Daily Devotionals The Restoration, Rebuilding and Preservation of Israel

Transcription

1 Daily Devotionals The Restoration, Rebuilding and Preservation of Israel Vol. 29, No. 2, Spring Quarter, Editor in Chief: Kyle W. Elkins, Business Manager: Dean Grigsby, 2019, Bogard Press, 4605 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX

2 About the Writers was born in 1962 in Memphis, TN. Shortly thereafter he and his parents moved to Little Rock, AR, where he grew up. He attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor s Degree in International Studies. He served seven years active duty in the U.S. Army as a commissioned officer, leaving in 1993 to pursue other career options. He has lived in Arkansas, Texas, Utah and Wyoming in this country; he lived in Germany three years and a short tour in Saudi Arabia. He finally returned home to Arkansas in After forty-five years as a strident nonbeliever, Wally was saved in May of 2007 during preaching at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Star City, Arkansas, where his membership has been since. He has completed the Faith Bible Institute three year remote Bible study program and loves to read and study. He currently teaches on the rotation for adult Sunday School class and BTC for the young teens. Wally is married to Heather Fry, who was responsible for him being in Bethlehem church in the first place. He has two grown children, a granddaughter and two stepchildren belonging to his wife Heather. As an almost lifelong nonbeliever, Wally is passionate now about reaching those who are lost and teaching the saved how to understand what they believe so that they can also take the gospel into a lost and dying world. Mark David Clements is senior pastor at New Liberty Baptist Church in Garland, Texas. He has been married to Jenny since 1996 and God has blessed them with four children: Noah, Mahlah, Nathan and Rhoda. Mark is a graduate of Texas Baptist Institute and Seminary, and he and his family were privileged to serve in the southern Philippines as missionaries for seven years. During these seven years, Mark served as an instructor and Dean of Students at Philippine Missionary Baptist Seminary and planted Grace Baptist Church. Mark is passionate about studying, teaching and preaching God s Word and helping people experience transformed lives through faith in Christ. He may be contacted at mark@newliberty.com. Beverly Barnett grew up in a Missionary Baptist deacon s home, was saved at the age of nine and joined Hatley MBC, Hatley, MS. She married Nicky Barnett in Bro. Barnett has pastored in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Florida for the past twenty-eight years. In each of Brother Barnett s pastorates, Beverly has taught children in Sunday School or children s church. Beverly returned to school in 1985 and graduated with honors as a LPN. In 1991, she graduated from Northwest Alabama Community College with an associate degree and became a registered nurse. She has been a guest writer for Women of the Harvest magazine, her hometown newspaper and writes a monthly newsletter. She continues to study the art of writing. She may be contacted at nanb542000@yahoo.com. 2

3 , March Scripture Readings, o February 25 Leviticus 20; Matthew 13:31-58 o February 26 Leviticus 21 24; Matthew 14:1-14 o February 27 Leviticus 25 27; Matthew 14:15-36 o February 28 Numbers 1; 2; Matthew 15:1-20 o March 1 Numbers 3; 4; Matthew 15:21-39 o March 2 Numbers 5; 6; Matthew 16 o March 3 Numbers 7; Matthew 17 o March 4 Numbers 8; Matthew 18:1-14 o March 5 Numbers 9; 10; Matthew 18:15-35 o March 6 Numbers 11; 12; Matthew 19 o March 7 Numbers 13; Matthew 20 o March 8 Numbers 14; 15; Matthew 21:1-22 o March 9 Numbers 16; Matthew 21:23-46 o March 10 Numbers 17; 18; Matthew 22:1-22 o March 11 Numbers 19; 20; Matthew 22:23-46 o March 12 Numbers 21; 22; Matthew 23:1-19 o March 13 Numbers 23; 24; Matthew 23:20-39 o March 14 Numbers 25; 26; Matthew 24:1-26 o March 15 Numbers 27 29; Matthew 24:27-51 o March 16 Numbers 30; 31; Matthew 25:1-30 o March 17 Numbers 32; Matthew 25:31-46 o March 18 Numbers 33; 34; Matthew 26:1-29 o March 19 Numbers 35; 36; Matthew 26:30-56 o March 20 Deuteronomy 1 3; Matthew 26:57-75 o March 21 Deuteronomy 4 6; Matthew 27:1-44 o March 22 Deuteronomy 7 9; Matthew 27:45 28:20 o March 23 Deuteronomy 10; 11; Mark 1:1-20 o March 24 Deuteronomy 12; 13; Mark 1:21-45 o March 25 Deuteronomy 14; 15; Mark 2 o March 26 Deuteronomy 16 18; Mark 3 o March 27 Deuteronomy 19; 20; Mark 4:1-20 o March 28 Deuteronomy 21; 22; Mark 4:21-41 o March 29 Deuteronomy 23; 24; Mark 5:1-20 o March 30 Deuteronomy 25; 26; Mark 5:21-43 o March 31 Deuteronomy 27; Mark 6:1-29 3

