Jeremiah 3:1-5 - The adultery of faithlessness

The relationship between God and His people is often likened to a marriage. This analogy continues in the New Testament where the church is referred to as the bride of Christ. 

The negative of this is that worshipping of idols is the equivalent of adultery. Judah needed to realise the awfulness of what she had done. She thought she could go and worship an idol or two and then return to the Lord when she felt like it. But this is like a woman thinking she could go and live as a prostitute and then simply return to her husband as though nothing had happened. We all know that that is a ridiculous notion, so it is when we betray faith in God. We need to appreciate how precious our faith is. 

Just as Judah thought God should simply accept her back, so many people have the same attitude to God today. They think that He has a duty to accept us back. This is not so. It is only in humility and repentance that we can come back to God.

This likening of our relationship with God to a marriage is one of the reasons why sexual morality is so important, and why it is an area that is so severely under attack. God's morals of marriage being between one man and one woman, and sex being for the marriage relationship alone is extremely important and societies abandon these principles at their peril.

Jeremiah 2:9-37 - The perversity of human nature

God then calls on Judah to look at other nations. They all worshipped false gods, yet they remained faithful to them. They did not change the "gods" that they worshipped, even though they did nothing and were worthless. Israel, on the other hand, had experienced direct salvation from their God yet had abandoned Him. He had proved that He could save them, but they chose to turn to worthless idols instead when danger threatened. 

So the people had committed two sins. They had abandoned the Lord, the spring of living water, and had instead dug cisterns that cannot hold water. This is the perversity of human nature. We do well to consider this, especially when we feel threatened. We should consider what we know the Lord has already done for us. He is the source of living water and will continue to be so. Whatever situation you are facing right now, the Lord will be a source of help if you turn too Him.

Israel was not meant to be a slave, yet had become so because of her insistence on abandoning the Lord and seeking help from other nations and other gods. Neither are we meant to be slaves. 

Israel wilfully turned away from God, just as the whole human race has wilfully rejected the Lord. Yet she did not realise what she had done, she was blind. The idols were bits of wood and stone, no good for anything. Israel's stupidity was now found out.

In all this chapter we see the utter perversity of human nature.

Jeremiah 2:1-8 - Non-expository preaching

Now comes the criticism of Judah. Note the style. Expository preaching is good, but it is not the only way to preach. There is poetry and emotion in this.

First God recalls the time in the wilderness. This is presented as a time when Israel was faithful to the Lord. Now we need to remember that Israel complained her way across the desert. Even so, she looked to the Lord for help. See that she was the "firstfruits", it has always been God's plan that salvation should come to all nations.

Then Israel went after worthless things. Romans 1 says a similar thing. They did not think about how they had got to where they were. They forgot the salvation from slavery. When we struggle it is good to remember what God has done in our life. He brings through difficult times to good times. But then Judah defiled the land by worshipping idols. Instead of seeking the Lord they turned to worthless idols. We should realise how much it means to the Lord when we call upon Him in the midst of trouble.

Jeremiah 1:11-19 - Standing against society

We now come to the first two words that came to Jeremiah. The almond tree was the first tree to bud in spring, so the next vision he saw would be the first thing that happened. God also gives him assurance that He is watching over the word to see it fulfilled. The word that Jeremiah would receive would be far from pleasant and would be right against all thought and sentiment in society. He needed to have confidence in the Lord.

He then receives the second vision. This time it is a terrifying vision, a boiling pot pouring down from the north. This was looking forward to the Babylonian conquest. Note that at the time Egypt was perhaps the biggest source of trouble for Judah. Verse 15 is also reminiscent of words in Revelation concerning all the nations coming against Jerusalem. The prophecy has both an immediate fulfilment and future fulfilments The Babylonian invasion did happen, likewise the massing of all nations against Israel will happen. 

This attack would happen because of the sins of Judah. There sins had mounted up over many years and now the consequences would start to unfold. Jeremiah would be standing against the whole of society, leaders and people. He must not be terrified in this situation, instead he must fear God, not man. The converse of this is that God would make him strong, able to stand up against society. This is what we need today. For our society, leaders and people, are increasingly godless. Our message is not popular, but we need to fear God, not man. This is the best service we can give to our society.

Jeremiah 1:6-10 - Commisioned

Jeremiah did not think that he was up to the task. There is nothing unusual about feeling that God has given you as task to do that is beyond your capabilities. However, it is equally usual for God to totally ignore our concerns. Jeremiah thought he as too young, and did not know how to speak. 

God's answer is simply to reject these concerns. He would go to whoever God sent him too, and he would speak whatever God gave to him.

