September 2021 – If Not For Grace

30 Sep 202128 Sep 2021

God wants to love and bless us

“For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch.” Malachi 4:1 NKJV

Are you ready for Malachi? (No, no one is ever ready for Malachi!) Today we grab this book and don’t let go until you are blessed. But what a dreadful work and process that is – You must face raw truths that cut to the quick. You must finally be humble. You cannot continue to lie to yourself – there is NO ONE righteous enough to press through this book, honestly, without conviction. To some degree or another – since all sin is named, again we find ourselves confronted with the message: REPENT!

Dear Heavenly Father – As always, please open eye to see and our ears to hear what you are saying! Lord – open our understanding that we may know you and give us wisdom. Please do not let us miss out on what you want and need from us today. Lord, I pray that your word prepares us and not scares us! We forbid the works and influences of fear over your word. And please keep us and bless us and shine your face upon us and pour out grace over us and give us peace! Thank you! – In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Today’s reading is from the book of Malachi, chapters 1-4 (embedded below the image below for your convenience). The name Malachi means God’s Message or God’s Messenger – literal translation is the action of the job of a messenger angel. So the name of the book and right off in the second verse – we know these are the words of the Lord. Because of this, take a moment to get your attitude and heart in the right place, draw all reverence out and show deepest respect. This is the word of the Lord by the divine messenger of the Lord. The Lord is speaking. Pay special attention.

Yes, we should always pay special attention when we read “Thus says the Lord…” but here, today we have an entire book of thus says the Lord. He says the root problem, lays out a few symptoms that prove the problem and or course reminds us to get it right. This time around (and fitting in my eyes that it is the last book in the Old Testament) – He is very clear that grace has boundaries and limitations.

This book speaks of John the Baptist making a way for Jesus and speaks of another Elijah type person who will make the way before the second coming. It really, nicely sets the stage for the arrival of the Messiah.

So – what is God’s complaint? Malachi begins and it goes in circles and you might get a little lost or confused – and then as he gets into the symptoms (and conviction may trickle in) it is easy to get hung up on that and miss the overall big picture. The complaint is that we have NOT believed and loved him with all our hearts, soul and spirit – that we are not 100% surrendered to His will for us.

Before I did today’s reading, I thought I was good – every day I wake up and tell God I surrender all and ask for His help – I ask Him to magnify the feelings of conviction, even before I sin – so I may be aware and draw closer and surrender more. So, I must be good going into this. I also have read and studied Malachi before – so I must be ready. Before I finished todays reading, I was in tears repenting and surrendering areas I thought I had surrendered. I surrendered to an idea that God would work it out a certain way and I was good with it – but I must say I am good with it no matter which way it turns out. Do I believe He is God? Do I believe He is good? So even if it seems scary and uncomfortable, but it is God’s will – then isn’t that what is good for me?

Since we read Esther – I have been quoting her resolve: “If I die, I die”. If I live, it is Christ’s will and Christ within me and Life more abundantly – and if I die it is heaven and eternally at the goal, having won the prize. So why get hung up on symptom? Face the truth of the problem head on – is this real? If so, let us act like it.

There is a lot in this message – and Malachi is like an angle with a deep blessing. We need to ask God to give it to us as we read and wrestle with ourselves and with the message and work out our salvation and choose and hold on and do all the things like Jacob wrestling with the angel for his blessing! Do not leave this book without your transformation. Let it prepare the way as we move next into the birth and life of our Lord and Redeemer!

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand is not actually enough anymore – God misses us, cries for us – longs to have a relationship with us before our grace runs out – within the time frame in order for us to fulfill His plans for us. Oh yes, His grace is longsuffering – but we all die at some point and run out of chances to get this right – and we will answer for it and to respond with “at least I made it” will not be good enough for you or for God.

Highly debated is the doctrine of “once saved, then always saved” and people have used scriptures to defend it and other use scriptures to say you can lose your salvation. Since it is unclear – I err on the side of being able to lose it. Because then I fight to protect it and hang on – to make sure I bear fruit – that when I get there he doesn’t say “go away, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23). I do not want to be lukewarm and find out what it means in revelations that He will spit lukewarm Christians out of his mouth.

This whole book is a love letter from God where He is saying He loves you and wants so much more for you – just surrender all and let Him be master and father over all areas of your life. He just wants a close relationship with you.

RELATIONSHIP:
Do you already have a relationship with a powerful God who cares about your every need because He loves you? Did you know my God can communicate with you and protect you – He has a plan for you to prosper if you just submit to His will and let His plan play out in your life!!! God wants a relationship with you and has already made a plan for your life. He loves you so much He sent His son to this world, to die as a sacrifice for your sins and rise from death with victory over sin and the ability to have a personal relationship with you.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NIV
Here is a prayer for you to pray:
Jesus, I believe you are the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to the Father. I believe you are the son of God, you came to Earth and lived. That you died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins, and rose again so that I may be saved from my sins and be able to get to know you. I declare: Jesus, you are Lord!
Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen

MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand!

1 John 4:4 NKJV – “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
NAS – “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
ESV – “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
AMP – “Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind].”
NIV – “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Thank you for reading.
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

BIBLE READING: Malachi 1-4 NKJV

Polluted Offerings to God

1 The ^[a]burden of the word of the Lord to Israel ^[b]by Malachi.

Israel Beloved of God

²“I have loved you,” says the Lord.
“Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”
Says the Lord.
“Yet Jacob I have loved;
³But Esau I have hated,
And laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness.”

⁴Even though Edom has said,
“We have been impoverished,
But we will return and build the desolate places,”

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“They may build, but I will throw down;
They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness,
And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever.
⁵Your eyes shall see,
And you shall say,
‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’

Polluted Offerings

⁶“A son honors his father,
And a servant his master.
If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence?
Says the Lord of hosts
To you priests who despise My name.
Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’

⁷“You offer defiled food on My altar,
But say,
‘In what way have we defiled You?’
By saying,
‘The table of the Lord is ^[c]contemptible.’
⁸And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he accept^[d] you favorably?”
Says the Lord of hosts.

⁹“But now entreat God’s favor,
That He may be gracious to us.
While this is being done by your hands,
Will He accept you favorably?”
Says the Lord of hosts.
¹⁰“Who is there even among you who would shut the doors,
So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain?
I have no pleasure in you,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
¹¹For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,
My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

¹²“But you profane it,
In that you say,
‘The table of the ^[e]Lord is defiled;
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’
¹³You also say,
‘Oh, what a weariness!’
And you sneer at it,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick;
Thus you bring an offering!
Should I accept this from your hand?”
Says the Lord.
¹⁴“But cursed be the deceiver
Who has in his flock a male,
And takes a vow,
But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished—
For I am a great King,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“And My name is to be feared among the nations.

Corrupt Priests

2 “And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.
²If you will not hear,
And if you will not take it to heart,
To give glory to My name,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“I will send a curse upon you,
And I will curse your blessings.
Yes, I have cursed them already,
Because you do not take it to heart.

³“Behold, I will rebuke your descendants
And spread refuse on your faces,
The refuse of your solemn feasts;
And one will take you away ^[f]with it.
⁴Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you,
That My covenant with Levi may continue,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
⁵“My covenant was with him, one of life and peace,
And I gave them to him that he might fear Me;
So he feared Me
And was reverent before My name.
⁶The^[g] law of truth was in his mouth,
And ^[h]injustice was not found on his lips.
He walked with Me in peace and equity,
And turned many away from iniquity.

⁷“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
⁸But you have departed from the way;
You have caused many to stumble at the law.
You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
⁹“Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base
Before all the people,
Because you have not kept My ways
But have shown partiality in the law.”

Treachery of Infidelity

¹⁰Have we not all one Father?
Has not one God created us?
Why do we deal treacherously with one another
By profaning the covenant of the fathers?
¹¹Judah has dealt treacherously,
And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem,
For Judah has profaned
The Lord’s holy institution which He loves:
He has married the daughter of a foreign god.
¹²May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob
The man who does this, being ^[i]awake and aware,
Yet who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!

¹³And this is the second thing you do:
You cover the altar of the Lord with tears,
With weeping and crying;
So He does not regard the offering anymore,
Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
¹⁴Yet you say, “For what reason?”
Because the Lord has been witness
Between you and the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.
¹⁵But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.

¹⁶“For the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”

¹⁷You have wearied the Lord with your words;
Yet you say,
“In what way have we wearied Him?”
In that you say,
“Everyone who does evil
Is good in the sight of the Lord,
And He delights in them,”
Or, “Where is the God of justice?”

The Coming Messenger

3 “Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

²“But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.
³He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And ^[j]purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.

⁴“Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Will be ^[k]pleasant to the Lord,
As in the days of old,
As in former years.
⁵And I will come near you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
Against perjurers,
Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—
Because they do not fear Me,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

⁶“For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
⁷Yet from the days of your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“But you said,
‘In what way shall we return?’

Do Not Rob God

⁸“Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.
⁹You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
¹⁰Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

¹¹“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the Lord of hosts;
¹²“And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

The People Complain Harshly

¹³“Your words have been ^[l]harsh against Me,”
Says the Lord,
“Yet you say,
‘What have we spoken against You?’
¹⁴You have said,
‘It is useless to serve God;
What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance,
And that we have walked as mourners
Before the Lord of hosts?
¹⁵So now we call the proud blessed,
For those who do wickedness are ^[m]raised up;
They even tempt God and go free.’ ”

A Book of Remembrance

¹⁶Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who ^[n]meditate on His name.

¹⁷“They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts,
“On the day that I make them My jewels.^[o]
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
¹⁸Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.

The Great Day of God

4 “For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch.
²But to you who fear My name
The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
³You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

⁴“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant,
Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,
With the statutes and judgments.
⁵Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
⁶And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

Footnotes

Malachi 1:1 oracle, prophecy
Malachi 1:1 Lit. by the hand of
Malachi 1:7 Or to be despised
Malachi 1:8 Lit. lift up your face
Malachi 1:12 So with Bg.; MT Lord
Malachi 2:3 Lit. to it
Malachi 2:6 Or True instruction
Malachi 2:6 Or unrighteousness
Malachi 2:12 Talmud, Vg. teacher and student
Malachi 3:3 Or refine
Malachi 3:4 pleasing
Malachi 3:13 Lit. strong
Malachi 3:15 Lit. built
Malachi 3:16 Or esteem
Malachi 3:17 Lit. special treasure

29 Sep 202127 Sep 2021

Repent and change your heart

“Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.” Nehemiah 12:43 NKJV

Let’s recap this book of Nehemiah – He had a work to do, he had opposition, he convinced the people to repent, fast and pray, He had revival and they all signed a covenant saying they will not backslide again and this brings us up to today! Did their rebellious hearts finally submit to God?

Today’s reading is from the book of Nehemiah, chapters 11-13 and Psalm, chapter 126 (embedded below the image below for your convenience).

In today’s reading begins with more chronicles of who, and who they came from and where they were. No other religious belief has so much historical documentation. The accuracy of the Bible can therefore (at least historically) be proven. As much as our eyes glaze over at those names and we struggle to pronounce them or we slide our eyes over until we see a word we recognize, this information has kept the chains of history interlocked and validated.

Then we read about the great dedication of the work – they finished the wall. Choirs all around to the left and right – sacrifices and joy – food and gladness. God is good and it is easy to say and believe inside this glorious dedication celebration! Hallelujah.

Thoughts of dedicating our work to God – learning the time to rejoice and give thanks and the time to repent – celebrating God in worship… all make for great study in today’s reading.

But what happened in between chapter 12 (the dedication) and chapter 13? In 13 he sees the people working the Sabbath and marrying the forbidden foreigners and having children who are not being raised Jewish. He sees the Levis being impure and exploiting the works of the temple. He sees the people forget the struggle, forget the persecution, forget the toils and get caught up with fleshly desires and cares of this world. What happened? How many years past – (talking children so at least 3 to 5 years?)

Right now we are in the season of difficulty pursuing God’s purpose with a sword in hand. If we finish our task will we also forsake our Lord?! Oh how the Israelites need Jesus! We have the advantage of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but we are also human and stiff necked – we could easily fall away as well. We are vulnerable – but God is able to complete the work He started in us. It is through Him and only through Him – we cannot on our own. If we learn nothing else from the Old Testament – let us learn we are a hot mess, so we should stay humble and let God do the work. Every time we try on our own we mess up!

Nehemiah is praying that God will remember that HE tried to do good – that he finished the work called for repentance put in place reforms – Oh Lord remember Him for that and not the fact that the people rebelled again! In his prayers we see he beat people and pulled out there hair in desperation and righteous indignation. It seemed to have no impact. So I suppose when we get frustrated we cannot beat out friends and relatives into repentance and transformation. Captivity and Nehemiah dragging them to church by their hair did not change the root problem.

They had hard hearts – and only the Holy Spirit can prepare those hearts (through our prayers) and Jesus can transform those hearts through grace with the kind of transformation that makes all things new!

