Journal Through the Bible: Week 101 Friday

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Ezra chapter 7

The first few verses of this chapter give Ezra's genealogy back to the high priest, Aaron. He was a priest himself but he was also a scribe. One of the things that Ezra recorded was the law of the LORD. Another was the decree of the king to allow all the people of Israel who desired to return to their homeland to do so.

The king did not send them back empty-handed either. He sent gold and silver to be used to purchase animals and supplies for sacrifices and offerings also.

Ezra praised God for working in the heart of the king!

Does God issue any commands?

• God did not give any new commands but as scribe Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD and to record the commands that God gave Moses for Israel to observe.
• King Artaxerxes wanted all of God's commands as given to Moses concerning sacrifices and offerings to be followed exactly so he gave instructions for his treasurers to supply Ezra with anything he needed.

Does God make any promises?

• God did not speak.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• Artaxerxes called himself "king of kings" but Jesus is truly the King of kings.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• The king opened his treasuries and made all of his riches available for those who would worship the LORD. One day all the treasuries of Heaven will be open to us and the riches of our King will be at our disposal. We will worship our God forever.

Journal Through the Bible: Week 101 Thursday

Horne, Charles, and Julius Bewer.
The Bible and Its Story: Poetry–Prophets, Psalms to Isaiah. Vol. 6.
New York, NY: Francis R. Niglutsch, 1909. Print. (Public Domain)
Courtesy of Faithlife Logos Bible Software.

Esther 9:1-10:3

Does God issue any commands?

• God does not speak.

Does God make any promises?

• God does not speak.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• Mordecai is a type of Christ: the formerly humble, unknown Jewish man who increased (and in the case of Jesus, will continue to increase) until all of his enemies are under his feet. He was second in command; he sought the wealth of his people, he accepted the multitude of his brethren, and spoke peace to all his seed. In other words there was salvation, peace, and abundant life offered to those under his rule.
• The 10 sons of Haman were slain. Jesus told many of his detractors that they were of their father the devil and would perish eternally.
• Mordecai set aside the 14th and 15th days of the month Adar as the feast of Purim. Jesus participated in the celebration of Purim also. (John chapter 5. There are many websites that discuss this "possibility.")

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• One of the weapons used by the Jews for their defense was the sword. Revelation states that a two-edged sword will be used at the final battle between Jesus' army and those who seek to destroy them.
• The people rejoiced when their enemies are destroyed and their mourning was turned to joy. The people of God will one day rejoice when all of their enemies, led by their father the devil, will be destroyed. All mourning will be turned to joy when God shall wipe all tears from our eyes.

TAKE TIME: June 29-July 4, 2015 Assignment

Introduction:  This week we will conclude our reading of Ezra and will read Malachi in its entirety. I have been asked why I choose to read Malachi prior to reading Nehemiah, which we will begin next week. The answer is simple. I believe that Malachi was the contemporary of Nehemiah, and Ezra, Esther, Zechariah, and Haggai but that at least part of his subject matter, the corrupt priesthood, was what Ezra was dealing with at the end of his book. It just helps me read with understanding when the topic remains cohesive as well as chronological.

 Assignment:

• Monday - Ezra chapter 9
• Tuesday - Ezra chapter 10
• Wednesday - Malachi chapter 1
• Thursday - Malachi chapter 2
• Friday - Malachi chapter 3
• Saturday - Malachi chapter 4

Memory Verse

 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.   Malachi 3:1


Prayer Journal (ACTS)

• Adoration - Praise God for being the One who loves you!
• Confession - Ask God to reveal hidden sin in your life and then confess it.
• Thanksgiving - Thank God for any answers to your prayers.
• Supplication - What are your prayer requests this week? List them for future reference so that you can see how God answers.

Search the Scriptures

Look for references for each of the following:

• Promises that God made and to whom He made them. Do they apply to you?
• References that either refer to or infer something about future events.
• What does this passage teach about Jesus?
• Commandments that God made and to whom He made them. Do they apply to you?

Putting the Word into Action
There are often revival fires that crop up in certain places - like in Jerusalem during the time of Ezra and Malachi - and for that we are glad! (Pray for more of them!) But sometimes participants who work for the sake of being part of a movement are not true believers. Such was the case in the days of Ezra and Malachi when the LORD'S chosen servants, the priests, went through the motions of establishing proper worship in Jerusalem but ignored God's commands themselves. This week make it a priority to pray for pastors around the world. Some of them are true shepherds but some of them are nothing more than hirelings that spoil the flock. 1, Ask God to spare His people from such charlatans. 2. Ask God to help you know a true shepherd from a false one and then attend where a true shepherd pastors. 3. Then ask God to convict the hearts of those false shepherds so that they will repent and be the true shepherds according to the calling they claim to be following.

