August 4 Ezra 6 (ESV) The Decree of Darius 6:1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored.2 And in Ecbatana, the capital that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In … More August 4 Ezra 6
Ray Stedman helps us as we read Ezra 4-5 today: (from a sermon “Ezra: The Way Back”) The third factor in this return under Zerubbabel is the opposition that immediately develops, as we read in chapters 4 through 6. A force is at work in every human heart, as in world affairs, that immediately rises … More Beware so-called friends
August 3 Ezra 4-5 (ESV) Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding 4:1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel,2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as … More August 3 Ezra 4-5
And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, … More Singing of God’s goodness
August 2 Ezra 3 (ESV) Rebuilding the Altar 3:1 When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar … More August 2 Ezra 3
As we begin reading the book of Ezra in our Bible reading plan today, here is John Piper, in “A Hunger for God” p 166: Israel had been taken into Babylonian exile. They had been there for decades. Now the time had come, in God’s reckoning, for their restoration. But how could this happen? They were a tiny, … More Piper on Ezra: “Massively hope-giving”
August 1 Ezra 1-2 (ESV) The Proclamation of Cyrus 1:1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: … More August 1 Ezra 1-2
Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you … More If you were blind, you would have no guilt
While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. —Ezra 10:1 Steven J. Cole comments: Ezra was prostrating himself and praying “before the house of God” (10:1). Shecaniah … More Repenting and Confessing
Steven J. Cole comments on Ezra 9: Because we are so desensitized toward sin, we fail to have the proper response toward it, whether it is our own sin, or sin in others. We minimize it, justify it, or ignore it and go on our way unaffected by it. If we see someone reacting in … More What is the godly reaction to sin?
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