This is the starting point, then comes the encouragement.God would be with him to deliver him. We need to appreciate that there will be things that happen to us that we need delivering from. The promise is not that we will not face any danger but that the Lord will deliver us.

The Lord then touched Jeremiah's mouth and declared that He had put His words in his mouth. 

God had set Jeremiah over nations and kingdoms. Now think about this. Here is a young lad of no consequence, yet he has this authority. Consider also the way that the authority worked. It was not in an easy way. We live in a time that is in some ways similar to that of Jeremiah. For many years our society has been deserting God, and this has been accelerating in recent times. We need to realise the position we have in Christ, and we need to understand the way in which it works.

Jeremiah 1:1-5 - Calling

The word translated "words" can also mean "matters" or "affairs". In the book we get both the words given to Jeremiah by God and various events that happened to him and to the nation. Jeremiah means "the Lord exalts" or "the Lord founds". Jeremiah was not a priest himself, but did come from a priestly background. He started his ministry in the thirteenth year of Josiah and continued right up until the captivity of Jerusalem. Some of the kings he prophesied under are mentioned. The two who are not mentioned reigned only for a few months. OT prophesy exists within a definite historical context and looks forward to fulfilment of God's plans in Christ. We need to appreciate both aspects if we are to fully understand prophecy. 

Then we get details of the call of Jeremiah. This was all planned long ago. God knew him before He formed him in the womb. There is so much to learn from this. We were all created on purpose by God, with definite plans in mind. Paul talks about those whom God foreknew. In Ephesians 2 he talks about the good works prepared in advance for us to do. We are not an accident, our lives are not a matter of chance. However, we must beware of falling into the trap of silly debates about predestination, or descending into fatalism. These words are given to encourage and motivate and strengthen us to live lives worthy of our calling. The decisions we make are real, but somehow God works everything out and it is His plans that come to fruition. 

Note also that Jeremiah was appointed a prophet to the nations, not Israel alone. God's plans are for the whole world.

We were formed in the womb. This has profound consequences for our view of life.

Jeremiah - Introduction

This is one of my favourite books. It is the longest book in the Bible. Jeremiah prophesied from about 626 BC to 586BC. He covered many kings, starting with the good king Josiah (640-609 BC), then the bad kings of Jehoahaz (609 BC), Jehoiakim (609-598 BC), Jehoiachin (598-586 BC), and Zedekiah (597-586 BC).
The period covered the eventual downfall of Jerusalem. Egypt for a time was very powerful and held sway over Judah, but then she suffered a major defeat at the hands of Babylon. This happened at Carchmish in 605 BC. The rulers of Judah were at a loss of what to do, and generally made increasingly bad decisions.
Jeremiah came from a priestly family. The book is the one which gives the greatest insight into the emotional world of a prophet, several passages describing the torment that Jeremiah went through.
It is no surprise that Jeremiah suffered so much. His message was largely one of doom. Moreover, he told the people to surrender to the Babylonians and that the temple would be of no use to them. He challenged every long held attachment of the people. This is why he was so unpopular and was persecuted. Yet in the midst of all this there is hope. Jeremiah 31 is perhaps the best example with its promise of the new covenant.
The book is not set out in a strict chronological order. Chronologically the order is roughly (taken from TNIV study bible):
1:1-7:15
26
7:16-20:18
25
46-51
36:1-8
45
36:9-32
35
21-24
27-31
34:1-7
37:1-10
34:8-22
37:11-38:13
39:15-18
32-33
38:14-39:14
52:1-30
40-44
52:31-34

Song of Songs 6-8 - I am my beloveds and he is mine

The lover delights in his beloved. We then get the lover voicing this, and a return to the flock of goats and sheep analogy.

The beloved is unique in the eyes of the lover. Yes, there are many women, but his beloved is unique. In the same way we are all unique in the eyes of Christ. 

I have said it before, and I will say it again. We find this book very difficult to take, very difficult to associate with Christ's love for us. But it is true! We have no idea just how much God does delight in us. The blood of Christ has washed away all the sin that defiled us. 

In Chapter 7 the lovers delight moves upwards from the feet, rather than downwards from the head. He delights in every aspect of his beloved. 

The beloved belongs to her lover and he belongs to her. In the same way we belong to Christ, and He belongs to us. 

The lover wants the beloved to call on him, he wants to hear her voice. In the same way Christ wants to hear us calling on Him.

Song of Songs 5 - When God seems far off

Verse 1 is about the lover delighting in his beloved.

The beloved also longs for her beloved, but then he is gone and she cannot find him. Indeed the watchmen of the city beat her up as she searched for him. There are times in life when Christ seems so close, then He is gone. Once we felt God so close, so aware of His love for us, then nothing! We long for a return of the closeness of the Lord, we go and seek Him out, we pray, we praise, we read the Bible, we cry out to Him, but nothing happens. Worse than that, the circumstances of life, the thoughts and emotions within us just seem to beat us up.