Journal Through the Bible: Week 101 Wednesday

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Esther 7:1-8:8:17

Does God issue any commands?

• God does not speak.

Does God make any promises?

• God does not speak.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• The petition of Esther to King Ahasuerus was that she be granted her life. Jesus made a similar request in the garden prior to His crucifixion. (It wasn't so much that He feared physical death -something all mankind experiences - but Jesus did ask that the cup of death pass from Him if it be the Father's will. In Jesus' case, it was not the Father's will.) Each person thereafter who comes to the Father through the Son asks of God the same thing that Esther asked Ahasuerus, "If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition. . ." It is not God's will that any should perish (II Peter 3:9)
• Just as the scripture foreshadowed when Mordecai was paraded through the city on the king's own mount, Mordecai was later elevated to a position beside the king when Ahasuerus gave Mordecai his signet ring and royal apparel. We are told in Romans 8:34 that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.
• Esther and Mordecai had been spared but Esther made intercession for her people. This is just what Jesus does! Romans 8:34 tells us that He makes intercession for us. John 17:20-26 records the prayer that Jesus prayed for all of His people asking God that they be given glory like the Father had given Jesus.
• The word of King Ahasuerus spread quickly throughout the Persian Empire telling God's people to be ready. This is the responsibility that Jesus left with His disciples. They were commissioned to quickly tell everyone the word of King Jesus so that all would be ready for when the day comes.

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• The enemy of our King is always seeking our destruction but one day he will be the one destroyed. The plan he set in motion will be his own undoing.
• When Mordecai was second in command the whole country rejoiced, especially the people who had once been marked for destruction. Christians are nothing more than sinners who were once on their way to destruction but who have now been pardoned. When the Second in Command rules they will rejoice and have rest!

Journal Through the Bible: Week 101 Tuesday

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Esther 5:1-6:14

Does God issue any commands?

• God does not speak.

Does God make any promises?

• God does not speak.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• Esther found favor in the king's sight and he told her that he would grant any request that she made. Jesus told his disciples that God, His Father, heard His requests and granted them. He said that our petitions made in His name according to the Father's will would likewise be granted because Jesus and those who follow Him find favor in God's sight.
• Mordecai being led through the streets dressed as royalty and riding the king's horse is foreshadowing of the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem riding the donkey's foal. Neither Mordecai nor Jesus was going to be in a position to rule immediately but both would find themselves ruling as a co-regent at a later time, Mordecai beside Ahasuerus and Jesus beside the Father.

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• Esther's banquets were used as a time of revealing friends and enemies. Jesus told His disciples on their last evening together that He no longer considered them servants but friends and as His friends they would sit at the banquet that He prepared for them in His kingdom. Won't it be wonderful to sit around Jesus' table as His friends?! (See Luke 22:29-30 and John 15:12-17)

Journal Through the Bible: Week 101 Monday

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Esther 3:1-4:17

Does God issue any commands?

• God does not speak; however, when Mordecai refuses to bow down to Haman, and the scripture infers that Mordecai said he would not do so because he was a Jew, it seems reasonable to conclude that Mordecai was following God's command not to have any other gods before Him (the first commandment).

Does God make any promises?

• God does not speak.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• Esther was come to her position in the kingdom for just such a time: She was to approach the king's throne and such boldness might cost her very life. Jesus was come to His position on earth for just such a time. He was to approach the King's throne and such boldness definitely would cost Him His very life! But because He did, we can boldly approach the throne of God with our own petitions.

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• Not that I identified.

Journal Through the Bible: Week 100 Saturday

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Esther chapter 2

Does God issue any commands?

• God does not speak.

Does God make any promises?

• God does not speak.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• The eunuch in charge of the king's harem favored Esther above all the other young virgins so he gave her certain privileges (like the best quarters). She reminds me of the woman that Solomon loved and the story that was told about her in the Song of Solomon. That young woman was also favored above all others. That story is an allegory of the love between Jesus and His Bride, whom He favors above all. The bride herself is unworthy of such favor except for the fact that she finds grace in the sight of others and her beloved. (Jerusalem is often equated as the bride. Compare Psalm 48 with Revelation 19:7-9, 21:1-2, 9-22:5)
• The purification rites of Esther could be considered as an allegory of the Bride of Christ who is going through her own purification rites and is being prepared even now for her Groom.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• The king delighted in Esther and set the royal crown upon her head. The King will delight in His Bride and set a royal crown upon her head also. The Bible speaks in the New Testament of crowns reserved for the Christian which will be awarded when they meet Jesus face to face for the first time. The meeting of Ahasuerus and Esther is a beautiful portrait of that coming event.
• After her coronation, the king made a great feast to celebrate. This is a foreshadowing of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb as revealed to us in Revelation 19:7-9.

