1. Reread the post entitled "Assignment for March 21st."
2. Look up the meaning of the names: Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes, Ezra and Nehemiah.
3. Read Ezra 1-3.
Discoveries made at our last class:
Studying does not always result in a clear understanding. Sometimes we have more questions than answers. When this happens we should just put that information aside for a season until God gives us more insight.
The meanings of peoples names are not always clearly defined. We found some common answers:
Cyrus- far sighted; young
Darius- to possess good
Artaxerxes- righteous ruler
Ezra- help
Nehemiah- comforted by Yahweh (God)
We spoke about how these meanings were seen in how they lived their lives.
We remarked about the incredible number (over 5,000) of articles that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem. They were some of the finest pieces ever made. They were still intact and were ALL returned to the Jews.
I shared a scripture that I "happen" to come across in my daily Bible reading (some of which is out loud 😊). Isa. 44:28 speaks of Cyrus and gives us more insight into his life. I was simply reading, not studying, when I found this. As you are faithful to read your Bible each day, you will experience this on a regular basis. Through your reading God will show you things that go along with your studying. Through reading, God has connected some dots between the book of Isaiah and Ezra that we did not have a week ago.
We noticed the excellence of the genealogical record keeping of the Jews.
We learned how to "read between the lines."
In Ezra 1:11 it says, "... the exiles came up from Babylon to Jerusalem." This is a short statement but if we ask some simple questions we gain huge insight.
How far is it from Babylon to Jerusalem? About 900 miles. (use Bible map)
How many people went on this journey? About 50,000 (see 2:64-65)
How long would a journey like this take? About 4 months (see study Bible notes)
This gives us quite a picture.
What was God doing among them during these months of travel? He was molding them into a united group. 3:1 says that they assembled in Jerusalem as one man.
We spoke of how God is not just interested in the destination. He is just as interested in the journey that gets us there.
The first thing that was rebuilt was the altar. Why 1st? It reestablished the sacrificial system where the blood of innocent animals covered the sins of the people. The Bible says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." (can you find the verse?) This is the foundation of all true worship and pointed to the blood of Jesus.
Next, they rebuilt the foundation of the temple. There was a huge celebration over this but this celebration had 2 different emotions present. The older ones who had seen the original temple were mourning its' loss because they saw that new one would be never look as grand. The younger people were rejoicing at being given the opportunity to truly live out their faith for the 1st time. Both groups were making loud cries and you couldn't distinguish between them. God made both groups into one sound. He brought healing through mourning to the 1st group and healing through rejoicing to the 2nd. And in a way that only God can do, He healed both simultaneously.
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