The friends ask what makes her lover so special. She then goes in to a rhapsody of his great qualities. If God seems far off just now, consider why it matters so much to you. Why do you seek Him, why do you long for Him? Why not just get on with life like most of the world does with worrying about whether you are close to God or not? It is because He is so wonderful. We know that He is the only One who gives meaning to our lives, He is perfect in every detail, He is the One who can restore us.

Song of Songs 4 - Awakening potential

The lover now delights in his beloved. The terms used are not ones we would use today, indeed it might be very unwise to use some of them. Nevertheless, it is worth looking at one or two of them. "Your hair is like a flock of goats". The goats of Canaan were usually dark. Now remember that the beloved was dark and the society of the time did not consider dark to be desirable. So the lover finds beauty in some aspects of the beloved that society mocks. We need to be careful not to allow society to mould how we view ourselves, for societies values are often complete nonsense and worthless. And there things about us that other people mock, but that the Lord delights in.

"Your teeth are like sheep". Remember that dentistry wasn't then what it is now! To have good teeth would be a rare blessing.

The lover finds no flaw in her. Society urges us to spot faults in people (and in ourselves). If we are married we should delight in our wives or husbands. The Lord also delights in us. Have we got faults? Yes. Have our wives or husbands got faults? Yes. But God sees us as perfect because of Christ. 

The lover continues to delight in his bride. Note the use of the term "sister" in v9. To use brother or sister in the love poetry of the time was quite common and did not indicate anything of an incestuous nature.

"You are a garden locked up". There were many delights in the beloved that had not yet been opened up. We need to realise in a marriage that a mutual self-giving relationship opens up features of each other, it nurtures positive qualities and develops new gifts. People sometimes wonder if they have married the right person. The more important question is "how do we love the person we have married". It is not just about the person you marry, it is about the person that they (and you) will become within the marriage.

And the Lord sees all sorts of hidden potential within us. And we need the Lord to come into our lives to awaken all this hidden potential.

Song of Songs 3 - Seek and you shall find

The beloved yearns for her lover and goes seeking for him. Remember that Jesus said, "seek and you shall find". We should long for the Lord and go looking for Him. Maybe you are going through some things in life just now and know that you need the Lord, and are searching for Him desperately. Be encouraged, for this is normal, and the promise is that we will find Him. 

Verses 6-11 may have been spoken of by the friends, but it doesn't really matter. She has longed for her lover, thinking she would not find him. Now when she hasn't just found Him, but he is there with a wedding procession, and not just any old wedding, but a king's wedding. We go through times when the Lord seems far off, but take heart, we will find Him, and when we do it will be a million times better than it was before.

We need to appreciate just how much the Lord is for us, and the splendour He has waiting for us.

Song of Songs 2 -Mutual delight

I guess if we are honest we find this book very difficult to read. It is clearly talking about the mutual attraction, including sexual attraction, of two people, yet is also an allegory of the relationship between God and His people. Sex is such an area of sin, and most associations of sex are with sin, so we find it very difficult to consider it as something pure, and even more so as something representing the relationship between Christ and the church. This is the very reason that the devil has targeted sex so persistently. It is also why we need to claim it back. Note above all that their desire for each other includes physical attraction and delight, but includes much more than this. In our society sex is often treated as purely physical, this is one source of all the problems we have. 

Some of you will remember a chorus based on verse 4. God's banner over us is love, and it is not a hidden love. At the same time His love is gentle. "Do not arouse love until it so desires", sound advice.

God delights in us. The winter is past. Sin has ravaged our lives, but Christ comes to put them together again.

Verse 15 is another well known verse from this chapter. Vineyards is probably a metaphor for her beauty. There are foxes that seek to damage our beauty. 

The beloved delights in her lover, and he delights in her. We need to appreciate that God delights in us, for we are His workmanship.

Song of Songs 1:5-17 - You are beautiful

"Dark am I ..." Dark was not considered desirable in the culture of the time, yet even though she was dark she was considered attractive by the groom. Our society puts all sorts of expectations on us, all sorts of definitions of what we should look like or be like. Few, if any, of us meet these expectations, and we can let it get us down. The numbers of eating disorders are a symptom of this. We need to recognise how pathetic is the world's view of "beauty". God has a much better idea of what is truly beautiful, and that includes you. 

Moreover she had been in some ways mistreated.

