Ezra Who?

Doesn't feel much like the 3rd of July around here, but I'll take it. You know I'm a cold weather fan!

Let's get down to business. . .

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
What is the name of the king of Persia? What did God tell him to? (2 Chron 36)
2 Chronicles 36:22-23 22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: 23 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you-- may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'"

And here's the question of the day:
In what unusual way did the man named “Barzillai” get his name? (Ezra 2)

And here's the reflection of the day:
Well, we've come to Ezra. This is probably a book of the Bible you don't know too much about. So, let me give you some background.

Ezra and Nehemiah were originally considered a single literary work entitled "Ezra." Then some of the church fathers decided to separate it (Ralph W. Klein, NIB Commentary, "The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah"). (I couldn't find a reason why they did it--sorry!) Until recently, scholars believe Ezra-Nehemiah was also a part of 1-2 Chronicles. Now it is generally believed they were written separately.

At this point in history Jerusalem was destroyed (586 BCE) and the Israelites found themselves in exile again, this time at the hands of the Babylonians and in Babylon. When Jerusalem fell, many of the learned and well-to-do Jews were sent into exile, thereby stunting the growth of the Israelites. The future of the Israelites looked bleak, to say the least, but God's prophets continued to reassure them that God would provide.

And God did provide, in the form of a generous Persian king named Cyrus who conquered the Babylonians and invites the Jerusalem exiles to return home to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the Temple, which was finished in 516 BCE.

Cyrus' successor, Artaxerxes I (pronounced "art-a-zerk-sees"--how 'bout that name for a 2 year old!), sent Ezra to Jerusalem to lead the Jews back to Jerusalem, "deliver gifts offered by the Persian authorities and by the people to the Temple, make inquiry about conformity to the law in Judah and Jerusalem, and appoint magistrates and judges to teach the law" (Klein).

So, Ezra leads the people in a confession of sin for "their intermarriage with foreigners" (not because they were racist but because foreigners often brought with them other religions which led the Israelites away from God). AND, he led a "commission that carried out the removal of the foreign wives and their children." (Sheesh. Don't sign me up for that job!)

These are the main things to watch out for when you read Ezra and Nehemiah:
1. the return from exile and the rebuilding of the Temple
2. the initial activities of Ezra
3. Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls
4. the climax of Ezra and Nehemiah's work
5. the final acts of Nehemiah


I hope all this helps as you being to read Ezra and Nehemiah. Let me know if you have any other questions!!
Allison

The Aroma of Christ

Good morning! I'm glad you stopped by today!


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Psalm 61 is a prayer. Who is the prayer for?
Psalm 61:6-7 6 Increase the days of the king's life, his years for many generations. 7 May he be enthroned in God's presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

And here's the question of the day:
Who was Paul looking for when he came to Troas? Where did he go after that? (2 Cor 13)


And here's the reflection of the day:
I am presiding over a wedding next month. The groom went to our church when he was younger--apparently he was a holy terror during VBS!

The church has changed a lot since he was there--not only has time passed, but we've been through the fire and rebuilt. So, it was kind of odd that, when I was meeting with them at the church, he walked into the sanctuary and said, "It's smells just the same!"



Now, I don't know about YOUR sanctuary, but I never noticed any distinctive smells coming from ours. (We don't usually have many flowers or smelly candles or incense or anything.) Fora while, it did smell like new wood, new carpet, and new paint for a while, but that "new" smell is pretty much gone now.

But to this groom, and his fresh nose unaccustomed to the church, it still smelled the same. He didn't say it in a negative way; he was nostalgic and sentimental, two words I would NOT normally use to describe him generally!

To him, it was "the fragrance of life" (2 Cor 2.16). To him, it was the smell of childhood and of home.

This particular young man hasn't been to church since he was a kid, and I don't expect he will start coming after he is married, but I hope, while I have a chance to interact with this soon-to-be-married couple, that I can be the "aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing" (2 Cor 2.15).

I hope that I can be that reminder of Home and be an invitation on behalf of a Father who wants to welcome all His children Home.