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translations.
AUGUST 6
Ezra 3-4
One thing to keep in mind as we read Ezra is that Ezra, Nehemiah, and
Esther lived during the same time period. In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and
Nehemiah are one book. Because of challenges of the Jews returning to Israel
and reclaiming the land, much like what we see in Palestine today, there was
conflict. The conflict spread over many years and over many Persian rulers. For
reasons you can’t see now, the Jews had been an honored people in the
Babylonian Empire (and now in Persia), creating deep jealousy. Some of this new
animosity was from the building of the temple, and much of it was anger at
the Jews who were trying to make Jerusalem safe to live in. Particularly today
in chapter 4, there will be an example of this anger shown by letters sent to
Persia. When we get to chapter 4, you'll see that Ezra lumps all of the
opposition together. Much of chapter 4 has to do with events that happened
shortly before Ezra and Nehemiah entered the story. Most of the animosity was
toward rebuilding the city, not the rebuilding of the temple and the
reestablishment of the worship of Israel. Actually, not stated here, the
command to rebuild the city is a major biblical event. That command begins the
70 weeks of Daniel, 69 weeks of which were completed when Jesus entered Jerusalem,
sitting on a foal.
The following charts from the Bible Knowledge Commentary might
be helpful. They are located at the end of this document:
“The Three Returns from Exile,” Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT,
p. 652.
“Chronology of the Postexilic Period,” Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT,
p. 654.
Ezra 3
Vs. 1-7 This is probably the seventh month of the Jewish calendar and
time for the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths. The temple was still a
ruin, but they got the altar up and working. We don't know how long they were
in the land before they came together to worship, but it might have been pretty
soon thereafter. The people who returned were in danger and were fearful. They
may have faced some uncertainty in Babylon and Persia, but it had been comfortable
and home to them. Israel was rustic, raw, and on the edge of these empires.
V. 7 This was a lot of preparation. Apparently the very foundation
stones of the temple, cut in the mountains by Solomon, had been removed and
taken away and used by others. They did this back then, because it was easier
to take stones already cut, than to cut new ones.
Vs. 8-9 So now, a little over a year and a half had gone by, and they
were ready to build the foundation. This was about 536 B.C., roughly 70 years
after the first deportation. It would still be another 21 years before the
temple was completed, in 515 B.C.
Vs. 10-13 In organizing the celebration, look at the song they sang in
v. 11.
V. 12 Although the Jews had progressively been in exile for 70 years,
some of these people were removed from Jerusalem only 50 years earlier and
remembered what the temple had looked like. So you had crying for joy for those
who had never seen the temple, and crying for sadness from those who had seen
it before it was destroyed.
Ezra 4
In this chapter Ezra is showing the intensity of the opposition to the
Jews. Some of this opposition stopped the building of the temple. The fiercest
opposition stopped them from rebuilding the city walls and closing the gates,
leaving the Jews defenseless in Jerusalem.
If you haven't looked at this chart yet (located at the end of this
document), now would be a good time. “Chronology of the Postexilic Period,” Bible
Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 654.
Vs. 1-5 Notice that this opposition is against the rebuilding of the
temple. Notice, too, who the Persian kings are who are mentioned. This is what
initially stopped the temple from being rebuilt. In Haggai and Zechariah we
find out that once the Jews met this opposition, they gave up and focused on
themselves. Led by these prophets and the courage of Zerubbabel and Joshua,
they began working again under Darius 1, who checked and saw that the Jews were
commanded by Cyrus to rebuild the temple.
Vs. 6-23 This is a parenthesis. Ezra is now including the violent opposition
to working on the city. The anti-Jewish sentiment in the Persian Empire is
visible to us in the book of Esther. This is the information that gives us some
understanding as to why Nehemiah's mission was so important and why it was a
miracle that he was able to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.
This is confusing for us; but for Ezra's readers, they understood the
timing in all of this, because of the names of these kings. For those in the
States, it would be the same as mentioning the names of the recent presidents.
Reagan and Bush and Clinton not only signify different times, but also
different events in world politics. And if you said, "Bush," you'd
want to know if it was George Herbert Walker Bush, or "Dubbya" (W,
from George W. Bush). So, have fun using the chart.
V. 6 Ahasuerus, is Xerxes, Esther's husband and the Persian king from
"300," the movie. By the time this letter was sent, the temple was
already finished.
V. 7 Artaxerxes was the guy who sent Ezra and who Nehemiah worked for.
Art eventually sent Nehemiah, almost 70 years after the temple was finished.
Apparently while his father Xerxes was losing to those skirted, gyro eaters and
looking for a new queen, Artaxerxes was taking care of affairs of state. When
we read Esther we'll notice that Xerxes had no clue as to what was happening in
his kingdom. His son, Artaxerxes was a more capable administrator. I would
guess that during this time Artaxerxes stopped the building of Jerusalem, but
when all the events of Esther played out, he changed his attitude regarding the
Jews. When he became full king of the Persian Empire, he showed great kindness
to both Ezra and Nehemiah. After all, the Queen Mother and his father's top
advisor, Mordecai, were Jews and very good people to boot.