"Why should I be like a veiled woman?" A "veiled" woman is an allusion to a prostitute. The beloved wanted something better. Our society cheapens sex, it cheapens people, especially girls. God has a better purpose for you, a higher purpose, desire a higher purpose. 

In verse 9 the lover comes on the scene for the first time. Now many of the terms used to describe the beauty of the beloved are strange to us! Comparing her to a mare, a horse, is not a term I would recommend we use with our wives, but trust me, it was a positive compliment. 

There then follows an exchange of various endearments. The lover and beloved delight in each other. A husband and wife should delight in each other, and we should recognise that God delights in us.

Song of Songs 1:1-4 Desire

Verse 1 seems to make it pretty clear that Solomon wrote this. Song of Songs means that it is the greatest of songs. Now think about this for a moment. What is the song about? It is about the love of a man and a woman for each other, it is about their desire for one another, and it gets pretty erotic. It is also an allegory of the love between God and His people, between Christ and the church. So the implication is that the love of a man and a woman for each other is something to be celebrated, and it is also the implication that the love of Christ for the church, for you and me, is something to be celebrated. We need to understand, to appreciate, the depths of God's love for us (Eph 3:18,19).

There are three main "players" in this song. There is the woman, the man and the friends of the woman. The woman longs for the tender caress of the man, and to be with the "king in his chambers". This is a clear reference to sexual desire for the man. Now this presents us with a problem. We may immediately think,"they are not married, they shouldn't be thinking like this". This is because we live in an age when barriers and boundaries of all sorts have been swept away, along with self-control. The desire is not the problem, it is what we do with that desire. Indeed we are meant to have the desire, but the desire awaits the appointed time for fulfilment.

Song of Songs - Introduction

Song of Songs is also known as Song of Solomon. because authorship has traditionally been attributed to Solomon, though there is some doubt about this. In the Hebrew text the title is "Solomon's Song of Songs". Song of Songs means that it is the greatest of songs.

This is a difficult book to know how to make sense of it. People have looked for parallels in prophetic, apocalyptic, love songs from other nations, Jewish wedding songs, but nothing quite like it has been found. It is placed in the Wisdom section of the Bible, and so is giving godly wisdom on amorous love relationships.

On the other hand there are many who see it as an allegory of the relationship between Christ and the Church or between God and Israel. Actually this is not in conflict from the love relationship view, for the Church is the bride of Christ, so elements of both could be there.

So we see something of what the love relationship between a husband and wife is meant to be like, and also insight into the relationship between man and God. These insights are given in poetic form, so we must not treat it as a simple "theological text".

Philemon - return of the lost

This is one of the shortest books in the Bible. It was probably written about the same time as Colossians, and Onesimus, the runway slave, gets a mention in Colossians 4:9.  Philemon lived in Colossae and was a slave owner. Colossians 4 has instructions for slave owners. Now today we find it incomprehensible that a Christian could be a slave owner, but there are a few things we need to appreciate. First, slavery then was not the same as the slave trade was in Britain and America. It was a fundamental part of the economy. This is not to say that it was "good", but it was not necessarily as bad as we think it was. Secondly, Paul does not support slavery, but his approach is not to seek the "overthrow of the capitalist system", but to change the hearts of Christian slave owners. So slave owners were to treat their slaves well and to respect and value them. Now there are times when societal structures need to be changed, and Wilberforce did a great work, but it is not the only way to change things. We can change things by having a Godly attitude, and as Paul says in Galatians, "against such there is no law". 

Onesimus had stolen from his owner Philemon and had run away. However, he had run into Paul and become a Christian. So now Paul urges Philemon to welcome him as a brother.

Paul deals with the matter in a very tactful manner. He praises Philemon for his good works, and rather than ordering him to receive Onesimus back he appeals to him to do so.

He also speaks very highly of Onesimus, and shows how Philemon has actually gained out of the whole episode. 

Ezra 10 - Separation

Ezra was weeping and repenting publicly. To be honest, this is something we would find embarrassing today. However, his actions attracted people around him to join in with the repenting. Rather than telling the people what to do, Ezra's actions draw the right solution out of the people. Shekaniah says that they should put things right. His father, Jehiel, may be the Jehiel mentioned in verse 26 of this chapter, and maybe Shekaniah was ashamed at his father's actions.

Ezra went away to fast and pray. Then all the people of Judah and Jerusalem were summoned to come to Jerusalem. Three days later they all gathered. The people were all greatly distressed, both because of their sin and because of the rain.

Ezra declared the sin of the people and called on them to get rid of their foreign wives. The people agreed, and then the practicalities were put in place. There is then a list of all those who had foreign wives. The numbers are in some ways surprisingly small.

