Chris Marshall Resources

Esther 8 records the amazing turnaround that took place from the king’s original decree at Haman’s request for the Jews to be destroyed. First, Esther was given Haman’s estate. Then Mordecai was given Haman’s position. Finally, the king gave Esther permission to write a follow up decree, because he could not change the original decree. The follow up decree permitted the Jews to defend themselves against any individual, army or people who came against them on the appointed day. They were also permitted to take plunder from those who attacked them. As a result. many people declared themselves Jews, because the fear of the Jews fell on them.

Esther 9 tells us on the appointed day, when Haman had hoped to destroy the Jews, the Jews mounted attacks on their enemies, and with the help of all the king’s satraps, who respected and feared Mordecai, they were victorious. The Jews killed more than 75,000 people throughout the kingdom, but they did not take any plunder. In Susa, the king permitted two days for the Jews to attack their enemies. Among them were the ten sons of Haman, who Esther had hanged. The resulting victory and celebration gave Mordecai cause to pronounce a holy day for the Jews, which became known as Purim. It was to be celebrated on the 14th and 15th day of the twelfth month each year. Mordecai’s fame spread more and more and Esther’s place as queen was well established.

Esther 10 is brief, but it tells us about Mordecai’s fame, and how well he treated his brothers, the Jews, during his time as King Ahasuerus’ second in command. Again, we see how God rewarded Mordecai’s faithfulness through the king. Even though God’s name is not mentioned, it is obvious His hand was on Mordecai, Esther and through them the Jews.

As we return to Matthew 12, we find Jesus defending His disciples for eating grain on the Sabbath, by telling the Pharisees of David’s use of the holy bread when he and his men were hungry. He went on to tell the Pharisees that He was Lord of the Sabbath, and that the LORD had made the Sabbath for our benefit and not vice versa. Still on the Sabbath, Jesus was offered the opportunity to heal a man with a withered hand. This occurred in the synagogue, and the religious leaders watched Jesus to see what He would do. They planned to condemn Him if He healed the man. Jesus healed the man, making the man’s wholeness a priority over the letter of the Law. Jesus would know better than anyone the intent of the Law, and thus His healing the man was right. Yet, the religious leaders went out from it and plotted to kill Jesus. The chapter ends with Jesus healing people and the people being amazed, while the religious leaders concluded Jesus power came from the prince of demons. In any era of history, including the era when Jesus was walking the earth, people can draw false conclusions about who Jesus is and the source of His power. We have the opportunity in our lives to lift Jesus up as Savior and Lord, and when we do the result is blessing. The blessing might not be material reward, or physical healing, but Jesus always blesses those who trust Him and recognize Him as their Savior and Lord.

Esther 4 records Mordecai’s response to the news of Haman’s plan to destroy the Jews. Mordecai dressed in sackcloth and mourned, as did many of the Jews throughout Susa. When Esther heard about Mordecai’s response, she didn’t know why he was acting in this manner. She sent one of her eunuch’s to Mordecai to find out what was happening. Mordecai sent word to Esther of the pronouncement against the Jews, and also that she must go to the king and plead for relief from it. Esther sent a response saying the king had not called for her for thirty days, and according to the law if she went to him without being summoned, she would be sentenced to death. Mordecai’s response has become one of the most famous in the Bible. After saying deliverance would surely come for the Jews by some means, and that Esther would not be spared from the pronouncement if she did nothing, Mordecai asked, “But who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther’s ascent to being queen was certainly divinely orchestrated. She had access to the king who could do something about the situation and save her entire race. It was up to her to act. Esther’s response was to call all the Jews in Susa to fast from food and drink for three days. She would do the same, and then she would go to the king.  We see Esther’s faith, as well as her willingness to obey her uncle and follow his advice even when it might mean her death.  It’s always easy to exercise our faith when it doesn’t cost us anything. The true extent of our faith and obedience is seen when to exercise it means to pay a significant price.

Esther 5 starts with Esther going before the king. He raises his scepter to her and offers to fulfill any request she has even to giving her up to half his kingdom. Esther responds with a seemingly innocuous request: Let the king and Haman come to a meal she would prepare for them. The King agreed. At the meal he asked Esther again what she wanted? This time Esther asked for the king and Haman to come to another meal she would prepare for them the next day. The king agreed. Haman went out overjoyed at the favor he had been shown. Yet, when he thought about Mordecai who would not show him honor, he became angry. He went home and shared his mixed emotions with his family. They suggested he build a gallows seventy-five feet high and have the king hang Mordecai on it the next day. The idea pleased Haman and had the gallows built.

