Following the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, after their captivity in Babylon and prior to the beginning of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was the resumption of worship at the Temple site (Ezra 3:1-6). Worship - This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people. Once the foundation had …
Tag: Ezra
Studying the word of God and doing the work of God (Travelling Through God’s Word: Ezra and Nehemiah).
Ezra and Nehemiah Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach his statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10). So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height. For the people had a mind to work (Nehemiah 4:6). In these two verses, …
Responding to God’s Word (12): Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin
The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him (Ezra 8:22). Here, we have a precious promise which God gives to "everyone who looks to him." We read about the God of grace, and we read about the grace of God. The promise comes to us from the God of grace. The …
Continue reading Responding to God’s Word (12): Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin
Something For Everyone To Do
Ezra 1:1-2:35 To ‘all’ of us, God gives His call. We are to ‘rebuild the House of the Lord’. To ‘all’ of us, He gives His strength: ‘Then... all those whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the House of the Lord’(1:3,5). If the work of God is to be done, …
God Wants To Bless Us. How Much Do We Want To Be Blessed By Him?
Ezra 8:1-36 The return of God’s people to Jerusalem was not simply a geographical return - moving from one place to another. It was a spiritual return. They were returning to the Lord. They were seeking His blessing (21). Without God’s blessing, we are nothing. We may have happy memories of better days, recalling ‘the …
Continue reading God Wants To Bless Us. How Much Do We Want To Be Blessed By Him?
Building the church on earth – and building for the Kingdom of heaven …
Ezra speaks of the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem (Ezra 5:11). Revelation speaks of “God’s Temple in heaven” (Revelation 11:19). Both belong together – building the Church here on earth and building for the Kingdom of heaven. We must never be content with a measure of success in building the Church here on earth. God’s …
Continue reading Building the church on earth – and building for the Kingdom of heaven …
Worship must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people (Learning From The Book Of Ezra).
Following the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, after their captivity in Babylon and prior to the beginning of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was the resumption of worship at the Temple site (Ezra 3:1-6). Worship - This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people. Once the foundation had …
The brightness of the Lord’s glory
"The brightness of the Lord's glory... the sound of the Almighty God when he speaks" (Ezra 10:4-5) The glory of the Lord shines upon us when we open the Word of the Lord. We pray, "Speak to us, Lord. Show us your glory." This is a prayer that the Lord loves to hear. This is …
The Lord’s Mercy Endures Forever.
Following the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, after their captivity in Babylon and prior to the beginning of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was the resumption of worship at the Temple site (Ezra 3:1-6). Worship - This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people. Once the foundation had …
Worship – This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people.
Ezra Following the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, after their captivity in Babylon and prior to the beginning of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was the resumption of worship at the Temple site (Ezra 3:1-6). Worship - This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people. Once the foundation …
Continue reading Worship – This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people.
God is calling us to serve Him. He will give us the strength that we need.
EZRA 1:1-2:35 - To ‘all’ of us, God gives His call. We are to ‘rebuild the House of the Lord’. To ‘all’ of us, He gives His strength: ‘Then... all those whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the House of the Lord’ (1:3,5). If the work of God is to …
Continue reading God is calling us to serve Him. He will give us the strength that we need.
When your head goes down, let the Lord come to you. He will lift you up!
Ezra 4:1-5:17 - God’s work does not always move forward smoothly. We face determined opposition. Where there is opportunity, there will be opposition (1 Corinthians 16:9). The servants of Satan rise up to oppose the servants of the Lord. This is what happens here. The Lord’s enemies had some success: ‘the work on the House …
Continue reading When your head goes down, let the Lord come to you. He will lift you up!
God’s work makes good progress when God’s people receive strength from God’s Word.
Ezra 6:1-7:28 God’s work makes good progress when God’s people receive strength from God’s Word. Haggai and Zechariah were faithful in preaching God’s Word to the people. Their preaching ministry was very important. It was just what the builders needed. It inspired them to keep working. God’s House was rebuilt and God’s people rejoiced (6:14-16). …
Continue reading God’s work makes good progress when God’s people receive strength from God’s Word.
With the help of our God
"They realized that this work had been done with the help of our God" (Nehemiah 6:16). With the help of our God - this is something we should never forget. When we're tempted to think too highly of ourselves - to think too much about what we have achieved, let us remember this: "with the …
God’s work makes good progress when God’s people receive strength from God’s Word.
Ezra 6:1-7:28 God’s work makes good progress when God’s people receive strength from God’s Word. Haggai and Zechariah were faithful in preaching God’s Word to the people. Their preaching ministry was very important. It was just what the builders needed. It inspired them to keep working. God’s House was rebuilt and God’s people rejoiced (6:14-16). …
Continue reading God’s work makes good progress when God’s people receive strength from God’s Word.
In life’s hard times as well as its happy times, the Lord is with us.
"The Lord made them joyful"(Ezra 6:22). We do all that we can to make ourselves happy - yet we, still, have the nagging feeling that there's something missing. The more we try to find happiness the more we fail to find it. What's our problem? Is it all about our starting-point? - 'I will make …
Continue reading In life’s hard times as well as its happy times, the Lord is with us.
Real gold – not counterfeit ‘gold’
We read of “gold” in both Ezra and Revelation (Ezra 1:4,6,9-11; Revelation 8:3; Revelation 9:7). In Ezra 1:6, “gold” is set alongside “valuable gifts” and “all the freewill offerings.” “Gold” is a valuable thing. The “gold” of our lives is truly valuable when it is given freely, as a “freewill offering.” In Revelation 8:3, “gold” is associated with “the prayers …
Worship – This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people …
Following the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, after their captivity in Babylon and prior to the beginning of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was the resumption of worship at the Temple site (Ezra 3:1-6). Worship - This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people. Once the foundation had …
Continue reading Worship – This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people …
God loves us – and, more than anything else, He wants to pour out His blessing upon us.
Ezra 9:1-10:44 The return of God’s blessing begins with a real confession of sin - ‘our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens’(9:6). If God chooses to bless us, it is not because we deserve to be blessed by Him. It is because He loves us and wants …
The Lord has much to say to this generation – if only the people would listen …
At the heart of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was worship - “With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: ‘He is good; His love to Israel endures for ever” (Ezra 3:11). Those who worship the Lord are set within the context of a world that refuses to worship Him: “The rest of …
Continue reading The Lord has much to say to this generation – if only the people would listen …
The return of God’s people was more than a geographical return. It was a spiritual return. They were returning to the Lord.
Ezra 8:1-36 - The return of God’s people to Jerusalem was not simply a geographical return - moving from one place to another. It was a spiritual return. They were returning to the Lord. They were seeking His blessing (21). Without God’s blessing, we are nothing. We may have happy memories of better days, recalling …
When Your Head Goes Down, The Lord Will Lift You Up.
Ezra 4:1-5:17 God’s work does not always move forward smoothly. We face determined opposition. Where there is opportunity, there will be opposition (1 Corinthians 16:9). The servants of Satan rise up to oppose the servants of the Lord. This is what happens here. The Lord’s enemies had some success: ‘the work on the House of …
Continue reading When Your Head Goes Down, The Lord Will Lift You Up.
Ezra
EZRA1:1-2:35 – To ‘all’ of us, God gives His call. We are to ‘rebuild the House of the Lord’. To ‘all’ of us, He gives His strength: ‘Then… all those whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the House of the Lord’ (1:3,5). If the work of God is to be …
Learning From God's Word 