I think most people remember him for building the wall – but once you learn he beat families and pulled out hair, I think I am a little scarred by it and you might be too. That is definitely NOT the ministry of the New Covenant so any of you in ministry – do not get any ideas! Lol So – going back to my original commentary of this book – I am left wondering if maybe Nehemiah could have resolved things differently.

God uses people – even flawed people. (Yes, I am implying that Nehemiah’s violent reaction to sin was a flaw.) It gives me hope! I am flawed, terribly – yet God selected me to be the author of this blog and do this work right now in this season. God has sown me more work that needs to be done and I will help in – in the future. And as flawed and imperfect I am – and knowing I will fall on my face sometimes publicly – I just pray for the grace and thank Him for the commission. Moreover – I focus on reading, praying and getting alone with God to build a personal relationship with God. It is only in Him that we can succeed.

MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand!

1 John 4:4 NKJV – “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
NAS – “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
ESV – “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
AMP – “Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind].”
NIV – “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Thank you for reading.
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

BIBLE READING: Nehemiah 11-13 & Psalm 126 NKJV

Nehemiah 11-13

The People Dwelling in Jerusalem

11 Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities. ²And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.

³These are the heads of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem. (But in the cities of Judah everyone dwelt in his own possession in their cities—Israelites, priests, Levites, Nethinim, and descendants of Solomon’s servants.) ⁴Also in Jerusalem dwelt some of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin.

The children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the children of Perez; ⁵and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. ⁶All the sons of Perez who dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men.

⁷And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah; ⁸and after him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight. ⁹Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of ^[a]Senuah was second over the city.

¹⁰Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, and Jachin; ¹¹Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, was the leader of the house of God. ¹²Their brethren who did the work of the house were eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, ¹³and his brethren, heads of the fathers’ houses, were two hundred and forty-two; and Amashai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, ¹⁴and their brethren, mighty men of valor, were one hundred and twenty-eight. Their overseer was Zabdiel ^[b]the son of one of the great men.

¹⁵Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; ¹⁶Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the heads of the Levites, had the oversight of the business outside of the ^[c]house of God; ¹⁷Mattaniah the son of ^[d]Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the leader who began the thanksgiving with prayer; Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. ¹⁸All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four.

¹⁹Moreover the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who kept the gates, were one hundred and seventy-two.

²⁰And the rest of Israel, of the priests and Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, everyone in his inheritance. ²¹But the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel. And Ziha and Gishpa were over the Nethinim.

²²Also the overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha, of the sons of Asaph, the singers in charge of the ^[e]service of the ^[f]house of God. ²³For it was the king’s command concerning them that a ^[g]certain portion should be for the singers, a quota day by day. ²⁴Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was the^[h] king’s deputy in all matters concerning the people.

The People Dwelling Outside Jerusalem

²⁵And as for the villages with their fields, some of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath Arba and its villages, Dibon and its villages, Jekabzeel and its villages; ²⁶in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet, ²⁷Hazar Shual, and Beersheba and its villages; ²⁸in Ziklag and Meconah and its villages; ²⁹in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, ³⁰Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages; in Lachish and its fields; in Azekah and its villages. They dwelt from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

³¹Also the children of Benjamin from Geba dwelt in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel, and their villages; ³²in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah; ³³in Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim; ³⁴in Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat; ³⁵in Lod, Ono, and the Valley of Craftsmen. ³⁶Some of the Judean divisions of Levites were in Benjamin.

The Priests and Levites

12 Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ²Amariah, ^[i]Malluch, Hattush, ³^[j]Shechaniah, ^[k]Rehum, ^[l]Meremoth, ⁴Iddo, ^[m]Ginnethoi, Abijah, ⁵^[n]Mijamin, ^[o]Maadiah, Bilgah, ⁶Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, ⁷^[p]Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.

These were the heads of the priests and their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

⁸Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who led the thanksgiving psalms, he and his brethren. ⁹Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, stood across from them in their duties.

¹⁰Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada, ¹¹Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.

¹²Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of the fathers’ houses were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; ¹³of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; ¹⁴of ^[q]Melichu, Jonathan; of ^[r]Shebaniah, Joseph; ¹⁵of ^[s]Harim, Adna; of ^[t]Meraioth, Helkai; ¹⁶of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; ¹⁷of Abijah, Zichri; the son of ^[u]Minjamin; of ^[v]Moadiah, Piltai; ¹⁸of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; ¹⁹of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; ²⁰of ^[w]Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; ²¹of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

²²During the reign of Darius the Persian, a record was also kept of the Levites and priests who had been heads of their fathers’ houses in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua. ²³The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers’ houses until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib, were written in the book of the chronicles.

²⁴And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers across from them, to praise and give thanks, group^[x] alternating with group, according to the command of David the man of God. ²⁵Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates. ²⁶These lived in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of ^[y]Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

Nehemiah Dedicates the Wall

²⁷Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps. ²⁸And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, ²⁹from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages all around Jerusalem. ³⁰Then the priests and Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

³¹So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. One went to the right hand on the wall toward the Refuse Gate. ³²After them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, ³³and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, ³⁴Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, ³⁵and some of the priests’ sons with trumpets—Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, ³⁶and his brethren, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. ³⁷By the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the stairs of the City of David, on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, as far as the Water Gate eastward.

³⁸The other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind them with half of the people on the wall, going past the Tower of the Ovens as far as the Broad Wall, ³⁹and above the Gate of Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of ^[z]the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by the Gate of the Prison.

⁴⁰So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me; ⁴¹and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, ^[aa]Minjamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; ⁴²also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers ^[ab]sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director.

⁴³Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

Temple Responsibilities

⁴⁴And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ^[ac]ministered. ⁴⁵Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son. ⁴⁶For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. ⁴⁷In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also ^[ad]consecrated holy things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.

Principles of Separation

13 On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, ²because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³So it was, when they had heard the Law, that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.

The Reforms of Nehemiah

⁴Now before this, Eliashib the priest, having authority over the storerooms of the house of our God, was allied with Tobiah. ⁵And he had prepared for him a large room, where previously they had stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests. ⁶But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the king, ⁷and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing a room for him in the courts of the ^[ae]house of God. ⁸And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room. ⁹Then I commanded them to cleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

¹⁰I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. ¹¹So I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place. ¹²Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. ¹³And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.

¹⁴Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!

¹⁵In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. ¹⁶Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

¹⁷Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? ¹⁸Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

¹⁹So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day. ²⁰Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of ^[af]wares ^[ag]lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

²¹Then I warned them, and said to them, “Why do you spend the night ^[ah]around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath. ²²And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.

Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!

²³In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. ²⁴And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.

²⁵So I contended with them and ^[ai]cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves. ²⁶Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. ²⁷Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?”

²⁸And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.

²⁹Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

³⁰Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I also assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service, ³¹and to bringing the wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times.

Remember me, O my God, for good!

Footnotes

Nehemiah 11:9 Or Hassenuah
Nehemiah 11:14 Or the son of Haggedolim
Nehemiah 11:16 Temple
Nehemiah 11:17 Or Michah
Nehemiah 11:22 work
Nehemiah 11:22 Temple
Nehemiah 11:23 fixed share
Nehemiah 11:24 Lit. at the king’s hand
Nehemiah 12:2 Melichu, v. 14
Nehemiah 12:3 Shebaniah, v. 14
Nehemiah 12:3 Harim, v. 15
Nehemiah 12:3 Meraioth, v. 15
Nehemiah 12:4 Ginnethon, v. 16
Nehemiah 12:5 Minjamin, v. 17
Nehemiah 12:5 Moadiah, v. 17
Nehemiah 12:7 Sallai, v. 20
Nehemiah 12:14 Malluch, v. 2
Nehemiah 12:14 Shechaniah, v. 3
Nehemiah 12:15 Rehum, v. 3
Nehemiah 12:15 Meremoth, v. 3
Nehemiah 12:17 Mijamin, v. 5
Nehemiah 12:17 Maadiah, v. 5
Nehemiah 12:20 Sallu, v. 7
Nehemiah 12:24 Lit. watch by watch
Nehemiah 12:26 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
Nehemiah 12:39 Heb. Hammeah
Nehemiah 12:41 Or Mijamin, v. 5
Nehemiah 12:42 Lit. made their voice to be heard
Nehemiah 12:44 Lit. stood
Nehemiah 12:47 set apart
Nehemiah 13:7 Temple
Nehemiah 13:20 merchandise
Nehemiah 13:20 spent the night
Nehemiah 13:21 Lit. before
Nehemiah 13:25 pronounced them cursed

Psalm 126

A Joyful Return to Zion

A Song of Ascents.

126 When the Lord brought back ^[a]the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
²Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the ^[b]nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
³The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad.

⁴Bring back our captivity, O Lord,
As the streams in the South.

⁵Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
⁶He who continually goes ^[c]forth weeping,
Bearing ^[d]seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again ^[e]with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

Footnotes

Psalm 126:1 Those of the captivity
Psalm 126:2 Gentiles
Psalm 126:6 to and fro
Psalm 126:6 Lit. a bag of seed for sowing
Psalm 126:6 with shouts of joy

28 Sep 20211 Oct 2021

A Date Deferred is Glory

Sometimes a win isn’t seen – and when it goes unrecognized we fail to give God the glory.

The deadline for mandated vaccines keeps getting changed and pushed back. And Glory to God it IS a WIN!!! And we know the battle has already been won! As we learned from Shadrech, Meshech and Abendigo – the big win may be found within the fire. Fear not, though, because we are on the winning team.

I have some encouragement for everyone.

I know I am getting into controversial area. I try to avoid those. So let me lay down some ground rules for this post:

1. I love you. And I love the lost, hurting, unsaved, unchurched, and ungodly. And I love truth. Anyone who has followed for a while knows my heart – but for those who do not let me bear my love. God is love and wishes that all come to know Him – so I ask God to use me to reach people with the news that He wants a relationship with them, and teach those who have a relationship more about Him – so they can get to know Him better. It is out of this love that I speak. I see people in spiritual life or death situation and I need to let them know – it is serious.

2. I do not care if you are pro-vax or anti-vax. I love you and your opinion does not matter. Nor do I care if you received the vax or not – God has a solution for BOTH PROBLEMS. Yes both are problematic – in differing ways. So do not comment with your opinions on this – because we are not talking about opinions. I am only talking the word of God in relation to idolatry, sorcery and the spirit of fear.

3. Stop talking and take action. Prayer warriors are needed. A nation of humbly repented people is so necessary.
“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.“ 2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
“IF” and if we do not we will not be healed or as a nation delivered from this oppression (and the oppression that will come).

Those are the rules – if you agree, then please continue reading.

In those days, in a time such as this, in perilous times… the end days.
– now to explain and be very clear: we are living in the end times. Jesus himself said the age was coming to an end then in a famous discussion with His Disciples on the Mount of Olives (in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21) Jesus describes the signs to watch for so we will know. Jesus implies and stated that things will progressively get worse. But if Jesus and authors of the New Testament (along with the fulfillment of signs) say it is the end times – then it still is the end times and all the more late!
Also – end of the age not the end of the world as the Bible says. No we are not in the tribulation. I do not think you and Karen will be having coffee waiting for the kids soccer practice to end and complaining about how unfair this sinful world is – is the definition of the tribulation. I love you – so I need to tell you: it will be more like North Korea around here during the tribulation and you will not have a copy of the Bible on your phone.

“The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.” Revelation 18:23

So this verse in Revelation speaks of the end times. And our times are dark times, full of deception and lies. Bride and bridegroom? Do I need to pull statistics on the rapid decrease in marriages? No one bothers with a wedding when they can live together. And who are these Merchants?

Does anyone else think it is weird how business men have so much influence and say over this pandemic? Bill Gates and other wealthy business men were in the news broadcasts telling everyone what to do early on… like they aren’t an expert or anything why are they telling us what to do? And then… the great merchants of Big Pharma with their vax.

So let me break this out further – they have offered a savior. I love you – so I must tell you Jesus Christ is the one and only savior. Their savior had a higher probability of death and complications that can lead to death than the original illness. Jesus Christ is a flawless savior who has healed more people then can be counted – and not one failed healing attempt by Jesus has ever been recorded.

So – FIRST OF ALL – the Vax is a false Christ and a false savior as we see:
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it.For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.” Mark 13:21-23 NKJV
Have the very elect been deceived? Yes and it breaks my heart.

And for further proof let us look at the word sorcery – φαρμακείᾳ (pharmakeia). It is a noun – Dative Feminine Singular – from Strong’s 5331: Magic, sorcery, enchantment. From pharmakeus; medication, i.e. magic. Moreover a vaccine.

That alone is the premise of the story of Shadrech, Meshech and Abendigo. Which we have read and studied at least 3 times on this blog, which is not even 2 years old. So in the last 2 years this story has been prevalent enough in our daily lives to grab a post or two at 3 different times.