Esther 6 begins with an account of the king not being able to sleep. He had one of his aides bring him the book of the records of the events in his reign and he turned it to the place where the account of Mordecai’s exposing the plot to assassinate him was recorded. He asked what had been done to honor Mordecai for his noble act. When the king was told nothing had been done, he called Haman in and asked him what ought to be done for a man the king wanted to honor. The prideful Haman assumed he was the one the king would want to honor, so he suggested the king would put one of his own robes on the man, set him on one of the kings horses, place one of the king’s crowns on his head, and then have one of the king’s nobleman parade the man through the city proclaiming this is what happens to a man the king wants to honor. The king agreed this was the perfect response. Then he told Haman to go out an honor Mordecai in that manner. Can you imagine the humiliation Haman experienced in that moment? The man he had vowed to have the king execute was now being elevated by the king, and he was the one who had to proclaim Mordecai’s fame throughout the city. Haman’s wise men told him this was an indication Haman’s downfall had started, because Mordecai was a Jew. They were more than right! The last statement in the chapter tells us Queen Esther sent for Haman to come to the banquet even as he was talking with his wise men.

In Esther 7, Haman and the king attend Esther’s banquet. Once again, the king asked Esther what she wanted and promised to give her up to half his kingdom. Esther asked for her life be spared and that of her people. She told the king she wouldn’t have bothered him if the edict was merely for them to be sold into slavery, but she was asking him to spare their lives. The king wanted to know who would do such a thing? Esther answered it was the evil Haman.  At this the king left the room in a rage.  Haman stayed behind to beg for his life.  He fell on Esther to plead for his life, just as the king returned. He saw it as Haman attempting to assault Esther, and had his men cover Haman’s face, which meant he stood condemned to die. One of Esther’s eunuchs mentioned the gallows Haman had constructed to hang Mordecai, and suggested it be used for Haman. It was. No greater example of how evil has a tendency to turn on itself can be found in the Bible, than in the life of Haman. His intense hatred for one man–Mordecai, which was based on Mordecai’s unwillingness to bow down before Haman, because of his religious beliefs, ended up turning into a generalized hatred for all Jews. This happens all too often, among us human beings. We generalize a real or imagined fear or hatred to others, and soon it consumes us. Haman’s condemnation came because he condemned an innocent man and then an innocent nation. The example is extreme, but we must learn from it. That way we won’t make the same mistake on a small or large scale ourselves.

As we turn to Matthew 11 once again, we find John the Baptist sending some of his disciples to ask Jesus whether He was the Messiah or not? John was in prison, because of calling King Herod to task for taking his brother Phillip’s wife for himself. John expected Jesus to be the conquering Messiah so many had awaited. Jesus’ response to the disciples was to quote Isaiah the prophet, and to remind John that Jesus was doing exactly what the Messiah was predicted to do–healing, teaching and preaching. As John’s disciples returned to him with the message, Jesus called the people to recognize John as the one who ushered in His ministry. He also said no one was greater than John up to that moment in history, but the least in the Kingdom of God was greater than he. Jesus’ ministry established a whole new era in human history. He would establish a new covenant between God and humanity, and we must remember how vastly different the time in which we live is than the Old Testament era. While Jesus words here are only at the beginning of the new era, because He hadn’t yet died, risen again, returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to every believer, they are still a strong reminder of the blessing we have because we live on this side of the new covenant He came to establish. The remainder of the chapter shows us how vital it is to respond to Jesus’ message, because He condemned some of the towns in Israel that had experienced the blessings of His ministry but did not respond to them.

Today, we turn to the Book of Esther. Esther is unique among Bible books, because the word “God” is not mentioned. Esther is the account of a young Jewish woman, who becomes queen of Persia. She must then decide whether to risk her life to save her people, or to say nothing and continue to enjoy the worldly blessing of her position. Esther is a classic account of how God has always protected His people, and how He has used history to carry out His purposes.

Esther 1 opens with King Ahasuerus throwing a party for his officials. King Ahasuerus is the Hebrew form of the Greek Xerxes. He was the son of King Darius I, and Cyrus the Great of Persia. We see how prideful Ahasuerus was in flaunting his wealth before his officials, throwing a drunken party for seven days, and then calling his wife, Queen Vashti, to come before him as if she were a pawn in his chess game to show off her beauty. While we’re told Ahasuerus didn’t force anyone to drink alcohol at the party, which is commendable, he set the example of drunkenness for others to follow. Those who see Ahasuerus’ banishment of Vashti and his command for all the men of Persia to be masters of their own households as proof that the Bible calls for wives to be subservient to their husbands must remember King Ahasuerus was a pagan king, whose behavior was not being lifted up to us as an example. He is an object lesson of how we do not want to live: We don’t want to be proud. We don’t want to be drunks. We don’t want to treat our wives as subservient to us.

