Look What Sin Does | Ezra 10

 

We are wrapping up the last Wednesday in June as we wrap up the book of Ezra. Next month I have something fun in mind to do for the Bible studies. I hope you will enjoy it and even try to participate with me.

If you have not finished reading the last chapter of this book, please take the time to do so now. There are a lot of names listed but please do not skip over them. It is listed for a reason and we can see the big impact those names have on what has happened. As a reminder, I do not do a line by line study in this series. I am sectioning off the chapter in two parts. Let's begin.

Verses 1-11 Israel Repents

Ezra prayed. He confessed. He wept. He threw himself down at the house of God in humility. Something happens. Ezra is no longer the only one aware of the great sin and the consequences. Ezra is not alone. Men, women, and children came out in great numbers, weeping and wailing. Shechaniah confessed, "We have sinned against God." He admits taking the pagan wives was wrong but he announces that hope is not gone. There is still hope for the people of Israel. Shechaniah knew the nature of God and he comes up with a plan to get into a covenant with God and divorce all the wives they took that were not of their own nativity.

Let's sit with that for a moment. It seems cruel to rip families apart just because they were not Israeli women. In our society, we shake our heads and wag our fingers. Yet, remember God had the rule for them to only marry within the community He gave them. His rule was for the protection of His people. His rule was for the protection of His covenant with them. His rule was for the sanctity of their relationship. He is God and we are to serve Him. These women worshipped other gods and did not serve God. It cannot be both.

In today's "if it feels good, do it" society we think we can do whatever we want and live however we want with no consequences. That is simply not true. We are not to mingle with the world, and date just for fun, then get entangled in problems and drama that we could have simply avoided if we would hearken to the voice of God. Learn from the Israeli people in the book of Ezra. God has these mandates in place for a reason. It is not to exclude the world, it is to protect His children.

Divorce is common in our American culture today. In the Old Testament times it was not so. This suggestion for a massive dissolution of marriages was unheard of! This drastic measure gives us a glimpse of what desperation the people must have felt. Not only were the wives sent away, but their children were sent away as well. Sin never impacts one person. What one person does, good or bad, will always impact others. We must think before we act. There is too much at stake. 

For more clarification and education, I am going to quote some notes straight from my study Bible. "The Christian is not to leave an unbelieving spouse but rather to live in a manner that may win that spouse to the faith (1 Cor. 7:12-16; 1 Pet. 3:1-7). At the same time, the Bible warns the believer not to enter marriage with an unbeliever for one of the reasons that the Jews were not to do so--because it can weaken the faith of the believer. What is valuable and essential to a believer cannot be shared with an unbelieving spouse (see Neh. 10, Interfaith Marriage; 2 Cor. 6, Husbands). 

Sin is not pretty. I wish more churches would preach and teach on what sin is, how ugly things get when we choose to sin, and the real consequences of what we jeopardize when we disobey God's law. Jesus did not do away with the law. He came to fulfill the law and so we must not believe that God's law is no longer effective. Christian brothers and sisters, it is time to take sin seriously. Let's find the roots in our own lives and ask God to help us get rid of it. We cannot continue in sin just because God's grace is bountiful. Rather, let's turn away from doing those things that are wrong and sinful. 

Verses 12-44 Putting Away Wives

In verse 12, the congregation is unified in their decision to divorce their wives and send them away with their children. They must have all felt sad and great regret. All of the damage to these women and children would never have happened if they would have obeyed God in the first place. 

As usual with most sinful situations, it is complicated and multi-faceted. Now, the people have another issue to deal with. It's the rainy season and there are so many people that this cannot be done in just a couple of days. They see now how big this sin problem really is. The solution? They appointed officials to represent the people. Anyone who married a foreign wife would come at a set time with the elders and judges of their city and the process would continue until the unholy unions were dissolved and God was no longer angry with the people.

From verse 20-43 we read names of families and see the plural word: sons. Verse 44 says, "All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children." The book ends there.

Let that sink in. Marriages were destroyed. Families were destroyed. Sin caused the destruction. Who do you think enticed them that the grass was greener on the other side? The devil! He is a thief that only comes to steal, kill, and destroy according to John 10:10. We must be careful. The devil is clever, but God did not leave us to fend for ourselves. His Word, the Holy Bible is here for us to learn from. He tells us everything we need to know. Friends, life is an open BOOK test! We are without excuse. Let's be careful moving forward to not let pride, envy, greed, lust, or the love of money to rule our hearts. Instead let's operate in the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians teaches us that when we do so, there is no law to prevent us from being loving, kind, patient, gentle, faithful.... Let's walk with God and be aware of what we are allowing in our lives.

You may say, "Bridgett, I'm not living in sin. I am not married outside of God's will." That's great! But, there may be hidden sins we must ask God to reveal to us. Sin comes in many forms. It can be that we want what others have. FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out has been a driving force for people to go into debt to obtain things they do not need to impress people they do not like. Let's be real! We have enough stuff! What are we watching? If we are watching movies, tv programs, news, infomercials, or follow accounts of people who are always buying more stuff, we will soon want more stuff. Whatever we keep before our eyes, sooner or later will materialize. Trust and believe that!

What kind of music do we listen to? Songs about cheating and people leaving their husbands or wives, destroying other people's property, killing, and worse... those messages get into the minds of those who listen and before you know it, you begin to act out in ways that reflect what you listen to. Where do you go? Are you watching movies that have profanity and sex scenes? How is that honoring God? I am not saying stop up your ears, close your eyes, be a hermit, and never live in the real world. The Bible says in the words of Jesus, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (John 15:18,19) We are not of the world when we have been blood bought by Jesus. If you accepted Him as your Savior then you do not belong to the world. You won't ever fit in like the rest. You were made to stand out so you can be a light and a witness to the world about how good and wonderful God is.

Jesus loves us so much He died for us. He hated sin so much because He knew what it would do to us. Look what it did to Him when He took our sins upon Himself? The good news is there is not a sin that is too big or too bad for Jesus's blood to cover. He paid it all. He paid a debt that was not His and He does not ask us to pay Him back. He just wants us to love Him and serve Him and be obedient. When we do what He says we are not being restricted; we are being protected! 

David says in Psalms 139: 23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." We can pray the same thing. He will do it!

