May 14th / Reflection

The books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther are satisfying to read because they make clear what is sometimes hard to see in the moment, which is that God is always working on behalf of his people. He is a just God and his justice will prevail; he will make things right in the world. This is the case with Israel even though Israel as a nation has failed God and is dispersed among the nations.

In case of Ezra and Nehemiah, God works on behalf of the Jews who have returned to Jerusalem, but still under Persian rule. Their enemies seek to undermine the repair of the Temple, and later the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem, but God frustrates their plans.

With Esther, God works on behalf of his people in the pagan nation of Assyria. In this case, the malignant pride of a power obsessed man threatens to annihilate the Jews, but God intervenes through the courage of a young Jewish women, and her wise uncle. So we see, that God is a just and righteous God who is at work everywhere in the world, and he often chooses to do his work through people of faith and courage.

It is important to keep this in mind when we are tempted to grow cynical or lose faith in those times and circumstances when evil seems to be winning. When we are tempted to hide, or look the other way, or give up, we must remember that God’s holy nature, his loving purpose, and his sovereign working in the work will have the last word.

In the meantime, since we see that God often chooses people of faith and courage to do his work on earth, let’s be such people.

Prayer: Lord, we are inspired by such great examples of faith and courage as Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and Mordecai. Help us not to be afraid or disheartened in the circumstances of our own life, but instead preserve in faith and service, knowing that you are with us and for us. Amen.

May 9 / Nehemiah 8:2-10

With the walls around Jerusalem now rebuilt, Ezra the priest led the people in another kind of rebuilding, the rebuilding of their faith. He called the people together and read to them for hours from the Book of the Law. The Levites then continued with instruction:

“They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.” (Nehemiah 8:8)

When the people heard the word of God read and interpreted for them, they began to weep, both for joy and sorrow. It was joyous to hear God’s word proclaimed, but they were convicted of their sins at the same time.

This text illustrates that the Israelites are faithful to their calling only when they keep God’s word at the center of their lives. The Old Testament was their story; they were Therefore, it needed to be regularly read and interpreted so that the people could understand and respond to its powerful claim on their lives.

The most powerful claim upon their lives was grace and election. God chose Israel to be his people, not because they deserved it but because it pleased him to do so. And he has remained faithful to them even when they were not faithful to him. Therefore, Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and all the Levites encouraged the people not to mourn but celebrate:

“Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God…Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of good with people who have nothing prepared…Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:12)

And so the people celebrated and feasted with great joy because “they had heard God’s words and understood them.” The more they understood, the more they reintroduced into their lives the commandments of the Lord.

Chapter 9 recalls that later that month, on October 31, the people assembled again for the reading of the law, confession and worship. The Levites led the people in a magnificent prayer that was both a historical overview of Israel’s relationship with God and an acknowledgment of God’s mighty acts as creator, redeemer, deliverer, law-giver, judge and warrior on Israel’s behalf. (Nehemiah 9:1-38)

It was also a confession of the people’s perpetual hard-heartedness and disobedience that has brought Israel to the present sad state of affairs:

“So now today we are slaves in the land of plenty that you gave our ancestors for their enjoyment! We are slaves here in this good land. The lust produce of this land piles up in the hands of the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They have power over us and our livestock. We serve them at their pleasure, and we are in great misery. (Nehemiah 9:36-37)

At the conclusion of the prayer, the people made a solemn promise to obey the Law of God as issued by his servant Moses, and in particular not to neglect the Temple of the Lord.

Chapter 9 is worth reading carefully as a summary and analysis of the lessons learned in the story of Israel, from Abraham to the Exile. If we had only this chapter in the whole Old Testament, we would have a good synopsis of the story of Israel.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of your word, which above all reveals Jesus to us. From the perspective of his death, resurrection and teaching we see more clearly what you have been up to in the story of your people Israel, and how it points forward to our great redemption in Christ. Thanks for those in our lives who have faithfully read and interpreted the scriptures to us. Amen.

