King – Page 2 – Praying Pint

17.q. “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

John 12:12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!”, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”, “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Luke 19:35 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

“The donkey was not normally used by a warlike person. It was the animal of a man of peace, a priest, a merchant, or the like. It might also be used by a person of importance but in connection with peaceable purposes. The donkey speaks of peace.” (Morris) “They greeted Jesus as a king, though ignorant of the nature of His kingship. It would seem that they looked upon Him as a potential nationalist leader, with whose help they might be able to become wholly independent of foreign powers who ruled over them.”

What were the people really praising Jesus for? Was it for raising Lazarus from the dead? Was it because they anticipated Him to become their mighty King? Was it because, on the coming Passover, they thought He was their deliverer from their Roman oppressors? When we praise and worship Jesus it is because He is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Son of God, and Savior. It should never be about what we can get from Him, but because of who He is. Granted, we are blessed beyond all measure, we are forgiven of sin, we are redeemed, we are redeemed, forgiven, and born again, we are given and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given His written Word, we are given joy, peace, love, hope, power, refuge, and the promises of eternal life and His coming again. These blessings we can truly be thankful for, but our praise and worship should be for who He is. I guess this is a very fine line. Thankfulness can be an expression of praise and worship. However, the line can grow strangely wide when our heart speaks thankfulness for what we can get rather than for who the Giver is.

16.w. “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

John 10:7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Psalms 23:1   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Isaiah 40:11     He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Ezekiel 34:12    As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

Ezekiel 37:24   My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.

Micah 5:4    And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Hebrews 13:20    Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant

1 Peter 2:25   For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Peter 5:4    And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

The true Shepherd knows the sheep of His flock. He keeps watch over His sheep. He laid down His life for His Sheep. There is one “Shepherd” and one “Flock”. I am sure we can all agree that the “Shepherd” is Jesus Christ. I think many get confused about who makes up the flock. The flock is made up of those who live and pursue to honor and glorify Jesus Christ, ALL OF THE TIME. There is a false belief that one can live for Jesus on Sundays and the rest of the week live for themself. On Sundays they get all these religious feelings and they think, “I am a Christian and I am pleasing God.” But then Monday comes around and they are interested in other things. They are replacing “Living for God” by pursuing other interests, goals, and worldly important, )not eternally important), stuff. “If you’re going to grow in living a life that is pleasing to God, you must come to the point when you decide, ‘If I don’t accomplish anything else, I am determined that I will live my life for an audience of one. I am going to please God. This is the one thing I am going to do.’” Being a follower of Jesus Christ is not a game that is played on Sunday. It is the essence of eternal life. Why would Jesus use words like, the Word of God is “Living”, “Living Water”, and the “Bread of Life”?

So you have to ask “how does a person please God and what pleases God? Essential to pleasing God is repenting and turning away from sin, seeking forgiveness of Jesus Christ for the sinful life that had been lived, following, trusting in, relying on, and clinging to Jesus Christ, taking care of the widows, orphans, and the poor, giving generously, and surrendering your will to the will of God. All of these “God Pleasing” actions are things you do every living moment of every day to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. To think we can give a head nod toward Jesus on Sundays and think we are pleasing to God is nothing more than a deception and living a lie.

Recount all of the activities of your last week. Were you doing that which is pleasing to God or self? Were you doing it as unto the Lord or self? Did it honor and glorify Jesus Christ or was it done to honor and glorify self? Were you seeking and desiring to do all you could every single moment of every day to please Him? If “Pleasing Him” is not first most in your heart and mind, then something else has taken its place.

Wake up each morning with the Living Word and drink full of the living water and eat of the bread of life seeking to do that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ throughout the day. This is pleasing to God. At the end of the day think about all of the things God allowed you to experience to honor and glorify Jesus and then give thanks to God for that day. This is pleasing to God. Living to be pleasing to God will not allow one’s self to be neglectful or complacent in studying His Word or for doing that which pleases Him. Jesus Christ is truly worthy of honor and glory every minute of every day.

15.v. “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

John 6:14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Deuteronomy 18:15-18 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

Acts 3:22-24 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.

This crowd was willing to support Jesus so long as He gave them what they wanted – bread. It’s easy to criticize how the crowd loved Jesus for the bread He gave them, but we often only love Jesus for what He gives us. We must also love and obey Him simply for who He is – Lord and God. They saw an opportunity through Jesus. imagine five thousand people show up at a park, who are hungry and you want to feed them. Even if you had the means how long would it take to arrange this and supply food for the people? Jesus did this immediately. They saw the miracle He had just performed feeding so many. If He was able to do this, He is a “Prophet from God” and we should make Him King. They wanted to make Him king so that their lives would no longer be subjected to Roman rule. They possibly thought that they would never have to work for food again. He would supply it just like God had supplied mana and quail in the wilderness. It is also possible that they thought if He was able to do this then making Him King would surely make their life much easier and less harsh. They would honor Him for what they could get from Him and not for who He was.