We can learn so much from the men and women in the Old Testament. I did not even do an in-depth study of this book this time and yet there was so much to glean from it. In Romans 15:4 it reads, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." The things we read in the Bible are for us to learn from. When we practice the ways of righteousness, we develop patience and find comfort in the Scriptures. That comfort gives us hope that we, too, can overcome. I know the men that were estranged from their wives were never the same. They may have thought about fun times they had with their ex-wives, favorite meals they cooked, or memories they made with their children. We, like Moses, can choose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25). It may seem fun for a while to embrace the world and follow their example, but the end is destruction and we will suffer the consequences.

I hope you have enjoyed this study. It has been a sobering study and honestly I never expected to get this much from one book. It is incredible the encouragement and lessons packed into ten short chapters. I pray that something I have shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Ezra Chapter Nine | Bible Study Wednesday

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible study session here on the blog. We are in the book of Ezra, chapter nine. We are nearly through this study and I have learned so much from this book! If you have not taken the time to read through the chapter, please do so. This is a very short chapter, only 15 verses. As you may recall, I am not doing a line by line study. If you have already read through this small chapter but it has been a while, you may want to glance over it again to refresh your memory. I am going to break the chapter into two parts. Let's begin.

Verses 1-4 Israel's Sin

The first four verses of chapter nine is gripping. The princes came to Ezra and told him what the people of Israel had done. They had sinned and it was not a small slip-up. God had told them to stay to themselves, and not intermarry with other cultures. God knew that when they began to mingle with the people of other cultures, they would easily become influenced by their ways of doing things and how they served idols and false gods. The only way to prevent this was to stick to marrying within their own selected people. The princes reported to Ezra how the Israelites, the priests, and the Levites were mingling with the pagan people: Canaanites, Hittites, Perizites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and the Amorites. This news was so shocking to Ezra he tore his clothes and holy mantle as he pulled out his hair and ripped his beard from his face. He sat down completely overwhelmed by the graveness of this great transgression.

It was not just that they disobeyed God; they dishonored Him by marrying pagans and accepting their immoral, unethical practices, and no longer prioritized a relationship with God. Friends, we see this today. The culture we live in is so loud and in our faces all of the time, that we have to find time to spend with God. We have to literally carve out part of our day to be with Him. The ways of the world have crept into churches all across this country and it is sometimes very hard to tell who is in the world and who belongs to God. We must wake up. This is a dangerous time to be in. Jesus said, in 2 Timothy 3:1, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." We are living in those perilous times today. If we study the world, listen to the world, do as the world does, before long we will forget what God has told us and we will give in to fear, doubt, and disbelief. Our hearts belong to God but when we look around us and see the bad, the scary, the dangers we will pull away from the only source of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace we have.

Verses 5-15 Ezra Confesses Israel's Sin

Please note that these last verses of the chapter is how Ezra reacted to the news about the sins of God's people. Next week we will take a look at what Israel does, but I want to emphasize something here. We all have to give a personal account for any sin we encounter. What does sin do to us? What does it make us feel like? What actions do we take? We can see very clearly that Ezra took it seriously. He is not playing when he tears his clothes and pulls his hair from his head and his beard. He is mourning. He is grieving. He knows how serious this is and what it means to God to have His chosen people lusting after pagan nations that refuse to know or serve the one true God.

Ezra starts out in humility. He is so embarrassed to even face God with this issue. He starts recounting the history of God's people. He admits they have been a sinful nation from the beginning. Everyone, other nations, heathen people, royalty, you name them, they have witnessed the shameful way the children of Israel behaved year after year through the ages. Now, Ezra says, God gives grace so that they are not all destroyed, a remnant escaped, and a place was given to them in His holy place so that their eyes would be enlightened. Ezra says that God granted them a little reviving in the midst of slavery. With gratitude he rehearses to God how they were in bondage but even as slaves, God never left them. Instead God extended mercy to them and opened doors of opportunity through the king of Persia to rebuild the holy house of God, the resources and provisions necessary to fix the broken places, and to give them a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 

Ezra just gets real honest here. He says, "What can we say to You, our God? We have forsaken Your commandments. You told us how unclean and impure these people were. You told us to keep our children from marrying their children. You told us to never desire their peace or wealth so that we would be strong, eat the good of the land, and leave an inheritance to our children forever. You didn't even give us the punishment that we deserved, and now after delivering us from slavery, we did this to You again? You should be so angry with us that You consume us until we are utterly destroyed and none survive!"

And then he brags on God who is worthy of all praise. He addresses the LORD God of Israel. He calls Him righteous because He is. Ezra's last sentence to God in this chapter is, "We are before You in our sin: for we cannot stand in front of You because of this."

Such humility. Do you hear the sorrow in his voice as you read through this chapter? Ezra runs back through all the grace and the provision and protection they have had all along this journey. He thinks of every single time God had His hand on them and they won the favor or kings and others in authority. They were freed from slavery and they were a small community of men, women, and children: no longer the great nation they once were. Yet they were still being blessed and encouraged by God and now all of this was thrown back in God's face with the abominations of the children of Israel.

What areas are you facing in your life right now that you need to repent of? Has God shown a light into your heart to help you see hidden sins you forgot? I am allowing Him to show me where I need to repent. God has been so good to me. He has opened up doors of opportunity I never dreamed of and I know it's only the beginning of what He is going to do. I don't want to end up like the children of Israel, lost in my own sick selfish desires, forsaking the laws of God in an effort to indulge my flesh. I want to be humbled, upset, distraught, and disgusted by my sins. I want to repent and say I am sorry and turn from the wicked ways. I want to draw close to Jesus.

Friends, this is such a sad passage to read, but it is so much like what we experience today in this cancel culture we live in. We do not have to follow the crowd. Remember strait is the gate and narrow the way that leads to heaven. Wide is the gate and there is a broad way to hell and many find that path. We must choose what is going to help us get closer to Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Follow the path to Jesus.

MATTHEW 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 

I hope you walk away from today's study with a deeper understanding of the heart and character of God. He is a loving Father, only wanting His children to recognize Him, honor and love Him. Let's be careful to not slip into the ways of the world. It's okay to be different. It is okay to not do what everyone else is doing. Only try to please God and leave the rest. It doesn't matter in the end. I hope something I have shared encourages you. I hope that I have given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you.