Now – there are multiple reason’s to get a religious exemption and the reason’s in the exemption do not address what I believe is the most important reason – do not bow to false gods. (I know you do not actually think it is a god – and the three Hebrew boys did not think the statue was really a god either. We do not believe in other gods. But we ALSO do not bow to them!)

The fact that babies that were sacrificed to the gods of Humanism (aborted) were used in the development of the vax is pretty devastating. Among them strong spiritual leaders and men and women of God which He had made and purposed and given life! Humanism took those lives and changed their purpose. Oh Lord – forgive our people, forgive us Lord!

The fact that the Bible says not to put poison in the body – because we are the temple. The most horrific crimes against God are the ones we do inside ourselves, inside His temple. Oh lord, forgive us. Our insides should be sealed off and set apart for Him, He loves you and wants you to be pure and clean and have a good life. He has a plan of love.

What if you have ignorantly taken the vax – you hear it wasn’t the mark of the beast (it isn’t) and so you accepted it into you. FIRST OF ALL STOP IGNORING IT AND POSTS LIKE THIS. Second – there is therefore now no condemnation – you are not condemned. You are loved. God is trying to love you through this. So what if you missed the mark – come back to love! Pray for forgiveness – repent and weep and fast and pray. Seek God fervently! You will find it harder to do than ever before and it is because that demon has a stronghold which you ignorantly gave him. Repent! God wants you back – and He wants ALL of you.

“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:17-18 nkjv (which was our memory verse challenge a few month ago – God has prepared us.)
You intake the vax (drink the poison) it will by no means hurt you – but you better be working in the great commission like the verses before says and you better be in the prayer closet and studying the word – cause these follow those who are 100% submitted and in this! It is doable – we can get through this – let’s do it!

What if your spirit bore witness and said NO – but you did anyway. You do not have little faith – you have none. Let us call it what it is – you honestly do not trust that your heavenly Father provides your every needs. You do not believe He has a plan. You do not believe in Him. Read Malachi again – you will see. That seems harsh? It was hard to say – but you need to wake up to the lies you tell yourself. We all need to.
So, you must either stop lying to me and to the world and saying you are a Christian and Christ saved you – because you saved yourself your way. Your flesh acted out of fear and unbelief influence by the demon of fear and the seduction of the spirit of pharmakeia.
What is your solution if you want to return to God? Well that is also in Malachi. Repent and seek Him. Pray for forgiveness – repent and weep and fast and pray. Seek God fervently! You will find it harder to do than ever before and it is because that demon has a stronghold which you ignorantly gave him. Repent! Grace has limits and shall not be abused – but God loves you so much, so very much that he has open arms for you!

Now – for those who are about to lose your job because you will not take the vax – here is some encouragement.

God is good (even in the fire)

If you have been reading this blog for a while you know I had my “I will not serve two masters” moment and “will not bow (to the governor of New York State)” moment months ago.
I worked in health care regulatory compliance – supporting the facility with understanding and applying regulations in daily tasks. Then the pandemic hit and New York Governor just started throwing around regulations like he was king, lawmaker and executioner. My job shifted from support, to policing in order to ensure new policies were implemented. I began to resist and to push back even. I found the unemployment line quite quickly after that. I chose what was right and God led me here. It is too glorious to give the enemy credit for.

Let me say that again for those who missed it: GOD led me to being unemployed. My joblessness was of GOD. It was His divine plan. It was a gift directly from HIM! All GLORY TO HIM!
I may not have understood it then – but I trusted my God and gave Him Glory them and give Him Glory for it right now! The world calls it bad – but in my situation the Lord called it GOOD and gave it to me.

Upon arrival in the unemployment line I learned my identity was stolen and false claim was already happening in my name. It took a long time to prove I was me and for them to figure it out what they were doing. And God was right there showing me other things. (That is right – focus on Him and he shows you other things, not the problems.)
My brother had been telling me to get into leather working for years and I was telling Him to expand his leather business into earrings for years. A few days after losing my job I started noticing women wearing big fun earrings and I felt so low – I thought those would help me hold up my head again. I was in no position to buy any earrings. To hurry this along – I decided to make them and went to the leather store. At the leather store the owner gave me a bunch of colors of scrap leather and he recalled my brother telling me to go into business in leather and told me it was time that I did. I went home and in my craft supplies I had the jewelry finishings to make earrings – lots of earrings. So I did.
I went to a friend of mine who is a lawyer and said I needed an LLC can we trade services? She said yes. I drafted legal documents for her in exchange for an LLC/EIN. Within a couple weeks I had free supplies and a free name and business. All I needed was a website.
That was when my lawyer friend asked for more help in exchange she’d pay the website for a year. Boom! Like that – I was in business for free because God provides for me.

But wait there is more! The day I lost my job I had signed up for a low cost class on how to have a craft business online. I signed up because I always thought I would do a crafty type business – I just couldn’t figure out what craft to do that wouldn’t bore me quickly. The class was a sales funnel to a higher cost monthly subscription class with a Facebook group – I knew it when I started and was prepared to turn down the offer – but the Christian ladies in the group enjoyed working with me and they paid for me to join the next step. So now I had information and lessons and support from Christian women. God did not just say ‘go have a business’ but he gave me all the education and tools I needed to do it. My God is never done until it is exceedingly abundant!

And now the business is 5 months old. And already doing better than most of the business that started with me. But it doesn’t hit the level of sales I need to be paid from the business and live off of. And I have no more unemployment. Does God take us this far to drop us? Did I make a wrong turn? Did God actually intend for me to just do that on the side and find a “real job”? It becomes dark when you start to think like that and listen to people who ask those questions. Darkness is NOT of God. My God speaks light and life. My God is able to finish what He started. He is able to redirect me and He did not. He was able to give me a job out in the corporate world (in case you did not know, to be on unemployment you must job hunt and attend job fairs and there are not that many jobs out there to my surprise with everyone saying they are short staffed – big signs that say we are hiring, but when you go in they have only one position. The staffing shortage is also a lie – wake up! They are short staffed, but they are not filling positions. So God had the opportunity to land me a job and He did not.)
This is where the rubber hits the road. This is when you really actually overcome by the word of your testimony!!! Here is my testimony: MY GOD PROVIDES! I have not gone without. I have not gone without! I have not gone without!!! I have food. I have clothing. I have dog food. I have a roof over my head. I have my bills paid. I have a mighty God! I have because MY GOD REIGNS!

I am not an imposter – God never said he was going to provide this month through my new business…. That was ME who said that and disappointed myself. MY GOD STILL PROVIDED. I had enough in my savings. Was it comfortable to use my savings? NO – GOD DID NOT PROMISE COMFORT! HE PROMISED PROVISIONS! And He provided. All Glory – All honor – All power and All praise to Him!!!

I am happier and I enjoy myself. I have more time to read the Bible and study. I have more time to worship. My God is still a God of exceedingly Abundant!

So – if you are about to lose your job. I know how you feel and it is all sorts of wild ride feels. I could have chosen to comply with the regulations. I chose righteousness. If I was in the workforce now looking at these mandates – I wouldn’t chose the right choice, because I would have already failed at the last one. I understand where you are at. I had to make hard choices that I knew would land me without a job. But I had to do what was right. God sent me ahead to be able to wave back at you and show you – I am still alive! The bills are paid! Including the gym membership! Yes, even the extras are still in place and I go to the gym and fellowship with other believers! Hallelujah!

Obey the spirit of the Lord and step into complete surrender. Give Him your ability to be provided for and let God be God and do what He is famous for. Let God use signs and wonders – let him stir them to follow you, as it is written in Mark 16. Be the person He called you to be and fulfill His purpose that he lovingly created for you.

Esther says: if I die, I die.

Be like Esther! And then look at me – here I am – not just surviving – doing it with all sorts of extras and God is all sorts of glorified!

Now let us pray for the military with 46% refusing the shot! God, please keep them, sustain them, and be glorified in and through them! Let us pray for the hospitals especially in NY – the world is creating a crisis worse than covid.

While some nations have changed the classification of it to that of a common cold – the USA is literally crippling their military and health. And not everyone sees that this is an evil plot! Oh Lord, open eyes and understanding.

Look at the state of things we are on the edge of – we lose almost half of our military but then plan to use them to staff the loss at our healthcare facilities?!?! I know I see God, posed, and ready to move powerfully. We must submit to His plan and will to see the big move we have been waiting for = https://www.npr.org/2021/09/26/1040780961/new-york-health-care-worker-vaccine-mandate-staffing-shortages-national-guard?fbclid=IwAR06tbZAl7WBv2umm9qd-nyE35pj8V2l5j_6e1SxIFziqfI9HvfYyhMuY_c

I love you – be encouraged. God’s ways are not our ways and His plans are for you (not against you). He did not promise it would be comfortable – it is uncomfortable in the fire – but He joins you in there. He will NEVER leave you or forsake you.

I love you – be saved. There is only one who can save you and heal you and keep you – it is Jesus not a Vax. The vax is seductive – do not be seduced. Jesus will not manipulate or seduce you – he will give you the truth. He is the ONLY Savior. Repent and be saved have a closer relationship with Him.

Do you have a relationship with God?

RELATIONSHIP:
Do you know the powerful God cares about your every need because He loves you? Did you know my God can communicate with you and protect you – He has a plan for you to prosper if you just submit to His will and let His plan play out in your life!!! God wants a relationship with you and has already made a plan for your life. He loves you so much He sent His son to this world, to die as a sacrifice for your sins and rise from death with victory over sin and the ability to have a personal relationship with you.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NIV
Here is a prayer for you to pray:
Jesus, I believe you are the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to the Father. I believe you are the son of God, you came to Earth and lived. That you died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins, and rose again so that I may be saved from my sins and be able to get to know you. I declare: Jesus, you are Lord!
Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen

28 Sep 202127 Sep 2021

Repent – Yes, I am saying it again

“For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.” Nehemiah 10:39 NKJV

Nehemiah led the people to repentance and re-committed themselves to God! This is so very powerful for us today to understand. I constantly yell “repentance” on a blog about the grace of God (yes I see the irony – but I also see that one cannot be without the other). But the fact that we still can repent this late in the game is nothing but grace. Powerful and transformative grace – the same grace Christ used to cleanse our sins and raise from the grave!

Today’s reading is from the book of Nehemiah, chapters 8-10 (embedded below the image below for your convenience).

So the people and Nehemiah build a wall, then come the feast time they feast, and come the fast and atonement they fasted and atoned and sealed a covenant with God that this time (despite their history of being a stiff necked people) this time they would follow God and not part from it.

In today’s reading is a beautiful prayer of repentance. A few others and I still preach repentance (as you dear readers tolerate so well – thank you), but do we teach it? I know I have mentioned the beautiful repentance prayer from Daniel as well, found in Daniel 9:4-19. I think we are all hesitant to lay out a formula or teach it in fear that it will not be genuine. It must be genuine and authentic in your heart – that is a hard-fast rule of repentance. You can’t fake it. Which is probably why Daniel and Nehemiah’s prayers are so beautiful.

Humility cannot be faked. Christians and Jews are not better than anyone, not even because we are children of the most powerful and ONLY true God. We must approach this Holy Covenant God in respect and lowliness. Now is not the time to preach a watered down happy version of the Bible that feels good but denies the power thereof. ALL who follow Him must lay down our lives metaphorically and surrender to His will. Many of us all over this globe will lay our lives physically. It is the truth – and I say it not to scare you but prepare you. You were made for this. You have what it takes. But first we must repent and repent and repent and maybe buy us some time to bring in the harvest, so to speak.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 NKJV

I know many of you are trying. I am too. We are having breakthroughs in surrendering areas, so deep, we did not know we held. Meanwhile most around this world are still asleep and unaware (both in the church and outside of the church) that they need to repent and be cleaned. I must continue the message for them – for as they wake up. Share this with them. We love them!!! God loves them. They are in danger and we want to help!

“Now therefore, our God, The great, the mighty, and awesome God, Who keeps covenant and mercy: Do not let all the trouble seem small before You That has come upon us, Our kings and our princes, Our priests and our prophets, Our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day. However You are just in all that has befallen us; For You have dealt faithfully, But we have done wickedly. Neither our kings nor our princes, Our priests nor our fathers, Have kept Your law, Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, With which You testified against them. For they have not served You in their kingdom, Or in the many good things that You gave them, Or in the large and rich land which You set before them; Nor did they turn from their wicked works.” Nehemiah 9:32-35 (Excerpt from the repentance prayer)

It is such a despite time. If you have not taken the vaccine – DO NOT. If you have, then repent! It is demonically birthed and poisonous – the spirit of sorcery is manipulating it. It is killing people. Do not bow to that instead bow to God. I must be more direct that usual – but we are out of time for mincing words. This may save a life. It is seductive, but it is a deadly trap.

“they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:18 – NKJV
This verse was written for just a time as this – although the Bible does clearly say NOT to take in poison – Jesus extended grace for those who repent and surrender to God as His servant.

