2015DBRP_325 Neh1-2 Is34 Php2

The returned exiles responded to Ezra’s shock and demonstration of his sorrow, and his prayer of repentance. The book ended with the names of those who were found guilty of forbidden marriages. Note that these are not just names of the guilty, but names of those who repented and sacrificed to God. They are the names of the forgiven.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/neh.1.nlt

As I said just a few days ago, the book of Nehemiah was, according to Jewish tradition, written by Ezra, and this book was originally bundled with the book of Ezra. Nehemiah and Ezra had to have been close friends. If Ezra wrote the book, he did so as one writing Nehemiah’s testimony, since Nehemiah speaks in the first person throughout the book. Nehemiah is a wonderful example of a man living in prayerful trust of the Lord, and a man willing to take on huge tasks because of his full belief in God. He is a wonderful example of a leader who does not take advantage of his position to enrich himself, but works for the good of all the people.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/isa.34

Amid the statements of judgment for Assyria, we still have amazing prophecies in Isaiah. From chapter 33, here are two:

17Your eyes will see the king in all his splendor,

24The people of Israel will no longer say,

“We are sick and helpless,”

for the LORD will forgive their sins.

Here is a promise to claim from the first chapter of Philippians:

6And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Translation note:

9Therefore, God elevated [has] him to the place of highest honor

and [has given//gave] him the name above all other names,

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/php.2

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2015DBRP_324 Ezr9-10 Is33 Php1

Yesterday we heard how Ezra introduced himself. Note that he spoke of himself in the 3rd person, but finally resorted to ‘I’. King Artaxerxes was certainly impressed by Ezra! Ezra was given  everything he could have wanted, guaranteeing full government support of the temple worship in every way. Note how methodical Ezra was, making sure that he took Levites and temple servants along. His total party must have been at least 1,000 men, so with women and children, it would have been quite a group. And evidently others were coming back separately as well.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/ezr.9.nlt

Having eyes to see and ears to hear is a theme in Isaiah, and remember what Jesus always said, “You got ears, don’t ya? Well then use them!” So this part of yesterday’s reading bears repeating:

1Look, a righteous king is coming!

And honest princes will rule under him.

2Each one will be like a shelter from the wind

and a refuge from the storm,

like streams of water in the desert

and the shadow of a great rock in a parched land.

3Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth,

and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/isa.33

As we closed 2nd Corinthians yesterday, I emphasized how Paul so clearly loved the Corinthian believers. Now in Philippians, written around the year 61 when Paul was under house arrest in Rome, we have a love letter to the Philippian church. However unlike 2nd Corinthians, in this letter there is no scolding. This is a prison letter. Paul has suffered so much! Yet there is such a tone of joy in this letter from beginning to end. One is reminded that it was in Philippi where Paul and Silas were unjustly beaten and put in the lowest dungeon, but were singing praise in the middle of the night.

This letter includes Paul’s wonderful poem of praise that portrays the humility of Christ and the final outcome of his self-sacrifice. And in this letter Paul exhorts us to imitate Christ in his humility. This also means that we should forgive one another and strive for unity. Note the example of the Euodia and Syntyche in chapter 4.

This letter holds some of the most precious promises in Scripture. Let’s find them and claim them!

Translation notes:

7So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. [You are partners with me in the ministry that was given to me because of the grace of God. And you have shared with me//You share with me the special favor of God,] both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.

PET 7 It's proper for me to think like that about you, of course, because I feel that you have a place in my heart. That's because you've become my coworkers in the task that God has given me. That task was given to me only because of His kindness. My task is to defend and maintain the Good News from God, whether I'm in prison or not. And God Himself knows that I really long for all of you with the love that comes from Christ Jesus.

25Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your [fully believing in Christ//faith].

27Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for [what we fully believe//the faith], which is the Good News.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/php.1

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2015DBRP_323 Ezr7-8 Is32 2Cor13

Yesterday we read of how King Darius completely sided with the Israelites seeking to reestablish the temple worship. Note that the letter to Darius from the government officials was rather complementary and not threatening loss to the king’s interests as the letter from the earlier officials. Remember also that this King Darius is the one who was duped into putting Daniel into the lions’ den, and who then issued a decree that everyone must respect Daniel’s God.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/ezr.7.nlt

Isaiah’s prophecy in yesterday’s reading certainly came true!

8“The Assyrians will be destroyed,

but not by the swords of men.

The sword of God will strike them,

and they will panic and flee.

That happened on the night recorded in 2Kings 19 where the Lord put to death 185,000 men. Quote,

“When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere.”

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/isa.32

Paul continues to speak about what he hopes NOT to find when he comes this time to visit. Continuing from yesterday’s last paragraph,

Paul was saying:

19Perhaps you think we’re saying these things just to defend ourselves. No, we tell you this as Christ’s servants, and with God as our witness. Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you. 20For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior. 21Yes, I am afraid that when I come again, God will humble me in your presence. And I will be grieved because many of you have not given up your old sins. You have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.