It is the same throughout history. There are shallow commitments to Jesus Christ because He is seen as a supplier of worldly stuff to satisfy the flesh rather than the Holy Redeemer and overflowing satisfier of the soul. It is right to come to Jesus in full surrender and live to humbly serve, honor, glorify, worship, follow, trust, and obey Him. Out of this commitment deep within our soul, we can come to Him with a purity of heart for our earthly needs. In this purity, our requests leave room for the perfect will of God in complete trust of His everlasting love for us.

13.p. “Surely his salvation is near to those who fear Him”

Zachariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Matthew 21:4-5   This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,  “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

John 12:13-15  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”  And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,  “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

Psalms 85:9-12    Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.  Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.  Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.

Sometimes the darkness of this world makes it appear that evil is winning over good — but be encouraged: There is no alternate ending to the Bible! There is no scenario … not in politics, not in this pandemic, not in your personal battles … where the devil wins. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, was sent to redeem those, who by faith, rely on, cling to, and trust in Him alone for forgiveness, redemption, and salvation. There is no other way by which man can be saved. There is no other way to heave but through Jesus Christ. It is through is sacrifice on the cross for our sin that we have hope, faith, and reliance on eternity in heaven.

12.y.O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you”

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” “I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.

Psalms 42:2-4    My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?  My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”

Psalms 63:1-2   O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Jeremiah 31:9    With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Romans 11:25-26    Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;

Even in our trials and troubles, God is with us. “Be glad and rejoice with all your heart”. “The Lord is with you”, “I will rescue”, “I will gather”, “I will bring you home”, “I will give”, and “I will restore”. These are all from God. When all around us may be failing and falling apart, God has not changed and His promises are true, His grace, mercy, and love are steadfast, His presences is ever-present, His power to do more than we ask or can imagine is never limited, and all His foes, defiers, and deniers will be defeated and their plans destroyed. Our God is greater. Our God is all-powerful, Our God is all-knowing. Our God is all-in-all. He is our God. Do not allow fear, confusion, and worry place a cloud over you, blocking you from standing in the light of Our God, savior, redeemer, and King of kings. He is God Almighty.

11.

Micah 4:9 Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor? Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, “Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.” But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.

Jeremiah 30:6-7     Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?  Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.

Isaiah 13:8   They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.

Jeremiah 22:23    O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in labor!”

Isaiah 21:3    Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see.

Hosea 13:10-11     Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are all your rulers— those of whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”?

Time and time again people of God have forsaken their love and devotion to Him. He sends prophets to speak the truth, warnings, and righteousness expected. What do they do? They still choose to disobey and turn their ears deaf to His calling to them. Time and time again. It is not as though they have not heard of the anger of God being displayed against people who have forsaken Him in the past. Yet in their time of prosperity and peace, they choose to go down paths that are away from God. They first become complacent and then neglectful and then disobedient. It is not as though one day they woke up and said “Let us be disobedient to God. It is a small step up on a small step upon a small step. Our growth in Jesus Christ is word upon word, line upon line, and precept upon precept. When we allow ourselves to become neglectful and complacent we are not adding word upon word, line upon line, or precept upon precept. We are though, taking small steps away from God and it does not take many of these steps to lose your way and/or influence others to lose their way too. We do well to search God’s Word for truth for our soul We do well to search it for meaning in our lives. We do well to seek and desire it with all our hearts, minds, and souls. In it, we will find soul-deep satisfaction. In it, we will find living water that will continue to purify our sinful nature. In it, we will become aware of sin in our lives. In it, we will find hope for today and tomorrow. In it we will be more than conquerors, we will be God-honoring faithful, trustful, and obedient followers.

9.r. Thus says the Lord: I will not revoke the punishment,

Amos 1:3 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.

Amos 1:6 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom.

Amose 1:9 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.

Amos 1:11 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever.

Amos1:13 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border.

Amos 2:1 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.