~Bridgett Owens

Ezra Chapter Eight | Bible Study Wednesday

 

Welcome back to this week's Bible study. We continue in the book of Ezra, picking up in chapter eight. If you have not read these 36 verses, I encourage you to take a few moments and do so. If it has been a little while since you reviewed the text, you may want to refresh your memory on the passage. Keep your Bible open and if you choose to take notes, have a pen or pencil and notepaper handy. I am not doing a line by line study of this book. I will be dividing each chapter into sections and hitting some of the highlights. I am so thankful for those of you who take the time to participate in these weekly Bible studies. Let's begin.

Verses 1-14 Those Who Went With Ezra

You may be tempted to gloss over these verses as it lists the names of those who joined Ezra on this journey, I encourage you to compare these names with the list in Ezra 2:3-15. Do you see repeated names? Now 80 years after the first roll was called, we see the descendants: family lineage, continue on just as they had before.

The trip these brave men, women, and children took with Ezra was not for the faint of heart. It was dangerous. This 1,000 mile trip through the desert made them an easy target for robbers. It appears as though 5,000 said yes to this journey and just the fact that they all made it safely to Jerusalem was another testimony of God's hand on them.

We may be going through tough, dry, desert times, too, but remember the God who had His hand on Ezra and the 5,000 men, women, and children has His hand on us, too!

Verses 15-20 No Levites

They reached the point where the river runs to Ahava and they camped out for three days. A long journey like that would require rest stops. The humans and animals would need to rest and eat and regain their strength before going on. Ezra started looking around and he noticed there were people and priests but no Levites with them. Ezra called for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, Meshullam, Joiarib and Elnathan who were men of understanding and had good insight. He sent those men to a city called Casiphia to speak with Iddo and his brothers and the temple servants. They were to request ministers for the house of God. 

So God's hand was upon them again and they sent Ezra a son of Mahli, Sherebiah. Sherebiah came to serve in the temple with his sons and brothers, 18 men! What a great answer to a big need they had! But that was not all! Hashabiah and Jeshaiah with his kinsmen and their sons added another 20 men! That was not including the 220 temple servants king David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. The Bible says they were all named. It was not just any group of men. They were sent with a purpose. You and I may feel like we are lost in a sea of other Christians who are working for God, but He knows our names. We matter to God.

Verses 21-23 Fasting and Prayer

The best thing Ezra could do was start out with prayer and fasting. He did not want to ask the king for supplies and provision. He knew the king would honor his requests, but Ezra had already bragged on God. Ezra decided God would provide everything they needed, so he called a fast where they were camped out. This denial of their flesh gave them an opportunity to hear from God clearly about what they should do. They fasted and God heard and answered their prayer.

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that we just don't know what to do. We realize we are in over our heads and since God is the one who is telling us to do the thing, we must pray and fast and wait for Him to answer us. He will do it. The answer will come. The clarity will come. The provision will come.

Verses 24-30 Priests and Treasures

Ezra selected 12 leading priests and weighed out the silver, gold, vessels, and offerings for The Temple of our God that had been given by the king, advisors, and Israelites. There were:

25 tons of silver

100 vessels of silver valued at 3.75 tons of gold

20 gold bowls weighing 18.5 pounds

2 vessels of bright red copper, as valuable as gold

Ezra instructed the men to guard them until they could be properly weighed in their tradition. Ezra told the leading priests that they were holy and the vessels were holy. Sometimes we need to remember we are holy and our work for God is holy. We are to guard and watch the things God trusts us with until we can properly do with it as He has called us to do.

Verses 31-36 Journey To Jerusalem

Verse 31 tells us that God's hand of protection kept them as they went on this incredible journey. The robbers and criminals hiding out, watching the large caravan, wanted to attack, but God was with them. He kept them safe, all the way to Jerusalem.

They made it to Jerusalem and they stayed there three days. Meremoth and Eleazar were with Jozabad and Noadiah as they numbered, weighed, and recorded the treasures in the house of God. Upon their return, the exiles offered burnt offerings to God: 

12 bulls representing all Israel

96 rams

77 lambs

12 he-goats

And finally they delivered the king's orders to the king's provincial administration, whom gave support to the people and the house of God. God can do anything and will do anything for His mission to be a success. If we put our hope and trust in Him, we will all succeed. He is the God that cannot fail. When we throw our plans out the window and fully embrace the journey we are on as we yield to His leadership we will do everything He wants us to do. 

My goodness! I never realized what an encouraging book Ezra was. I know I keep saying that but it is so good for the season that I am in right now. We will spend two more weeks in this book as we wrap up this study. I have a really fun idea for July's Bible Study Wednesday blog posts. I hope you'll join me. It's a little different than I have done on here before but I really hope we can have fun with it. Until next time, friends. I hope that something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Ezra Chapter Seven | Bible Study Wednesday

Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday. I apologize for not doing this study last week but I was not feeling well and unfortunately I am not feeling the best right now either, but I am better than I was. Praise the Lord! So, let's dive into chapter seven in the book of Ezra. It is located in the Old Testament between 2 Chronicles and Nehemiah. I have thoroughly enjoyed this Bible study so far and I hope you have been getting some good study time in as well. I always encourage you to read the chapter if you have not already done so. I will be breaking this chapter down into four sections, but I do not do a line by line study so it will be helpful if you have read through it. You may want to have a notebook handy for notes, and you can also keep your Bible open nearby. Let's begin.

Verses 1-10 Ezra Sent To Jerusalem

Ezra's lineage goes all the way back to Moses' brother Aaron the priest. Ezra was gifted as a scribe and he not only read the law of the Lord to study it and know it, but also to practice it and teach others how to obey it. During the time of the Exile while they were in Babylon, the two jobs of priest and scribe were combined to become one position. Ezra was both priest and scribe. It is possible he worked in the courts on behalf of the Jews. He was copyist, preserver, and interpreter of the Law. After the Exile the Jews were still trying to grasp their identity. Many were not doing the things God wanted them to do. Many stopped hallowing the Sabbath day, discontinued paying their tithes, began divorcing their spouses, and marrying pagans. They were so influenced by the society in which they lived, but were without strong religious leaders. They needed help getting back on track. Ezra and Nehemiah were instrumental in guiding the people back to their religious roots and served the people administratively.