V. 24 NOW, we are back to Ezra's narrative about the temple. Verses
6-23 were a full description of the conflict the Jews faced trying to rebuild
Jerusalem over the next 80-90 years. Verse 24 follows v. 5 in the story about
the temple. The foundation was laid in 536, and for the next 15 years nothing
would be done until Haggai and Zechariah prophesied and Darius I ordered the
Jews to finish the temple.
How often have we seen this, that we think God just did one thing after
another? There is a lot more "waiting on the Lord" in following God
than we might have realized. This means that following Christ in the harvest
and learning how to abide in Christ and grow in faith will mean waiting too. In
Jesus' explanation of the seed sown on the fertile ground, He said those people
bore fruit with patience.
1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4
Since the Corinthians apparently made an issue of "wisdom,"
Paul tells them of the wisdom we get from following the Spirit. The thing about
the wisdom of the Spirit is that it isn't obvious
wisdom that would be acknowledged by most of mankind.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Vs. 6-8 I take these rulers to be spiritual rulers of this present
darkness.
V. 7 Just as in Ephesians 3, the spiritual powers are finally
understanding God's plan of redemption which God kept secret and hidden. Imagine that this plan was kept secret but
decreed for our glorification. Where we shine before the spiritual world and
before the unbelieving world is when we are following Christ in the harvest.
The point here is that we can have this wisdom. Notice that it is not
only from the Spirit, but that it has to do with God's plan of redemption. If
we're not into God's plan in this world, in the harvest, then even as believers
we won't be open to this wisdom. Why would we need it?
Vs. 9-13 This is a pretty big promise. I don't think we believers even
scratch the surface of what is available to us. If you look at the way Jesus
lived, following the Father and the Spirit, He was given wisdom in situations
that developed in front of Him. Jesus explained this as abiding in the Father
and observing what the Father was doing. I think that when we abide in Christ,
the Spirit gives us that same wisdom and insight into the things happening
around us. This wisdom is not for winning game show questions, but rather for working
in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples.
Vs. 14-16 Now, the question is who the natural person (unspiritual man, RSV) really is. The sad reality is
given in chapter 3. The unspiritual man can also be a believer.
1 Corinthians 3:1-4
Here is the deal, I think. The more we are involved with anything other
than Jesus and the harvest, the less we see or understand the Spirit and
spiritual wisdom. Jesus told all sorts of parables about seeking the kingdom,
where our treasure should be, and what happens if you mix the Word and cares,
desires and riches. It is like living in the city and trying to see the stars.
You see a few bright ones, but the light of the city blinds you to what is
really up there. You need to get away from the city to see the stars. In the
same way, the more comforts and stuff and agendas and expectations we gather
around us, that are important to us, the less we are able to see spiritually.
Paul is just giving one illustration here of what was keeping the
Corinthians infantile. Of course, we don't get into personality cults in modern
day Christianity, do we? The list of things that keep us immature is larger
than the diversions the Corinthians were experiencing, and we've all got some
of these things in our lives. What is interesting is that this is the church
with all the manifestations of the spiritual gifts, and it was one of the most
sinful and childish churches. How ironic and tragic was that? Knowing Christ
isn't a guarantee of spiritual growth. In a nutshell, what Paul is explaining
here is why we are not all disciples or following Christ in the harvest.
Sometimes we can make faith and church all about us and our needs and desires.
Psalm 28
You can sense the ebb of David's thoughts. In so much of what we've
read in the OT and in Acts, you can guess that this kind of prayer was the
model for many, many people. Here, David put it to music to teach Israel.
Vs. 1-2 David cried out. Notice David's mention of the sanctuary, just as in Psalm 27. David's heart
sought this place because that is where God was said to dwell among Israel.
Vs. 3-5 David prayed for justice to fall on those who disregarded the
Lord and lived as if there were no judge. While David was being chased by Saul,
Saul was allowing the country to fall into decay and guilt. Saul had the
priests killed. Judgment from God would come. David didn't want to be swept
away in God's judgment on others, so he asked the Lord to judge each man
individually. At this time, David was walking very closely to the Lord.
Vs. 6-7 David remembered what the Lord had done for him. David lived
seeing small, constant deliverances. He knew that the Lord was with him. Notice
that David dedicated himself to singing the praise of God for all to hear.
Vs. 8-9 David blessed the Lord for His faithfulness to His heritage as
promised to Abraham. Based on God's faithfulness to His promise to Abraham,
David knew he could ask for God's continued help.
Now that we have the wisdom of the Spirit and know what's going on in
this life and on this planet, not only should we be crying out quicker, we know
who we need to cry out to. We need to cry out to Jesus.
Proverbs 20:24-25
V. 24 I think Paul answered this for us.
V. 25 And that same spiritual wisdom makes us quick to hear and understand,
and slow to speak.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's
plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to
keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope
is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a
year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples,
making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any
point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as
I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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