4 Monday, February 25 Genealog y and the Number Who Returned Ezra 2:1-70 Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city, Ezra 2:1. Here we see the beginning of the story of Israel and the return to Jerusalem after seventy years in captivity. The things leading up to this had not been easy, the captivity had not been easy and the return and rebuilding of the nation would not be easy either. There are many lessons to be gleaned from this. God always has a remnant, and He always keeps His promises. At times during the Captivity, the nation of Israel must have felt forgotten. During the first few centuries of the church Jesus Himself formed, things happened that made it seem as if His churches had been eradicated and had disappeared; however, God had made a promise then as well. We see this in Matthew 16:18, And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Just as God never forgot His chosen people in their captivity, He never forgot his churches during the difficult centuries as the churches fell under the sway of false teaching in the centuries following its formation. Like the returning Israelites, God s New Testament churches have a difficult challenge ahead of them in a difficult world. Will we rise to this as the returning Jews did? Even though we sometimes forget God, He never forgets us. 6

5 The First Activity After the Return Ezra 3:1-9 Tuesday, February 26 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord, Ezra 3:8. Here we have a great multitude of returnees making a great trek and returning to what was a hostile and unfriendly environment. The very first thing they did upon their return was set up their personal accommodations. Then, in the seventh month they built the altar of the Lord and offered sacrifices. We see in verse 3 that fear was upon them because of the people of those countries; yet, they still did the Lord s work. In fact, we see that their fear actually drove them harder. They understood the weakness of their position and understood that only God could protect and empower them. The reference to the Law of Moses tells us that they read and searched the Scripture to find the direction they should go. Once they understood it, they began to do what they needed to do to execute the guidance they learned with enthusiasm, resources and hard work. Even today, God s churches either exist in unfriendly territory or are asked to go into unfriendly territory. The way we should respond today is no different than what we see from the returning Israelites. We also need to come together as a body, study God s Word, provide resources and begin to work hard. God will provide the protection and the direction. What He asks from us is hard work and dedication. 7

6 Wednesday, February 27 The Tactics of the Adversaries Ezra 4:1-23 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, Ezra 4:4-6. No sooner did the returnees get to work than the haters came crawling out of the woodwork to hate. Just as God has a remnant on this Earth, so does Satan. Those who belong to the father of lies will begin to assail us the moment we go about our own Father s work. Folks will get in our way, tell lies and do anything to stop us from doing the Lord s work. One of the clearest signs that one is about God s work is that somebody will oppose it. Some will do more than just oppose it; they will actively try to disrupt it. Yet again, nothing changes except the time. The tools and available distractions in that time, however, pale in comparison to the ones Christians can face today. We will see later that, although things were difficult, those returning from captivity kept on keeping on. They communed with God and sought His direction. They stayed in His Word. They banded together as a body, as there is strength in numbers. As the problems of that day have not changed, neither have the solutions for today. When faced with the haters and the opposers, we can give up, or we can rely on the age-old tools God has provided to overcome. If we aren t facing opposition as we go about God s work, maybe we aren t about it like we think we are. 8