Ezra left Babylon to go to Jerusalem. Some of the children of Israel went along, including priests, Levites, singers, porters, and the Nethinims. In verse six it says the king gave him everything he asked for according to "the hand of the LORD his God upon him." God gave Ezra supernatural favor to get everything he requested. In verse nine it references the hand of God upon him as he came to Jerusalem from Babylon as well. The key is in verse 10. "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments." Have we prepared our hearts for that? If so, then we can trust and believe God has His mighty hand upon us just like He did Ezra.

Verses 11-20 Artaxerxes' Letter To Ezra: A Mission

King Artaxerxes was a foreign leader. He did not serve God like Ezra but God was with him and the king gave Ezra a mission. He granted Ezra permission to ask about the things pertaining to God's law in Judah and Jerusalem; to carry silver and gold freely offered by the king and his counselors, and all silver and gold they could find in Babylon from freewill offerings of the people and the priests there who chose to give for the building. He instructed him to quickly purchase meat for the offerings and drink offerings  that were to be given as a sacrifice to God on His holy altar in Jerusalem. Anything they had in excess of what was needed, they were given permission to use it however God saw fit. He continued the letter with offering the vessels for the service of the house of God and anything they lacked was permitted to be taken from the king's treasury! What a wonderful way God worked all of that out. They had fought hard to keep the temple going and they finally did it and now Ezra was granted a special mission by the king. We should feel hope starting to bubble up in our spirits. We know that if we prepare our hearts to seek God's law in order to obey it and teach others to obey it, then He will keep His hand on us and we will have missions and assignments given to us, even at the hands of those in government authority. Do not think anything is too hard for our God!

Verses 21-26 Do Whatever Ezra Commands

Now the king gets serious!! The letter continues that any treasurer beyond the river was to give Ezra anything he needed and to do it quickly! They were told to give up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of oil, and salt without limit! He demanded diligence with this matter. He feared the wrath of the great God Jehovah. Further, the king declared no musician, guard, temple servant, or any other temple worker will have to pay any kind of taxes. He told Ezra to make some of the people judges beyond the river to judge those who knew the laws of God, and for those who did not know the laws, Ezra was to teach them! And if anyone decided they weren't going to do that, the king threatened them with confiscating their possessions, banishing them, imprisoning them, or killing them. The king had the authority to decree the matter and God made sure it was settled!

Verses 27-28 Ezra Praises God

How would you feel if you were Ezra? He prepared his heart for this. He wanted to know God's law so he would please Jehovah God. Ezra was elated! He immediately blessed God and gave Him all the glory, honor, and praise. He said this was God's plan. God made this happen. God gave me mercy and allowed the king to order all these things be done to beautify the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. I love that as he is praising God for the mercy He had shown to Ezra, he says this: "And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me." Isn't that awesome? He said God strengthened me as His hand was always on me. God had his back! He has ours, too. If He wants us to do something for Him, big or small, He will provide like He did for Ezra. What a mighty God we serve and He gives us strength as He helps us and paves the way for us to be successful.

I never knew Ezra was such an encouraging book! Did you? I am enjoying this study so much. It is a beautiful reminder that we need to keep going. We need to press on and prepare our hearts to learn God's law and obey every word! If we will keep our eyes on Him, we will feel His hand on our shoulders and we will feel the strength that only comes from God. What a wonderful way to end this chapter.

Lord willing, I will be back next Wednesday to share more insight from Ezra chapter eight. Go ahead and read through the next chapter before next week. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Some are not comfortable sharing online, in the comments below, but you can always email me or text me any comments you have. I love the things you all share with me because it encourages me and gives me a different perspective. We can all learn together as we help each other Home!

Well, I pray something I have shared today has lifted you up. It has been a journey for me this year to just trust and obey. I was encouraged from today's reading and study. I hope that something I have said today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you. Please continue to pray for me and I will do the same for you friends.

~Bridgett Owens

Ezra Chapter Six | Bible Study Wednesday

It's that time again! We are back in the book of Ezra this week in chapter six! Last week we wrapped up the first half of this book. In today's study we are breaking this chapter up into four sections. If you have not taken the time yet to read this chapter, please do so. This is not a line by line study, so it will help you if you have read through the chapter already. I am excited to dive deeper into this book today!

Verses 1-12 Darius's Decree

The first twelve verses are so awesome! I love when things like this happen in a story, only this time it is a historic, true story that actually took place just as it reads here. Remember Governor Tatnai wanted king Darius to search Babylon to make sure it was okay for the builders to work on the project they had been working on for years? King Darius did so and he found in the palace at Achmetha in the Medes' province a roll that recorded all king Cyrus had ordered to be done. In verse six king Darius addresses Tatnai and his companions that they are to leave the workers alone who are rebuilding the house of God. He goes further to say, "And you Governor Tatnai will pay tribute to these workers and they are not to be hindered from working on this building!" He keeps going! He says, "If they need anything, young bullocks, rams, or lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, let it be given to them without fail every single day!!!" Verse 10 says he wants them to have enough to offer sacrifices of sweet savour to God in heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. He knows what the God of heaven can do! And he wraps it up in a neat little bow by adding that if anyone tries to change what the king has decreed, their house is to be torn up so they can create gallows to hang them on and then their home will become a pile of dung. Finally in verse 12, king Darius says what God will do to anyone who tries to interfere and he ended with LET IT BE DONE WITH SPEED! Enough said!!

Verses 13-15 Completed Temple

The temple was finally completed about 70 years after it was destroyed. They were no longer a nation but they were able to establish their identity as the remnant of Israel in this region as the community of the Jerusalem temple.

Verses 16-18 Temple Dedication

Verse 16 says they kept the house of God with joy. For the dedication of the temple, they offered 100 bullocks, 200 rams, and 400 lambs. For Israel's sin offering they offered 12 male goats: one for each tribe of Israel. They did everything according to what Moses had written regarding the priests. I can only imagine the jubilee in the hearts of those who saw the project finally come together. The offerings for dedication and to sacrifice for sins must have been so special in this rebuilt temple of God. They all chose to keep the house of God with joy. No one was doing it because they were made to. It was a choice to participate and it was a choice to do so with joy. Are we choosing good things to honor God? Are we doing so with joy?

Verses 19-22 Passover Celebration

The children of Israel did what God had asked. They completed the project and they separated themselves from the pagans that were in that area. In order to worship the Holy God of heaven the Jews were to be Holy too and they could not be Holy if they joined in sacrificing to idols, participating in child sacrifice, telling fortunes, talking to the dead, and practicing witchcraft. The Jews had the choice to join others who did these things, or to abandon any such ways and follow hard after God. The ones who wanted to do both or were unwilling to let go of the idolatry practices were excluded from this community. The choice was theirs.

