So... I have been realizing that my blog has become a bit depressing. I'd like to blame that on Facebook. FB probably captures more of my happy-go-lucky randomness, whereas my blog catches the more reflective, sometimes depressing, deeper thoughts that can roll around in my head. I'll try to be cautious of that and return a bit of laughter and joy to blogosphere.
I've been reading through Ezra & Haggai. They're books I don't think about too often, and to be honest... I'm not really well-versed in that piece of history. But, I've been learning a lot and have been challenged by what I've read. Here are some of my thoughts...
God's incredible mercy to His people
The end of II Chronicles (36:16) says that the people rebelled until the point there was "no remedy left." God held out punishing Israel until there was no other way of bringing them back. It reminds me of II Peter 3:9-10a, "The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come..." (emphasis mine)
More so, the book of Ezra opens with a decree from King Cyrus, who allows the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding. What's cool is that God spoke through Isaiah 150 years earlier about Cyrus... BY NAME (Isaiah 44:28). But what's even more astounding is what God was doing. BEFORE Israel was even taken into captivity, God had prepared a way for them to return to Him!
The Devastation of Sin
When the Israelites began the Temple construction (Ezra 3:12), those who never saw the original Temple (built by King Solomon) were shouting for joy, but those who had seen the glory of the previous Temple were crying because the new Temple paled in comparison. It's an interesting reminder... God always invites us to return to Him, and there's always an opportunity to rebuild; however, sin has consequences, and we may carry the scars of our sin with us for a long time.
Haggai records God's encouragement to those who were saddened by the "lesser" Temple. Haggai 2:1-9 says that "the future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory." Jesus would one day walk in these Temple courts!
Priorities
In Haggai 1, God begins by saying, "consider your ways"… the NLT says something like "consider how things are going for you"… kind of like God was saying, "have you even stopped to NOTICE how your life is going or wondered why it's going that way? You're planting lots of seed but your harvest is pitiful. You eat and drink but never seem to be satisfied. You make a nice income, but it disappears like you have holes in your pocket. Haven't you wondered why that is?!" It seems like he wants to make sure they recognize how their lives change/improve when they finally put God first.
It's the same things God would say to us today… "consider your ways… haven't you ever wondered why you're stressed all the time, why you never seem to have enough money to pay your bills, why you're never satisfied with anything, why things never seem to go your way? Is it any wonder? You're so busy with your own agenda (work, friends, play) that you don't even remember I'm here. What do you think would happen if you put me first? Wouldn't be interesting to find out?" :)
So, those are some of my thoughts! Dig in for yourself, though. There's a lot of meat there!
1 comment:
Wow! I need to re-read those books...you are correct, there is a lot of meat there. Thanks for sharing. I do think we all have a tendency to live from one day to the next without thinking about it. Sometimes, I think I wish my life away -- wishing this would be over, wishing this thing would happen, etc.
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