Esther 2 recounts how Esther became King Ahasuerus’ queen. After the king sobered up and he realized he had banished his queen, some of his advisors suggested a plan for selecting a new queen. Beautiful virgins from throughout the nation would be brought, “prepared,” and then brought to him one-by-one for him to determine which one pleased him the most. This one would be the queen. We are introduced to Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah, as the niece of Mordecai. He had brought her up after her parents had died. We’re told Esther was a physically beautiful woman. She did not tell anyone of her background as a Jew when she was taken into the king’s harem. This was at Mordecai’s command. The preparation time for these women was a year.  They ate the king’s food. They received beauty treatments, and then one-by-one they were taken to King Ahasuerus. He spent the night with each one, obviously having a sexual encounter with each one. After each woman had been with the king, they were sent to the second harem, and were not to return until called for by the king. When Esther’s turn came, she pleased the king more than any of the others, and he crowned her queen. She continued to maintain silence about her Jewish background but maintained contact with her uncle Mordecai. As providence would have it, Mordecai was present when two of the king’s eunuchs were plotting to assassinate him. Mordecai made this known to Esther, and she told the king in Mordecai’s name. When the accusation was proven true, the men were executed, and a record made of Mordecai’s revelation to the king.

Esther 3 introduces us to the “villain” of the Book of Esther, Haman. Haman was promoted by Ahasuerus to the second highest position in the empire. When Haman went out, he was to receive honor from all the people, by their bowing down before him. As a Jew, Mordecai would not bow before Haman. Haman became so outraged by this that he implored the king to issue an edict to destroy all the Jews. He offered to provide 10,000 talents of silver to see the edict carried out. Haman’s reasoning was the Jews did not obey the laws of the king and therefore ought to be eliminated. The king agreed and issued the edict. He even offered to pay the cost of carrying it out throughout his kingdom. The laws of the Persians could not be altered, so this was a death sentence for the Jews. Chapter 3 ends with the statement that Haman sat down to drink (in other words, he was happy) but Susa, the city of Ahasuerus, and also Mordecai, was sent into confusion. (Undoubtedly, because of the Jews who lived there, and who realized they would soon be eliminated. The edict gave some time before it would be enforced, but the writing was on the wall.)

As we return to Matthew 10, remember Matthew 9 closed with Jesus telling the disciples to pray for “The Lord of the Harvest” to send workers into the harvest. Chapter 10 begins with Jesus calling the twelve disciples out of the many who were following Him. Then He sent them out to preach, teach, and cast out demons. (Be careful what you pray. God might use you to fulfill it!) Jesus gave clear and detailed instructions for their going out to the nation of Israel. He told them what to take and not to take. He told them to stay where they were received and leave where they weren’t. He told them they would be persecuted, and even their own family members would be part of that. He reminded them their allegiance to Him was to be above every other worldly allegiance, even family. He told them whoever saved their life would lose it, and whoever lost their life for His sake would find it. Jesus was always honest and straightforward with us. He offers great rewards, but also great costs to those who trust Him as Savior and Lord and live in His name. As we go about this day, let’s remember to count the cost and remember the rewards of serving Jesus!

Nehemiah 11 records the names of those from among the priests and Levites and various other backgrounds who were willing to live in Jerusalem. The people cast lots and one out of ten was to move into Jerusalem. The rest remained in the towns and cities surrounding it. Again, the places where the people lived were named as well as who lived there. The reestablishment of God’s people in Israel was a major blessing as well as a fulfillment of prophecy. As we read it, we might not think it tremendously significant whether the people lived in Jerusalem or the surrounding areas, but that they had moved there and were living as the people of God once again was vital to them.

Nehemiah 12 records the names of the priests and Levites who came with Zerubbabel to resettle Jerusalem. Following this rather long list, we read about the dedication of the Wall surrounding Jerusalem. We might not think of this ceremony as being all that significant, but Nehemiah assembled two great choirs to sing praise and thanksgiving to the LORD. The chapter closes with a record of the reestablishment of the Temple service in the House of God. What a powerful day this must have been for God’s people. They were in the holy city giving thanks and praise to the LORD and establishing once again that they would worship Him daily.

Nehemiah 13 closes the book with a record of Nehemiah tightening the obedience of God’s people to the Law. He rooted out those who were not bringing tithes to provide for the House of God and the servants of God who worked there. He stopped those who were buying and selling on the Sabbath, and he caused those who had married foreigners to abandon them. Remember, this might sound legalistic to us, but God’s people were being reestablished and the necessity for purity was a key component of that process. While such practices eventually turn to a cold legalism if the LORD is not at the center of them, obedience to the LORD brings blessing. Nehemiah called on the LORD twice to see what he was doing, and to bless him for it. We might be hesitant to call on the LORD to remember our good deeds and to bless us for them, but the principle is sound: Jesus told us if we love Him, we will obey His commands. He also told us if we know His commandments, we will be blessed if we do them. Whether our obedience to God is legalism or love always depends on the attitude of our hearts as we carry it out.