TAKE TIME: June 8-14, 2015 Reading Assignment

Introduction:  We will read the rest of the book of Esther this week and then return to the book of Ezra.

 Assignment:

• Monday - Esther 3:1-4:17
• Tuesday - Esther 5:1-6:14
• Wednesday - Esther 7:1-8:17
• Thursday - Esther 9:1-10:3
• Friday - Ezra chapter 7
• Saturday - Ezra chapter 8

Memory Verse

 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?  Esther 4:14


Prayer Journal (ACTS)

• Adoration - Praise God for being the attentive Bridegroom.
• Confession - Ask God to reveal hidden sin in your life and then confess it.
• Thanksgiving - Thank God for any answers to your prayers.
• Supplication - What are your prayer requests this week? List them for future reference so that you can see how God answers.

Search the Scriptures

Look for references for each of the following:

• Promises that God made and to whom He made them. Do they apply to you?
• References that either refer to or infer something about future events.
• What does this passage teach about Jesus?
• Commandments that God made and to whom He made them. Do they apply to you?

Putting the Word into Action
Some situations are harder than others, dangerous even. Spend time this week for Christians around the world who are standing fast in their faith and saying as Esther did, "And if I perish, I perish." Let us ask God to deliver them just as He did Esther and her people. (If you want to take it a step further, you could fast for them as you pray. If you were in their predicament wouldn't you appreciate your Christian brothers and sisters who have the freedom to worship sacrificing a few meals for you as a sign of sincerity and acknowledgement of the gravity of the situation?)

Journal Through the Bible: Week 100 Friday

Myers, Richard.
 Images from The Temple Dictionary of the Bible.
Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012. Print.
Public Domain

Esther chapter 1

Since God does not speak - nor is He mentioned - anywhere in this book, any commands or promises mentioned will be indirect in nature.

It is thought by some scholars that this Ahasuerus was Darius I Hypstasis. See my timeline article about that subject (here) and my introduction to the book of Esther (here) for more thorough information concerning his identity.

In this chapter we read of the king's drunken celebration that brought about the deposing of Queen Vashti. Reading of the palace's opulence, and this was but one palace in that kingdom, one gets the impression that this banquet was meant to be a show of strength, a boast of sorts. If the king was showing off the beauty and richness of his kingdom is it any wonder that he took his boast a step further and desired to show off the beauty of his wife? The implication is that he was in a "show the guests everything" frame of mind. (Shame on him!)

Does God issue any commands?

• God does not speak.

Does God make any promises?

• God does not speak.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• No one in this chapter can be assumed as a type of Christ. Even the views of marriage given in this chapter are a bad perversion of Christian marriage as described in Ephesians chapter 5 where a woman submits to her husband and a husband sacrifices for his wife. There wasn't much sacrifice being done by Ahasuerus in this chapter!

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• Even the description of the lovely palace at Shushan (also known as Susa) cannot compare to the glorious palace of our God that is described in the book of Revelation.

Journal Through the Bible: Week 100 Thursday

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Ezra chapter 6

I suspect that Tatnai and Shetharboznai were sorry that they ever brought the matter of the temple building project to the attention of King Darius. Not only did the king have a search performed that vindicated the claim of Zerubbabel and Joshua that they were building at the command of the previous king, but Darius then told the governors that the men building the temple should be supplied with everything they needed, including daily sacrifices and offerings! Darius didn't stop there either. He said that anyone who interfered with the building project would have his own house torn apart and the timbers from it would be used for both the building of the temple and also for the building of the gallows on which to hang those who interfered. Evidently Darius left no confusion as to his intentions. As a result, Tatnai, Shetharboznai, and their companions obeyed speedily.

Does God issue any commands?

• Verse 14 references the command of God through Haggai and Zechariah given to Zerubbabel and Joshua to build the house!
• Verse 18 references the command of God through Moses for certain courses to be appointed to the priests and Levites.

Does God make any promises?

• God had made promises to Zerubbabel (which we read in Haggai and Zechariah) concerning the completion of the temple. Specifically, He had told them to get back to the work in spite of the opposition. The promise implicit in this was that God would take care of the opposition. God did just that!

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• The people celebrated the Passover on the 14th day of the 1st month. This feast was to be a picture in remembrance of the atoning work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb of God.
• The feast of unleavened bread that the people kept was a picture of the sinless Christ who would be their sacrifice for sins.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• The work of God is often hindered by those who oppose it but God often turns the work of the opposition into help as in the situation of the governors who opposed Zerubbabel. There will be many opposed to the reign of Christ on the earth but God will use such opposition to bring about His divine purposes.
• When the house was completed and dedicated the people celebrated with joy. No matter how great that celebration was it is but a mere foretaste of what is yet to come when all of the people of God are finally out of captivity, their home is prepared for them, and their "temple" (their bodies) are rebuilt (resurrected)!

