  Many of the furnishing were made from pure gold.  The doors to the Holy of Holies was covered in gold, for the King of Kings dwelt there.  Not only that, but the New Testament tells us that Jesus is the Door.  He is the only way.  The door to the Holy of Holies represented the entrance to God.  Jesus is the entrance to God.  He is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to God the Father except through Him.

When the Ark was finally ready to be placed in the Temple, everyone gathered to experience this great event.  It was at the Festival of Shelters.  It was also called the Feast of Tabernacles.  Everyone came and set up tents and celebrated and worshiped for 7 days.  There were ceremonies as well as great sacrifices.  At this Festival of Shelters, when the Ark came to rest in the Temple, so many sacrifices were made no one could count them all.  The ceremonies during this Festival evolved around the symbols of water and light.  Fast forward hundreds of years and we see that it was also during this Festival that Jesus said,

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–39). 

And it was just after this Festival that Jesus declared while he was in the Temple,

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12).

This stuff is important, though it may seem otherwise.  It is important because it reflects Jesus who is the King of Kings, the Greatest High Priest, the Savior, the Lamb of God, the Living Water and the Light of the World.  I am thankful for Jesus today and everyday.

Today’s reading is 1 Chronicles 28:1-29:30, Romans 5:6-21, Psalm 15:1-5, Proverbs 19:18-19.

Today we see David in a state of utter joy.  A long-held dream has come to fruition.  He longed to build a house for the Lord, a temple to replace the tent.  We see many places which indicate that God was perfectly content with the tent—the tabernacle.  But David’s heart wanted to honor his God.  He even mourned at times that God did not have a house, a permanent place of worship.

After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ² he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

³ Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? ⁶ I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. ⁷ Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

                                                                                    2 Samuel 2:1-7

Though God did not really need a house, he loved the heart of David who wanted to build one for Him.  And so, at this time, God had a surprise for David.

“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 

                                                                                    2 Samuel 2:11

David offers to build God a house and God instead builds the house of David.  And this “house” that God offers to build is not one of cedar, or stone, or brick.  The house of David would be a kingdom that would last forever.  This kingdom would have its shining moment many generations later when the Son of God would come to earth through the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah.  You can’t out-give God!

In today’s passage, David is joyfully giving all he had collected to finally build God a house of worship.  God had told David that it would not be him who would build a physical house, but it would be his son, Solomon.  But that did not stop David, nor did it disappoint him or discourage him.  Instead, he sat in awe and thankfulness.

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?¹⁹ And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!^[c]

²⁰ “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. ²¹ For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

²² “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

                                                            2 Samuel 7:18-22

David understood the currency of heaven.  He understood that the “house” God would give him far exceeded the privilege of being the one chosen to build the temple.  He understood that he had already been bestowed an even greater honor.  And so, he did what he could to help his son prepare.  He went to work, though he knew he would not see the completion of the work.  There is an old Greek proverb that I like to think about:

“Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

David has gathered the seeds, prepared the soil, and though he will never see the end result, nor get to be the one who finishes the work, he joyfully hands his work over to his son who will get to fulfill his dream. Our passage today tells us that David first gave him some great fatherly advice.

⁸ “So now, with God as our witness, and in the sight of all Israel—the Lord’s assembly—I give you this charge. Be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance.

⁹ “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰ So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.”

                                                       1 Chronicles 28:8-10

And then, David gave Soloman all he would need to accomplish this task.  He gave the plans he had drawn, he gave gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, onyx, precious stones, and costly goods.  The passage says that David went even further and gave all of his private treasures of gold and silver to help with the construction.  David poured out all of his possessions and hard work and let his son take over.  I noticed one more thing in the list of all that David gave.  1 Chronicles 28:12 says this:

¹² David also gave Solomon all the plans he had in mind^[a] for the courtyards of the Lord’s Temple, the outside rooms, the treasuries, and the rooms for the gifts dedicated to the Lord.

David willingly handed over his best ideas.  He gave his ideas and dreams and visions, knowing that he wouldn’t be the one to get credit for it, nor would he even be able to see it finished.  And yet he gave it joyfully.  And this joyful, generous giving inspired all the people, and they gave, too, which gave David even greater joy.

⁹ The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy.

¹⁰ Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel,^[i] may you be praised forever and ever! ¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. ¹² Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

¹³ “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! ¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! ¹⁵ We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

¹⁶ “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! ¹⁷ I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.

¹⁸ “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. ¹⁹ Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”

²⁰ Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.

                                                                         1 Chronicles 29:9-20

Do you feel the excitement?  Can you sense the joy and awe?  Do you know that we can experience the same? My friends, give it all.  Give it all to Jesus.  Ask Him when and where, and then open your tight fists, holding onto wealth and importance and ideas and dreams.  Open them as an act of worship and give back to God what He gave to you.

By the way, I am preaching to myself right now.

Today’s reading is 1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17, Romans 1:1-17, Psalm 9:13-20, Proverbs 19:4-5.

We are well into the first book of Chronicles and by now you will have noticed a repeating of stories which have already appeared in the books of Samuel and the books of Kings.  Originally, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles were written with no division.  Each were one book.  But when the Word was translated from Hebrews into Greek, these were each divided into two books:  1^st and 2^nd Samuel, 1^st and 2^nd Kings, and now, 1^st and 2^nd Chronicles.  Though they may seem to be the exact same stories, each give a different perspective on what happened in those days.  In fact, 1^st and 2^nd Chronicles was written long after the books of Samuel and Kings.  And for that reason, if we read carefully, we can see subtle differences which come after time has passed and perspective has changed.  The story is the same, but the perspective is a bit different which allows us to glean even more information and insight into the character of God, the holiness of God, and the purposes of God.  And such is the case in life, is it not?  Time is a gift.  Time gives us more life, but time also allows us to see more clearly the life we have already lived.  I recently read a verse which has latched onto my heart.

Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord. 

Psalm 107:43

They will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.  I love those words.  And I find them to be true in my own life.  When we look back at our life history, we can see traces of God’s faithfulness which we may have missed when we were actually living our historical moments.  Hindsight is twenty-twenty.  We can see more clearly when we look back than we can when we are very close to a situation.  And this is where faith comes in.

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”

                                                                                 Hebrews 11:1

Trust the Lord, my friends.  God’s got this.  You may not see that right now, but it is true.  And in time, your perspective will change.  In time, you will see that God was there all along, weaving a wonderful story of your life, your personal history—a story of ups and downs, of highs and lows, of mountains and valleys, but a story with the overarching faithfulness of the Lord.

Keep reading!  Even though the stories may repeat themselves.  Ask the Lord to show you the unique historical perspective of 1^st and 2^nd Chronicles.