Today we have a choice to make. We can follow other people, copy their clothing choices, decorate our houses like them, cook the same foods, and believe society's lies that we are enough on our own. We can buy into the notion that we make our own destiny and that we have so much power and we don't need to serve God when we have everything we need right inside of us. The lies are subtle enough that even Christians are repeating some of the same things. I saw a picture of a woman and her beautiful children and she said she was a Christian. She said, "We are not meek. We are called!" Friends, Jesus was meek! He says so in Matthew 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Yes we can be bold for Jesus and we are definitely called if we are in the family of God, but we are to be meek. We are to learn who Jesus is and live like He did. We have nothing to prove to the world. We do not need men or women's applause! We need God in heaven to look down upon us and see that we are working toward His goals, His plans, His designs and then we will hear Him say, Well done!

I am so tired of seeing things like "Girl Power," "Believe In Yourself," "Trust Your Heart," "You Are Enough." If we had the power then what would we need to trust God for? If we believe in ourselves then we are not believing in God. Our hearts are not to lead us. Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Please do not trust your heart and do not follow it. Trust Holy Spirit and follow Jesus. I am not here to make anyone feel bad about themselves. I am not here to make anyone believe a lie, either. You are not enough. I am not enough. If we were enough then Jesus died in vain. He died because we all had a debt too big for us to pay. Sacrificing animals did not cleanse us. Nothing could ever expunge our debt but the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Make no mistake we are not enough! We will never be enough. We cannot earn salvation. We are saved by grace. God's great love and tender mercy purchased our redemption through the blood of Jesus. The truth is we are NOTHING without the Savior.

Most of us have read enough of the Bible to know that the sweet spirit of obedience the children of Israel were walking in did not continue long. Soon they were led astray because they wanted what the world around them had. For those who refused to surrender to God's authority and love, they perished in their sins and were forever separated from God. We don't have to be like them. We can choose to follow hard after God. If we lose some friends, then we lose some friends. If we don't get invited to certain events, it is okay. If we are called names and rejected, remember, they are not rejecting us: they are rejecting Jesus. Please do not let this world's fake beauty blind you to the wonderful treasures that await God's people! Mark 8:36 says, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

Thank you for joining me for another Bible study. I always enjoy taking a deeper look into scripture. Leave a comment below if you are joining along. I always appreciate the texts, emails, and comments I hear about ways this blog has encouraged you in some way. Check back in with me tomorrow as we count our blessings and then again on Friday as we kick off the weekend with something to ponder! Have a wonderful day! Hope something I have shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Ezra Chapter Five | Wednesday Bible Study

Hello friends. Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible study. We are continuing our study in the book of Ezra. Let's turn our attention to the 17 verses in chapter five. If you have not read through this chapter yet, please take a few moments to do so. I will be breaking the chapter up into three sections and giving a brief synopsis of each. I highly encourage you to take your time when reading through the Bible and as you read my blog post, pray and ask Holy Spirit to minister and teach you what you need to know. I will be doing the same. I pray that this Bible study will be a blessing to you!

Verses 1 & 2: Work on the Temple Resumed

Haggai 1:9 "Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of Mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house." Haggai and Zechariah were prophets sent to the Jews in Judah from God. Zerubbabel and Jeshua began working on the house of God in Jerusalem and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah joined them. After the work had been ordered by force to stop, the Jews lost interest in God's house and instead turned their attention to building and improving their own dwellings. This was not God's plan and He was not pleased. Look at Haggai at what the LORD said. God allowed a drought to come to the land. The corn, wine, and oil did not do well. The land, mountains, and cattle suffered. There was nothing good coming from the work of their hands because they were busy doing something other than what God assigned them to do.

Friends, we must be so careful to keep our mission in front of us. What has God called us to do? Are we doing it? Are we distracted with other things that are keeping us busy? We must be about our Father's business. We have to get Kingdom minded and think of eternity, not just the here and now.

Verses 3-5 Attempt Made To Stop Work

Again we see the enemy is upset with the children of Israel for obeying God. So trouble is stirred up but we will see a different outcome this time. The governor of Tatnai questioned, "Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?" Verse five says, "But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius." God was fighting for them and even the governor was powerless to stop the rebuilding of the temple.

Sometimes people stand in our way. They see the good we are doing. They see the hard work and the faithfulness to God, but they want to halt our efforts. When God gives us an assignment to do, He will stand with us and for us and no enemy will stop us from completing the task God gives us.

Verses 5:6-17 A Letter To Darius

The governor of Tatnai was over the area west of the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea, which included Judah and Samaria. During the reign of Darius I, it became a province of its own. This governor sent a letter to king Darius and started off peaceably. He stated that all were hard at work, making rapid progress. He goes on to say that he investigated who authorized to build the temple again and he took names of the men involved. In verse 11 it reads, "And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up." It goes on to talk about how the children of Israel rebelled against God and in His wrath, they were carried away into bondage to Babylon. The letter continues with reiterating how the Babylonian king Cyrus decreed to build the temple, and all the vessels of gold and silver Nebuchadnezzar took from the house of God was to be returned. The governor explained about the foundation being laid by Sheshbazzar and that the work continued since that time but was not finished. He requested king Darius search the treasure house at Babylon for a decree made by king Cyrus to build God's house in Jerusalem. Then they wait for the king's reply.

It may seem like the governor was just doing his due diligence to ensure everything was in order. To a degree, I suppose he was. We know the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy according to John 10:10. He does not want the house of God rebuilt. He does not want people to worship God. He does not want holiness to be a way of life for the children of Israel. He is causing delays and hardships every time he can, but God is in ultimate control. He will reign and be victorious. His plans will succeed. His Word will not return void according to Isaiah 55:11. If God has told you something: given you a promise, be very sure it will happen. It may not be when we think it will happen, but it will come to pass. We will see it with our own eyes just as He promised. Stay encouraged!

That's all of chapter five. Ezra is a quick study chapter-by-chapter. I enjoy reading through it and it certainly has given me encouragement today. We have been waiting on a promise from God since Thanksgiving 2020. It is hard to wait. It is hard to see the days turn to weeks.. then months and it's frustrating but we know God has a plan for us. I know He has a plan for your life as well. Stay strong. Stay encouraged. Keep going! God is in control and He will never fail!