Ezra 8:15-9:15 - Ezra returns

Ezra and his people set off on the way back to Jerusalem. There was a shortage of Levites. It is possible that during the exile many of the Levites had found alternative means of employment. 

Ezra put his trust in the Lord. He also declared his reliance on the Lord to the king, and got the people to pray and fast. A consequence of this trust in the Lord was that they could not have soldiers to protect them. It appears that this caused some anxiety to Ezra, but he kept to his word and continued in faith. 

They had received a vast sum form the nation and it was entrusted to the priests.

God proved faithful and they arrived safely in Jerusalem, where they rested after the long journey.

On arriving in Jerusalem Ezra discovered that many of the people had intermarried with other nations, something forbidden by the Law. Moreover, this unfaithfulness are led by the leaders and officials. All of us who are saved will have tainted ourselves in some way while we lived in the world, indeed this will increasingly become the case given the general moral decline of the nation. 

Ezra was deeply hurt by the disobedience. He prays to God, confessing the sins of the people. Note that there is no attempt to excuse the sin. The best response to sin is to openly confess it, repent and believe.

Ezra 8:1-14 - Ezra and Calvinism

We now get a list of those who returned with Ezra. It amounted to about 1500 men and included 40 Levites. We need to realise how few of the Israelites actually returned to Jerusalem in total (approx 50 000). God had opened up the way of "salvation" but few chose to take it. In a sense it is no different today. On the cross Jesus made the way of salvation, but still few choose to take it.

Can I go on a wee aside here on Calvanism. Calvanism is often summarised by the acronym TULIP. The L stands for limited atonement, this means that Christ died on the cross not for the sins of all but for the sins of the elect. (This is just a rather crude summary, please accept all its imperfections, there isn't time to go into the whole doctrine of Calvinism!) The strengths of the arguments for this view are mainly twofold. The first is that it stresses the personal aspect of Christ's sacrifice. It wasn't just a general thing, Christ really did die for you and for me, personally. We weren't just included in a general collection. It was a deliberate act of love. In fact, it would be far better for "limited atonement" to be replaced by "specific atonement". Limited atonement paints God as mean and nasty, that is most definitely not what the doctrine is saying. It is stressing the particular, the personal, and the effectiveness of Christ's death and resurrection. However, TUSIP doesn't have the same ring as TULIP, so we are stuck with limited.

The second aspect is the effectiveness of the cross. Under an Arminian view the cross provided the means or the way of salvation, but it doesn't actually save (again apology for deficiencies in this summary). Calvinism stresses the effectiveness, Christ's death on the cross actually did win my salvation, not just the possibility of my salvation.

So what has all this got to do with Ezra? You may well ask! Well I find many aspects of Calvinism attractive and true to the Bible, but here, in Scripture, we see that God has made a way of salvation but few have chosen it, and there was much urging and persuading trying to get people to take up the way (see Zechariah 2, also remember Jesus' parable on the banquet). So the Arminian perspective is not as unbiblical as Calvinists sometimes seek to make out! 

It seems to me that both are declaring part of the truth, and they cannot see how if their part is true the other bit can be true as well. Or, rather, if the other bit is true, how can their bit be true. So we have the "war" between Arminianism and Calvinism. Can we square the circle? Well maybe we can, a little. God knows the beginning from the end, so when Christ died on the cross He knew who He was dying for (by the way, I am not going into Molenism here). Yet from our perspective we hadn't made the decision yet. You see part of the problem is eternity. God is eternal (and that means much more than just going on forever), we are temporal. We see one event happening after another, God sees them all at once. Now I am fully aware that there are holes in what I have just said, but it us 6.30am in the morning and I have to go to work (what a wonderful way to start the day, thinking about the cross!). But what I am confident of is that some of the contradictions are not real. Eternity and all its consequences are too big for us to understand, and we need to remember the limited perspective from which we see things (1 Cor 13:12). We need to be absolutely  bold about what we do see, but we also need to beware of thinking that we see everything.

Back to Ezra proper tomorrow!

Ezra 7:11-28 - Pray for the government

The writer re-emphasises the credentials of Ezra as a man of God. He had a letter encouraging more Jews to return to Jerusalem. They were also to receive silver and gold. This wealth was to be used to buy offerings to give to God. When God gives us the "wealth of the nations" we should make it a priority to use it to build the kingdom. The King also instructed Ezra to administer godly justice in the land. Why did a heathen king issue instructions that God's kingdom should be built? One answer is that it was prophesied that this would happen. The words given by the likes of Isaiah are not just nice sounding words, but are what will happen.

We live in a day when our governments are passing an increasing number of godless laws. We may despair at times and wonder what the point of praying is. But we are commanded to pray for our governments. And here we see that God worked in the heart of a heathen king to bring about His purposes. It is possible that God will change the hearts of our governments, so we should pray for them.

