1. Reread the Assignment for April 18th.
2. Read Ezra 5:1-6:12
3. 5:1-2- This shows us that God had placed them in a position where they could succeed in their mission. What are some of these things that would ensure their success?
4. 5:3-5- After doing everything rightly, what happens?
5. 5:6-17- Summarize the points of the letter.
Especially note vs. 11. Remember, it had been 16 years. How did they remember, so accurately, the details in 11-16?
6. 6:1-12- Summarize the points of the return letter. Did the support from the King increase or decrease? In what ways?
Discoveries:
5:1-2- To ensure success God sent prophets (Haggai and Zechariah) who joined forces with the head of the tribe of Judah (Zerubbabel) and the High Priest (Jeshua).
5:3-5- after doing everything right, they met stiff resistance from public officials.
We should not be surprised when we face resistance after we embark on doing something good. We should expect it and take it as encouragement that we are on the right track.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Assignment for April 18th
1. Review "Assignment for April 11th."
Note: I have not added the notes from our last class yet. Please check on Sunday.
2. Read the book of Haggai.
3. See how many dots you can connect with the book of Ezra.
4. The work of building the temple stopped by royal decree. (4:23-24) What were some of the things the people were doing during the 16 years that the work on the temple ceased?
Discoveries from the 4/25/2018 class:
1. What had they been doing for 16 years? Building their own houses. Not just log cabins but beautiful homes. 1:4 refers to "paneled houses." This type of paneling was used by royalty. They not only turned from building the house of the Lord, they "over did it" on building theirs- selfishness. How do we "overdo it" on ourselves?
2. So, they had nice homes but what else happened? Their were no blessings in their lives at all. 1:5-6- their crops were meager, there was not enough food or clothes and the money they did make "fell through their pockets." BUT, they had really nice houses! Was it worth it? Look at 1:7-11- Their disobedience opened the floodgates for ruin.
3. We noted a repeated phrase (always take note of repeated phrases) in 1:5, 7, 2:15, 18. "Give careful thought..." They hadn't "given careful thought" or they would have realized the pattern of bad fruit in their lives for the past 16 years.
4. We need to do the same thing. Take time on a regular basis to "give careful thought" to the fruit that has been occurring in our lives. As we look back, what do we see? It can be good fruit or bad or a mixture of both. Ask the Lord what changes He may want you to make so good fruit can come in the future.
5. The key to the turnaround in the Israelite's life was repentance. To repent means to turnaround. Godly fear brings repentance. They had lived for themselves for so long that they had developed very hard hearts. Hosea 10:12 was a verse that helped us understand what needed to take place for repentance to occur: “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” Their hearts were like hard ground that needed to be chisel plowed. Once they submitted to the process, things began to change quickly.
6. Repentance needs to be a regular part of the believers life. Keep short accounts with God. Ask Him daily if there is anything you need to repent of. If yes, do so. If not, move on.
6. By doing some math from Haggai 1:1 and 1:15 we realized that it only took 23 days of "encouragement toward repentance" from Haggai (and Zechariah) to turn the nation around. (And this after a 16 year lull in building the temple.) Repentance brought change on a national level, in just 23 days.
7. Further math from Hosea 1:1 and Ezra 6:15 showed us that it took four more years to complete the temple. As a reunited nation they completed their mission. True, they could have finished it long ago. However, God, who is merciful always, gave them another chance. He is the God of second chances to everyone (and third and fourth chances, etc.)!! Whatever has happened in the past, God wants us to look ahead to see what He can do, in a short time, in our lives. The enemy wants us to live in the past, God wants us to look ahead. Our best days are always ahead of us.
Note: I have not added the notes from our last class yet. Please check on Sunday.
2. Read the book of Haggai.
3. See how many dots you can connect with the book of Ezra.
4. The work of building the temple stopped by royal decree. (4:23-24) What were some of the things the people were doing during the 16 years that the work on the temple ceased?
