Rebuilding the Walls
Our story today opens nearly 60 years after Zerubbabel led 43,000 exiles
carrying temple treasures, gold and silver back to Judah to rebuild the
temple, and 15 years after Esther saved the Jews. As at all times in
history, some people had hearts fully set on God, and some didn’t –
including, and even, those Jews who returned to Jerusalem. So God sent
three people with very different gifts to help and strengthen those in the
Persian province of Judah who wanted to know Him. Ezra taught, Nehemiah
built, and Malachi exhorted. In all cases, God responded.WatchNotesDownloadDateTitle
- Sep 6, 2015Rebuilding the WallsRebuilding the WallsOur story today opens nearly 60 years after Zerubbabel led 43,000 exiles
carrying temple treasures, gold and silver back to Judah to rebuild the
temple, and 15 years after Esther saved the Jews. As at all times in
history, some people had hearts fully set on God, and some didn’t –
including, and even, those Jews who returned to Jerusalem. So God sent
three people with very different gifts to help and strengthen those in the
Persian province of Judah who wanted to know Him. Ezra taught, Nehemiah
built, and Malachi exhorted. In all cases, God responded.
- Aug 30, 2015The Queen of Beauty and CourageThe Queen of Beauty and CourageIn Las Vegas you can roll “lucky sevens,” or you can also lose it all. You
can win a massive windfall or experience colossal disaster. It all seems
like coincidence, just the roll of the dice. In the Book of Esther, it
seems like the destiny of the Jews is subject to the roll of the dice. But
we discover that even though His name is not mentioned in the whole Book of
Esther, God is working behind the scenes to fulfill His grand, saving
purpose. Knowing this, we can take heart believing that even when God
seems distant, unconcerned, or even absent in our lives, He is still at
work. God is always working!
- Aug 23, 2015The Return HomeThe Return HomeDo you know the feeling of getting back home after an extended time away –
either for work or vacation, it doesn’t matter - the feeling is the same!
It is so good to get back to your comfortable surroundings with familiar
things. Even the not-so-nice things like loose doorknobs, squeaky stairs
and weeds in the garden comfort you. The Bible tells of a number of
“homecomings.” The prodigal son, the adulterous woman, and the people of
Israel know this feeling of coming back home. So do we. Today in The
Story, we see the people of Israel are invited back to their home in the
Promise Land by God. When they get there, they see the nice things of
home, but they also see a not-so-nice thing: There is no temple in
Jerusalem. Their exile isn’t over yet. No homecoming is complete without
the presence of God.
- Aug 16, 2015Daniel in ExileDaniel in ExileEarlier in the Old Testament, we read about Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve
sons who was sold into slavery (by his own brothers!) and became a prisoner
in a foreign land. Far from home, with no one he knew that would see or
critique him, Joseph led a life of staggering integrity. Fast forward to
Daniel and three other young men from Judah who have been exiled in the
capital city of their sworn enemies and captors. They were in a place
where “no one was looking.” They could compromise and cut corners and no
one would ever know … except God. Our culture invites and encourages us to
compromise too, but like Daniel living in exile, we live by a higher
authority.
- Aug 9, 2015The Kingdoms’ FallThe Kingdoms’ FallHas God ever asked you to do something you didn’t want to do? He sure did
this to the prophet Jeremiah. He told him to stand in the rubble of
Jerusalem and weep. This was hard for him to do, not only because it
represented the fall of the capital city of God’s chosen people and the
temple of God, but because the people still refused to listen to him! Hard
and stubborn hearts often know no other way. Sound familiar in our day?
Yet in this we learn something else about our God. He still has the power
to give an abundance of undeserved grace and mercy, even after The
Kingdoms' Fall…
- Aug 2, 2015The Beginning of the EndThe Beginning of the EndWhat if the U.S.A. had kings instead of presidents? Some suggest that
George Washington was asked to be a kind of “king” of America following the
Revolutionary War. He, however, rejected the offer following a popular
sentiment and motto among colonists, “No king but King Jesus.” God’s
people in Israel should have had a motto like that: “No king but King God.”
They however, wanted human kings – who got the nation into a heap of
trouble. The nation split into two smaller, weaker nations, and during the
time of the divided kingdom there were 38 kings in all. All but a handful
of those kings were wicked and did evil in the sight of the Lord. They
failed to lead their subjects to honor the One True God, and because of it
the nation suffered.
- Jul 26, 2015God’s MessengersGod’s MessengersWe pick up The Story in chapter 15 or the Book of 2 Kings. Because the
Bible is arranged topically and not chronologically, many people will enter
“the black hole” of their Bibles at this point. The Old Testament books are
arranged as history, poetry and prophecy. It’s at this point that the story
seems to get jumbled up and further confused by the division of God’s
people into two kingdoms—10 tribes called Israel in the north and two
tribes in the south called Judah. We will see that this divided Kingdom
leads to much unfaithfulness in the land. God sends messengers – the
prophets, but they are ignored. God's people continue to disobey. Despite
this tension, God, as He always does, remains active and faithful.