May 7 / Reflection

The important new element in Ezra and Nehemiah is the idea of the “remnant” of faith. Though Israel as a whole had rejected God’s covenant, some had remained faithful.

The remnant, which defined itself by the word of God, returned to Israel in three migrations to rebuild the city, worship God at the rebuilt Temple, and renew the ancient covenant. Though Israel has lost statehood, she has not lost her calling or identity as God’s people.

The remnant is a small percentage of former Israel; nevertheless, it is the inheritor of God’s promises. The prophet Isaiah says, “I will preserve a remnant of the people of Israel and of Judah to possess my land. Those I choose will inherit it, and my servants will live there” (Isaiah 65:9)

Micah 7:18 suggests that the fact of the remnant proves the unfailing love of God: “Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.” (Micah 7:18)

Chronologically, Nehemiah deals with the final status of Old Testament Israel, meaning Israel mostly scattered among the nations but some returned to the land. Neither situation is a fulfillment of the promise to Abraham. The long-term promise still awaits fulfillment.

So, there was an “Israel” within Israel, just as today there is a “Church” within the Church. Those who are Christian in name only are not the Church known to God. Jesus once said, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord! will enter the King of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in Heaven will enter.” (Matthew 7:21)

The mark of authentic faith is always the fruit it produces: “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17-18)

Prayer: Lord, may we be people who genuinely love you from the heart, and not pretenders. Even in our weakness and failures, look inside us and know that our spirit is willing even when our flesh is weak. Amen.

May 4 / Ezra 9-10

The need for Ezra to give spiritual guidance to those returned to Jerusalem is apparent as soon as he arrives. The Jewish leaders on the scene approach Ezra to say:

“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.”

So the old sinful practices have returned, especially the practice of marrying pagan wives. God’s law specifically forbad it and Moses warned the people against it (Exodus 34:10-17). To make things worse, the leaders have led the way!

Ezra became deeply troubled. He recalls, “Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel came and sat with me because of this outrage committed by the returned exiles. And I sat there utterly appalled until the time of the evening sacrifice.” (Ezra 9:3-4)

But great challenges reveal great leaders. Ezra takes the burden of the people upon himself and intercedes for them in a heartfelt prayer of confession:

“O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin. That is why we and our kings and our priests have been at the mercy of the pagan kings of the land. We have been killed, captured, and disgraced, just as we are today.” (Ezra 9:6-15)

Then Ezra acknowledges God’s grace in the face of the people’s history of sin:

“But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the Lord our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant…Now we are being punished because of our wickedness and our great guilt. But we have actually been punished far less than we deserve, for you our God, have allowed some of us to survive as a remnant…O Lord, God of Israel, you are just. We come before you in our guilt as nothing but an escaped remnant..”

We notice in Ezra’s prayer, three references to the “remnant.” The presence of a remnant of faith shows that even in Israel’s darkest moments as a nation, there were faithful Israelites who did not harden their hearts against God. But even the remnant sin against the Lord and need to repent. So in chapter 10, Ezra leads the people in a recommitment of their lives to obey the law, and to give evidence of this by the painful act of divorcing their pagan wives and sending them home.

The people must remember that their calling from God, as codified in the covenant, means that they are to lead a different life and not be assimilated by the world. It was a difficult calling. As Jesus will later say, “narrow is the road and few there are that find it.” The road is not narrow in the sense that it is hard to find, but rather that it is difficult to travel, so the half-hearted do not prevail.

But Ezra leads the people back to the narrow road of the covenant, and to the way of blessing. But as we shall see in Nehemiah, the struggle will continue.

Prayer: Lord, we understand that even faithful believers struggle with temptation and with the fear of opposition. Help us to be vigilant, humble, repentant, and persevering in the walk of faith. Though the road be narrow, your blessings are abundant! Amen.

May 3 / Ezra 7-8

Later in the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, a second group of exiles return to Jerusalem. They are led by Ezra, a scribe well versed in the Law of Moses, and well respected by Artaxerxes.

