Tag Archives: Ezra 7-8:20

Daily Bible Study

August 8, 2014 Bible Study — Should Others Imitate Me?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 20:28-30

    A ruler who wishes to be safe and secure in his power must love the people he governs and demonstrate his faithfulness to their well-being. The young should glory in the strength of their bodies, while the old should be proud of their grey hair, which demonstrates their experience. Physical punishment is necessary to cleanse us of some of our evil acts. Without it we have trouble obtaining closure and accepting God’s forgiveness.

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Psalm 30:1-12

    Let us exalt the Lord. He has rescued us and will do so when we face trouble in the future. All too often when things are going well for us we begin to think that our good fortune is our just desserts and the product of our own actions. We forget to give credit where it is due, to God. This results in God allowing us to face difficult times to remind us to turn to Him. If we turn to God once more in our troubles, He will turn our mourning into joy. I will give thanks to God forever.

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1 Corinthians 4:1-21

    There is a train of thought in today’s society that, as long as our conscience is clear, we should not worry about how others judge us. This is half right. We should not worry about how others judge us, but it is not enough that our conscience is clear. God will judge us. He will examine our motives and secrets, even those we hid from ourselves, and decide what judgement we are due. We cannot rest easy because our conscience is clear, we must allow the Spirit to guide us and show us where we are not living according to God’s standard.
    Since we are not to trust our judgement of ourselves, how can we possibly trust our judgement of another? This mistake can be compounded if we attempt to take pride of place because we follow this leader over that leader. Let us not make the mistake that the teachings of one leader or another will be all we need to know in order to serve God faithfully. In order to faithfully serve God we need to allow His Spirit to guide us and be open to new insights which He may wish to give us. It is my goal to live my life so that I can encourage others, as Paul does here, to imitate me. Oh Lord, let me live my life so that others who imitate me are imitating You!

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Ezra 7-8:20

    Some time after the Temple was finished, Ezra received a commission from Artaxerxes to travel to Jerusalem. This passage is an example how God may inspire political leaders who do not choose to worship Him to, nevertheless, aid us in carrying out the tasks which He has assigned us. In addition to contributing to Ezra’s mission, Artaxerxes sent out a call to all of those Israelites living in exile encouraging them to join Ezra in traveling to Jerusalem.
    Ezra gathered those who were volunteering to join him. When he went over the list of those present he realized that no Levites had chosen to join him. Rather than travel without those who had the gifts which he felt were necessary to his mission, he sent respected men as emissaries to find Levites to join him. This is a lesson for any leader who is preparing to undertake a mission for God. First, ask for volunteers. Then evaluate the skills of those who have volunteered. If there are skills which you believe you will need to carry out God’s mission that are not present among those who have volunteered, recruit those with the needed skills.

Daily Bible Study

August 8, 2013 Bible Study — What Makes Me Better Than Anyone Else?

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Butterfly on the butterfly bush
Butterfly on the butterfly bush

Ezra 7-8:20

     In the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra the priest traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem, along with other priests and Levites. Artaxerxes gave Ezra a letter to take with him to Jerusalem. The letter gave Ezra permission to travel to Jerusalem with funds and articles for worship he had received from Artaxerxes and his officials. In addition, the letter instructed the officials of the region of which Jerusalem was part to supply Ezra with a stipend out of the taxes which they collected. They were also instructed that the priests and other Temple workers were exempt from taxes.
     Upon receiving the letter from Artaxerxes, Ezra gathered Jewish leaders in exile to go with him to Jerusalem. These leaders were accompanied by their families and other men of Israel. When the group had gathered, Ezra discovered that he had priests and other people, but no non-priestly Levites. Ezra sent word to a group of Levites living in exile in another city requesting they send representatives to accompany him. His request was granted and a group of Levites and other Temple servants joined his expedition.

Butterfly on the butterfly bush
Butterfly on the butterfly bush

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

     Paul wraps up his teachings on our attitudes towards the various teachers of the Gospel today before starting on other topics. He tells the Corinthians (and us) to view leaders such as himself and Apollos as mere servants of Christ. We should not be proud of following one teacher over against another. Paul asks them what makes them better than anyone else. Isn’t it true that anything that might be listed as making us better than someone else is something which was given to us by God? If it was a gift from God, then by what right do we boast of it?
     If everything about us that makes us people of value was a gift from God, how dare we claim to be better than anyone else? God could just as easily give them the gifts which He has given to us.

Butterfly on the butterfly bush
Butterfly on the butterfly bush

Psalm 30:1-12

     Today’s psalm is a reminder of our all too human tendencies. When times are good we often forget God and think that we are invincible in our own power. When that happens God brings trouble upon us that is beyond our ability to master. However, if we turn back to Him in those times of trouble, He will rescue us once more and bring us back to times of peace. When God restores our fortunes, let us not forget Him a second time. Rather let us praise His holy name and not be silent. Let us thank Him forever.

Butterfly on the butterfly bush
Butterfly on the butterfly bush

Proverbs 20:28-30

     It is through love of, and faithfulness to, his people that a ruler’s power is made secure. While the young are rightfully proud of their strength and dexterity, we should not be ashamed of the signs that show we have gained experience and learned how to deal with diverse problems. Sometimes physical punishment is the only way to teach someone, ourselves included, the folly of evil.

Daily Bible Study

August 8, 2012 Bible Study

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Ezra 7-8:20

     At this point, we are introduced to Ezra. Ezra traced his ancestry to Aaron, which made him a priest. During the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra decided to lead a group of priests and Levites to Jerusalem. Ezra took this action because he was determined to teach the decrees and regulations of the Law of the Lord to the people of Israel. Ezra had some sort of connections in the court of King Artaxerxes, since he was able to obtain financial support from the King as well as an appointment as governor of the land of Israel. When Ezra assembled his expedition, he discovered that no Levites had chosen to join them. He sent to a community of Levites requesting that they send a delegation to take part in his expedition and they granted his request. Since Ezra lived in a land that promoted religious freedom and tolerance, he worked within the laws of the land to do God’s work.

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

     Paul tells us that he does not care much for human judgement of his teaching, not even his own. While he believes that what he is teaching is the will of God, he accepts that he may be mistaken on some points. He tells us this to show us that we should not be boastful and hold ourselves up as better Christians than others because we follow the teachings of a particular leader. Everything we have, including the teachings we follow, are gifts from God, so we should not hold one leader up in order to put another down.
     Paul writes to the Corinthian Church about how sure they are that they have it all together. They believe that their worldly success and comfort are indicators of how well they are following God. Paul compares this belief to the hardship he experiences. He says that this is not to tell them that the life they are living is an indication that they are doing wrong, but to warn them of what may be to come.
     Paul concludes this section by telling them that he is sending Timothy to them to guide them. He warns them that some of them have become cocky and taken an attitude of, “Well, Paul isn’t here, so we don’t care what he thinks.” Paul tells them that, Lord willing, he will be visiting them soon. Then they will discover if these cocky men have the blessing of God in their teaching.

Psalm 30:1-12

     The psalmist tells us that when the Lord favors us, all goes right for us. When things are going well, we have a tendency to forget the Lord and become boastful and take credit for the good God has done for us. If that happens God will turn from us, but if we turn back to Him, He will turn our mourning into joy. We should give thanks to God for all the good things He has done for us and never cease to give Him both credit and praise.

Proverbs 20:28-30

     A ruler who loves the people he rules over and faithfully serves them will rule securely. When one is young, dealing with adversity through physical prowess is a source of pride, but as one gets older one should take pride in finding other ways to deal with adversity. Ultimately, some lessons will only be learned through physical punishment.