I hope something I have shared in this study today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Ezra Chapter Four | Wednesday Bible Study

 

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible study. We are in the book of Ezra in the Old Testament. It is sandwiched between 2 Chronicles and Nehemiah. Today we are in chapter four and if you have not taken some time to read this chapter, please do so and then come back for this study. I am going to break the chapter down into three sections and will give some information on each of those sections to aide in your personal study. If you are enjoying this particular study, I would love to hear from you in the comments section. Many have sent me texts and messages stating how much you enjoy these blog posts and I appreciate any feedback I get. I want to honor God with my blog and point others to the cross of Christ. Let's begin.

Verses 1-5: Adversaries' Help Refused

As you may know, adversaries are the enemies. These are not friends and they do not have pure intentions. The enemy of Israel has heard about the children of Israel building the temple of the LORD. They offered to help but they were rejected. Why? The heathen of the land had incorporated the worship of the God of the Jews along with a variety of false gods. They said, "Let us build with you because we seek your God just like you." The truth is they did not have a true worship and devotion to God, Yahweh. These pagans were rejected by the people of God which shows how important it was to have a pure faith. The children of Israel, God's chosen people, replied, "You have nothing to do with us building a house unto our God." They let them know they would build it without their help. So instead of stepping out of their way and leaving them in peace to work, they frustrated things. The adversaries began to discourage the people of Judah and tried to scare them from building the temple. They even hired propagandists to drain their resolve. This torment and harassment lasted about 15 years during the reign of Cyrus king of Persia to when Darius took the throne as king of Persia.

Verses 6-16 Letters of Opposition Written

The devil is always busy, but so is God. Make no mistake about it, when you do something good for God, something important, the devil always comes along to try to discourage and dissuade us and when that doesn't work, he starts lying and causing problems in higher powers. These men have nothing better to do than try to slow the progress on the building. They clearly never wanted to help build the temple. They have done everything they could to stop the men from building and now they have written a letter to king Artaxerxes. These hired counselors the adversaries paid to help stop the building of the temple were trained in psychological warfare. They knew the king would not listen to their rejection of this project unless they brought up money and power and how the children of Israel would strip him of that, so that is what they said. Verse 16, "We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side of the river." In other words, they claim that this building project threatens the king's reach. The false accusations are that the city is rebellious and bad and they won't pay toll, tribute, and custom. 

Verses 17-24 Artaxerxes' Decree

We see that the enemy thinks he has won. King Artaxerxes has looked into this building project and the people of Israel and decided they could be a real threat. He halts the project by royal decree and the adversary is quick to read the letter in Jerusalem to the Jews. They were made to cease working by force and power. The work stopped about 16 years after the project began.

This may seem like a disappointment and a major blow in the project, but God is still in control. We will read what happens next week. If you have a setback and you are made to stop working on something God told you to do, please do not give up and do not get discouraged. He still has a plan and He is still in control. Take it to God and ask Him to guide you in what to do next. He will order your steps and give you instructions.

Thank you for joining me this week for Bible study. I truly enjoy diving deeper into the Scriptures with all of you. I hope and pray that something I have shared has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Ezra Chapter Three | Wednesday Bible Study

We are in chapter three of the book of Ezra. Today we are going look at this chapter and see what we can learn together. I have been enjoying the book of Ezra a lot. It is very interesting and I hope you think so, too. Let's divide this chapter in half and discuss what is happening in each half. If you have not read chapter three yet, please take a few moments and read these 13 verses and come back to this study.

Verses 1-7 Worship Restored at Jerusalem

The people gathered together in Jerusalem. They built an altar to offer burnt offerings on according to the law of Moses, "the man of God." The law of Moses is found in Deuteronomy 12:5-6. They also kept the feast of tabernacles and followed the same protocol that was originally done. After this they offered the continual burnt offering of the new moons and all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and for those who willing offered to the LORD. They started the burnt offerings on the first day of the seventh month but they did not have the foundation of the temple laid at this point. Nehemiah had been given provision from Cyrus king of Persia to assist with rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. The king of Persia ordered cedar trees to be delivered from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa. Money was given to the masons and carpenters. They gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Zidon and Tyre for bringing the cedar logs. The rebuilding of the temple and sacrificial system was returning to Israel but it never held the same significance after the Exile as in times past.

Verses 8-13 Temple Foundations Laid

Time has now past and they are in the second year during the second month. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they had priests in their apparel with their trumpets and the Levites with cymbals to praise the LORD after the ordinance King David set when he reigned over Israel. And they sang together in course in praising and thanking God because He is good and for His mercy that endured over Israel. They were so happy they all lifted their voice and a great shout was heard a great distance away. Many were rejoicing and were happy and they shouted for joy! Others were weeping for the former temple and the former glory. Something was different about this temple and the sacrificial system. It was not the same as before and many cried out in sorrow. The noise of the weeping and the rejoicing was so loud, no one could tell who was crying and who was laughing.

My take away from today's reading is that when we have a strong bond or relationship with the Lord and we stray, after we come back even though we have a strong bond again, it is never quite the same. It is sad when the hymns are no longer sung in some churches. It breaks my heart to go to churches with no altar to kneel and pray. We may think we are progressing when we change so many parts of worship but we must be careful to keep God as the most important focus. Many of us mourn the loss of these parts of worship because there was great significance in them. I remember grown men weeping at the altar, crying out to God, and the power of God would just fill the church. It was incredible! Miracles, signs, and wonders followed and now many churches do not even have an altar call.

I want to remember the former things with joy and continue forward keeping God as my focus. The people in Exile did not practice the traditional ways of worship so coming out of it, they had to learn what to do and what not to do, and when to do it. Let's not forget the old paths. It reminds me of the passage in Jeremiah.

JEREMIAH 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Sounds familiar right? Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 to come to Him and find rest for our souls. And how often do we say, "We are too busy. We cannot. We will not walk therein." Friends, let's search out the old paths. Let's remember not tradition for tradition's sake, but the traditions that bring us closer to God. The old hymns that remind us of Scripture and the old rugged cross, the blood of Jesus, and His cleansing power still ring true today. The time to humble ourselves and kneel at an altar is just important today and as it was thirty, forty, or more years ago. The most important thing we can do is search out the old paths, the Old Testament words and remember why the sacrificial systems were in place. What did they signify? Why were they done in the first place? What were the things God wanted His people to do? What would separate them from the rest of the world? We must find those things today and do them. We must go back to our First Love and serve God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. He loves us so much. He does so much good in our lives. He blesses us and keeps us. Let's seek the Giver more than the gift. Take some time and just be in His presence, loving Him and following Him. We don't have to mourn the loss of the old ways if we continue to walk in them. And we are blessed with rest for our souls.