Ezra 7:1-10 - Ezra arrives

While this is called the book of Ezra, it is chapter 7 before he appears on the scene. We then get the genealogy of Ezra, and it goes right back to Aaron. Now note first of all that genealogy is not complete, they were not given to be a complete family tree, but to draw attention to particular points. So if there are two genealogies for a particular person (eg Jesus!) and there are some differences it does not mean the genealogies are wrong, what it means is that the different writers wanted to emphasise different points. The key point with Ezra is that he is a descendant of Aaron. The land needed a priest, and Ezra is providing the priestly leadership. In Christ we have our great high priest.

Being a priest did not mean he just performed religious ceremonies, for he was also a teacher. In 1 and 2 Timothy one of the qualities of an elder is the ability to teach the gospel. We need preaching, proclamation, prophecy and teaching. Teaching is one of the gifts that sets people free. 

It had taken Ezra four months to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem. Note that God's hand of favour was on him because he studied and observed the Law. We need to be both hearers and doers of the word (James 1:22).

See also the parallels with Jesus. As I have already mentioned, He is our great high priest (Heb 4:14-16). Jesus is the fulfilment of the Law (Matt 5:17), and He is our teacher (John 13:13).

Ezra 5,6 - Work recommences and is completed

Notice the close tying in of the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah with the actual building work. Prophecy and action are meant to go together, and prophecy has a key role to play in the practical fulfilment of the Great Commission. Haggai and Zechariah essentially urged them to get on with it. 

There was still opposition to the recommencement of the rebuilding work. However, God was watching over them and it was not actually stopped at that point. The Jewish leaders reminded Tattenai of the history and in particular of Cyrus' decree that set things in motion. They urged Darius to confirm that there version of history was accurate.

Darius carried out a search of the archives and found that the Jews' version of history was actually correct. So Darius issued a decree that rebuilding get going again, and that support for the work be provided.

So the work recommenced and the temple was completed. 

Then there was a great celebration of the Passover to mark the completion.

So if we look at this there are three essential elements to the completion of the work:

• The role of prophets in supporting the work
• Working within the political and legal framework of the time.
• The leaders keeping a clear and calm approach to things.

It is the integration of all three that is crucial to success.

Ezra 4 - Opposition

The work of God is always opposed, and when we get involved in God's work we too will be opposed. As Jesus said, because they hate Me they will hate you also (John 15:18-25). Too often we have this silly notion that the world likes Jesus and should like us. At present so-called same-sex-marriage is being promoted in much the West and there are many in the church who say we need to accept that the world has changed and we need to change with it if we are to have an impact. Such people are fools. Jesus and the gospel have an impact because they are going in a completely different direction to the world. The world's problem is that it is in rebellion against God. So if we are to say anything useful to the world we are inevitably going to be in opposition to the world and will face opposition.

First the enemies of Judah seek to infiltrate. They claim they are working in the same direction as the Jews. They may actually have believed this. There are many who believe that because they are working for a "good cause" they are trying to achieve the same things as the church. Now some of the things they are doing may well be good, but the gospel is about ending man's rebellion against God, and the world is not seeking to achieve that. 

Zerubabbel and Joshua recognised the truth and that they were not working towards the same goal. If only more leaders in today's church had the same degree of wisdom. So the next tactic was to seek to discourage the people and to infiltrate Judah.

Opposition continued after Cyrus had gone and now included false accusations. Jesus suffered false accusations, the apostles did, and the church today does. They sought to claim that Jerusalem would be a source of rebellion and Persia would no longer receive taxes.

So an order was issued for the work to stop, and it did indeed stop until the time Darius, which we read about in Haggai and Zechariah.

Ezra 3 - Rebuilding begins

After they had settled down the people met "with one accord". This reminds me of the disciples meeting together on the Day of Pentecost. Apparently it is quite a miracle for Jews to meet together "with one accord"! Joshua and Zerubbabel began to rebuild the altar for the sacrifices. For there to be restoration there needs to be sacrifice. In Christ we have the once for all sacrifice, and if there needs to be restoration, whether it be in an individual or a church or a nation, we will need to return to the cross. 

They did this despite their fear of the peoples around them. It is perfectly normal for the world around us to oppose the worship of God, as we experience in our society today, and is experienced in violent forms in many countries. Sometimes we think that we need to get rid of the fear, but actually the most important thing is to not let the fear deter us from obeying God. 

So sacrifices and festivals were celebrated in accordance with the Law of Moses.