If you will be unemployed after you make the choice – it will be ok. I know, I am living it! I have no job and God is suppling my needs. It is not for lack of looking. And God dropped a business in my lap, which I am working to build – it doesn’t make money yet, but it is growing rapidly. Trust the process – trust God. And If I die, I die! The point where Esther made her resolve. We must get to that place of surrender to His perfect will. His will is a promotion – but His ways are not our ways. Do not hold back – go in hard for deep surrender!

“And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would endure and survive, but for the sake of the elect (God’s chosen ones) those days will be shortened. If anyone says to you then, Behold, here is the Christ (the Messiah)! or, There He is!–do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones). See, I have warned you beforehand.” Matthew 24:22-25 AMPC

Draw close to God – and closer still. Work on your relationship with Him. Climb under His wing of protection and trust Him. You say you struggle with faith but His grace will help you – be care not to flat out lack believe while lying to yourself saying you believe. If you are trying to fix it and not letting God be God – then you do not show lack of faith but lack of belief! God forbid you live in this time without belief – God help us all!

MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand!

Thank you for reading.
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

BIBLE READING: Nehemiah 8-10 NKJV

Ezra Reads and Explains the Law

8 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. ²So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. ³Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate ^[a]from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

⁴So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.

Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

⁷Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. ⁸So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.

⁹And Nehemiah, who was the ^[b]governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

¹⁰Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

¹¹So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” ¹²And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.

The Feast of Tabernacles

¹³Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. ¹⁴And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths^[c] during the feast of the seventh month, ¹⁵and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

¹⁶Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made ^[d]booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. ¹⁸Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.

The People Confess Their Sins

9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with ^[e]dust on their heads. ²Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. ³And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.

⁴Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the ^[f]stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God. ⁵And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:

“Stand up and bless the Lord your God
Forever and ever!

“Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
⁶You alone are the Lord;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.

⁷“You are the Lord God,
Who chose Abram,
And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,
And gave him the name Abraham;
⁸You found his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give the land of the Canaanites,
The Hittites, the Amorites,
The Perizzites, the Jebusites,
And the Girgashites—
To give it to his descendants.
You have performed Your words,
For You are righteous.

⁹“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And heard their cry by the Red Sea.
¹⁰You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants,
And against all the people of his land.
For You knew that they acted ^[g]proudly against them.
So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.
¹¹And You divided the sea before them,
So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
And their persecutors You threw into the deep,
As a stone into the mighty waters.
¹²Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel.

¹³“You came down also on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
¹⁴You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,
And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
By the hand of Moses Your servant.
¹⁵You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,
And told them to go in to possess the land
Which You had ^[h]sworn to give them.

¹⁶“But they and our fathers acted ^[i]proudly,
Hardened^[j] their necks,
And did not heed Your commandments.
¹⁷They refused to obey,
And they were not mindful of Your wonders
That You did among them.
But they hardened their necks,
And ^[k]in their rebellion
They appointed a leader
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.

¹⁸“Even when they made a molded calf for themselves,
And said, ‘This is your god
That brought you up out of Egypt,’
And worked great provocations,
¹⁹Yet in Your manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
To lead them on the road;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To show them light,
And the way they should go.
²⁰You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And gave them water for their thirst.
²¹Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness;
They lacked nothing;
Their clothes did not wear out
And their feet did not swell.

²²“Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
And divided them into ^[l]districts.
So they took possession of the land of Sihon,
^[m]The land of the king of Heshbon,
And the land of Og king of Bashan.
²³You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven,
And brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers
To go in and possess.
²⁴So the ^[n]people went in
And possessed the land;
You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.
²⁵And they took strong cities and a rich land,
And possessed houses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And ^[o]fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and grew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.

²⁶“Nevertheless they were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
Cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your prophets, who ^[p]testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.
²⁷Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
You gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.

²⁸“But after they had rest,
They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
²⁹And ^[q]testified against them,
That You might bring them back to Your law.
Yet they acted ^[r]proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’
And they shrugged their shoulders,
^[s]Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.
³⁰Yet for many years You had patience with them,
And ^[t]testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
³¹Nevertheless in Your great mercy
You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.

³²“Now therefore, our God,
The great, the mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the ^[u]trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
³³However You are just in all that has befallen us;
For You have dealt faithfully,
But we have done wickedly.
³⁴Neither our kings nor our princes,
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
With which You testified against them.
³⁵For they have not served You in their kingdom,
Or in the many good things that You gave them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

³⁶“Here we are, servants today!
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!
³⁷And it yields much increase to the kings
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle
At their pleasure;
And we are in great distress.

³⁸“And because of all this,
We make a sure covenant and write it;
Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.”

The People Who Sealed the Covenant

10 Now those who placed their seal on the document were:

Nehemiah the ^[v]governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, ²Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, ³Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, ⁴Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, ⁵Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, ⁶Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, ⁷Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, ⁸Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

⁹The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel.

¹⁰Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, ¹¹Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, ¹²Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, ¹³Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu.

¹⁴The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, ¹⁵Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, ¹⁶Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, ¹⁷Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, ¹⁸Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, ¹⁹Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, ²⁰Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, ²¹Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, ²²Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, ²³Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, ²⁴Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, ²⁵Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, ²⁶Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, ²⁷Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The Covenant That Was Sealed

²⁸Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— ²⁹these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes: ³⁰We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; ³¹if the peoples of the land brought ^[w]wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting^[x] of every debt.

³²Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: ³³for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. ³⁴We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God as it is written in the Law.

³⁵And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the Lord; ³⁶to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; ³⁷to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the ^[y]house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. ³⁸And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse.

³⁹For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.

Footnotes

Nehemiah 8:3 Lit. from the light
Nehemiah 8:9 Heb. Tirshatha
Nehemiah 8:14 Temporary shelters
Nehemiah 8:17 Temporary shelters
Nehemiah 9:1 Lit. earth on them
Nehemiah 9:4 Lit. ascent
Nehemiah 9:10 presumptuously or insolently
Nehemiah 9:15 Lit. raised Your hand to
Nehemiah 9:16 presumptuously
Nehemiah 9:16 Stiffened their necks, became stubborn
Nehemiah 9:17 So with MT, Vg.; LXX in Egypt
Nehemiah 9:22 Lit. corners
Nehemiah 9:22 So with MT, Vg.; LXX omits The land of
Nehemiah 9:24 Lit. sons
Nehemiah 9:25 Lit. trees for eating
Nehemiah 9:26 admonished or warned them
Nehemiah 9:29 admonished them
Nehemiah 9:29 presumptuously
Nehemiah 9:29 Became stubborn
Nehemiah 9:30 admonished or warned them
Nehemiah 9:32 hardship
Nehemiah 10:1 Heb. Tirshatha
Nehemiah 10:31 merchandise
Nehemiah 10:31 collection
Nehemiah 10:37 Temple

27 Sep 202126 Sep 2021

Jesus in Hand

“For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”
Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.” Nehemiah 6:9 NKJV

Nehemiah was a conspiracy theorist – and he was right, there was a conspiracy! His physical task of rebuilding the walls is a beautiful parable of what happens in the spirit as you and I are busy doing the Lord’s work. Let’s dig in more… and put Jesus in our hand to strengthen it!

Today’s reading is from the book of Nehemiah, chapters 6-7 (embedded below the image below for your convenience). We began this book over the weekend – so let me catch us all up with a quick overview of the book. Most scholars believe that the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were on one scroll and are one book and have the same author. The book of Ezra and Nehemiah follow the same structural pattern which starts with a decree from the Persian ruler, then a campaign to go complete a task in Jerusalem, followed by conflict, and resolved in the most fizzled out, uninspired way. They also have a few weird quirks (especially that divorce decree in Ezra). If Ezra-Nehemiah are one book, then I am on board at that beginning and I have flat lined by the end buried in the unresolved conflicts – and seemingly contradictions to the word of the Lord through other contemporaries.

For example – Zechariah prophesied that Jerusalem should not have walls because God was going to place it in a bubble. And Nehemiah says to himself: “geesh, the holy city has no walls, let me go build them.” As I continue to study the word and mature – I start to form understanding which helps resolve this contradiction. As we know Zechariah is in the spirit world, outside of time, (like most prophets) when he prophesies. So sometimes elements of prophesy for other earthly times are mixed up together.
Let’s look at these from today’s vantage point and what we know about what has been fulfilled. A big headline in world news last week was that the USA congress removed their promise support of Israel’s iron dome and then at the last minute changed their minds and put it back (Thank God, The USA doesn’t need any more wrath from God). And Israel’s invisible bubble of protection has made physical walls unnecessary. Zechariah’s prophesy of not needing walls as God will put them in a bubble of protection has come true!!! Glory to God!! And it came through for my generation to see.
This means it was not for Zechariah and Nehemiah’s generation. But it certainly feels like there might have been a better way to handle things and not building a wall with your sword in your hand. Again – my own discomfort with how things played out.

Let us dig into today’s reading – being busy doing the Lord’s work. For me, at this very moment, I am called to write this blog and make earrings. I know I have more tasks in my future – but I cannot get distracted waiting on the future when right now I build – in the spirit realm I build with a sword in my hand. And there really is a conspiracy to take me down. I know, what I do is not very significant in terms of mega preacher who win hundreds of souls for Christ. None the less this ministry HAS set a couple captives free. It has transformed at least one life – these have been reported back to me. And I rejoice with ALL the angels in heaven for every victory. Jesus says He leaves the 99 for the 1. Each person is important. And if this ministry is purposed by God just to reach one – and it happens – then this is a mighty ministry in the spirit realm. They do not count numbers in that place – they count purpose. If in God’s will or not. If you are in His will the enemy attacks – if you are not, they do not care. If God’s will for your life is just to read the Bible and pray – and you do it, then you have a mighty ministry in the Kingdom and the enemy will attack. If you have no attacks whatsoever, are you in God’s will? Cause the only game in town is the enemy attacking the will of God for humanity – and nothing else matter to them – they know their own fate and can do nothing about it so they are taking as many people down with them as they can.

I do not often share all the attacks against me. Some are so bizarre. Like someone keeps trying to vandalize my house and throw bags of dog poop at it. Yet, as if I have an iron dome the bags of poop are all out on the street surrounding my property but cannot touch me. (I think I shared that one before – it is still happening.)
Less seen – the business (leather accessories business God told me to open a few months back) is doing exceptionally well for a business of its size and being only a few month old. It even reached the needed sales goal for me to survive at it. God be glorified!! So I started sharing and telling people – I reached out to online preachers share with them and encourage the people of the Lord who are losing their jobs right now. Here is the testimony:
I lost my job and God provided! God gave me something that makes me even happier and gives me the time to study the word more and pray more and fulfill His work for my life!!! ALL GLORY TO HIM!!!
Immediately, the spring was damned up. The orders stopped coming. The funds to survive gone. And I look into the spirit world and I see a damn. There are my promises – God promised He WILL provide all my needs. He will because He wills it. No doubt in my mine. I asked Him to do His will – I asked for His blessings of provision and asked for exceedingly abundant. I asked to be able to go back to supporting other ministries as well and giving to mission and going above my tithe! He will – it is written. But the battle rages and they have damned up my promises. I build the business with a sword in my hand.

I also build this ministry (my tasks of building and not saying I am doing the tasks that only God can do). And I do it in prayer with a sword in my hand. As things try to encroach on study time and prayer time and writing time. Or the days I do not spend my personal time with God – and HE STANDS IN THE WAY OF ME DOING ANYTHING HERE. If I haven’t spent the time – I cannot do his will. Some days it feels super anointed and some days it feels like an attack – no matter what, I dig in to do my Father’s will.

If God’s will for your life is to be a huge mega church leader or if He calls you to be hidden alone in a prayer closet simply praying 1 thing through – it is MIGHTY and attack worthy if it is God’s purpose and will.

We should also note that Nehemiah had a spiritual attack as well as a physical one. Sometimes humans are influenced by the enemy to do deceitful and evil things to harm believers – sometimes the fight IS physical. Sometimes. So I need to be very clear here because we battle not against flesh and blood – we ask the lord to forgive them and open their eyes to see Him and understand. But sometimes there are physical things we must do.
For example – the results of the Arizona election audit clearly state that there are more questionable votes than the winning margin. If you shuffle that and are evil media you can report that there are now even more Biden votes – but that is a huge shuffle of the numbers and speaks to literally one sentence of the multipage report. It is getting hidden in business. We know wherever there is a lie – the devil (father of lies) is involved. We know that the USA election was a spirit war and still is. If God will move His mighty hand and release us from the chaos kinda depends on “IF my people… humble themselves”. If we repent He will remove this from us – if we do not repent, our grace will be shortened. He has proven it and keeps proving it.
So this is one of those times where there is physical work to do as well as spiritual! We all must repent (physical and spiritual), we must warn others (physical), we must back the law suits with finances and signatures (physical), and we must have unity physically and spiritually with other believes – we must not be alone. And we must do all these things with a sword in hand.