I hope that something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Ezra Chapter Two | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible study! Last week we took a look at Ezra chapter one. This week we are going to dive into chapter two. If you have not had a chance to read chapter two yet, take some time to do that. It's a lengthy chapter but I am going to break it down into sections.

Verses 1-35 Returning Exiles

This chapter begins with a list of the captives returning from Exile when king Nebuchadnezzar took the children of Israel to Babylon in bondage. These were the ones considered to be "true Israel," or the "remnant" and were descendants of ancient Israel. Those mentioned here are considered authentic because their line falls after Jacob. You may recognize names like Nehemiah and Mordecai in verse two. You read about them in the book of Nehemiah and Esther respectively. It is important to make this connection as it relates to this book and in the rebuilding of the holy city. Don't skip over the names and counts of the exiles. It is incredible to think of how many people were taken captive and how many made it through to the other side.

Verses 36-40 The Priests & Levites

These priests came through the line of Aaron and were of the tribe of Levi. They and their sons were ordained to do the temple work and sacrifice. The Levites were not in the line from Aaron but were of the tribe of Levi, and assisted the priests.

Verses 41-42 Singers and Gatekeepers

These singers and porters were chosen by king David from the Levite families and had been assigned special tasks. You can read about that in 1 Chronicles chapters 25 and 26. They had their appointed jobs to do and so this is important to see the record of them listed among the exiles.

Verses 43-55 Nethenims

These were the temple servants. The tasks given to them were considered menial and yet they served the Lord with utmost devotion. It reminds us that no matter how big or small our gifts and abilities are, God wants to use us if we are willing. Will we covet other gifts and positions, or will we do our menial tasks with utmost devotion to God?

Verses 56-63 Descendants of Solomon's Servants & Priests Removed

In verse 63, the Urim and Thummim were consulted to help determine God's will in a matter. You see this in Exodus 28:30 and it literally means Lights and the Perfections. This was to be upon Aaron's heart when he went before the LORD. We see in verse 62 those who claimed to be priests but were found not to be so were put from the priesthood. This careful consideration of rightful priesthood positions shows the significance of the calling. We must all be in prayer as we seek out what God would have us do. He gave each of us our own gifts and abilities to further His Kingdom on this earth.

Verses 64-67 The Full Number and Possessions

The whole congregation together was 42,360, not including the male and female slaves which were 7,337. There were 200 male and female singers, and they had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. That is just incredible! Can you imagine leaving a place of bondage and that many people coming out on the other side! Look at their possessions! God is so good to His people!

Verses 68-70 Temple Gifts

The exiled people freely gave gifts and offerings for the temple. They freely gave all they could including 61,000 gold coins, 6,250 pounds of silver, and 100 priestly garments to the treasury for the project. I am sure they were happy to give to the temple. I cannot imagine how happy they were to be free!

I realize it is not as exciting to read this chapter as it is to read about some of the great acts of faith and exploits we read in different parts of the Bible, but it is rich history. It is needful to learn and study these minor prophets. There is so much background information you can find online for free that can help. I search commentaries, blogs, and sermon notes along with my Women's Study Bible to aide in my study. I love God's Word and want to learn as much as I can.

I hope that you have learned something this week. Be sure to read through Ezra chapter three for next week. It is a much shorter chapter and I look forward to sharing more about it next time. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

 

Ezra Chapter One | Wednesday Bible Study

 

The Book of Ezra

"Ezra continues the Old Testament narrative of Second Chronicles by showing how God fulfills His promise to return His people, to the Land of Promise after seventy years of exile. Israel's "second exodus," this one from Babylon, is less impressive than the return from Egypt because only a remnant chooses to leave Babylon.

"Ezra relates the story of two returns from Babylon -- the first led by Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple (1-6), and the second under the leadership of Ezra to rebuild the spiritual condition of the people (7-10). Sandwiched between these two accounts is a gap of nearly six decades, during which Esther lives and rules as queen in Persia.

"Ezra is the Aramaic form of the Hebrew word ezer, "help," and perhaps means, "Yahweh helps." Ezra and Nehemiah were originally bound together as one book because Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah were viewed as one continuous history. The Septuagint, a Greek-language version of the Old Testament translated in the third century B.C., calls Ezra-Nehemiah, Esdras Deuteron, "Second Esdras." First Esdras is the name of the apocryphal book of Esdras. The Latin title is Liber Primus Esdrae, "First Book of Ezra." In the Latin Bible, Ezra is called First Ezra and Nehemiah is called Second Ezra."

Let's start in chapter one of Ezra. You will find Ezra in the Old Testament after 2 Chronicles and before Nehemiah. The first chapter has 11 verses, so it is a quick read. Once you have read the first chapter we will begin the study.

Verses 1-4

In the first year that king Cyrus reigned in Persia, the Lord stirred up Cyrus' spirit, in order to fulfill what Jeremiah had said. King Cyrus made a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and sent his message in writing. He first gives the LORD God of heaven glory in stating that it was He who had given king Cyrus all the kingdoms of the earth. He goes on to say that God had assigned him to build a house for the LORD God of heaven at Jerusalem in Judah. He sends an open invitation to anyone who wants to be a part of this amazing project. He goes on to say any Jewish exile survivor may be supported by Gentiles who will give silver, gold, goods, and cattle along with freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.

The king has set the project in motion and now it is time to get others on board. The provision is made for Jewish exile survivors by Gentiles. Sometimes when God wants to get something accomplished, He may send us, but use others to provide what we need in terms of physical possessions. We see this happen in Ezra and it still happens today.

Verses 5-7

God stirred up the hearts of chief fathers in Judah and Benjamin. His Spirit also began to work on the hearts of the priests and Levites. They had vessels of silver and gold, goods, beasts, and precious things in addition to what had already been freely given to this mission. Remember when Nebuchadnezzar took the vessels that belonged in the house of the LORD and he put them in the house of his gods? Cyrus the king took them back to their rightful place in the house of the LORD God of heaven. 