As we return to Matthew 9, Jesus carries out healing miracles to demonstrate His authority, but before He heals a paralyzed man, He forgives the man’s sins. The Pharisees couldn’t believe the “blasphemy” of that–a man forgiving sins. Jesus healed the man to show them He did have the authority to forgive sin. In the chapter Jesus also called Matthew, and when Matthew invited Jesus to dinner with all his tax collector friends, and the rest of his friends who were “sinners,” the Pharisees objected once again. Those who think they are righteous always condemn “sinners.” Jesus, the only perfect man who ever lived did not condemn the “sinners.” He ate with them and called them to a new life. Thank God for Jesus’ approach. Whether we are self-righteous sinners or just sinners, we are all sinners in need of the forgiveness of God. As we see Jesus heal a sick woman, raise a girl from the dead, heal two blind men and a deaf man, we realize God is at work. The Pharisees suggested it was the devil, that Jesus cast out demons by the prince of demons. What a strange idea. Why would the devil work against himself? We are left with only a few options concerning Jesus. He could be demonic. He could be a liar, or a lunatic. Or He could be LORD! When we realize He is LORD it changes everything!

Nehemiah 8 breaks down into three sections. In the first, Ezra the scribe reads the Law of Moses to the people from morning until noon. The event was a solemn occasion. Ezra stood on a platform above the people, with other leaders surrounding him. As the people listened other leaders stood among them and told them the “sense” of what was being read. What an amazing truth: Sometimes we need help in interpreting God’s word, especially when we are younger in the faith.  The Law of Moses had not been read for a long time, so those who understood it, helped those who did not to understand. In the second section, Nehemiah and Ezra challenged the people not to cry, because this was not a day of mourning. While the reading of the Law was convicting, the goal was to challenge and encourage the people. They reminded the people to celebrate, to eat and to share with others. They also offered this amazing truth: The joy of the LORD is your strength! Sometimes when we are not feeling the joy we own as Jesus’ followers, we must remember the LORD’s joy is in us and provides us strength. Finally, on the second day of coming together to hear Ezra read the Law, the people discovered the LORD’s command to celebrate the feast of booths. This feast had not been celebrated since the time of Joshua, before the monarchy began! The people celebrated the feast together, and each day they continued to read the Law. As Jesus’ followers, we need to read God’s word. From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals Himself to us. As we read each book, chapter and verse we gain more understanding, and become better equipped to live in His ways. While reading the word without application in the power of the Holy Spirit doesn’t change us, much transformation comes when we do read it and apply it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Nehemiah 9 offers an amazing recounting of how the people responded to their reading of the Law. First, they read for a quarter of a day. Then they cried out in confession to the LORD for a quarter of a day! Imagine that–an entire people group confessing their individual and corporate sin before the LORD. So often, we who are Americans believe we need only confess our sins individually, but my sin impacts the entire group of believers, as does yours. After they confessed their sins, they called out to the LORD and “reminded” Him of all He had done, and all they had done. The LORD had called them to faithfulness, and they had acted in disobedience. Whether in Egypt, or in the wilderness, or in the Promised Land, the people responded to God’s great mercy and love with disobedience. At times the LORD subjected the people to judgment and punishment at the hands of other nations, but each time He forgave them and reestablished them. What incredible grace and mercy God has for us! He forgives us time and time again. At the close of the chapter, the people signed a new covenant. It wasn’t new in the sense that Jesus established a new covenant with us by dying on the cross, paying the penalty for human sin, and rising again. It was new in being a recommitment to live the Law of Moses.

As we turn to Chapter 10, we find a list of those who signed or sealed the Covenant, starting with Nehemiah, the governor, and including many of the officials and religious leaders. After sealing the Covenant, the people reminded themselves of what they were agreeing to do. They would not marry foreigners. They would not do business on the Sabbath. They would give offerings to support the work of the House of the LORD and the priests and Levites who served in it. Sometimes in our lives, we need to recommit ourselves to the LORD’s will and work. We need to recommit ourselves to living in relationship with Him and in the power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus’ followers, we are redeemed from sin and death, and we have a new spirit, the Holy Spirit within us. That does not mean we never fall back into sin or forget who we are and whose we are. The new covenant Jesus made with us was sealed in His blood, so we don’t need to re-seal it. We do need to make a fresh commitment to live in it on a regular basis.