The gracious hand of God was upon Ezra who had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel. The rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem was one thing, but the rebuilding of the people’s spiritual lives is quite another. And for this task, God had prepared Ezra.

He leaves Babylon with King Artaxerxes’ blessing, a letter of passage in hand, and abundant resources, including more wealth stolen during the fall of Jerusalem to return to the Temple. Artaxerxes encourages Ezra to use the wisdom God had given him to appoint magistrates and judges who knew the Mosaic Law to govern the people.

Ezra rejoices at the unexpected favor shown him by the king, saying:

“Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem! And praise him for demonstrating such unfailing love for me by honoring me before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles. I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel to return with to Jerusalem.” (Ezra 7:27-28)

Chapter 8 then recalls all who left with Ezra and safely arrived in Jerusalem because God’s hand of protection was upon them. Ezra testifies: “…we had told the king, ‘Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.’ So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.’” (Ezra 8:22-23)

There is a sense of joy and expectation in the story of Ezra so far. God is clearly, amazingly, at work through the actions of the pagan kings of Persia—Cyrus, Darius and now Artaxerxes—as well as through Jewish leaders like Ezra, to return a remnant of Israel to the Land.

Persia plays an interesting role in the story of Israel, not only because of these three kings, but also later when three magi out of Persia come to worship the child born in Bethlehem!

Prayer: Lord, it is exciting to live during days of blessing when it is clear to all that you are at work in the world. Of course, you are always at work even when times are difficult and confusing. Give us eyes to see you at work in our lives and in our times so that we will not be afraid or disillusioned, but confident that all your gracious promises to us will be fulfilled! Amen.

May 2 / Ezra 4-6

The rebuilding of the Temple by the Jewish returnees from exile in Babylonia is met with fierce resistance from the locals. They employed clever and then increasingly more hostile tactics to get the Jews to stop building.

First, they pretended to want to help with construction. When that ploy failed, they tried to discourage and frighten the workers. They bribed agents to undermine the project and wrote letters of accusation and fearmongering to the kings of Persia. One king, Artaxerxes, finally took the bait and issued a stop order on the project. This remained in effect for fifteen years until Darius became king.

At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah were encouraging the leaders of the Jews to restart the building project. Once again, the locals protested by writing to King Darius questioning whether there ever was permission granted by King Cyrus for the Jews to rebuild the Temple.

But the gambit failed. Darius orders the Babylonian archives to be searched, and sure enough the memorandum is found, giving them permission. Darius responds with an order to allow the construction of the Temple:

“Let it be rebuilt on its original site, and do not hinder the governor of Judah and the elders of the Jews in their work. 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 work will not be interrupted…May the God who has chosen the city of Jerusalem as the place to honor his name destroy any king or nation that violates this command and destroys this temple.” (Ezra 6:6-12)

When the Temple was completed and then dedicated, the priests and Levites returned to their tasks of service at the Temple as prescribed in the Book of Moses. Then all the returned exiles celebrated Passover—the defining moment of the people of God—giving hope that God had not forgotten his people and had caused the king of Persia to be favorable towards them.

The irony here, not lost on the Jews, was that God once again used a foreign nation to carry out his will for Israel—first Assyria and Babylonian to bring his judgement against Israel’s sin, and now the king of Persia (which had since conquered the Assyrian and Babylonian empires) to help restore God’s people to the land.

These big events involving the decisions of kings and nations show that God is in control of history and can use anything or anyone to carry out his will. It also anticipates the day when all the nations of the world will worship the God of Israel, the one true God.

Prayer: Lord, we are once again reminded that your power is far greater than we ever imagined. What seems to us a hopeless situation is nothing to you. You are the Lord of History and nations. Help us not to be afraid. Amen.

May 1 / Ezra 1-3

The book of Ezra picks up the story of Judah seventy years after the end the events covered in 2 Chronicles. Judah, the southern kingdom, has been taken into exile to Babylon just as Israel, the northern kingdom, was taken into exile earlier by Assyria.