Journal Through the Bible: Week 100 Wednesday

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Ezra chapter 5

Verse 1 ties it altogether since we just completed our studies in the books of the minor prophets Haggai and Zechariah. We can see that the prince, Zerubbabel, and the priest, Joshua (Jeshua), obeyed the words of the prophets and began again to rebuild the temple. Once again they were presented with obstacles but this time they stood their ground.

Does God issue any commands?

• Not in this passage, but in answering the opposition, specifically Tatnai and Shetharboznai, Zerubbabel and Joshua mentioned the decree originally made by Cyrus who had claimed to have been given a command by God to build the temple at Jerusalem.

Does God make any promises?

• God does not speak.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• Zerubbabel is a type of Christ. He is a prince of the kingly line of David but he does not reign. Instead he does the work that God sent him to do which meant building the temple of God. Jesus also built the temple of God. The Apostle Paul said that those who believe in the work that Jesus did in obedience to His Father are actually temples of God built by Jesus.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• Not that I identified.

Journal Through the Bible: Week 100 Tuesday

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Zechariah 13:1-14:21

Does God issue any commands?
No, but some of the promises are given as a result of nations not following the commands of God.

Does God make any promises?

• God promised a fountain, a man wounded by his friends, and a slain shepherd for the salvation of Jerusalem.
• God promised a time when there would be no more idols or false prophets.
• God promised that 1/3 of the people would be left as a remnant but they would be tried by fire and refined.
• God promised that nations would gather against Jerusalem for battle. Half the city would go forth into captivity.
• God promised that the Mount of Olives will split in two when the Messiah returns to battle the enemies of Jerusalem.
• God promised that when His day comes the light will not be as usual. (14:6-7)
• Those who refuse to worship the King, including the family of Egypt and the Canannites, shall experience drought. (14:17)
• God promised that the bells of the horses would have on them "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD."

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• Jesus is the fountain that is opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin. (13:1)
• Jesus is the person who is asked the question about the wounds in his hands. (13:6)
• The prophecy of 13:7 was accomplished at the crucifixion and thereafter.
• The living waters of the future Jerusalem are a type of Christ. (14:8)
• The King is Jesus. (14:17)

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• The time when there will be no more idols or false prophets and they will be remembered no more is yet to come. (13:2-5)
• The time when Israel looks upon the Savior with the wounds in His hands and questions Him about them is yet future. (13:6)
• The time when the people of Israel are tried and refined so that they fully acknowledge their God is yet future. (13:8-9)
• Jesus will stand again upon the Mount of Olives at the time when He fights against all the nations that war against Israel and it shall split in two. (14:3-8)
• All the saints will come with the LORD. (14:5)
• Living waters will flow from Jerusalem. (14:8)
• The LORD will be king over all the earth. (14:9)
• The land will be as a plain and men will live there. Jerusalem will also be a safe place to live. (14:10-11)
• A terrible death awaits those fight against Jerusalem. (14:12-13)
• Those remnants of the Gentile nations who fight against Jerusalem will come to Jerusalem to worship God. (14:16)

Journal Through the Bible: Week 100 Monday

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Zechariah 11:1-12:14

Does God issue any commands?

• God said to feed the flock for the slaughter because He would no more pity the inhabitants of the land.

Does God make any promises?

• God promised to cut off 3 false shepherds who had no pity for God's sheep.
• God promised to make Jerusalem a cup of trembling. (This had to be especially terrifying to a people who had only returned there in recent years!)
• God promised that Jerusalem would be a burdensome stone for all people and that He would judge the nations because of it.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• The shepherd who possesses the staves called Beauty and Bands is Jesus Christ.
• Jesus was the one whose wages of sin were 30 pieces of silver, the price Judas received for betraying Him, the price of which was used to purchase the field of the potter. (11:12-13)
• Jesus is the glory of the house of David.
• Jesus is "whom they have pierced, . . . and be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." This is a prophesy about the second coming when Israel will see the One they crucified.

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• Because they rejected the Good Shepherd, God will send an idol shepherd (a false messiah) to the people. He is yet to be revealed.
• God promised to "make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." One day all the world will be united against Israel but God will prevail against all the world. There will be confusion and great burning fire! Yet following all of that, Jerusalem shall be inhabited. (Read Revelation for parallel passages.)
• The glory of the house of David will be restored.
• The One whom they pierced will one day be looked upon (physically) again by the inhabitants of this world.
• There will be great mourning in Jerusalem when they finally acknowledge their Messiah just as there was once great mourning in Megiddo (probably a reference to the death of Josiah). There will be greater mourning after the battle of Armageddon takes place in the same location. Even individual families shall mourn.