I would be completely remiss if I did not speak of our sword. Let’s take a moment to understand what the word of God says about the sword. (and the full armor)

“¹⁰Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV

So – what is the sword of the spirit? Luckily – we do not need to interpret – it is explained for us. The sword is the word of God. And this is why we do the memory verse challenge and are memorizing verses where we can stand and say: IT IS WRITTEN – and swing the sword. Just as Jesus did when He was tempted.

Many people separate this thought, of the Bible, the scripture verses being our sword, and the next. Which is – what is the Word? Obviously it is the inspired Word of God, His revelation to man of Himself and His plan of salvation. What more? The word is Jesus!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:1-5 NKJV

Keep reading…

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 NKJV

Jesus is the word, the word is the sword – Jesus is the sword!

Nehemiah had a physical sword in his hand while he worked and a physical conspiracy but he did not yet have the victorious sword of Christ himself! We know Jesus finished it – the battle is won. We know we must still swing the sword and play out our parts. Part of having a relationship with God is participating. I mean, how long will your friendships or marriages last if you do not participate?

MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand!

Thank you for reading.
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

BIBLE READING: Nehemiah 6-7 NKJV

Conspiracy Against Nehemiah

6 Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, ^[^a^]Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), ²that Sanballat and ^[^b^]Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together ^[^c^]among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm.

³So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

⁴But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.

⁵Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. ⁶In it was written:

It is reported among the nations, and ^[^d^]Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. ⁷And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.

⁸Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”

⁹For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

¹⁰Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the ^[^e^]temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you.”

¹¹And I said, “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” ¹²Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

¹⁴My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.

The Wall Completed

¹⁵So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. ¹⁶And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

¹⁷Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. ¹⁸For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. ¹⁹Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my ^[^f^]words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

List of Returning Exiles

7 Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, ²that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the ^[^g^]citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.

³And I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house.”

The Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem

⁴Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt. ⁵Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return, and found written in it:

⁶These are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city.

⁷Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, ^[^h^]Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, ^[ⁱ^]Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: ⁸the sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two;

⁹the sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two;

¹⁰the sons of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two;

¹¹the sons of Pahath-Moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen;

¹²the sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;

¹³the sons of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five;

¹⁴the sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty;

¹⁵the sons of ^[^j^]Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight;

¹⁶the sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight;

¹⁷the sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two;

¹⁸the sons of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven;

¹⁹the sons of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven;

²⁰the sons of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five;

²¹the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight;

²²the sons of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight;

²³the sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four;

²⁴the sons of ^[^k^]Hariph, one hundred and twelve;

²⁵the sons of ^[^l^]Gibeon, ninety-five;

²⁶the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred and eighty-eight;

²⁷the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight;

²⁸the men of ^[^m^]Beth Azmaveth, forty-two;

²⁹the men of ^[ⁿ^]Kirjath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three;

³⁰the men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one;

³¹the men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two;

³²the men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and twenty-three;

³³the men of the other Nebo, fifty-two;

³⁴the sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;

³⁵the sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty;

³⁶the sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five;

³⁷the sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one;

³⁸the sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

³⁹The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three;

⁴⁰the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two;

⁴¹the sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven;

⁴²the sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

⁴³The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel,

and of the sons of ^[^o^]Hodevah, seventy-four.

⁴⁴The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight.

⁴⁵The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum,

the sons of Ater,

the sons of Talmon,

the sons of Akkub,

the sons of Hatita,

the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight.

⁴⁶The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha,

the sons of Hasupha,

the sons of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷the sons of Keros,

the sons of ^[^p^]Sia,

the sons of Padon,

⁴⁸the sons of ^[^q^]Lebana,

the sons of ^[^r^]Hagaba,

the sons of ^[^s^]Salmai,

⁴⁹the sons of Hanan,

the sons of Giddel,

the sons of Gahar,

⁵⁰the sons of Reaiah,

the sons of Rezin,

the sons of Nekoda,

⁵¹the sons of Gazzam,

the sons of Uzza,

the sons of Paseah,

⁵²the sons of Besai,

the sons of Meunim,

the sons of ^[^t^]Nephishesim,

⁵³the sons of Bakbuk,

the sons of Hakupha,

the sons of Harhur,

⁵⁴the sons of ^[^u^]Bazlith,

the sons of Mehida,

the sons of Harsha,

⁵⁵the sons of Barkos,

the sons of Sisera,

the sons of Tamah,

⁵⁶the sons of Neziah,

and the sons of Hatipha.

⁵⁷The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai,

the sons of Sophereth,

the sons of ^[^v^]Perida,

⁵⁸the sons of Jaala,

the sons of Darkon,

the sons of Giddel,

⁵⁹the sons of Shephatiah,

the sons of Hattil,

the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim,

and the sons of ^[^w^]Amon.

⁶⁰All the Nethinim, and the sons of Solomon’s servants, were three hundred and ninety-two.

⁶¹And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, ^[^x^]Addon, and Immer, but they could not identify their father’s house nor their lineage, whether they were of Israel: ⁶²the sons of Delaiah,

the sons of Tobiah,

the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two;

⁶³and of the priests: the sons of Habaiah,

the sons of ^[^y^]Koz,

the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name.

⁶⁴These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but it was not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled. ⁶⁵And the ^[^z^]governor said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶Altogether the whole assembly was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, ⁶⁷besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five men and women singers. ⁶⁸Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five, ⁶⁹their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

⁷⁰And some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the work. The ^[^aa^]governor gave to the treasury one thousand gold drachmas, fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priestly garments. ⁷¹Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the treasury of the work twenty thousand gold drachmas, and two thousand two hundred silver minas. ⁷²And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly garments.

⁷³So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim, and all Israel dwelt in their cities.

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.

Footnotes

Nehemiah 6:1 Or Gashmu
Nehemiah 6:2 Or Gashmu
Nehemiah 6:2 Or in Kephirim, exact location unknown
Nehemiah 6:6 Heb. Gashmu
Nehemiah 6:10 Lit. house
Nehemiah 6:19 Or affairs
Nehemiah 7:2 palace
Nehemiah 7:7 Seraiah, Ezra 2:2
Nehemiah 7:7 Mispar, Ezra 2:2
Nehemiah 7:15 Bani, Ezra 2:10
Nehemiah 7:24 Jorah, Ezra 2:18
Nehemiah 7:25 Gibbar, Ezra 2:20
Nehemiah 7:28 Azmaveth, Ezra 2:24
Nehemiah 7:29 Kirjath Arim, Ezra 2:25
Nehemiah 7:43 Hodaviah, Ezra 2:40; or Judah, Ezra 3:9
Nehemiah 7:47 Siaha, Ezra 2:44
Nehemiah 7:48 MT Lebanah
Nehemiah 7:48 MT Hogabah
Nehemiah 7:48 Shalmai, Ezra 2:46; or Shamlai
Nehemiah 7:52 Nephusim, Ezra 2:50
Nehemiah 7:54 Bazluth, Ezra 2:52
Nehemiah 7:57 Peruda, Ezra 2:55
Nehemiah 7:59 Ami, Ezra 2:57
Nehemiah 7:61 Addan, Ezra 2:59
Nehemiah 7:63 Or Hakkoz
Nehemiah 7:65 Heb. Tirshatha
Nehemiah 7:70 Heb. Tirshatha

26 Sep 202125 Sep 2021

Weekend Reading (September 26)

MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand!

1 John 4:4

NKJV – “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
NAS – “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
ESV – “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
AMP – “Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind].”
NIV – “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Thank you for reading.
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

BIBLE READING: Nehemiah 1-5 NKJV

Nehemiah Prays for His People

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.

It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan^[a] the ^[b]citadel, ²that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. ³And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

⁴So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

⁵And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love ^[c]You and observe ^[d]Your commandments, ⁶please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. ⁷We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. ⁸Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you ^[e]are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; ⁹but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ ¹⁰Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. ¹¹O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

For I was the king’s cupbearer.

Nehemiah Sent to Judah

2 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King ^[f]Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. ²Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.”

So I became ^[g]dreadfully afraid, ³and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”

⁴Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”

So I prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

⁶Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

⁷Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond ^[h]the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, ⁸and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the ^[i]citadel which pertains to the ^[j]temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

⁹Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. ¹⁰When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite ^[k]official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.

Nehemiah Views the Wall of Jerusalem

¹¹So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. ¹²Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. ¹³And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the ^[l]Refuse Gate, and ^[m]viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. ¹⁴Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. ¹⁵So I went up in the night by the valley,^[n] and ^[o]viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. ¹⁶And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

¹⁷Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies ^[p]waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” ¹⁸And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.

So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set^[q] their hands to this good work.

¹⁹But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”

²⁰So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Rebuilding the Wall

3 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of ^[r]the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. ²^[s]Next to Eliashib the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

³Also the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. ⁴And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of ^[t]Koz, made repairs. Next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. ⁵Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their ^[u]shoulders to the work of their Lord.

⁶Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars. ⁷And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the residence^[v] of the governor of the region ^[w]beyond the River. ⁸Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, ^[x]one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they ^[y]fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. ⁹And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. ¹⁰Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs.

¹¹Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower of the Ovens. ¹²And next to him was Shallum the son of Hallohesh, leader of half the district of Jerusalem; he and his daughters made repairs.

¹³Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Refuse Gate.

¹⁴Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district of Beth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.

¹⁵Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, leader of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he built it, covered it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah^[z] by the King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David. ¹⁶After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, leader of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far as the place in front of the ^[aa]tombs of David, to the man-made pool, and as far as the House of the Mighty.

¹⁷After him the Levites, under Rehum the son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, leader of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. ¹⁸After him their brethren, under ^[ab]Bavai the son of Henadad, leader of the other half of the district of Keilah, made repairs. ¹⁹And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the leader of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the Ascent to the Armory at the buttress.^[ac] ²⁰After him Baruch the son of ^[ad]Zabbai carefully repaired the other section, from the ^[ae]buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. ²¹After him Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of ^[af]Koz, repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib.

²²And after him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs. ²³After him Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. ²⁴After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the ^[ag]buttress, even as far as the corner. ²⁵Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the ^[ah]buttress, and on the tower which projects from the king’s upper house that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

²⁶Moreover the Nethinim who dwelt in Ophel made repairs as far as the place in front of the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower. ²⁷After them the Tekoites repaired another section, next to the great projecting tower, and as far as the wall of Ophel.

²⁸Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. ²⁹After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. ³⁰After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs in front of his ^[ai]dwelling. ³¹After him Malchijah, ^[aj]one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the Nethinim and of the merchants, in front of the ^[ak]Miphkad Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner. ³²And between the upper room at the corner, as far as the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

The Wall Defended Against Enemies

4 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. ²And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?”

³Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”

⁴Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! ⁵Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.

⁶So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

⁷Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the ^[al]gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, ⁸and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. ⁹Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

¹⁰Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”

¹¹And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”

¹²So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.”

¹³Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. ¹⁴And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

¹⁵And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. ¹⁶So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders ^[am]were behind all the house of Judah. ¹⁷Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. ¹⁸Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

¹⁹Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. ²⁰Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

²¹So we labored in the work, and half of ^[an]the men held the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. ²²At the same time I also said to the people, “Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day.” ²³So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.

Nehemiah Deals with Oppression

5 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. ²For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”

³There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”

⁴There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. ⁵Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

⁶And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. ⁷After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is ^[ao]exacting usury from his brother.” So I ^[ap]called a great assembly against them. ⁸And I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?”

Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. ⁹Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? ¹⁰I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this ^[aq]usury! ¹¹Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”

¹²So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”

Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. ¹³Then I shook out ^[ar]the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.”

And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.

The Generosity of Nehemiah

¹⁴Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. ¹⁵But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. ¹⁶Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and ^[as]we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.