The exile was God’s judgment against his people for their continued violation of the Mosaic Covenant due to the hardness of their hearts. In particular, their hearts were drawn away from God to worship idols, and to otherwise behave like the pagan nations around them.

This is the beginning of the “diaspora,” the dispersing of the Jews away from Israel, (especially from Jerusalem and the Temple) to live among the nations of the world.

During this period of time, the prophets spoke to the exiled peoples (from both the northern and southern kingdoms) about judgment and hope. When we get to the prophetic writings we will see that this was a period of soul-searching and anguish over difficult, unresolved issues: What does it mean to be the people of God outside of the land promised to Abraham? Has their covenant breaking placed them outside of God’s grace? What about God’s promise to David about an eternal kingdom? Is there any hope for the future?

But the prophets offer hope. They remind the people that God is the Lord of history. Even though other nations now occupy the Promised Land, God has not forgotten his promises. There is restoration for those who repent of their sins and return to the Lord.

Remarkably, after seventy years have passed, God puts on the heart of the pagan King Cyrus of Persia a willingness to let any Jews who wish, to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple! (Ezra 1:1-4)

This stirs the hearts of the priests and Levites, and other leaders of Judah. They return with all the wealth Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple, plus an abundance of gifts from their neighbors. In all, over 42,000 people return back to their towns throughout Israel.

The occupiers were not happy about King Cyrus’s proclamation to allow the Jews to return, but even though the Jews were afraid of the local residents, they began rebuilding the altar at its old site in the Temple ruins so that they could begin sacrificing burnt offerings to the Lord.

Then the leaders gathered materials and hired masons and carpenters, so that two years after the return, the people began rebuilding the Temple itself. When the foundation was completed, there was a great celebration:

“And the Levites, descendants of Asaph, clashed their cymbals to praise the Lord, just as King David had prescribed. With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord: He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever” (Ezra 3:8-11)

It was a bitter-sweet moment. The ruins of the Temple reminded the older Jews of the failure of the people to keep the covenant and commandments. They lamented the greatness of what was lost. But the younger Jews, who had been born in exile, shouted for joy. A new generation is able to hope because God is faithful.

Prayer: Lord, again we are struck by your grace and mercy. Your love simply will not let go of us, even when we let go of you. Like the Israelites, we feel the pain of the consequences for our sins, yet there is also the sweetness of your gracious forgiveness and new beginnings. We sing with those who returned to the land: “You are so good! You faithful love for your people endures forever!” Amen.

April 16 / 1 Chronicles 10-16

The priestly writer, “Ezra,” who chronicles the reign of David now turns from genealogy to the story of how David became king. This review, however, brings a different perspective and different emphases. Let’s call it the “view from the Temple.”

Chapter 10 recounts the death of Saul and three of his sons at the hand of the Philistines. The Israelite army is in disarray so the people abandon their towns while the Philistines move in and occupy them. We are reminded: “So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s commandments and even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance.” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)

David is recognized as the true hero behind Saul, and is crowned king. He immediately goes to war against the Philistines who have occupied the Israelite cities. Notably, he conquers Jerusalem and makes his home and headquarters there. From thereon, it is called the “City of David.” In short: “David became more and more powerful because the Lord of Heaven’s Armies (i.e. the Lord of Hosts) was with him.”

Some tales are told about David’s mightiest warriors, and they are introduced by name. The best of the best are honored with a story of their bravery and exploits. Soon other warriors join David. According to 1 Chronicles 12:2, they were expert archers and ambidextrous sling shot slingers! Others were said to be “as fierce as lions and as swift as deer on the mountains.” And lest we still not be impressed, “The weakest among them could take on a hundred regular troops, and the strongest could take on a thousand.”

Boasting is apparently allowed!