Discoveries from the 4/25/2018 class:
1. What had they been doing for 16 years? Building their own houses. Not just log cabins but beautiful homes. 1:4 refers to "paneled houses." This type of paneling was used by royalty. They not only turned from building the house of the Lord, they "over did it" on building theirs- selfishness. How do we "overdo it" on ourselves?
2. So, they had nice homes but what else happened? Their were no blessings in their lives at all. 1:5-6- their crops were meager, there was not enough food or clothes and the money they did make "fell through their pockets." BUT, they had really nice houses! Was it worth it? Look at 1:7-11- Their disobedience opened the floodgates for ruin.
3. We noted a repeated phrase (always take note of repeated phrases) in 1:5, 7, 2:15, 18. "Give careful thought..." They hadn't "given careful thought" or they would have realized the pattern of bad fruit in their lives for the past 16 years.
4. We need to do the same thing. Take time on a regular basis to "give careful thought" to the fruit that has been occurring in our lives. As we look back, what do we see? It can be good fruit or bad or a mixture of both. Ask the Lord what changes He may want you to make so good fruit can come in the future.
5. The key to the turnaround in the Israelite's life was repentance. To repent means to turnaround. Godly fear brings repentance. They had lived for themselves for so long that they had developed very hard hearts. Hosea 10:12 was a verse that helped us understand what needed to take place for repentance to occur: “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” Their hearts were like hard ground that needed to be chisel plowed. Once they submitted to the process, things began to change quickly.
6. Repentance needs to be a regular part of the believers life. Keep short accounts with God. Ask Him daily if there is anything you need to repent of. If yes, do so. If not, move on.
6. By doing some math from Haggai 1:1 and 1:15 we realized that it only took 23 days of "encouragement toward repentance" from Haggai (and Zechariah) to turn the nation around. (And this after a 16 year lull in building the temple.) Repentance brought change on a national level, in just 23 days.
7. Further math from Hosea 1:1 and Ezra 6:15 showed us that it took four more years to complete the temple. As a reunited nation they completed their mission. True, they could have finished it long ago. However, God, who is merciful always, gave them another chance. He is the God of second chances to everyone (and third and fourth chances, etc.)!! Whatever has happened in the past, God wants us to look ahead to see what He can do, in a short time, in our lives. The enemy wants us to live in the past, God wants us to look ahead. Our best days are always ahead of us.
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Assignment for April 11, 2018
1. Re-read the blog: Assignment for April 4, 2018.
2. Read Ezra 4-6
3. Do some "study-digging" in a couple of areas that spring to your attention
4. Write down thoughts or questions that come up.
Our Discoveries:
1. First a simple chart to help you keep the cast of characters straight:
PLEASE do NOT get hung up on trying to keep all these characters straight. Now that you have studied it, you have the information to refer to if you need it. Focus instead on what the information you have learned might mean to YOU.
2. Some discoveries we made:
- Whenever we attempt to do something for God, there will be resistance and opposition. Expect it and plan for it. It is really a confirmation that you are on the right track.
- The opposition in Ezra came from the local peoples who later became known as the Samaritans. They were people who worshiped the God of Israel but added other false gods to their beliefs. Because of their added idolatry they were not fit to help build the temple. If they had chosen to totally convert to Judaism, they would have been eligible. They didn't want to do this and thus were enemies (4:1). They offered to "help" in the rebuilding effort because they wanted to subvert the process from within. Next they tried to stop the building from outward pressure. Thus came the letters to the Kings to request that the building be stopped.
- In our lives we have to be aware of what happens as we endeavor to move forward with God. There will come inward challenges- thoughts of condemnation, confusion, criticism, etc. There will also be outward challenges where people will be used to tempt us away from our directive. Don't be surprised at this. Realize that overcoming these obstacles is part of God's plan to lead you to victory.
-In 4:24 we "read between the lines" again. By doing some math we found that the building stopped for 18 years.
