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Thoughts of a saint and slave
by Sam Isaacson
This text (Ezra 6:13-22) seems at first glance to be a reasonably simple description of what took place when the Jews finished and dedicated the temple, and then celebrated the Passover. I was reminded, however, of the words of 2 Timothy 3:16: 'all Scripture is God-breathed, and profitable...' so we can rest assured that there are truths in this passage of Scripture which we can use 'for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.' The truth is that this passage is not merely a description of how the Israelites finished the work on the temple all those years ago, but is also a reflection of ourselves (for our bodies are temples), and the church.
I therefore want to make this article shorter than usual and leave some hefty challenges. Firstly, the people of Israel at this time worked 'by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.' Why did they need more than just the decree of the God of Israel? We should never be in a situation where we have to be reminded of how to live by those who are unbelievers; if we need to change areas of our lives, the challenge should come from the Bible, the Holy Spirit, or believers inside the church, not those outside it.
Secondly, after the temple was built, the people of Israel offered sacrifices and enjoyed a great time of celebration in remembrance of God. How often do we get through a tough time in our own lives, conquer a challenge and then think, 'thank goodness that's over. Now, back to work'? Our response should be not to continue but to pause and worship God for what He has done. After all, He is worthy of praise regardless of our circumstances!
So, these are the two challenges. One, what areas are there in our lives that need to be dealt with now? Let's not leave it until an unbeliever has to say, 'how come you get drunk all the time?' or 'why did I see all that porn on your computer?'
Two, when was the last time we genuinely came before God and gave Him the glory for winning situations for us? I challenge you, this week, to take some time out and just list every single battle that has been won, and give all the glory to God - He deserves it and we don't!
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