¹⁷And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. ¹⁸Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

¹⁹Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

Footnotes

Nehemiah 1:1 Or Susa
Nehemiah 1:1 Or fortified palace, and so elsewhere in the book
Nehemiah 1:5 Lit. Him
Nehemiah 1:5 Lit. His
Nehemiah 1:8 act treacherously
Nehemiah 2:1 Artaxerxes Longimanus
Nehemiah 2:2 Lit. very much
Nehemiah 2:7 The Euphrates
Nehemiah 2:8 palace
Nehemiah 2:8 Lit. house
Nehemiah 2:10 Lit. servant
Nehemiah 2:13 Dung
Nehemiah 2:13 examined
Nehemiah 2:15 torrent valley, wadi
Nehemiah 2:15 examined
Nehemiah 2:17 desolate
Nehemiah 2:18 Lit. strengthened
Nehemiah 3:1 Heb. Hammeah
Nehemiah 3:2 Lit. On his hand
Nehemiah 3:4 Or Hakkoz
Nehemiah 3:5 Lit. necks
Nehemiah 3:7 Lit. throne
Nehemiah 3:7 West of the Euphrates
Nehemiah 3:8 Lit. the son
Nehemiah 3:8 restored
Nehemiah 3:15 Or Shiloah
Nehemiah 3:16 LXX, Syr., Vg. tomb
Nehemiah 3:18 So with MT, Vg.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr. Binnui (cf. v. 24)
Nehemiah 3:19 Lit. turning
Nehemiah 3:20 A few Heb. mss., Syr., Vg. Zaccai
Nehemiah 3:20 Lit. turning
Nehemiah 3:21 Or Hakkoz
Nehemiah 3:24 Lit. turning
Nehemiah 3:25 Lit. turning
Nehemiah 3:30 Lit. room
Nehemiah 3:31 Lit. a son of the goldsmiths
Nehemiah 3:31 Lit. Inspection or Recruiting
Nehemiah 4:7 Lit. breaks
Nehemiah 4:16 Supported
Nehemiah 4:21 Lit. them
Nehemiah 5:7 charging interest
Nehemiah 5:7 Lit. held
Nehemiah 5:10 interest
Nehemiah 5:13 Lit. my lap
Nehemiah 5:16 So with MT; LXX, Syr., Vg. I

25 Sep 202125 Sep 2021

Weekend Reading (September 25)

MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand!

1 John 4:4

Thank you for reading.
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

BIBLE READING: Ezra 7-10 NKJV

The Arrival of Ezra

7 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, ²the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, ³the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, ⁴the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, ⁵the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— ⁶this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him. ⁷Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. ⁸And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. ⁹On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. ¹⁰For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek^[a] the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

The Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra

¹¹This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of His statutes to Israel:

¹²^[b]Artaxerxes, king of kings,

To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:

Perfect peace, and^[c] so forth.

¹³I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. ¹⁴And whereas you are being sent ^[d]by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand; ¹⁵and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem; ¹⁶and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the ^[e]house of their God in Jerusalem— ¹⁷now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.

¹⁸And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God. ¹⁹Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. ²⁰And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king’s treasury.

²¹And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently, ²²up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit. ²³Whatever ^[f]is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the ^[g]house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

²⁴Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God. ²⁵And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them. ²⁶Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or ^[h]banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.

²⁷Blessed^[i] be the Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, ²⁸and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes.

So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.

Heads of Families Who Returned with Ezra

8 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes: ²of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush; ³of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and registered with him were one hundred and fifty males; ⁴of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; ⁵of ^[j]the sons of Shechaniah, Ben-Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males; ⁶of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males; ⁷of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males; ⁸of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males; ⁹of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males; ¹⁰of ^[k]the sons of Shelomith, Ben-Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males; ¹¹of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; ¹²of the sons of Azgad, Johanan ^[l]the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; ¹³of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah—and with them sixty males; ¹⁴also of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and ^[m]Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

Servants for the Temple

¹⁵Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And I looked among the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there. ¹⁶Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of understanding. ¹⁷And I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia, and ^[n]I told them what they should say to ^[o]Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim at the place Casiphia—that they should bring us servants for the house of our God. ¹⁸Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men; ¹⁹and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men; ²⁰also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim. All of them were designated by name.

Fasting and Prayer for Protection

²¹Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. ²²For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” ²³So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.

Gifts for the Temple

²⁴And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them— ²⁵and weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present, had offered. ²⁶I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, ²⁷twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold. ²⁸And I said to them, “You are holy^[p] to the Lord; the articles are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers. ²⁹Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.” ³⁰So the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

The Return to Jerusalem

³¹Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road. ³²So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.

³³Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, ³⁴with the number and weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.

³⁵The children of those who had been carried away captive, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.

³⁶And they delivered the king’s orders to the king’s satraps and the governors in the region beyond ^[q]the River. So they gave support to the people and the ^[r]house of God.

Intermarriage with Pagans

9 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. ²For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this ^[s]trespass.” ³So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. ⁴Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.

⁵At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. ⁶And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. ⁷Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation,^[t] as it is this day. ⁸And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. ⁹For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁰And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, ¹¹which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. ¹²Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’ ¹³And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, ¹⁴should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had ^[u]consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? ¹⁵O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”

Confession of Improper Marriages

10 Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. ²And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed^[v] against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. ³Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. ⁴Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.”

⁵Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath. ⁶Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity.

⁷And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem, ⁸and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity.

⁹So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain. ¹⁰Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have ^[w]transgressed and ^[x]have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. ¹¹Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives.”

¹²Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes! As you have said, so we must do. ¹³But there are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter. ¹⁴Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let all those in our cities who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of their cities, until the fierce wrath of our God is turned away from us in this matter.” ¹⁵Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite gave them support.

¹⁶Then the descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers’ households, were set apart by the fathers’ households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. ¹⁷By the first day of the first month they finished questioning all the men who had taken pagan wives.

Pagan Wives Put Away

¹⁸And among the sons of the priests who had taken pagan wives the following were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of ^[y]Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. ¹⁹And they gave their promise that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they presented a ram of the flock as their trespass offering.

²⁰Also of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah; ²¹of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah; ²²of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

²³Also of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

²⁴Also of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

²⁵And others of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Jeziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah; ²⁶of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Eliah; ²⁷of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; ²⁸of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; ²⁹of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and ^[z]Ramoth; ³⁰of the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; ³¹of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, ³²Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; ³³of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; ³⁴of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, ³⁵Benaiah, Bedeiah, ^[aa]Cheluh, ³⁶Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, ³⁷Mattaniah, Mattenai, ^[ab]Jaasai, ³⁸Bani, Binnui, Shimei, ³⁹Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, ⁴⁰Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, ⁴¹Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, ⁴²Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph; ⁴³of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, ^[ac]Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

⁴⁴All these had taken pagan wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Footnotes

Ezra 7:10 Study
Ezra 7:12 The original language of Ezra 7:12–26 is Aramaic.
Ezra 7:12 Lit. and now
Ezra 7:14 from before
Ezra 7:16 Temple
Ezra 7:23 Lit. is from the decree
Ezra 7:23 Temple
Ezra 7:26 Lit. rooting out
Ezra 7:27 The Hebrew language resumes in Ezra 7:27.
Ezra 8:5 So with MT, Vg.; LXX the sons of Zatho, Shechaniah
Ezra 8:10 So with MT, Vg.; LXX the sons of Banni, Shelomith
Ezra 8:12 Or the youngest son,
Ezra 8:14 Or Zakkur
Ezra 8:17 Lit. I put words in their mouths to say
Ezra 8:17 So with Vg.; MT to Iddo his brother; LXX to their brethren
Ezra 8:28 consecrated
Ezra 8:36 The Euphrates
Ezra 8:36 Temple
Ezra 9:2 unfaithfulness
Ezra 9:7 Lit. shame of faces
Ezra 9:14 destroyed
Ezra 10:2 been unfaithful to
Ezra 10:10 acted unfaithfully
Ezra 10:10 Heb. have caused to dwell or have brought back
Ezra 10:18 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
Ezra 10:29 Or Jeremoth
Ezra 10:35 Or Cheluhi or Cheluhu
Ezra 10:37 Or Jaasu
Ezra 10:43 Or Jaddu

24 Sep 202123 Sep 2021

Esther and a Time Like This (part 2)

“Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews.” Esther 8:3 NKJV

I feel like Esther, do you? I often fall at the feet of Christ and implore Him to intercede! I cry out to God in tears to counteract the evil schemes! So let’s shift this lesson into a slight abstraction.

Today’s reading is from the book of Esther, chapters 6-10 (embedded below the image below for your convenience). Today the book takes a shift Mordechai begins to rise to power and Haman falls. Today I take a shift – from this physical world to the spirit.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 NKJV

First we acknowledge that we live in perilous times on a global scale. Our minds are under a World War III level attack. So let us take a deep breath and let God transform us as we do not conform, we do not bow, we do not submit to anything but God. Let God renew our minds. I know I need it – do you? My flesh is weary. Oh wait, I am not supposed to be in the flesh…

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 NKJV

Ok – let us jump into the spirit. Esther was facing perilous times. So are we – God gave us this map in the spirit to follow. As we saw yesterday we should fast and pray. And then in today’s reading God opens supernatural doors for us. He is working – always working – even when we do not see him working. God is good!!! There is no such thing as a coincidence because God loves the process, He loves our involvement and He loves the long play.

The Agagites – these are the people Saul was told to completely destroy. Samuel came to see Saul after the battle and hears sheep as he speaks to Saul. Samuel says did you obey God and destroy every last one and their animals. And Saul said yes – and Samuel says why do I hear sheep? And Saul says we took all of the best animals and people alive… and generation past and here is their heir trying a genocide. See why God told them to destroy them. But Saul’s disobedience gives us all the beautiful lessons and poetry in this book.

Now, let us think of our own lives – what was the past sin, evil, or Agagite that we were told to cut off? Obviously, as we look at the state of the world today and each of our 48 nations represented here in this blog, there are quite a few we have been complacent or apathetic to, and even more that our ancestors participated in. A door was left open – this is how we landed in the position we are in.

Not that Haman, in our story, didn’t cheat, steal and lie to get into power – and not that our oppressors did not cheat, steal and lie to get into power. Look at the Canadian election this week: seems reminiscent of the USA elections, doesn’t it? Same software?! Same tactics as seen the week before in California? The world is waking up a little by a little – those of us who are awake should be yelling to stir the heart of the sleepers!

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” Romans 13:11 NKJV

Let me try another analogy – let’s say you are a huge Team A fan of some sport. The final game was Monday Night, but you and your friends needed to work and you agreed to be careful to not get spoilers and watch it together the next night. But, you accidently cause a spoiler during the day and learned your team won.
You join your friends and you are careful not to tell them what you know. You let the game play out. Your team’s best player gets hurt and has to sit out the game. You don’t worry, you know you win. The other team scores more points in the first half – you still have peace, you know you are going to win.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Get out of the flesh and into the spirit – our team wins.

God loves the process and has planned out a spectacular story to show His genuine love for us and inspire us to fall in love with Him. He wants us to participate – but not under panic and fear of death. Yes, we should be moved to tears – laying at His feet begging for His help. (Who else can help us?!)

God has a couple options – If we repent then He will heal our land but if we don’t…. oh Lord help us if we don’t. Lord help us to learn from Esther!

It is not too late to slay the Agagite in your life – it is not too late to separate from sin – it is not too late to stop this madness. The world is in bad shape – very bad. I am not going to sugar coat it. It looks hopeless! But God has a plan for those who have a relationship with Him and can even turn the tides on a global scale. We must take immediate action!

ONE. Repent and get humble!

TWO. Read, fast, pray, worship and spend time building your relationship with God and seek His Kingdom!

THREE. Tell everyone – tell others how bad it is and that they need a relationship with God!

That is what you must do if you have a relationship – and if you don’t you ought to get that figured out because if you are not with Him, then you are against Him and He made a hell for the devil and enemy – and if you choose to be God’s enemy you will go there too. And it won’t be a party – it will be a terrible place.

MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand!

Thank you for reading.
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

BIBLE READING: Esther 6-10 NKJV

The King Honors Mordecai

6 That night ^[a]the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. ²And it was found written that Mordecai had told of ^[b]Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ³Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?”

And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.”

⁴So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

⁵The king’s servants said to him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.”

And the king said, “Let him come in.”

⁶So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?”

Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” ⁷And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, ⁸let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal ^[c]crest placed on its head. ⁹Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then ^[d]parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’ ”

¹⁰Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king’s gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.”

¹¹So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!”

¹²Afterward Mordecai went back to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. ¹³When Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him.”

¹⁴While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs came, and hastened to bring Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Haman Hanged Instead of Mordecai

7 So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. ²And on the second day, at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”

³Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. ⁴For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.”

⁵So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?”

⁶And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!”

So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

⁷Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. ⁸When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?”

As the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. ⁹Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look! The ^[e]gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.”

Then the king said, “Hang him on it!”

¹⁰So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.

Esther Saves the Jews

8 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. ²So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.

³Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. ⁴And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king, ⁵and said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. ⁶For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?”

⁷Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. ⁸You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, ^[f]as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring no one can revoke.”

⁹So the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language. ¹⁰And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses ^[g]bred from swift steeds.

¹¹By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, ¹²on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of ^[h]Adar. ¹³A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. ¹⁴The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in ^[i]Shushan the ^[j]citadel.

¹⁵So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of ^[k]blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of ^[l]Shushan rejoiced and was glad. ¹⁶The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. ¹⁷And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.

The Jews Destroy Their Tormentors

9 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. ²The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. ³And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king’s work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. ⁴For Mordecai was great in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. ⁵Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them.

⁶And in Shushan^[m] the ^[n]citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. ⁷Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha— ¹⁰the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; but they did not lay a hand on the ^[o]plunder.

¹¹On that day the number of those who were killed in ^[p]Shushan the ^[q]citadel ^[r]was brought to the king. ¹²And the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the citadel, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your further request? It shall be done.”