As we return to Matthew 8, the Sermon on the Mount has ended, and Matthew shares a number of healing miracles with us. Their order is different from that in Mark. Why? Matthew organized his gospel so it would be easier to memorize. Remember, printing presses would not be invented for centuries. The only way to transmit truth was to make written copies, or to memorize information and pass it on orally. While we live in a culture that doesn’t memorize much, because we can “Google” what we want to know, in Matthew’s culture, memorization was pivotal. Matthew tells us about Jesus healing a leper, a Roman centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law and the people of her town, as well as two demon-possessed men. He also includes Jesus’ calming of a storm. All these miracles are recorded in Mark, but in different places throughout Mark. The different order doesn’t tell us they didn’t take place. Rather the confirmation of two authors deepens the evidence they happened. The details differ a bit, as we would expect when two sources provide information on the same event. The key is Jesus was unlike anyone who had lived before Him or who has lived since, because He was and is the Son of God!

Nehemiah 4 records the initial opposition to the work of rebuilding the wall. Sanballat and Tobiah came against the people with words. We have all heard the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us.” The truth is words can penetrate far deeper than the physical wounds caused by sticks and stones. Sanballat and Tobiah intended to discourage the Jews, to put fear in their hearts, and to dishearten them to the point they gave up. Nehemiah’s responded in two ways: 1) He prayed. He prayed and asked the LORD to protect them; and 2) He rallied the people to work and be prepared to fight. His strategy was clear and effective. He had half the men stand with spears, javelins, and swords at the ready to fight. The laborers who carried the stones, carried the stones in such a way that they carried with one hand and held their swords with the other. Those who laid the stones worked with their swords strapped to their waists. Because of these precautions Judah’s enemies decided not to attack. At night, the people slept inside the wall, and watchmen were posted throughout the night. The people had a clear vision from God, and effective leaders with a clear and effective plan to address their distractors and detractors. The work forged forward.

Nehemiah 5 gives us a clear understanding of Nehemiah’s character, his love for his people and the observation of the law and his generosity. When Nehemiah found out some of the people were enslaving their Jewish brothers and sisters, or their children, he called them out. We’re told before he said a word, he “took counsel with myself.” That could sound arrogant, until we realize what it means is Nehemiah turned to the LORD and the words of the Law and examined what was going on in light of these. The result was a call for those who were enslaving their brothers and sisters, and those who were charging interest to their brothers and sisters to free those they had enslaved and to stop charging interest. The people agreed. Nehemiah had them make their vows before the priests, and he made them aware of the consequence if they didn’t fulfill their commitment: they would be banished, or “shaken out” from among the people.

In Nehemiah 6, Sanballat and Tobiah sent messages to Nehemiah to frighten him and threaten him to stop the work on the wall. They also wanted him to come to them, but Nehemiah realized they intended to kill him, so he did not go. Sanballat and Tobiah also had false prophets tell Nehemiah he was to go into the Temple to gain protection from them, but he would not listen, because God gave him true knowledge and wisdom in the situation. Eventually, the work on the walls was done. It took only fifty-two days from start to finish. All the surrounding people realized God’s hand was on the work, and they feared God. We see the importance of listening to God and following His word and will rather than letting people around us influence our thoughts, words, and actions. Nehemiah offers us a powerful example of what can happen when God’s leaders listen and obey God, and His people submit themselves to faithful leadership.

As we read Nehemiah 7, we find when the work was completed, Nehemiah appointed Hanani, his brother, and Hananiah as leaders over Jerusalem. Nehemiah had promised King Artaxerxes he would return after completing the project. Now, he established leadership in Judah for the time when he would no longer be there. The remainder of chapter 7 records the names and positions of the people who returned from Babylon (now Persia) to Judah. Once again, we see how important it was to the people of that time to record and remember the names of the people who returned to Judah in fulfillment of the LORD’s command. The chapter concludes with numerical totals of the number of people and the number of gifts given by those people to the work of the LORD. Many modern church leaders say, “We count people, because people count.” While a focus on how much and how many can become an end in itself, God has always had His people record and remember how many and how much when it came to establishing His people, and remembering their work. The only time this was not considered good was when a king would number or count his troops. The reason this was not a good thing, was it could be done so as to trust in the number of soldiers he had rather than the LORD.