The enemy may take your things and use them for evil purposes, but God will not forget that. He will make sure that you are given what was stolen from you. Keep your eyes on Him, continue to do the work He has stirred up in your heart, and watch how he rights every wrong! He is faithful to do it!

Verses 8-11

The Persian king took these items to Mithredath, the treasurer, and and counted them with the prince of Judah Sheshbazzar. This is how many things they received:

30 gold chargers

1,000 silver chargers

29 knives

30 gold basins

410 silver basins

1,000 other vessels

5,400 total vessels of gold and silver! Prince Sheshbazzar brought these up with the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.

What an amazing assortment of items and so many! God is doing a work in Jerusalem with this new house for the LORD God of heaven. He is doing a work in us in 2021 today, too. Regardless of where you live in the world, God has a special mission for you to do. If you are willing, He will make the provision for you and even use unlikely people to do it! He will allow you to be set free from the bondage that held you bound. What is your Babylon exile like? What are you going through? Look at the amazing items that were returned to God's house and all the exiles who had been slaves in Babylon are now returning to Jerusalem. What a time of rejoicing! God is doing that now, too. He is calling you back to Himself and it is a beautiful thing!

Be sure to check back next week when we jump into Ezra chapter two! This is going to be a 10 week series here on the blog. If you want, you can read through chapter two to get ready for next week. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave a message below. I hope something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Thankful Like Ezra | Thankful Thursday

The LORD impressed on my heart to carve out a section of my blog to share what I am thankful for. I started it on a Thursday and decided to call it "Thankful Thursday." Each week I share what I am thankful for. Come back each week so we can count our blessings together.

I have so much to be thankful for. I am sick right now, but I am getting much better every single day. I was exposed to someone with Covid on a Monday and that Thursday I started having symptoms, Friday I had even more symptoms and by the next Tuesday I lost my sensation of taste and smell. I have had trouble breathing, have been confused and just major brain fog, and I have been miserable, BUT I did not have to be hospitalized; I did not die; and I am recovering well. I have SO much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for a praying husband who will pray the prayer of faith over me, even when I did not know it. I am thankful for praying children who include me in their talk time with the Father. I am thankful for my praying mother, sisters, brother, and their families, and my friends who have covered me and held me up. I am thankful for Amy who is more than a sister in Christ...she has taken my cause to the Father countless times, battled in the heavenlies as the enemy enjoys attacking us, and has been an encourager and builder of my faith!

The Old Testament is probably my favorite part of the Bible. I love it all and I enjoy reading it cover to cover, but there is something so special and comforting about reading the Old Testament. My grandfather would teach me for hours and hours about the Bible and expound on the Scriptures and I would hang on his every word. Reading through the pages of the Old Testament is like visiting a friend. I enjoy reading their stories and triumphs. Life was not always easy and following God's plan did not mean a free pass. Yet God has proven Himself faithful time and time again; not only in the pages of the Bible but in my life as well!

My son chose the verse for today's blog post and I love it! It is found in the book of Ezra and it's a wonderful account of how God keeps His promise to the children of Israel to get them back to the Land of Promise after they have been in exile for 70 years!!! That's a lifetime! The sad part is this second Exodus is not as massive as it could have been because so many people refused to go! I cannot imagine God promising them a future and they're like, "Nay! I'm good!" But it happened! The passage we are reading today is after they rebuild the temple and there's a mixture of people there: some who see the temple for the first time and it's new and beautiful and they celebrate; others are there weeping at the new temple because they remember the way things were before...the beauty and splendor. Maybe they were sad that it did not look the same, maybe they were sad that man strayed so far from the loving God that led them to the Promised Land the first time! A mixture of emotion and experience takes place, let's look:

EZRA 3:8-13 (8)Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD. (9)Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. (10)And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. (11) And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. (12) But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice: and many shouted aloud for joy: (13)So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Can you imagine being far away and all of a sudden you hear this noise...shouting and weeping?...and I am sure it made those who heard it curious. Have you ever been wanting something so bad, praying so hard, working diligently to make a thing happen and then when it comes to fruition you just want to shout and dance and tell everybody? Imagine if there was never any sickness, disease, pain, death, hurt, loneliness, fatigue.... oh, wait there is! It is in heaven and can you imagine the jubilee in the hearts of the saints! We are going to rejoice! We are to shout! We are going to praise our God and our King Jesus who made it all happen for us! We will be dancing on the golden street!

We don't have to wait for heaven to celebrate. We don't have to wait until something miraculous and BIG happens to rejoice. If we start counting our blessings and looking at what God has done, we will begin to thank Him and praise Him and rejoice. We will have a spring in our step. People will take notice. They will wonder what is WRONG with us that we can have financial hardship and still smile... we can have sickness or death in our family and still say BUT GOD IS GOOD! ....we can lose our job or have to relocate and not have all the details and still say, "Thank You LORD because YOU are good, your mercy endures FOREVER!" Take a page out of Ezra's book and be thankful. God is doing so many amazing things.

The news headlines want to point out the dark, the evil, the hard, the sad, the depressing events and put them in our face. The world is discouraging, cold, hard-hearted, and angry. You will not rejoice in the news of this world. Turn your eyes to the Savior. Look full into His wonderful face. Watch Him do the powerful, the miraculous, the ordinary in an extraordinary way and be thankful. Encourage yourself by remembering all God has done for you. Take a sheet of paper and I dare you to start with right now and count back as far as you can to what God has done for you. Can you breathe without a machine? Are you able to walk, talk, see, hear, or taste? Can you feel things with your hands? Are you able to read the Bible anytime you want? It's free online to read the Bible if you don't have a Bible. Do you have a home? Electricity? Running water? Is there food for you to eat? Are you able to bathe and brush your teeth with clean water? Do you have a church? Are you able to work? Do you have a vehicle? Look at all the blessings those are, not to mention the way God works out your problems, helps you stay safe on the road, free from danger when you are out and about. How about this, are you saved by His mercy and grace? That is the biggest blessing of all!

Tell someone what God has done for you and then ask them if you can pray for them specifically about a need or trial they are facing. We are in a pandemic and we have to social distance but we can still reach out to a friend in need. We can still pray. We don't have to distance ourselves from God. The Bible promises that as we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. What are you thankful for today?

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens