And when these things begin to come to pass,
then look up, and lift up your heads;
for your redemption draweth nigh.
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March 20, 2008:Traditions | Just a few more weary days and then... I'll fly away... And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. |
| December 29, 2007:New Year's 2008 | ||
| November 3, 2007:How To Be Successful in Christian Ministry | ||
| October 23, 2007:Salmon |
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| From Babylonia to Persia William H. Haller |
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Due to the Thanksgiving dinner at church, we will run an abbreviated lesson today.
Today, we take a look at Israel at the end of her 70 years of exile to Babylonia. As was prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer. 50), the 70 years passed and some of the people who survived the captivity returned to Israel. The kingdom of the Medes and Persians fulfilled the judgment of God against the Babylonians as was also prophesied in Isaiah. The false prophets of the day were shown to be false when their words didn't come to pass and the true prophets of God, separated by distance yet prophesying the same message, were shown true.
The quarterly writer makes note of God's hand in bringing the people out of bondage. He brought Cyrus to the throne in Persia. Read Isa. 44:28-45:13 for the prophecies of this (written 150 years before Cyrus' birth and some 200 years before his decree). God had a plan and the ability to see or predict what would happen with His children to give the words of prophecy long before the events unfolded.
I believe that the quarterly writer errs in saying that the reason that the Jews were allowed to return from captivity was that the Persian king allowed all of the captive peoples to worship their own gods. This may have been true at some point in time, but remember that Esther and king Ahaseurus's history comes chronologically after 2 Chr. and before the books of Nehemiah and Ezra, regardless of their ordering in our current Bible. Cyrus is the son of these two individuals. If you remember the plots of Haman to destroy the Jews, and the end results, an outcome was that the Jews were permitted by law to stand and defend themselves against anyone who would do them harm. Mordecai the Jew was elevated next to king Ahasuerus in power and was greatly feared. It is likely that Esther brought Cyrus up in an environment that was conducive to learning about the one true God. When he took power, it was natural for him to promote the religion that his mother had taught him.
Regardless of whether or not I am right on that point, the word of Cyrus went forth that anyone who wanted to return to Jerusalem, to rebuild the temple to God, could do so. It is recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah that 44,144 men came back to resettle Israel. Most did not stay in Jerusalem, but went to rebuild the homes and lives they had lost. The temple was rebuilt as recorded in Ezra, but the city of Jerusalem wasn't rebuilt until many years later. Much of that book concerns the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the hindrance of that work, much as Ezra records the hindrances of rebuilding the temple. Just as when the people of Israel went out from Egypt, God caused the people of the lands to give gifts to the departing Israelites to help with their journey. He also commanded that the original artifacts taken from the temple be returned to the priests to take to the rebuilt temple, ensuring continuity of worship.
A couple of things could be noted. I doubt that God cared much about the rebuilding of the temple. It was a spot where He could meet the high priest, but it must be noted that He was content to walk with Adam in the Garden of Eden without any surroundings that He had not created Himself. He wanted a people who loved Him and communed with Him on a continual basis. The tabernacle and temple isolated Him from the people as a body. Today, through the Holy Spirit, He can get back to communing with the people directly again. The rebuilding of the temple wasn't all that important in the grand scheme of things.
The walls around Jerusalem were even less important. While the people were with God, God was their protection. When the people turned away from God, the walls were no protection from the enemies that attacked with God's permission. How many walls and temples do the churces build today, solely for our convenience and pride, and without any regard for what God wants?
No matter how bleak things may look at times, believe and trust that God has a plan. Many times, we go out of our way to paddle against the current of His will as we go about our daily walk. At times, we are taken to the wood shed. Yet in all that, God has a plan for us. Sometimes, those wood shed times last only a few minutes. Sometimes, as in the case of Judah, they can last for 70+ years. Those who survive these experiences come out stronger. But the day to day walking through can be brutal at times. There won't always be a Queen Esther, Egyptians and others to make your life easier when the trial is going on or just over.
The Bible only records a listing of those who came out of the captivity. On top of the many who died in the captivity (or by the sword before it), there were undoubtedly many who had intermarried and stayed behind when the people of God went forth to Israel. It is also recorded at the end of both Ezra and Nehemiah, that the Jews who returned who had intermarried were forced to give up their mixed marriages and offspring from those unions to fulfill the law of the Lord. The Sabbaths and feasts were also instituted once again. It is difficult, at times, to make clean breaks with sin and trespass. Still, the cold turkey approach is best at all times. We must turn our backs on the evil that we have done and determine to live solely for God and put His wishes first if the church is to succeed today.
The teacher's quarterly poses these questions. Why should we live lives that are different from those around us? Through the captivity, the Israelites lived separate lives from the other conquered people. God blessed them and lifted them up to positions of power due to their being a peculiar people. How do we live our lives differently because of God's presence? There are a great many things that Christians don't or rarely do that are commonplace around us. Some of these things are self destructive and by avoiding them we preserve ourselves in a healthier and safer state. Other things are done by Christians that are not done by those around us. Sadly, the number of Christians who do the things that Christians should be busy doing is only a small percentage of the total Christian body today. A final question they ask is: How does the church disappoint us today? If the church disappoints us, what are we willing to do to make it better? How much are we willing to change?
What is our hope for the future? What plans does God have for His church today and specifically what plans does God have for our particular node of worshippers gathered at our local church? Are we strong enough to see His plans through to the end?
Let us put God's plan first and let our own plans come last. That is very hard when we sometimes doubt that we hear what God is telling us. Yet in many respects, we have His written word that should be our guide, even in the absence of direct prophecy or messages in tongues and interpretations thereof.
The New Testament, and indeed the whole Bible, can serve as a benchmark for how to pattern our lives, our worship, and our organizations. There is much in the Bible that is inconvenient from a politically correct perspective. I can assure you that God doesn't care. The Bible is our primary blueprint against what we have done for Jesus will be judged. How is the church doing today? Let us all pray that in the coming year, should God tarry in sending Christ back for His church, that we will do a better job than we have done in the past, and make that our goal every year. Let us strive to outshine the church at Philadelphia mentioned in Revelation, or at least equal her stance in every way.