As we return to Matthew 7, and the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, let’s focus on Jesus’ reminder to all of us of how hard it is to follow Him, and that not all who call Him “LORD” will enter the Kingdom of heaven. In our day, many American Christians emphasize to an extreme that we are saved by faith and not works. We are saved by faith and not by our works. Yet, Jesus reminded us of the great effort we must expend in following Him. As I say so often, “Following Jesus is simple, but not easy.” A child can understand Jesus’ command to do to others what we would have done to ourselves but doing to others what we would have done to us is hard, and often impossible, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit within us. One of the most challenging statements Jesus makes is there will be people who do miracles and cast out demons in His name who will be cast out of the Kingdom of God. Our actions speak louder than our words, but even our actions done in the name of Jesus, can be done apart from a relationship with Him. While we cannot earn salvation by our works, once we have been born again, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, then and only then, will we do works that please Him, and we must do those works to please Him. Never let the lie of Satan that you must earn your salvation deceive you. All our works are as “filthy rags,” apart from the saving grace of God in Jesus. At the same time, never let the lie of Satan that you can bask in God’s grace apart from his works keep you from living in faith and obedience to Him.

In Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah finds out Jerusalem is in disrepair. His response is to cry out to God. He doesn’t ask God, “Why?” He confesses his sin, and the sin of the people, and asks God to have mercy and to restore the people. He “reminds” God of His promise to restore the people when they cry out to Him. He doesn’t pray for a few minutes, or even an hour, but for days.

In Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah came before King Artaxerxes, and as he served the king wine, the king asked him why he was so sad? Without hesitation, even though he was filled with fear, Nehemiah told the king his sadness came from knowing the land of his ancestors lay in ruins and the Temple of his God as well. The king gave permission for Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls as well as to rebuild the Temple. He also sent letters to those who controlled the region: Sanballat and Tobiah, not to interfere with the process. Even so, Sanballat and Tobiah stood against the rebuilding process and from the outset jeered the idea that it would happen. Upon his arrival, Nehemiah assessed the situation, and cast a vision for the people to start the rebuilding process. This chapter gives us a brief summary of how much we do in Kingdom work takes place: First, God gives someone a vision for the work. Then God opens a door for the work. Next, opposition to the work arises. Then the one who received the vision shares the vision with others. At that moment the others must buy into the vision, and the process continues. Ongoing opposition to the work will come, if it is truly God’s work, because our enemy, Satan, does not want God’s work to take place. As God’s people trust in Him, pursue the vision, and stand in the face of obstacles, the work moves forward.

In Nehemiah 3, we read about the repairing of the wall and gates surrounding Jerusalem. With extensive detail, Nehemiah records the names, occupations, and specific locations of those who repaired sections of the wall and which section each repaired. The repairs started with a priest and his family. We’re told at one point a man and his sons and daughters participated in the repairs. We realize the significance of daughters being mentioned, because women’s names, and even presence was often left out of these lists. Nehemiah ensured these people and their families would be remembered every time his words were read. They were the people who trusted Nehemiah’s vision came from God and pursued it. Nehemiah believed the gate would be rebuilt. He “saw” it before it happened. Nehemiah was a believing is seeing kind of person. Thank God, many “saw” his vision, too. They also believed and started working. From my experience, some of the folks who are listed later, saw the actual walls and gates that had been completed. Then they believed and joined the work, too. They were the seeing is believing people. We always need both. Someone must believe before he or she sees, or the work won’t begin. Those who join in after they see the work, ensure the work continues and is completed.

As we return to Matthew 6, we find ourselves in the middle of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. While all the sermon is important and challenging, Matthew six offers us instruction regarding giving, prayer and fasting. Then it moves on to remind us of where we must store our treasure to gain God’s “return,” as well as how important it is to rely on God to provide for all our needs. The chapter concludes with Jesus’ command in 6:33 to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and the reminder as we do that everything we need will be added. Matthew 6:33, has long been the verse I have clung to as I have followed Jesus into unknown territory. As a pastor for nearly thirty-five years, I have experienced many times personally and in the churches I have served where it seemed we would not have enough resource to provide for our needs. In those moments, I have returned to Matthew 6:33, and have remembered my task was to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first, to call my family and the church family to do the same and to expect the need to be provided. God has always fulfilled His promise to provide. I have been amazed at the many different ways He has done so. At times, when the weekly offering was “$X,” we would receive a gift from one individual that was “$X.” In other words, one person would give an entire week’s offering. That person might never have given, or might have given generously before, but in that moment, he or she gave an entire week’s offering, just when we needed it. I hadn’t asked the person for it, although I had prayed to the LORD for the provision, and He chose to use that means. At other times in our personal life, God chose to provide through a gift from a family member or friend, or even through having the opportunity to officiate at a funeral and receiving an honorarium that met the need. (I’m not saying God made the person die, so my family would receive the gift, but in the moment of need the gift came.) The bottom line is: put Jesus first. Soren Kierkegaard once wrote, “If you don’t seek first the Kingdom of God, you won’t seek the Kingdom of God.” How true. The moment we put anything before Jesus in our lives, He gets pushed aside whether momentarily or for a longer time. In that moment, we are in a dangerous place, a place where we are responsible to meet our own needs. Always remember: When Jesus and His Kingdom are first in our lives, He is responsible to meet our needs. When He and His Kingdom are not first, we are responsible to meet our needs.

