The Chapter-A-Day thread. (3)

[brinny]

Brinny,

King Darius of Persia seems to be a stronger supporter of the LORD God of Israel than many of the kings of Judah and Israel. Clearly it was the power of God that was guiding Darius to do these things to help Jews to build the temple in Jerusalem.

Precious testimony....

 

[brinny]

Artaxerxes sends Ezra to beautify the temple in Jerusalem and no expense is to be spared.

Ezra Chapter 7

Artaxerxes King of Persia greatly supported Ezra. Ezra was a priest and scribe.

Artaxerxes wrote a decree giving Ezra money and power to support the temple in Israel.

And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the kings treasury (Verse 20).

Artaxerxes gives Ezra the power to put to death anyone that does not obey this decree (Verse26).

I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me (Verse 28).

Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem (Verse 27).

Awwwwwww.....this is astounding how God was mooooooving here in the very heart of Artaxerxes, to do such things....reminds me of the verse where it says that God moves the hearts of kings....

incredible...

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Brinny,

Here is a hymn about the Jews returning to Jerusalem.

AWAKE, AWAKE, O ZION,
Come clothe yourself with strength.
Awake, awake, O Zion,
Come clothe yourself with strength.

Put on your garments of splendour,
O Jerusalem.
Come sing your songs of joy and triumph,
See that your God reigns.

Burst into songs of joy together,
O Jerusalem.
The Lord has comforted His people,
The redeemed Jerusalem.

 

[brinny]

Lovely lyrics

 

[MissRowy]

Beautiful hymn!!

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Ezra and his company make the dangerous journey from Babylon to Jerusalem

Ezra Chapter 8

Ezra is given King Artaxerxes commission to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem to beautify the temple.

It was a dangerous journey but Ezra decided not to ask to a soldiers escort.

Ezra wanted Artaxerxes to believe in the great power of God, and that their journey would be protected God (Verse 22)

They were carrying a lot of gold and silver, so before setting out the company prayed for God’s protection on this dangerous journey (Verse 23).

Their prayers were answered and they all arrived safely in Jerusalem.

 

[MissRowy]

How much faith did he have in God! That is awesome!

 

[brinny]

^ That's EXACTLY what i was thinking, Rowy!!!! He put it ALL on the line to show that God is ABLE.

How precious is THAT?

What a glorious testimony!!!!

Reminds me of this verse:

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." ~2 Chronicles 16:9

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Miss Rowy,

I found these very nice words about Zion.

Beautiful Zion, built above;
Beautiful city that I love;
Beautiful gates of pearly white;
Beautiful temple and God its light;
He who was slain on Calvary
Opens those pearly gates for me.​

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Brinny,

One of my favourite hymns is by the Gaithers.

It is called "We're marching to Zion"

 

[brinny]

^ it worked! Thank you for the beautiful song

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Brinny,

We are marching to Zion is one of my favourite hymns by the Gaithers.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Ezra was worried that the Jewish faith was being watered down

Ezra Chapter 9

When Ezra arrives in Jerusalem he is very upset to find that the Jewish faith had been watered down through marriage between the Jews and other nations.

Marriages between Jews and other nations had led to the inclusion of many strange customs and beliefs being slowly incorporated into the Jewish religion.

Esra decided that marriage outside the Jewish faith would eventually destroy the Jewish religion.

Therefore Esra bans all future marriages between the Jews and any other nation (Verse 12).

 

[brinny]

Poor Ezra. He was a precious scribe and priest. He truly loved the God of Israel and it grieved him that they tossed aside God's grace and did abominably and evil in spite of all God had done for them.

Tragic.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Poor Ezra. He was a precious scribe and priest. He truly loved the God of Israel and it grieved him that they tossed aside God's grace and did abominably and evil in spite of all God had done for them.

Tragic.

Brinny,

Yes Ezra was upset that though the marrying into other nations the Jews were forgetting the Jewish faith.

Tomorrow is the last chapter of the Book of Ezra.

We then start a new book. The next book is the Book of Nehemiah.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Ezra travelled from Babylon to Jerusalem on a very dangerous journey.

Johnny Cash sang a song about the Christian's life journey.

It was called HE'LL UNDERSTAND AND SAY WELL DONE

 

[MissRowy]

Nehemiah another of the greats of the Old Testament.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

Nehemiah another of the greats of the Old Testament.

Miss Rowy,

Dont miss tomorrows first of installment of a brand new book to Chapter a Day, the first chapter of Nehemiah.

I have no recollections of what Nehemiah is about, but tomorrow we shall all know what Nehemiah has in store for us.

 

[agamemnonoftroy]

The strange wives are sent away by Ezra

Ezra Chapter 10

Ezra believed that the only way to save the Jewish religion was to send the strange wives away with their children.

Ezra ordered all those who had returned from captivity to come to Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem Ezra explained the seriousness of the problem to the Jews and they agreed to send their strange wives away.

This was a very harsh decision but the strange wives had watered down the Jewish by bringing in their own strange customs and beliefs.

It seems that the strange wives had introduced some dreadful beliefs and customs into Judaism although we are not told what they were.

All we are told is that God found these strange beliefs and customs an abomination.

My guess is that the strange wives probably worshiped a variety of other Gods.

 

[brinny]

The strange wives are sent away by Ezra

Ezra Chapter 10

Ezra believed that the only way to save the Jewish religion was to send the strange wives away with their children.

Ezra ordered all those who had returned from captivity to come to Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem Ezra explained the seriousness of the problem to the Jews and they agreed to send their strange wives away.

This was a very harsh decision but the strange wives had watered down the Jewish by bringing in their own strange customs and beliefs.

It seems that the strange wives had introduced some dreadful beliefs and customs into Judaism although we are not told what they were.

All we are told is that God found these strange beliefs and customs an abomination.

My guess is that the strange wives probably worshiped a variety of other Gods.

Was Ezra's focus on the Jewish religion, or on the living God, and the abominations that in so many words hated God to His face by doing what the Israeli people KNEW were an abomination to the living God, yet did so anyway? Was Ezra grieved over the Jewish religion being trampled on, or of the blatant trampling on of God Himself?

This must've been heartbreaking to Ezra, and what a blatant stomping on of God's own heart this must've been.

It sounds like Ezra was quite alone in his standing for and in his love for the living God.

It's a wonder the people did not try to kill him like they did with Moses and with the faithful ones who stood beside Moses, for the living God, along with Moses.