Next they gave money to the craftsmen and to the people of Tyre and Sidon for cedar logs. Work began on rebuilding the temple. As it happens this was the same month that Solomon had begun work on the original temple.

Worship was also an important part of the restoration.

There was a mixture of rejoicing and weeping on the day the foundation stone was laid. For some of the older people remembered the former temple. Maybe they were weeping with joy at the rebuilding, or perhaps thinking that it would never be like the former temple (Hag 2:3).

Ezra 2 - The numbers returning

We might have hoped that having gone through Chronicles we were done with lists, but I am afraid not. The list is very nearly repeated in Nehemiah chapter 7 as well, so something for you to look forward to!

The mention of place names indicates that people still maintained an affinity with their homeland. By the way, Parosh means "flea". 

The total number of returnees is given in verse 64 as 42 360 plus 7 337 slaves, so about fifty thousand in total. The figure of 42,360 does not tally with the totals in Ezra (29,818), Nehemiah (31089) or 1 Esdras (32 600). The extra 10 000 or so may be women and children, or people who were not of the tribes of Judah or Benjamin.

The people settled in the towns they originated from, though later on Nehemiah moved more people to Jerusalem in order to increase the population there.

So we have the land being repopulated and the start of the re-establishment of worship in the land can begin.

Ezra 1 - Start of the return

Jeremiah 25:11,12 said the exile would last for seventy years. Isaiah had also prophesied about these things (eg Is 41:2,5) and had mentioned Cyrus specifically (44:28). These prophecies were now being fulfilled. A key feature of Isaiah's prophecy was that the Lord could foretell the future and His ability to do so was a sign of His power. 

Cyrus gave a decree commanding the Jews to go back and rebuild the temple. Moreover, others were to provide them with what they needed. Cyrus also declares that it was the Lord who had given him his power. Now Cyrus was not a Jew, so why is he saying he did these things in the name of the Lord? There are at least two possibilities. One is that it is a genuine acknowledgement of the Lord. In Daniel the Lord communicated with Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord is Lord of all, not just Israel, and He communicates with those outside His immediate people. Remember He also sent a dream to Pilate's wife, and went word to Nineveh to save them. So it is possible that it was a genuine acknowledgement. A second possibility is that it is just a pragmatic use of words. Cyrus had a general policy of sending the various peoples back to their lands, so maybe he tailored his declarations to the particular people group.

So various people of Judah and Benjamin got ready to go and received silver and gold from their neighbours. Remember that the Israelites also received goods when they left Egypt. 

Cyrus also ensured that articles taken from the temple were returned.

Ezra - Introduction

When we were last in the history books we had got to the end of 2 Chronicles and Judah had been defeated with many carried off to Babylon. We now come to the return of the Jews to Judah and Jerusalem after captivity. The Babylonian invasion had led to the destruction of the temple (586 BC). So rebuilding of the temple, and the city as a whole, is an overriding theme of Ezra and Nehemiah. These events are also accompanied by the last three Minor Prophets. Haggai, whom we have just looked at, being one of them.

The return happened after Cyrus the Persian had conquered Babylon. Cyrus issued decrees that various peoples should return to their homelands (539 BC). Isaiah prophesied all this. They were also encouraged to reestablish their religious observances. 

We should also get the return in perspective. It is estimated that there were about 2 million Jews in the pagan kingdoms, of these only about 50 000 returned. The chance to return was there, but only a small percentage took advantage of it. One can see a parallel with the Cross here. The cross provides the means of salvation, but most choose to ignore it, preferring to live in captivity.

Ezra came to Judah in 458 BC. He came with a mandate to establish God's Law as the official law. While Ezra was concerned mostly with the Law, Nehemiah was focused more on the rebuilding. Both were needed.

Haggai 2:20-23 - A whole lot of shaking

This final message was given on the same day as the previous one. It is addressed to Zerubbabel, the Governor. God is about to shake the heavens and the earth. We live in a world where there are both human and spiritual powers. We like to neglect the spiritual powers and view life as purely human, but this is not the case. Christ is Lord of both the heavens and the earth, and what happens in the heavenly realms affects what happens here on earth.

Many powerful kingdoms would be overthrown. The language of v22 is reminiscent of language used elsewhere in the OT when talking of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt and other nations. It is the Lord who overthrows kingdoms.

So why does God tell Zerubbabel this? What was the immediate context and what was it a foretaste of?

The reign of Darius involved much upheaval, but Zerubbabel was no messiah. So what is going on? Is Zerubbabel one of the many who looked forward without receiving what was promised (Heb 11:13)? However, Zerubbabel is thought very highly of by later generations (eg Ecclesiasticus 49:11). Maybe he is representative of the nation, and maybe he is a type of Christ.