7 A Search for an Ancient Decree Ezra 5:1-17 Thursday, February 28 At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shethar-boznai and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall, Ezra 5:3. Many times I have seen our pastor stand in the pulpit and say something like this: Look, I m not the one saying this! God says so, right here in His Word (as he waves his Bible in the air). He is very upfront and forward about the idea that he speaks not with his own authority, but with that of the Creator of the universe. The haters in Jerusalem just kept on coming. First, they told lies and spread untruths about those in charge of the operation; now they are questioning them as to the authority they have to be attempting to rebuild the Temple. They literally asked, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall. Then, they began demanding the names of all of those involved. In this case, the source of authority was identified; King Cyrus of Persia had issued this decree. Then the search began to find the document proving the king s authority. We err when we speak without declaring the authority with which we speak. It is not about us, and even our own names are not important. If we speak with our own authority, then we are in fact out of line. When we speak God s Word, it needs to actually be God s Word. That is our authority, and we can stand by it. Not only that, but we do not even have to search for where we get our authority; we have it right in our very own Bibles. We don t have to prove God s authority; we just need to speak it. 9

8 Friday, March 1 The Decree Is Found; the Work Continues Ezra 6:1-22 And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written, Ezra 6:2. As we move on, we see very quickly the proof of the authority to rebuild the Temple was provided, and the work continued. While I have no doubt that the communication involved here took a while, as those working on the Temple could not just send an off to King Darius in Persia. The thought here seems clear; very quickly, the preachers started preaching again, the planners started planning again and the workers began working again. Even today, we can find ourselves beset by those who demand that we provide proof, authority and the source of both of these. People will, in a sense, demand our names; in other words, they will try to drag us off topic with useless arguments, distractions and even name calling. Who are you to tell us we are wrong? Who are you to judge me? These are some of the questions that are asked by the doubters. The answer is simply this: it is not about us. As we speak the truth concerning God to others, we need to ensure that we don t allow it to become about us. The wonderful thing is that we do not have to wait months to produce the authority with which we speak. Most of us have it ready at our fingertips! The question is not whether we speak with authority but whether we speak at all. We need not be afraid of doing God s work if we are doing it by His direction. 10

9 The Joy of the People Who Returned Psalm 85:1-13 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee, Psalm 85:6. Saturday, March 2 Here we see expressed the feelings of the Jews who were returning from the Babylonian captivity. It is not a description, not of the fact of the return, but of how the people were likely feeling as they did. Israel had a sad history of falling away from God, repenting and finally being restored to Him. These episodes had been many, but this was likely by far the worst and most memorable. The joy of the people must have been immense, and their hearts thankful. From readings in Ezra, we know conditions were not perfect, but at least God was in the process of restoring them and reviving the nation yet again. There is little doubt that our country, and many of God s churches, are largely in a state of falling away from our Lord Jesus Christ. Our society as a whole is a godless one, and our churches in way too many cases are lukewarm at best. The pattern remains the same; we fall away, we face judgment, and perhaps we will repent and are restored. Sadly, we are in a very far gone situation in these days; our situation is likely as dire as that of the Jews as they faced the coming judgment of the Babylonian captivity. All of us need to look into our own hearts, see where we have fallen short, repent and pray for restoration. Sadly, like the returning Jews, our road to restoration will not be easy. Are we willing and are we ready? Restoration and revival are not easy, but if we are willing, God is ready. 11

10 Sunday, March 3 Jeremiah s Prophecy of the Duration of the Captivity Jeremiah 29:8-13 For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place, Jeremiah 29:10. The Prophet Jeremiah spent much time preaching to the nation of Israel to repent and return to the Lord. He even preached and wrote concerning the actual fall of Jerusalem in his Lamentations. It would be hard to find a man who knew the terribleness of those times better than Jeremiah. Yet, the prophet also revealed an amazing and wonderful message from God in seventy years God would rescue and restore the people from their captivity. We know that this happened exactly as God inspired Jeremiah to relay to the people. God makes promises, He keeps promises, and He has not broken one yet. We know that we do not have the same covenant relationship with God that He had with His chosen people. We know this promise was to them for a particular time and purpose. His promises now are for each of us, as we see in Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now as then God has a plan, He will accomplish His plan, and His plan is the best one for us. As we move and witness in this ever increasingly hostile world, we can rest on these facts just as the nation of Israel could rest on their promises. God will do His part. Will we do ours? God s plans are always best. Will you be a willing participant in them? 12