As we turn to Ezra 8, we read the genealogies of those who were returning to Jerusalem with Ezra. Then Ezra called for the Levites to come, because they were missing from the group. After this, Ezra called for a fast for the LORD to protect the people. He didn’t want to ask the king for soldiers to protect them, because he had told the king the LORD would protect them, which turned out to be right. When the group made it to Jerusalem, they celebrated by offering sacrifices to the LORD.

Ezra 9 records Ezra’s long and anguished prayer to the LORD because of the returning exiles’ failure to retain racial purity. They had intermarried with many different races. Ezra confesses the reason they were in exile in the first place was because they had failed to follow the LORD whole-heartedly, and now they were being given a great opportunity by Him. Ezra asked for the LORD’s help in doing the right thing. While we find the concept of racial segregation one we have fought against as a nation, we must remember the people of Judah were being reestablished as God’s people, and their faithful worship of the LORD was a major matter.

Ezra concludes in chapter 10 with the people confessing they had sinned greatly against their God by intermarrying with foreign women. While a couple of leaders opposed the judgment that the men would have to put away their foreign wives and children, the vast majority agreed. The record of the priests who had taken foreign women is listed as the book ends. It is a long list, and we see how significant the offense was considered to be, precisely because we have the list as part of the Bible. Again, our modern sensibilities might be offended, but as Judah was being reestablished, it was necessary that idolatry not become rooted in the culture as it had in the past. Of course, idolatry cannot be rooted out by eliminating cross-cultural marriages. The human heart is prone to idolatry. We must follow Jesus’ command to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness if we are to overcome it.

As we return to Matthew 5, and the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded how challenging Jesus’ teaching in this section of Matthew is. As we read Matthew 5-7 these three days, we must remember Jesus was establishing what “Kingdom people” are like. We cannot be Kingdom people without the power of the Holy Spirit. Given that Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount before He died, rose again, returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, the message must have seemed incredibly difficult or impossible to Jesus’ original hearers. We will not attempt to summarize each section of Matthew 5 here but will focus on 5:13-16: we are salt and light! In Jesus’ day salt was used primarily as a preservative. It kept meat from rotting. It was also used as a healing agent, as a flavor enhancer for food, and in some places, it was even used as “money.” Salt was vital in the world of Jesus’ day. He calls us to be vital in the same way. Our world will “rot,” be sick, tasteless and without value unless we who bear Jesus’ name offer His life that is truly life to those around us. Light has always had one, primary purpose–dispel darkness. We have the opportunity and responsibility to dispel the darkness around us in our daily experience wherever that experience is being lived out at this moment. Let’s be certain we call on the Holy Spirit to fill us in this moment and throughout the day, so we’ll will be salt and light to each one and everyone we meet.

In Ezra 5, the detractors of the rebuilding of the Temple expand to include the local governing officials in Judah. They send a letter to King Darius complaining about the project and asking for the project to be stopped. The problem, for the complainers, is in the process they asked King Darius to look back in the annals of King Cyrus to find out what was really supposed to happen. As we read in Ezra 6, The exiles were vindicated, and the building of the Temple not only continued but was completed. The items taken during Nebuchadnezzar’s time were restored. The people who had issued the original complaint against the exiles were required to collect taxes and use them to provide sacrifices for the Temple. Once the Temple was completed the exiles also celebrated the Passover, which had not been done in many decades. The celebration in Judah must have been incredible. As we have seen throughout our reading of the Old Testament, the LORD uses whomever He chooses to carry out His will. The lesson for us is to discern and do His will! It isn’t hard to discern His will, because He has made it so clear to us in His written word. He also speaks to us through His Spirit in prayer. He uses circumstances and other believers to communicate His will to us as well. We don’t want to be like Tatanni and stand against His will, because in the end that never works out well.

In Ezra 7, we are introduced to Ezra. He was sent by King Artaxerxes to teach the Law of Moses to the people of God, to implement the king’s edicts concerning the Temple worship and obedience to the God of Heaven and the king, and to let the treasurers of the detractors to provide funds for the Temple worship. At the close of the chapter, Ezra is given the authority from the king to punish those who disobey the laws of the God of Heaven or the king, and to do so through execution, banishment, confiscation of goods or imprisonment. Ezra was given absolute authority from the king to make certain the LORD’s will was known and carried out. Yet another example of how the LORD uses whom He chooses to fulfill His purposes.