¹³Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow according to today’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.”

¹⁴So the king commanded this to be done; the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.

¹⁵And the Jews who were in ^[s]Shushan gathered together again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at Shushan; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

¹⁶The remainder of the Jews in the king’s provinces gathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. ¹⁷This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And on the fourteenth of ^[t]the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

The Feast of Purim

¹⁸But the Jews who were at ^[u]Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of ^[v]the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁹Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another.

²⁰And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, ²¹to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, ²²as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. ²³So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, ²⁴because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them; ²⁵but when ^[w]Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that ^[x]this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

²⁶So they called these days Purim, after the name ^[y]Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them, ²⁷the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and according to the prescribed time, ²⁸that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.

²⁹Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim. ³⁰And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, ³¹to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had decreed for themselves and their descendants concerning matters of their fasting and lamenting. ³²So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.

Mordecai’s Advancement

10 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. ²Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king ^[z]advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? ³For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his ^[aa]countrymen.

Footnotes

Esther 6:1 Lit. the king’s sleep fled away
Esther 6:2 Bigthan, Esth. 2:21
Esther 6:8 crown
Esther 6:9 Lit. cause him to ride
Esther 7:9 Lit. tree or wood
Esther 8:8 Lit. as is good in your eyes
Esther 8:10 Lit. sons of the swift horses
Esther 8:12 LXX adds the text of the letter here
Esther 8:14 Or Susa
Esther 8:14 palace
Esther 8:15 violet
Esther 8:15 Or Susa
Esther 9:6 Or Susa
Esther 9:6 palace
Esther 9:10 spoil
Esther 9:11 Or Susa
Esther 9:11 palace
Esther 9:11 Lit. came
Esther 9:15 Or Susa
Esther 9:17 Lit. it
Esther 9:18 Or Susa
Esther 9:18 Lit. it
Esther 9:25 Lit. she or it
Esther 9:25 Lit. his
Esther 9:26 Lit. Lot
Esther 10:2 Lit. made him great
Esther 10:3 Lit. seed. LXX, Vg. add a dream of Mordecai here; Vg. adds six more chapters

23 Sep 202121 Sep 2021

Esther and a Time Like This (part 1)

“And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14 NKJV

Yes – God’s sovereignty! Although God is never mentioned (and neither is the word prayer) His planning, timing and purpose are all over this story and these Jews (who were not even obedient Jews – until things got scary then they call upon God). God uses whoever He wants to use. So chose to be a willing vessel. And of course God made us for a time such as this! We can handle it, we were made for it – and we are equipped for it.

Today’s reading is from the book of Esther, chapters 1-5 (embedded below the image below for your convenience). Besides fitting in our chronological Bible reading here – let me tell you a bit more about when this story fits into history.

We remember Babylon and Daniel there and when Babylon fell to the Persians – and Daniel was then working for King Darius and the lion’s den happened and all of that? Yes we remember? It was last week. So Daniel grew old and passed away – King Darius attacked Greece, failed and then a few years later passed away. His son King Xerxes took over.

This king went back after the Greeks, after dealing with a few minor uprisings. The story of the 300 Spartan fighting the massive army of Persia played out – historians believe Xerxes army was much smaller than historically stated and there is proof that Greeks, Thespians, and other surrounding people all helped at the historic battle so there were more than 300.

Any way the Persian eventually go home after a few more conquests. King Xerxes has something to prove now – He has been king for 3 years and a lot happened – yet they have nothing to show for it and He needs to show His people He is a successful king. So he throws himself a heck of a party that lasts 6 months and in the end he divorced His wife in a drunken fit and finds himself alone and depressed. The same advisers who advised him to divorce his wife now tell him to have a beauty pageant to pick the next queen. And that gives us what happened before through the events of chapter one and a couple verses of chapter 2 – but read it for yourself!

So – let’s get back to that famous verse from Esther. I usually avoid giving commentary of such commonly used verses. However, China is occupying our old military base in Afghanistan, And the US has refused promised help to Israel. Will God permit the US to withhold help without judgment? You think it is a coincidence China secured a key base location the same day and the stories both broke within minutes of each other.

The other night in prayer – I felt the Lord say my people did not repent. Even in Esther they waited until their lives were at risk failing to see that their lives were always at risk! Repent in order that our land will be saved – it might be too late – BUT COME ON PEOPLE LET’S TRY ANYWAY!!!

It is time to prepare – unless God changes something we are on a course of destruction. Millions will be without jobs! The markets will crash (China’s already has and their only hope of getting out is a military action). What will our nations look like with a shortage of doctors, nurses, first responders, etc. In the United States there is already a shortage of school bus drivers and the military has stepped in to drive the children. But people think it is just a staffing shortage. It is not.

Open our eyes Lord to see the spirit world. Let us understand the chaos that is about to overrun us. Is it too late for civil disobedience and “let’s do something”? It is great idea in the flesh, but we battle NOT against flesh. Look past it. Can we stop the birth pangs of the prophesies of this time?

We are under grace – but this grace is dwindling and if you do not have the faith to back it, will you remain? Tough questions – be we really need to ask ourselves these things.

I offered my testimony to the Religious Liberty Collision – they are working with people who are losing their jobs now. I look back at my job loss and it is not inaccurate to say that one of the many reasons it happened in the complexity and chaos of it all was because I could not serve 2 masters – God and Governor Cuomo. I have no steady income, and a baby business (only a few months old) and faith in God. Last week, I did not earn enough money. I look around to see what in my house I can sell. I have sold most of it over the years and there isn’t much left. But what I do have – I have GOD. I do have a business. I do have His blessings immaterially on my life. I do have His anointing. I have grace. I have power through Him. I have God. And I know my God – I know in whom I serve and He is able!! I am persuaded He is able – and even if He doesn’t I will praise Him.
Now is not the time to be a gummy bear watered down Christian! New Christian are just learning and give it all to him and ask for understanding – He loves you enough to send it to you!! But those who have been here awhile better tighten up the ropes – get your hose in order! It is about to go down!!!

What can we do?

Thank you for asking! I have a great answer!

“When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry.He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.” Est. 4:1-3

FIRST – REPENT – Mordecai ripped his clothes and put on sackcloth (humility) and fasted (repented).

SECOND – Cry out to God, like Mordecai did!!! Only God can save us. Work on your relationship with Him. Get in close enough to know that you know you hear from Him.

THIRD – Tell others like Mordecai did! Tell everyone! Get everyone on board – maybe God will save us? If not they need to know! We need to be planting seeds – telling other they need to be saved. If you or they are on the fence – let me challenge you this day to choose a side – because luke warm Christians will be spit out! Warn your friends and family. Ask God to open doors for you to tell people at the store and gas station. Tell them how to have their own relationship with God through Christ Jesus!! If you need help, then let me give you a tool you can pull up on your phone app to help you explain it to people. Just pop open this blog and it is a pinned post and it is also in every single post every single day:

MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand!

Thank you for reading.
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

BIBLE READING: Esther 1-5 NKJV

The King Dethrones Queen Vashti

1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus^[a] (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), ²in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan^[b] the ^[c]citadel, ³that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him— ⁴when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

⁵And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in ^[d]Shushan the ^[e]citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. ⁶There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. ⁷And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the ^[f]generosity of the king. ⁸In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure.

⁹Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

¹⁰On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, ¹¹to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. ¹²But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.

¹³Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times (for this was the king’s manner toward all who knew law and justice, ¹⁴those closest to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who had access to the king’s presence, and who ^[g]ranked highest in the kingdom): ¹⁵“What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?”

¹⁶And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: “Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. ¹⁷For the queen’s behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.’ ¹⁸This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king’s officials that they have heard of the behavior of the queen. Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath. ¹⁹If it pleases the king, let a royal ^[h]decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not ^[i]be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. ²⁰When the king’s decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small.”

²¹And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan. ²²Then he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should be master in his own house, and speak in the language of his own people.

Esther Becomes Queen

2 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. ²Then the king’s servants who attended him said: “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king; ³and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to ^[j]Shushan the ^[k]citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of ^[l]Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them. ⁴Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.”

This thing pleased the king, and he did so.

⁵In ^[m]Shushan the ^[n]citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. ⁶Kish^[o] had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with ^[p]Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. ⁷And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

⁸So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at ^[q]Shushan the ^[r]citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women. ⁹Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides ^[s]her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.

¹⁰Esther had not ^[t]revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it. ¹¹And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.

¹²Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. ¹³Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. ¹⁴In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.

¹⁵Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. ¹⁶So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. ¹⁷The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the ^[u]generosity of a king.

Mordecai Discovers a Plot

¹⁹When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate. ²⁰Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.

²¹In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, ^[v]Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ²²So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name. ²³And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

Haman’s Conspiracy Against the Jews

3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. ²And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage. ³Then the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” ⁴Now it happened, when they spoke to him daily and he would not listen to them, that they told it to Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew. ⁵When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath. ⁶But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai.

⁷In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, the lot), before Haman ^[w]to determine the day and the ^[x]month, ^[y]until it fell on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

⁸Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. ⁹If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”

¹⁰So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹And the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you.”

¹²Then the king’s scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded—to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, to the officials of all people, to every province according to its script, and to every people in their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with the king’s signet ring. ¹³And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their ^[z]possessions. ¹⁴A copy of the document was to be issued as law in every province, being published for all people, that they should be ready for that day. ¹⁵The couriers went out, hastened by the king’s command; and the decree was proclaimed in ^[aa]Shushan the ^[ab]citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was ^[ac]perplexed.

Esther Agrees to Help the Jews

4 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, ^[ad]he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. ²He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. ³And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. ⁵Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. ⁶So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. ⁷And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews. ⁸He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at ^[ae]Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. ⁹So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

¹⁰Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: ¹¹“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” ¹²So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.

¹³And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

¹⁵Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶“Go, gather all the Jews who are present in ^[af]Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”

¹⁷So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded ^[ag]him.

Esther’s Banquet

5 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the ^[ah]house. ²So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.

³And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!”

⁴So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

⁵Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

⁶At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”

⁷Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this: ⁸If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and ^[ai]fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”

Haman’s Plot Against Mordecai

⁹So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. ¹⁰Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king.

¹²Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. ¹³Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows^[aj] be made, ^[ak]fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.”

And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.

Footnotes

Esther 1:1 Generally identified with Xerxes I (485–464 b.c.)
Esther 1:2 Or Susa
Esther 1:2 Or fortified palace, and so elsewhere in the book
Esther 1:5 Or Susa
Esther 1:5 palace
Esther 1:7 Lit. hand
Esther 1:14 Lit. sat in first place
Esther 1:19 Lit. word
Esther 1:19 pass away
Esther 2:3 Or Susa
Esther 2:3 palace
Esther 2:3 Heb. Hege
Esther 2:5 Or Susa
Esther 2:5 palace
Esther 2:6 Lit. Who
Esther 2:6 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:6
Esther 2:8 Or Susa
Esther 2:8 palace
Esther 2:9 Lit. her portions
Esther 2:10 Revealed the identity of
Esther 2:18 Lit. hand
Esther 2:21 Bigthana, Esth. 6:2
Esther 3:7 Lit. from day to day and month to month
Esther 3:7 LXX adds to destroy the people of Mordecai in one day; Vg. adds the nation of the Jews should be destroyed
Esther 3:7 So with MT, Vg.; LXX and the lot fell on the fourteenth of the month
Esther 3:13 LXX adds the text of the letter here
Esther 3:15 Or Susa
Esther 3:15 palace
Esther 3:15 in confusion
Esther 4:1 Lit. Mordecai
Esther 4:8 Or Susa
Esther 4:16 Or Susa
Esther 4:17 LXX adds a prayer of Mordecai here
Esther 5:1 LXX adds many extra details in vv. 1, 2
Esther 5:8 Lit. to do
Esther 5:14 Lit. tree or wood
Esther 5:14 About 75 feet

22 Sep 202121 Sep 2021

Two days with Zech (day 2)

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 NKJV

Prophesy must be fulfilled. Zechariah is a prophetic book. As we have discussed before many times prophesy is outside of time blending events to happen soon with event to happen in the far off future. Sometimes it isn’t easy to separate.

Today’s reading is from the book of Zechariah, chapters 8-14 (embedded below the image below for your convenience). It is not fair to only have 2 days to dig through this book – I took my complaint to God. But it is more important that we get through the Bible then we get hung up studying prophesy. Please come back and spend some time here on your own.

As we see the verse I opened with today – Jesus was to arrive, declaring himself the messiah, riding on a donkey – while the very next verse is about the second coming. (If you do not know, He is coming twice with a ‘drive by’ somewhere in between.) As we saw in the New Testament, in Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19, this is fulfilled literally. Many thought it was the symbolism of coming in meekness. It was literal, still symbolically meaning meekness – but Jesus literally rode a donkey.