- We see an example of how God turned one of the outward attacks against their enemies. The letter to King Darius backfired on their enemies. He not only confirmed that they have permission to build but he increased the support they were to receive and those who would oppose the rebuilding would receive great punishment. (6:1-12)
- We again were impressed by the accuracy of public records in ancient days.
2. Read Ezra 4-6
3. Do some "study-digging" in a couple of areas that spring to your attention
4. Write down thoughts or questions that come up.
Our Discoveries:
1. First a simple chart to help you keep the cast of characters straight:
PLEASE do NOT get hung up on trying to keep all these characters straight. Now that you have studied it, you have the information to refer to if you need it. Focus instead on what the information you have learned might mean to YOU.
2. Some discoveries we made:
- Whenever we attempt to do something for God, there will be resistance and opposition. Expect it and plan for it. It is really a confirmation that you are on the right track.
- The opposition in Ezra came from the local peoples who later became known as the Samaritans. They were people who worshiped the God of Israel but added other false gods to their beliefs. Because of their added idolatry they were not fit to help build the temple. If they had chosen to totally convert to Judaism, they would have been eligible. They didn't want to do this and thus were enemies (4:1). They offered to "help" in the rebuilding effort because they wanted to subvert the process from within. Next they tried to stop the building from outward pressure. Thus came the letters to the Kings to request that the building be stopped.
- In our lives we have to be aware of what happens as we endeavor to move forward with God. There will come inward challenges- thoughts of condemnation, confusion, criticism, etc. There will also be outward challenges where people will be used to tempt us away from our directive. Don't be surprised at this. Realize that overcoming these obstacles is part of God's plan to lead you to victory.
-In 4:24 we "read between the lines" again. By doing some math we found that the building stopped for 18 years.
- We see an example of how God turned one of the outward attacks against their enemies. The letter to King Darius backfired on their enemies. He not only confirmed that they have permission to build but he increased the support they were to receive and those who would oppose the rebuilding would receive great punishment. (6:1-12)
- We again were impressed by the accuracy of public records in ancient days.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Assignment for April 4, 2018
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.
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.
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Assignment for March 21st
1. Re-read the blog entitled "Assignment for 3/14/18" and the new blog posted on March 17th containing additional thoughts about reading.
2. Read the book of Ezra.
We briefly looked at the book of Nehemiah last time and saw the need to go back to Ezra to understand the bigger picture. Ezra and Nehemiah go together as one continuous story.
3. The focus this week will be on discovering the historical setting.
Take note of all the names of the Kings listed. Not understanding a proper timeline can make things confusing. This is where study of your Bible will help. Instead of being intimidated by all the names and becoming confused, why not dig in and find facts that will bring understanding? Using your study Bibles or other resources you have, look up each King. Note where they ruled, when they ruled and a couple of main achievements of their reign. Note if their rules overlapped with other kings mentioned in the book.
4. What was happening before the book of Ezra? (We already know what happens after it- the story of Nehemiah.)
5. Where were the people of Israel at during this time and why were they there?
6. Ezra does not show up in the book until chapter 7. Why?
7. Surprise us with other discoveries you make. 😊
Discoveries from our discussion:
1. Ezra and Nehemiah are one continuous story.
2. Larger context for the books of Ezra and Nehemiah:
a. The Jews had been promised the land of Israel as a a permanent possession. However, they chose to sin greatly and turn from God. Deuteronomy 28 told them what would happen if they did so: defeat and deportation would come upon the nation. (Deut. 28:36)
b. They were exiled into Babylon. Babylon was defeated by the Persians whom God used to help send the Jews back to their land. They remained in exile for 70 years (Daniel 9:2).
3. Three Persian kings were used by God to rebuild the nation.
a. Cyrus 550-530 BC
b. Darius 521-486 BC
c. Artaxerxes I 464-423 BC
d. We noted the fact that God used ungodly secular Kings to rebuild Jerusalem was a BIG DEAL! It shows us the overall sovereignty of God in the affairs of men and gives us great comfort as we look upon the events of our world today.