This chapter 13 is another good place to tout the virtues of the New Living Translation. Paul uses the word ‘test’ in three different senses in this chapter. This makes several verses hard to understand in a literal translation. The NLT has done a good job helping the reader understand the different senses in which Paul used that word.

Translation notes:

5Examine yourselves to see if [you really fully believe//your faith is genuine]. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among youb; if not, you have failed the test of [fully believing in Christ//genuine faith].

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/2co.13

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2015DBRP_322 Ezr5-6 Is31 2Cor12

When the Israelites returned from exile, they were determined to get worship started again, and they made great progress, not waiting for the temple to be repaired in order to start sacrifices on an altar built upon the old location. They made a fast start to building too. But then opposition developed, and several Persian kings later the progress was halted.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/ezr.5.nlt

One of the great verses from yesterday’s reading was this:

15This is what the Sovereign LORD,

the Holy One of Israel, says:

“Only in returning to me

and resting in me will you be saved.

In quietness and confidence is your strength.

But you would have none of it.

And here is a good summary verse:

18So the LORD must wait for you to come to him

so he can show you his love and compassion.

For the LORD is a faithful God.

Blessed are those who wait for his help.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/isa.31

Yes, Paul took his gloves off yesterday and was forced to talk like a madman. I like how some of Paul’s statements drip with irony in that section. And you gotta believe that is hard to translate!

This is another chapter break in an awkward location. Especially the last paragraph from yesterday’s reading needs to be connected with today’s chapter.

30If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. 31God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying. 32When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me. 33I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/2co.12

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2015DBRP_321 Ezr3-4 Is30 2Cor11

Yesterday in Ezra we heard about Cyrus’ decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, the return of the temple treasures that were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, and the first large wave of returning exiles and their gifts to God.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/ezr.3.nlt

Yesterday’s reading in Isaiah included several verses quoted in the New Testament about Israel’s hypocrisy. Then at the end, did you catch who Isaiah was talking about?

18In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book,

and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.

20The scoffer will be gone,

the arrogant will disappear,

Isaiah was not talking about healing for ordinary deaf, blind people, not ordinary scoffers or arrogant people, but he was talking about those people previously mentioned: The Israelites who refused to open their ears or open their eyes, those who refused to read a book given to them, and yet were arrogant scoffers.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/isa.30

Up to yesterday’s reading, Paul has been more reserved in criticising the men who have come masquerading as apostles. Those men have been more forceful speakers than Paul, and it has seemed that Paul is only bold in his letters. He said,

12Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are!

But we will see that Paul takes his gloves off as we go forward. Yet, what he boasts about follows that verse he quoted from Jeremiah:

17As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.”

Translation notes:

8 I “robbed” [— so to speak,] other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost.

19After all, [0/you think] you are so wise[ that//, but] you enjoy putting up with fools!

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/2co.11

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2015DBRP_320 Ezr1-2 Is29 2Cor10

There is much for digging deeper in the last two chapters of Daniel. History tells about those kings, and we know from what Jesus said and what is written in Revelation, that God plans for history to repeat itself. The main take away points are clear, just as they are in Revelation: Blessed are those who endure and live wise and holy lives.

It is a great time now to return to the three small remaining books of history left for us to read, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. These books allow us to see the fulfilment of prophecies we have read about. King Cyrus was one of the kings served by Daniel and alluded to in his prophetic visions. Now, in Ezra, we will read Cyrus’ proclamation, which is in accordance with Jeremiah’s prophecy about the 70 year duration of the exile in Babylonia. And we haven’t read it yet, but Isaiah specifically names Cyrus twice. Isaiah wrote those prophecies some 150 to 200 years before Cyrus was born.

Ezra, a scribe and priest, doesn’t start speaking about himself until chapter 7. Originally the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were one book, and Jewish tradition holds that Ezra wrote both of them. The dates of writing are somewhere between 458 and 420 BC. Ezra deals with two periods of time: The rebuilding of the temple, and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/ezr.1.nlt

The advantage of reading a meaning based translation like the NLT is that you readers and listeners had the pleasure of understanding the mocking of the people of Israel toward God, and God’s mocking response (in yesterday’s reading, v. 7-13). Then in that context, it is shocking to find the famous verses quoted in the New Testament:

16Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem,d

a firm and tested stone.

It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.

Whoever believes need never be shaken.e

Note that the verses in the New Testament are a bit different because they are quoted from the Septuagint (the ancient translation of the OT into Greek).

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/isa.29

The heart of what Paul was teaching about in chapter 9 the practice of Christian charity is this:

6Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”c8And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

Note that (like Philippians 4) the promise that God will generously provide is in the context of people who are sharing. Verses like that should not be isolated from their context.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/2co.10

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JoySightings_023

The final chapter of Tales of the Kingdom: Trial by Fire

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