We also see Judas’ 30 pieces of silver, which he sold out Jesus for as well as the potter’s field. Literal. So when you read – do not worry about interpreting. Ezekiel was about symbolism – but most prophesy is literal. And where it gets confusing, Zechariah asks the angels what it means so we have answers. Now, do not overthink it.

There is a spirit world which most people have not seen – and when in Galatians 5:16 we are told to walk in the spirit, I fear we do not obey that since we seem to lack understanding in the spirit.

Since this is too small a venue for such deep teachings – let’s focus on what we can understand. We understand there are no coincidences. Did you know we are in the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles? It is a week-long celebration of feasting in a tent (some camp there) in memory of the exodus and living in temporary tents – and a time of looking forward to the promise land. Times of remembrance of this level of faith in God – I cannot help but think about how God is calling His children to return to this level of faith – living day to day trusting Him completely for their daily bread. God has removed all from my life so I am – I know many others in or about to be in these shoes. But God lead Israel into the Promised Land!

What does that have to do with today’s reading? Today’s reading is prophesy of the first and second coming of Messiah, the Christ – Jesus – Yeshua! Jesus is our promise that we look forward to. He said he is the groom, coming back for the bride – making this feast a practice run for the wedding supper of the Lamb! (and yes, many Messianic Jews have made that connection – I am not just tying things together all silly nilly). So it is fitting we read about His first and second coming during this time. It is good that we prepare ourselves for Him as He loves us like a groom loves His bride.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Eph. 5:25-27 esv

And we see this marriage supper in Revelations:

“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Rev. 19:7-9 esv

Blessed are those who are invited! Hallelujah!

Here is the question: are you invited as of today? And will you be invited on that special day?
I guess I’ll have to first answer your question: How do we get ourselves invited?! You get invited by accepting all the truth of the Word of God and having a relationship with God through Jesus. Accepting Jesus is the messiah who fulfilled these prophesies literally and even to the day (as the donkey ride was declared in prophesy by Daniel with the timeframe as well as prophesied here in Zechariah). And if you already have a relationship with God and Jesus…. Press in, work harder at the relationship. Read the Bible, Pray, have quiet time before Him, worship Him and do it daily and hen obey him – and you will have an invitation to this heavenly feast!

MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand!

Thank you for reading.
Repent and get humble because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! (Because I did not say that in the message above.) AND May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

BIBLE READING: Zechariah 8-14 NKJV

Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future

8 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, ²“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘I am ^[a]zealous for Zion with great ^[b]zeal;
With great ^[c]fervor I am zealous for her.’

³“Thus says the Lord:

‘I will return to Zion,
And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth,
The Mountain of the Lord of hosts,
The Holy Mountain.’

⁴“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Old men and old women shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand
Because of ^[d]great age.
⁵The streets of the city
Shall be full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’

⁶“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘If it is ^[e]marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days,
Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’
Says the Lord of hosts.

⁷“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the ^[f]east
And from the land of the ^[g]west;
⁸I will bring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
In truth and righteousness.’

⁹“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Let your hands be strong,
You who have been hearing in these days
These words by the mouth of the prophets,
Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid
For the house of the Lord of hosts,
That the temple might be built.
¹⁰For before these days
There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast;
There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

¹¹But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.

¹²‘For the ^[h]seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
The ground shall give her increase,
And the heavens shall give their dew—
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
¹³And it shall come to pass
That just as you were a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’

¹⁴“For thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Just as I determined to ^[i]punish you
When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
‘And I would not relent,
¹⁵So again in these days
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
¹⁶These are the things you shall do:
Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
¹⁷Let none of you think evil in ^[j]your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,’
Says the Lord.”

¹⁸Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, ¹⁹“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘The fast of the fourth month,
The fast of the fifth,
The fast of the seventh,
And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
Therefore love truth and peace.’

²⁰“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
²¹The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
“Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord,
And seek the Lord of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
²²Yes, many peoples and strong nations
Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the Lord.’

²³“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the ^[k]sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ”

Israel Defended Against Enemies

9 The ^[l]burden of the word of the Lord
Against the land of Hadrach,
And Damascus its resting place
(For the eyes of men
And all the tribes of Israel
Are on the Lord);
²Also against Hamath, which borders on it,
And against Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.

³For Tyre built herself a tower,
Heaped up silver like the dust,
And gold like the mire of the streets.
⁴Behold, the Lord will cast her out;
He will destroy her power in the sea,
And she will be devoured by fire.

⁵Ashkelon shall see it and fear;
Gaza also shall be very sorrowful;
And Ekron, for He dried up her expectation.
The king shall perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

⁶“A^[m] mixed race shall settle in Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
⁷I will take away the blood from his mouth,
And the abominations from between his teeth.
But he who remains, even he shall be for our God,
And shall be like a leader in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.
⁸I will camp around My house
Because of the army,
Because of him who passes by and him who returns.
No more shall an oppressor pass through them,
For now I have seen with My eyes.

The Coming King

⁹“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.’

God Will Save His People

¹¹“As for you also,
Because of the blood of your covenant,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
¹²Return to the stronghold,
You prisoners of hope.
Even today I declare
That I will restore double to you.
¹³For I have bent Judah, My bow,
Fitted the bow with Ephraim,
And raised up your sons, O Zion,
Against your sons, O Greece,
And made you like the sword of a mighty man.”

¹⁴Then the Lord will be seen over them,
And His arrow will go forth like lightning.
The Lord God will blow the trumpet,
And go with whirlwinds from the south.
¹⁵The Lord of hosts will defend them;
They shall devour and subdue with slingstones.
They shall drink and roar as if with wine;
They shall be filled with blood like ^[n]basins,
Like the corners of the altar.
¹⁶The Lord their God will save them in that day,
As the flock of His people.
For they shall be like the ^[o]jewels of a crown,
Lifted like a banner over His land—
¹⁷For how great is ^[p]its goodness
And how great its beauty!
Grain shall make the young men thrive,
And new wine the young women.

Restoration of Judah and Israel

10 Ask the Lord for rain
In the time of the ^[q]latter rain.
The Lord will make ^[r]flashing clouds;
He will give them showers of rain,
Grass in the field for everyone.

²For the idols^[s] speak delusion;
The diviners envision lies,
And tell false dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wend their way like sheep;
They are ^[t]in trouble because there is no shepherd.

³“My anger is kindled against the shepherds,
And I will punish the ^[u]goatherds.
For the Lord of hosts will visit His flock,
The house of Judah,
And will make them as His royal horse in the battle.
⁴From him comes the cornerstone,
From him the tent peg,
From him the battle bow,
From him every ^[v]ruler together.
⁵They shall be like mighty men,
Who tread down their enemies
In the mire of the streets in the battle.
They shall fight because the Lord is with them,
And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.

⁶“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back,
Because I have mercy on them.
They shall be as though I had not cast them aside;
For I am the Lord their God,
And I will hear them.
⁷Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man,
And their heart shall rejoice as if with wine.
Yes, their children shall see it and be glad;
Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
⁸I will whistle for them and gather them,
For I will redeem them;
And they shall increase as they once increased.

⁹“I will ^[w]sow them among the peoples,
And they shall remember Me in far countries;
They shall live, together with their children,
And they shall return.
¹⁰I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt,
And gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
Until no more room is found for them.
¹¹He shall pass through the sea with affliction,
And strike the waves of the sea:
All the depths of ^[x]the River shall dry up.
Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down,
And the scepter of Egypt shall depart.

¹²“So I will strengthen them in the Lord,
And they shall walk up and down in His name,”
Says the Lord.

Desolation of Israel

11 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
That fire may devour your cedars.
²Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
Because the mighty trees are ruined.
Wail, O oaks of Bashan,
For the thick forest has come down.
³There is the sound of wailing shepherds!
For their glory is in ruins.
There is the sound of roaring lions!
For the ^[y]pride of the Jordan is in ruins.

Prophecy of the Shepherds

⁴Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, ⁵whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them. ⁶For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall ^[z]attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.”

⁷So I fed the flock for slaughter, ^[aa]in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called ^[ab]Beauty, and the other I called ^[ac]Bonds; and I fed the flock. ⁸I ^[ad]dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. ⁹Then I said, “I will not feed you. Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other’s flesh.” ¹⁰And I took my staff, ^[ae]Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. ¹¹So it was broken on that day. Thus the^[af] poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. ¹²Then I said to them, “If it is ^[ag]agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

¹³And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. ¹⁴Then I cut in two my other staff, ^[ah]Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵And the Lord said to me, “Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.

¹⁷“Woe to the worthless shepherd,
Who leaves the flock!
A sword shall be against his arm
And against his right eye;
His arm shall completely wither,
And his right eye shall be totally blinded.”

The Coming Deliverance of Judah

12 The ^[ai]burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: ²“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of ^[aj]drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. ³And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. ⁴In that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. ⁵And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’ ⁶In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.

⁷“The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. ⁸In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. ⁹It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Mourning for the Pierced One

¹⁰“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. ¹¹In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of ^[ak]Megiddo. ¹²And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹³the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹⁴all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

Idolatry Cut Off

13 “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.

²“It shall be in that day,” says the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. ³It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.

⁴“And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive. ⁵But he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’ ⁶And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your ^[al]arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’

The Shepherd Savior

⁷“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
Against the Man who is My Companion,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered;
Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.
⁸And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Says the Lord,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:
⁹I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

The Day of the Lord

14 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,
And your ^[am]spoil will be divided in your midst.
²For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses ^[an]rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

³Then the Lord will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
⁴And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.

⁵Then you shall flee through My mountain valley,
For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.
Yes, you shall flee
As you fled from the earthquake
In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.

Thus the Lord my God will come,
And all the saints with ^[ao]You.

⁶It shall come to pass in that day
That there will be no light;
The ^[ap]lights will diminish.
⁷It shall be one day
Which is known to the Lord—
Neither day nor night.
But at evening time it shall happen
That it will be light.

⁸And in that day it shall be
That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,
Half of them toward ^[aq]the eastern sea
And half of them toward ^[ar]the western sea;
In both summer and winter it shall occur.
⁹And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.
In that day it shall be—
“The Lord is one,”
And His name one.

¹⁰All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. ^[as]Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.

¹¹The people shall dwell in it;
And no longer shall there be utter destruction,
But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

¹²And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:

Their flesh shall ^[at]dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,
And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.

¹³It shall come to pass in that day
That a great panic from the Lord will be among them.
Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor,
And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;
¹⁴Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.
And the wealth of all the surrounding nations
Shall be gathered together:
Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.

¹⁵Such also shall be the plague
On the horse and the mule,
On the camel and the donkey,
And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.
So shall this plague be.

The Nations Worship the King

¹⁶And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁷And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. ¹⁸If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁹This shall be the ^[au]punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

²⁰In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. ²¹Yes, ^[av]every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.

Footnotes

Zechariah 8:2 Or jealous
Zechariah 8:2 Or jealousy
Zechariah 8:2 Lit. heat or rage
Zechariah 8:4 Lit. many days
Zechariah 8:6 Or wonderful
Zechariah 8:7 Lit. rising sun
Zechariah 8:7 Lit. setting sun
Zechariah 8:12 Lit. seed of peace
Zechariah 8:14 Lit. bring calamity to you
Zechariah 8:17 Lit. his
Zechariah 8:23 Lit. wing, corner of a garment
Zechariah 9:1 oracle, prophecy
Zechariah 9:6 Lit. An illegitimate one
Zechariah 9:15 Sacrificial basins
Zechariah 9:16 Lit. stones
Zechariah 9:17 Lit. His
Zechariah 10:1 Spring rain
Zechariah 10:1 Or lightning flashes
Zechariah 10:2 Heb. teraphim
Zechariah 10:2 afflicted
Zechariah 10:3 Leaders
Zechariah 10:4 Or despot
Zechariah 10:9 Or scatter
Zechariah 10:11 The Nile
Zechariah 11:3 Or floodplain, thicket
Zechariah 11:6 Lit. strike
Zechariah 11:7 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX for the Canaanites
Zechariah 11:7 Or Grace
Zechariah 11:7 Or Unity
Zechariah 11:8 Or destroyed, lit. cut off
Zechariah 11:10 Or Grace
Zechariah 11:11 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX the Canaanites
Zechariah 11:12 good in your sight
Zechariah 11:14 Or Unity
Zechariah 12:1 oracle, prophecy
Zechariah 12:2 Lit. reeling
Zechariah 12:11 Heb. Megiddon
Zechariah 13:6 Or hands
Zechariah 14:1 plunder or booty
Zechariah 14:2 Or plundered
Zechariah 14:5 Or you; LXX, Tg., Vg. Him
Zechariah 14:6 Lit. glorious ones
Zechariah 14:8 The Dead Sea
Zechariah 14:8 The Mediterranean Sea
Zechariah 14:10 Lit. She
Zechariah 14:12 Lit. decay
Zechariah 14:19 Lit. sin
Zechariah 14:21 Or on every pot . . . shall be engraved “HOLINESS TO THE LORD OF HOSTS”