4. The people were sent in three groups.
5. The first group was sent by King Cyrus to rebuild the temple and reestablish the faith. This is found in Ezra 1-6. The Jews were led by Zerubbabel and Joshua.
b. They first rebuilt the altar to establish the sacrificial system. Then the foundation of the temple and finally the temple itself.
c. Opposition arose which caused them to stop the building of the temple for 16 years. A letter was written to King Darius who reaffirmed that they had permission to build and the building began again and was finished.
6. The second group was sent by King Artaxerxes I to teach the people the Bible. Ezra, who was a priest, in the line of Aaron, and a scribe was sent to do this. This is found in Ezra 7-10
7. The third group was also sent by King Artaxerxes I to rebuild the wall. This is the account we find in the Book of Nehemiah.
8. We discovered, by looking at the footnote from Ezra 4:6, that King Xerxes is really King Ahasuerus from the book of Esther. Xerxes is the Persian word and Ahasuerus is the Hebrew word. The story of Esther fits in between the 1st and 2nd returns.
9. In Ezra 5:1 we found the names of Haggai and Zechariah. These are the same men who wrote the books of Haggai and Zechariah found in the last part of the Old testament which is called the minor prophets. They prophesied during this time.
10. So, by doing some digging, we connected the dots with 6 different books of the Bible. Part of Daniel (who prayed so the 1st group could be sent), Ezra, Nehemiah, Ruth, Haggai and Zechariah. This will give us great understanding as we read those books in the future.
11. We were encouraged by the fact that once we have discovered these facts, we will not have to discover them again.The next time we read these books we will have that information as part of our foundation and God will build on that foundation to teach us more.
2. Read the book of Ezra.
We briefly looked at the book of Nehemiah last time and saw the need to go back to Ezra to understand the bigger picture. Ezra and Nehemiah go together as one continuous story.
3. The focus this week will be on discovering the historical setting.
Take note of all the names of the Kings listed. Not understanding a proper timeline can make things confusing. This is where study of your Bible will help. Instead of being intimidated by all the names and becoming confused, why not dig in and find facts that will bring understanding? Using your study Bibles or other resources you have, look up each King. Note where they ruled, when they ruled and a couple of main achievements of their reign. Note if their rules overlapped with other kings mentioned in the book.
4. What was happening before the book of Ezra? (We already know what happens after it- the story of Nehemiah.)
5. Where were the people of Israel at during this time and why were they there?
6. Ezra does not show up in the book until chapter 7. Why?
7. Surprise us with other discoveries you make. 😊
Discoveries from our discussion:
1. Ezra and Nehemiah are one continuous story.
2. Larger context for the books of Ezra and Nehemiah:
a. The Jews had been promised the land of Israel as a a permanent possession. However, they chose to sin greatly and turn from God. Deuteronomy 28 told them what would happen if they did so: defeat and deportation would come upon the nation. (Deut. 28:36)
b. They were exiled into Babylon. Babylon was defeated by the Persians whom God used to help send the Jews back to their land. They remained in exile for 70 years (Daniel 9:2).
3. Three Persian kings were used by God to rebuild the nation.
a. Cyrus 550-530 BC
b. Darius 521-486 BC
c. Artaxerxes I 464-423 BC
d. We noted the fact that God used ungodly secular Kings to rebuild Jerusalem was a BIG DEAL! It shows us the overall sovereignty of God in the affairs of men and gives us great comfort as we look upon the events of our world today.
4. The people were sent in three groups.
5. The first group was sent by King Cyrus to rebuild the temple and reestablish the faith. This is found in Ezra 1-6. The Jews were led by Zerubbabel and Joshua.
b. They first rebuilt the altar to establish the sacrificial system. Then the foundation of the temple and finally the temple itself.
c. Opposition arose which caused them to stop the building of the temple for 16 years. A letter was written to King Darius who reaffirmed that they had permission to build and the building began again and was finished.
