my burg

Jan 8 -- Ezra 8 and Acts 8 Jan 9 -- Ezra 9 and Acts 9 Jan 10 -- Ezra 10 and Acts 10 ================    "Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles." (Ezra 10:6)  RETURNING HOME. In chapter 8 we read the names of the Jews who made the long journey back to Jerusalem along with Ezra. God provides a company of Levites, needed to lead worship at the rebuilt temple. God also provides gold and silver, and a safe journey. They had fasted and prayed, and the Lord's hand was upon them (8:18, 31). But in chapter 9 and 10 we discover that things are not well in Judea. The persistent problem of religious compromise had again taken hold in the nation, and the leaders were foremost in this offense (9:2). God has willed that his people marry others who are consecrated to the Lord (2 Cor 6:14-16). Child...

Bible reading for January 6-7  Jan 6 -- Ezra 6 and Acts 6 Jan 7 -- Ezra 7 and Acts 7 ================    "For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel." (Ezra 7:10)  EZRA. The Persian emperor Darius decrees and supports the work of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem (chapter 6). The prophets Haggai and Zechariah (we'll read their words when we get to the Minor Prophets) encourage God's people during this time. Chapters one to six are related to the first return under the leadership of Zerubbabel in 536 BC. Ezra, priest and scribe, arrives in the second wave of returning exiles in 458 BC (chapter 7). Nehemiah will be in the third group in 445 BC.  See my chart above.  THE LORD IS ACTIVE in the rebuilding of the nation. Note how he "stirs up the spirit" or "turns the heart" of people. And three times we are told that the "hand of the Lord" was upon Ezra (7:6, 9, 28). C...

Bible reading for Jan 4-5.  Jan 4 -- Ezra 4 and Acts 4 Jan 5 -- Ezra 5 and Acts 5 "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-12) ================    DEALING WITH OPPOSITION. One of the more hurtful things I've experienced as a believer is to have my words deliberately twisted and my motives maligned. Perhaps it was in something I've written or spoken, but to have my words (or actions) deliberately misinterpreted and publicly misrepresented is very painful. Such hostility is seen in both of our readings today. In Ezra the adversaries of the Jews write a cunning letter to the Persian emperor, and government suppression stops the temple rebuilding project. And in Acts we see the early church being opposed by the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Throughout history God's work on ear...

Bible reading for weekend Jan 1-3.  Jan 1 -- Ezra 1 and Acts 1 Jan 2 -- Ezra 2 and Acts 2 Jan 3 -- Ezra 3 and Acts 3 ================    NEW BEGINNINGS. In both of our readings this weekend we see new construction taking place: in Ezra the people of Israel are being rebuilt as a nation after the humiliation of their exile, and in Acts the church is being built up with believers from all nations. God is dealing largely with Israel in the OT, and with believers of all ethnicities in the NT, in fulfillment of Genesis 12:3 and other passages. In Ezra we see the rebuilding of the altar and temple, and in Acts we see the Lord fulfilling his word, "I will build my church" (Matt 16:18). God's divine plan for history, what we call redemptive history, can be viewed as a chiasm (or chiasmus ), with Jesus Christ at the center. [See my chart below.]   NAMES AND NUMBERS. There are three waves of Jews returning from exile: those with Zerubbabel (538 BC), those with Ezra (458...