As word gets out to all the cities that had been loyal to Saul, their warriors join with David one by one for the “single purpose of making David king over all Israel.” The nation slowly comes together around their new king, and people begin gathering to feast and celebrate. “There was great joy throughout the land of Israel.” (1 Chronicles 12:40)

So all begins well. David summons his leaders to suggest that the Ark of the Covenant be brought to Jerusalem. Everyone agrees. A new transport cart is built and two priests, Uzzah and Ahio accompany it on its journey, along with a festive group celebrating the event. But then something happens and the Ark is violated inadvertently by Uzzah, who is struck dead.

Not surprisingly, David is angry and confused by this. Why did God do this? Wasn’t David trying to do something good? It appears that David tried to do the right thing but in a way forbidden by the Law of Moses.

Nevertheless, God blesses David’s reign, and he’s feeling more confident. So he builds himself a kingly palace, together with other buildings, and he marries additional wives (probably to form political alliances) just like other kings did. “David’s fame spread everywhere, and the Lord caused all the nations to fear David.”

A second attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem is made after David consults the Law of Moses and discovers that only Levites are permitted to transport it. This time they do it properly and God blesses the people. David writes a psalm of praise and gives it to Asaph, a musician and the Levite choir. It is a psalm celebrating the story of God with Israel, and a call to remember the covenant that God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It points forward to the day when God’s promise to bless the nations is fulfilled:

“Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise.” (1 Chronicles 16:23-25)

Prayer: Lord, we identity with King David’s good intentions but wrong actions which bring about bad results. We are grateful however that with you there are not only consequences but grace and mercy. Like David wrote, may the whole earth sing to the Lord with the good news that he saves! Amen.

April 15 / 1 Chronicles 1-9

1 & 2 Chronicles gives us a different perspective on the story of Israel so far. It is written by an exiled priest, possibly Ezra, who will be one of the first to return to the land after 70 years of exile. “Ezra” recollects and reflects theologically on the events of Israel’s life, seeking to identify God’s sovereign hand at work in it all.

1 Chronicles is mostly about King David, Israel’s greatest king. You’ll remember that despite his great heroics, like slaying the giant Goliath, David committed the sins of adultery and murder. He was far from a perfect man. Yet David loved the Lord and showed sincere sorrow for his sins. In addition, he did not lead Israel into idolatry like so many other kings of Israel. God showed him grace and honored him by choosing his family line (the tribe of Judah) to be the family line of the Messiah, Jesus.

Chapters 1-9 serves as an introduction and is all about roots. King David’s story, like the story of the whole human race, begins with Adam, and moves forward to the story of Noah and the flood judgment because of universal human sin. From there we come to the people at the forefront of God’s promise of redemption–Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob’s twelve sons eventually become the tribes that make up the nation and finally the Kingdom of Israel.

Genealogies for the twelve tribes are then presented, beginning–not surprisingly–with Judah, King David’s tribe. Next the genealogy for the priestly tribe of Levi is featured, followed by the others.

In chapter 9, the writer takes us to the exile, focusing on the Kingdom of Judah, and then to the time when some of the exiles are permitted to go back to homes in Jerusalem, and to the little that remained of the destroyed Temple.

“The first of the exiles to return to their property in their former towns were priests, Levites, Temple servants and other Israelites.” (1 Chronicles 9:2)

It is from their perspective that the story of King David, and what follows, is to be told.

Yes, it is boring reading, so what’s the point? We’ve seen that the heart of the story of God and his creation is his desire to have a relationship with you and me, a relationship that God faithfully pursues despite our continued rebellion and idolatry. We run from God, seeking other gods of our own making, and he runs after us. His gracious plan to make things right involves God making promises to individuals, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David, who will (imperfectly) become his agents of redemption.

By keeping track of all these people, we are reminded of how faithful God has been to keep his promises, even when we could have cared less. How amazing that God will not let us go!

Prayer: Lord, there are so many facets to the events of our lives, and many possible interpretations. But though we don’t always understand what is going on because we can’t see the big picture of your plan, we are grateful that you faithfully keep after us, offering your presence, granting us blessings, and taking us to a glorious future with you in the New Creation. Amen!