As we return to Matthew 4, Jesus spends forty days being tempted in the wilderness. Satan’s temptations include using His power for His own benefit, using His power to attract the crowds to Him, and giving in to the easy way to accomplish His purpose. Each time Jesus quotes Scripture and finally sends the devil away. We’re told Satan leaves until an opportune time. We must always remember, when Satan tempts us and we overcome it in the power of the Spirit, he will return again at an opportune time. The opportune times for Satan in our lives are times of victory and defeat. After victories we are prone to pride and after defeats, we are prone to despair. In both conditions, Satan has an easier time deceiving or distracting us, with the intention of destroying us. So long as we remember Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us, we will always be ready for the temptations. The remainder of the chapter tells us of Jesus’ initial message of repentance, His calling of the first disciples, and the immediate response of the crowds to follow Him.

Today, we move to Ezra. The events of Ezra follow immediately after the end of 2 Chronicles. Ezra was a leader in the third wave of exiles who returned to Judah under the permission of King Cyrus of Persia. The amazing reality we see here is once again, the LORD used a pagan king to bring about His will and purpose. In Ezra 1, we read King Cyrus’ decree, which directed the exiles from Judah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the House of the God of heaven. Cyrus permitted any of the priests and people who wanted to return to do so. He also sent back all the items from the Temple in Jerusalem, which King Nebuchadnezzar had carried off when he destroyed Jerusalem. What an amazing reality! While Jeremiah had prophesied this event, when it happened, the people of Judah must have been overjoyed at the opportunity to return home. Most of them would surely have been born in exile, because the nation’s time away from Judah had been seventy years.

The return of the exiles to Jerusalem was massive, as we read in Ezra 2. More than 42,000 people returned with Zerubbabel. We read long lists of names, and the number of “sons” they had. We find they were divided by whether they were priests, or Levites, or other factors. We also find some who returned did not have proof of their ancestry. This was a key factor in the return, because the nation was being reestablished, and just as the LORD had called forth a people through Abraham, now He was reestablishing His people. That meant those who couldn’t prover their ancestry were prohibited from being priests, if that was their work, until after the priests could consult the “urim and thummim.” In other words, the LORD had to confirm they were able to be reinstated. This was no hodge-podge process, but a well-organized and well-orchestrated movement of the Lord’s people back into their land.

In Ezra 3 we read the first action the returning exiles took was to rebuild the LORD’s altar and to reinstitute the morning and evening sacrifices. They also reinstituted the feasts required in the Law of Moses and followed its direction with regard to serving the LORD. In the second year after they returned, they started construction on the Temple. When the foundation was laid, the priests and Levites gathered, and sang praises to the LORD. Those who gathered divided into two groups: the older returnees who had seen the first Temple, who wept when they saw the foundation–this could have been because it was smaller or because they were overwhelmed to realize it was being restored; and  a group who shouted with joy. These were the younger ones who were so overjoyed at the reality of the Temple being rebuilt they praised the LORD. This shows us that depending on our stage of life, different events can bring joy to one and sorrow to another, or at the very least joy to one and overwhelm to another.

In Ezra 4 we read of those who opposed the rebuilding of the Temple. They had lived in Judah while the returning exiles were living in Babylon. They had worshiped the LORD in some manner, since they had been put in the land by the Assyrians. They asked to become part of the project, but the returning Jews were adamant about not letting these outsiders participate in the project. As a result, the opponents wrote a letter to the new king of Persia, Artaxerxes. They warned him to stop the building, because the Jews had always been rebellious against any occupying force. Artaxerxes was unaware of King Cyrus’ order, so he commanded the building to stop, and it remained that way until the rise of King Darius.

As we return to Matthew 3, we read about John the Baptist’s ministry of preparing the way for Jesus. Matthew gives us extensive detail about John’s ministry, and particularly how John challenged the religious leaders to true repentance, rather than relying on their heritage as “Abraham’s children.” John’s point is so helpful, because we can never rely on our heritage to be made right with the LORD. Our relationship with Him cannot be through any other person, but only directly with Him. When Jesus came to be baptized by John, John was unwilling to do it. He wanted Jesus to baptize him, but eventually Jesus convinced John it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness. When Jesus came out of the water, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus. Then God the Father spoke to Him, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” What an amazing moment! Jesus was the Son of God, and yet at the outset of His earthly ministry, His Heavenly Father affirmed His love for Jesus and affirmed His action. If Jesus needed or at least received His Father’s love and affirmation, we certainly need that from our own earthly dads, and if we are dads, we need to pass it on to our children in situations where we can do that.