Haggai 2:10-19 - The root of prosperity

Another precise dating of the next message, the date is actually 18th December, 520 BC. 

Haggai gives this message in terms of a riddle or a parable. First he asks what happens in consecrated meat touches normal food. Now the garment the meat was wrapped in would become holy (Lev 6:27), but the everyday food would not.

Then Haggai asks what happens if a person who has been defiled by touching a dead body touches the food, does the food become defiled? The answer this time is yes, for anything that touched by an unclean person becomes defiled (Num 19:11-13, 22).

Then the Lord declares that the people are like the defiled man, anything they do becomes defiled. So even though they were back in Israel, in Jerusalem, that did not make them clean. They needed a change of heart. Without Christ we are defiled and no matter what we do, we will defile it.

Now that they had started to rebuild the temple things would change. Up until that point nothing had worked properly, nothing had borne proper fruit. Now it would, now things would change, for "From this day on I will bless you". 

So let me reiterate a point I made a post or two ago. The success of what we do is dependent upon God. Now some prosperity teaching is wrong and dangerous, and I have made comments on this on various occasions, but it is true that our turning to God, and a nation's attitude towards God, are the crucial factors in determining well being and true prosperity. If we adopt a simplistic approach to this we will be frustrated (see the book of Job!), but nevertheless, this nation will prosper if it turns to God. If it persists in its rebellion then the nation will suffer. The way we are carrying on just now means that we as a nation are ripe for judgement.

Haggai 2:1-9 - A greater glory

We now come to the second message, and again the precise date is given. Just as a reminder that the chapter and verse numbers were not part of the original, the second half of Chapter 1 verse 15 seems to belong more logically to Chapter 2 verse 1. Perhaps those who originally assigned verse numbers thought the King Darius bit belonged to the date that work restarted.

The people had been told to restart the building of the temple, but this must have seemed like a daunting task. How could they ever restore things to their former glory? Sin and the consequent judgement had devastated the land and the people. 

God reassures the leaders. Leading is difficult, it means carrying on in the face of difficulties, overcoming all sorts of obstacles. The people also need to be encouraged. God reassures them that He is with them. This is what we need to know above all, that God is with us. His plan had not changed, He goes right back to the time He took them out of Egypt. All sorts of things happen but God's plans do not change. Moreover, His Spirit remained among the people. So they did not need to fear. There will be many things that causes us to fear, but we should not be intimidated.

God also has greater plans. He is going to shake the heavens and the earth. He is doing things among the nations. Note that He says that the "what is desired by the nations will come". Today we see secular governments getting what they want, an increasingly godless society. We should not despair when we see this happening for at the same time God "will fill this house with glory". At the same time as darkness covers the earth, light will shine from the house of the Lord.

The whole world belongs to the Lord, not to the nations. This is a fundamental truth. So the glory of the present house would be greater than that of the former. God's plans are going forward, not backwards. It is in His house that we will find peace.

Haggai 1 - Work resumes, and God does actually cause droughts

Chapter 1 contains the first message of Haggai, giving the precise date. He directed his message to Zerubbabel, the governor, and to Joshua the high priest. The civic and religious authorities were meant to work together. It is popular today to say that state and church should be separated. There is reason in this, but it is wrong to say that the church should have no influence on the state. A successful state needs a godly church speaking both to it and to the nation.

The people had abandoned the temple building in the face of opposition and were devoting themselves to cultivating the land and building their own houses. This is entirely understandable, but it is also wrong. We need to beware of the same temptation in our own lives. Time and time again we will be tempted to give up on the church, or to neglect the church, so we can focus on our own lives. 

We need to beware of this temptation. God then gives a very practical reason why such a course is foolish, it doesn't work!  You see, we think that the ground just yields its harvest, we subconsciously adopt a materialistic view of life, thinking that things just happen automatically. This is not so, and this is not a Biblical perspective. It is God who causes the land to yield a harvest. So we need to devote ourselves to God first.

So God commands the people to go and get timber for His house.  Verses 7-11 make it abundantly clear that the reason the people were suffering, never getting enough, was because they had neglected the Lord, and it was the Lord who caused the drought. We need to take much more seriously God's continual intervention in the world.

The people responded properly by obeying the word of the Lord. 

In return Haggai gave a simple message to the people "I am with you". It makes all the difference to us when we know that the Lord is with us. The spirit of the leaders and the people were stirred up to begin the work of the Lord, and so work on the temple resumed. Note the action of God in stirring people up.

The people are both held responsible, they took a decision to obey the Lord, yet at the same time the Lord was stirring them up to do so. We make a mistake when we choose to look at things from only one perspective. Ie just the human perspective, or just God's perspective.