We read of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammonites, and Moab. All of these did great sins against the Lord God. In their power, prosperity, pride, greed, and lack of concern for God they went about their day by day, month, by month, and year by year with every day taking more and more steps away from God. The first few days, weeks, months of a new king would define how the people reacted. So easily were they led away from God until He would punish their sin and draw them back. How long did God wait? Sometimes it was short and other times it was long, but in the end, God’s punishment came. It is not as though He did not send messengers (prophets) to warn them. It is not as though He did not give them a written word to guide them. It is not as though He did not do miracles in their presence to show His great power and love. All of these acts of disobedience have been recorded so that by them we might become aware of the sinful nature of man and how easy it is to turn away from God. When we grow in Christ, it is precept upon precept, line upon line, and word upon word, but only if we intentionally choose to be guided by it. When we surrender our lives to Christ we find wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in His word that gives us joy, hope, peace, power, courage, patience, and rest. Our soul is satisfied and yet hungers for more. We hear His whispers of guidance in our lives. We see lies being proclaimed and sin whitewashed and tolerated. God’s Word will speak to us just as in the days of prophets if we open our hearts and minds to it. It will teach us to see things in this world for what they are and give us hope for eternity even in the midst of trials that come.

7.d. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it.

Revelation 9:1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

Being sealed by God is a promise. He knows those who are His. During the church age (the time from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ until the rapture) those who believe (rely on, cling too, and trust in Jesus Christ) are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. God still displays grace during the tribulation period. His wrath and anger unleashed on unbelieving and non-repenting people in ever-increasing measure, and yet in this, we see there are those with a mark (either visible or not) who are spared this torment. This torment is unbearable but God does not allow it to kill. The torment is so great that men will seek death but God does not allow it. We see that even in severe torment there are those who do not and will not repent. Their heart is hard as stone to the things of God. They have chosen this path and are living the consequences of that choice.

God gives us promises of His grace, mercy, and love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God gives this precious promise of eternal life, redemption, and forgiveness. This offer (promise) comes with peace, rest, joy, hope, love, and the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead us on paths that glorify and honor Jesus Christ. The love of God comes first. It does not come as an ultimatum. It comes as a promise, an offer, blessed salvation. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me”. God’s love pursues us. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come into him”. God’s offer of love, grace, and mercy is an offer and a promise of eternal life. Rejection of His grace, mercy, and love ends in unfulfilled lives on earth, torment for the soul, eternal torment upon death. This 5th trumpet is a promise too for all who have rejected His grace, mercy, and love in and through Jesus Christ. The torment during the time of this 5th trumpet sound is unbearable but will be nothing like the eternal torment received at the final judgment where all of those who have rejected His love promise will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity.

3.x. I have had the help that comes from God

Nehemiah 2:1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

Proverbs 21:1    The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.

Isaiah 66:14   You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the LORD shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

Daniel 1:9    And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,

Acts 7:10    and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.

Acts 26:22  To this day I have had the help that comes from God

Never underestimate the power of God. God is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. When God moves on our heart and places a big burden He will also provide a way for He is able to do it. God is able to do the “Big Asks” that we have prayed and believed in Him, and trusted in Him to accomplish. We have many examples given to us in His word. He created from nothingness and void all material, physical, and living things. He did this by just speaking it into existence. He parted the Red Sea. He stopped the Jorden river from flowing. He brought dead back to life. He destroyed powerful armies. He made water come out of a rock. He empowered the weak to overcome giants. He is awesome and all-powerful.

Do not be timid to take your “Big Asks” to Him in faith for He alone is our hope, shelter, refuge, strength, power, and courage. In Him, we can watch the impossible be accomplished. In Him, we can be refreshed. In Him, we can rest our hope. In Him, we can have our fears turned to joy. In Him all things are possible. Never underestimate what God can and will do for and through you.

Commit your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength to Him. Stay in His word. Be a humble servant willing to be led and directed by Him.

3.n. Let it be done with all diligence.”

Ezra 5:6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all peace. Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’ We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders. And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; and he said to him, “Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.” Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is not yet finished.’ Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.”

Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits, with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”

“Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill. May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”

Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

What a record of God’s mighty hand at work in the restoration of His temple and His people. You can’t help but read this and see His plans and purposes overcoming those in opposition. Can you imagine what was going through the minds of those rebuilding the temple? Here King Cyrus had made a degree and the work started only to have a new King Darius now in place and those in opposition seeking to stop this work by appealing to the King with the intent of just making the King aware of the situation. The work God did to cause Cyrus to issue the decree to rebuild was also caused in Darius.

When I read this I try to imagine what would be going through my mind if I was one of the leaders directing the rebuild. Would I have faith and trust in God to continue in the face of opposition? Would I be strong? Would I believe in what God spoke through the prophets? Would I be afraid or fearful? Would I stay the course? Would I pray to rejoice in what God would do or would I pray in fear of what might happen? Would I easily be swayed by the turn of events?

At the end of these questions I come to the conclusion that it is a daily intentional choice and commitment to believe, honor, serve, follow, obey, and trust in God. This choice lives and breathes life into our heart, mind, and soul as our faith grows and matures in and through time in His word.