6. The second group was sent by King Artaxerxes I to teach the people the Bible. Ezra, who was a priest, in the line of Aaron, and a scribe was sent to do this. This is found in Ezra 7-10
7. The third group was also sent by King Artaxerxes I to rebuild the wall. This is the account we find in the Book of Nehemiah.
8. We discovered, by looking at the footnote from Ezra 4:6, that King Xerxes is really King Ahasuerus from the book of Esther. Xerxes is the Persian word and Ahasuerus is the Hebrew word. The story of Esther fits in between the 1st and 2nd returns.
9. In Ezra 5:1 we found the names of Haggai and Zechariah. These are the same men who wrote the books of Haggai and Zechariah found in the last part of the Old testament which is called the minor prophets. They prophesied during this time.
10. So, by doing some digging, we connected the dots with 6 different books of the Bible. Part of Daniel (who prayed so the 1st group could be sent), Ezra, Nehemiah, Ruth, Haggai and Zechariah. This will give us great understanding as we read those books in the future.
11. We were encouraged by the fact that once we have discovered these facts, we will not have to discover them again.The next time we read these books we will have that information as part of our foundation and God will build on that foundation to teach us more.
The Goal of Bible Study- Part 1 Information- Reading- addition comment
We have discussed the importance of doing all 6 steps that we will be discussing in order to reach the Goal of Bible Study. I guarantee you will grow in your faith if you DO all 6 steps. So far, we have discussed reading and studying. So, are your reading the Bible every day? Are you reading part of it out loud each day? Here is another helpful tip to get the most out of your reading: Read the Bible as if you are in love with the author. Enjoy it!
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Assignment for 3/14/18
1. Read the prayers of Nehemiah out loud.
2. Time how long it takes you to read them. You will find them in the following verses:
Nehemiah 1:4-11
4:4-5
5:19
6:9
6:14
13:14
13:22
13:29
3. Pick one prayer to study and write down something that God shows you personally.
Discoveries we made through our discussion:
1. The first prayer takes only 2 minutes to pray. The reminder take less then 1 minute each. Conclusions: We do not have to pray long prayers for God to hear us and act on our behalf. We asked, "Why were these prayers so effective?" The answer was found in 1:4- He had a habit of regular daily time with God in prayer and the Word. It was out of this consistency that he was able to give extra time and passion in praying for this need. Because he was always "prayed up," he could offer up short "popcorn prayers" that moved mountains. We can do the same if we daily read the Bible and pray.
2. We noticed that in every prayer the word "remember" was used. This is an example of the Bible Study method of looking for repeated words. The question we asked each time was, "What was he asking God to remember and why?"
3. It was pointed out that we could not understand the prayers by just reading them alone. We had to read the chapter in order to understand the context. Very good observation!!
4. We also noted a softening of his attitude as the prayers progressed in the book.
5. What other things did you notice?
2. Time how long it takes you to read them. You will find them in the following verses:
Nehemiah 1:4-11
4:4-5
5:19
6:9
6:14
13:14
13:22
13:29
3. Pick one prayer to study and write down something that God shows you personally.
Discoveries we made through our discussion:
1. The first prayer takes only 2 minutes to pray. The reminder take less then 1 minute each. Conclusions: We do not have to pray long prayers for God to hear us and act on our behalf. We asked, "Why were these prayers so effective?" The answer was found in 1:4- He had a habit of regular daily time with God in prayer and the Word. It was out of this consistency that he was able to give extra time and passion in praying for this need. Because he was always "prayed up," he could offer up short "popcorn prayers" that moved mountains. We can do the same if we daily read the Bible and pray.
2. We noticed that in every prayer the word "remember" was used. This is an example of the Bible Study method of looking for repeated words. The question we asked each time was, "What was he asking God to remember and why?"
3. It was pointed out that we could not understand the prayers by just reading them alone. We had to read the chapter in order to understand the context. Very good observation!!
4. We also noted a softening of his attitude as the prayers progressed in the book.
5. What other things did you notice?
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