Devotions

The Son of the Most High

by  • 

Gabriel is sent by God. It is time. The plan begins with the birth of John the Baptist. An answered prayer for Zachariah and his barren wife Elizabeth. They thought it was too late for them and then, as Zechariah is performing his duties, he has and angelic visitation. Elizabeth becomes pregnant and all is quiet for six months. Then, Gabriel is sent again, to Mary, saying “you have found favor with God”.When Mary hears the news, and about Elizabeth, she rushes to greet Elizabeth and spends three months with her. This is a place of encouragement as Elizabeth greets her with “blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment”, and Mary needs the wisdom of Elizabeth at her side.

To Take Away My Disgrace

Luke 1:21–25
Zechariah was a faithful man, a servant of God, performing his duty on his regular schedule. This was routine for him, and in Luke 1:21 it was routine also for the people who were wondering that he was delayed. Something must have happened, where is he? Then in Luke 1:22 he came out to the people gesturing to them. But he couldn’t speak as they begin to understand that he had a visitation. Nothing seemed to change, except that he could not speak. He finished his duty. In Luke 1:23 “the days of his service came to an end, and he went away to his home”. And once he was home, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. It isn’t that they had not tried before because a Elizabeth says, in Luke 1:25 “the Lord … concerned himself with me … to take away my disgrace among people”. 

The Son of the Most High

Luke 1:26–38
Gabriel is a busy angel. He is again “was sent from God” in Luke 1:26. Gabriel went to the city, Nazareth but not to the leaders of the city. Gabriel might have gone to Joseph in Luke 1:27, the man Mary was betrothed to because he was already the head according to their culture. Gabriel went instead in Luke 1:28 to the innocent virgin woman that was little more than a child. And his message to her is “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you” and continues “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God”. Then Gabriel declares God’s message, a prophetic word to usher in the savior of the world in Luke 1:31-33 ”And behold, you will conceive in the womb and will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. 32 This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end”.

Mary questioned Gabriel, not about the throne, not about the work or kingdom of Jesús, but about how she could become pregnant. Gabriel answered, in Luke 1:35 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God”. But Gabriel went on to tell her more, “your relative Elizabeth—she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her” which is a way of confirming God’s promise to Mary and also an instruction to her so she can get the help she needs through this transition. 

There Will be a Fulfillment

Luke 1:39–45
Mary responds to the message and in Luke 1:39 “Mary set out and traveled with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah, 40 and entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth”. You likely know these verses, the six month old fetus, this baby, the one that will prepare the way of the Lord, lept in the womb of Elizabeth and she cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

Luke 1:45 And blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment to what was spoken to her from the Lord!”

 

The Mighty One Has Done Great Things For Me

Luke 1:46–56
Mary responds with praise. First about what God has done for her in Luke 1:46 “all generations will consider me blessed”. Then in Luke 1:50-55 “his mercy is for generations … he has dispersed the proud … has exalted the lowly … filled those who are hungry … helped Israel his servant … just as he spoke t our fathers”. Mary and Elizabeth communed together as Mary’s pregnancy began and as Elizabeth’s came to full term. Then in Luke 1:56 “Mary … returned to her home”. It seems odd to me that Mary would leave before the birth of John, and I suppose we don’t need to know, some say “it seems more likely that he means that Mary left before John was born (though Marshall thinks she probably stayed)”.1

He Will Be Named John

Luke 1:57–66

The Prophet of the Most High

Luke 1:67–80

He Will Save His People From Their Sins

Matthew 1:18–25

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Luke 1:1-80
  • Matthew 1:18–25

The Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ – The Gospels

This series follows the order of readings from the Tyndale One Year Chronological Bible. Covering these events chronologically as they happened, gives a much different context and helps us understand the move of God as He is introducing the Saviour, the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. This series begins with Return To Me And I Will Return To You which ends in Malachi and introduces the “Witnesses” writing the Gospels.

Operation Exodus

is helping Jewish people return to their homeland. You might fund one that desires to go home. http://operationexodususa.org/Overview

References

  • 1. Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Devotions

Return to Me and I Will Return to You

by  • 

Malachi brings a rebuke from the Lord because there is a special covenant between Him and Levi, the priesthood. They were to instruct people, to be God’s messenger to them. Then Malachi brings a rebuke from the Lord to men, husbands that have broken their covenant of marriage with “the wife of your youth”. They were to raise a godly seed, the next generation, those who would also populate heaven. Then there is one more rebuke, “will a man rob God”. As Nehemiah contended to re-establish the tithe, so Malachi also says “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse”. Or, as God says it, “Return to me and I will return to you. 

My Covenant With Levi Continues

Malachi 2:1–9
Malachi sends a rebuke from the Lord to the priests because in Malachi 2:8 “you have turned from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction” and the Lord remembers Levi in

Malachi 2:5 (LEB) “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. This required reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe before my name”.

The Lord describes his relationship with Levi in

Malachi 2:6 (LEB) “The instruction of truth was in his mouth, and wickedness was not found on his lips. In peace and in uprightness he walked with me, and he brought back many from sin”.

Then the Lord describes his expectation of a priest in

Malachi 2:7 “For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge, and they should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Yahweh of hosts”.

 

Do We Not All Have One Father?

Malachi 2:10–17
Now Malachi sends a rebuke from the Lord to the men, husbands, because in Malachi 2:15 he says “you must not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth”. But the rebuke goes beyond this to say in Malachi 2:11 “Judah has been faithless, and a detestable thing has been done … Judah has profaned the sanctuary … and has married the daughter of a foreign god”. It was bad enough that they had “married the daughter of a foreign god”. But they had first put away the wife of their youth, they had been unfaithful to their “wife by covenant”. To do this, in Malachi 2:16 he “covers his clothing with violence”. They not only offend their wife, in Malachi 2:15 they deprive God of “an offspring of God”, the next generation.

He is Like a Refiner’s Fire

Malachi 3:1–5
Malachi turns to give a prophetic word from the Lord in

Malachi 3:1 (LEB) “Look! I am going to send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you are seeking will come suddenly to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you are taking pleasure—look!—he is about to come,” says Yahweh of hosts.

And then he brings a caution in Malachi 3:2 “who can endure the day of his coming?”. But why would he say this? Isn’t God love? Isn’t God merciful? Yes, He is and for those that have come to Jesus Christ and accepted the price He paid for our sin, we are forgiven for the life we lived in the past. But what of the life we are living now? He says in Malachi 3:5 “I will approach you for judgement, and I will be a swift witness against …”. What life are you living now? 

Return to Me and I Will Return to You

Malachi 3:6–15
One more rebuke from the Lord in Malachi 3:8 “will a human dare to rob God?”. God asked for a tenth of their increase for the temple, for the priests and the Levites. This is the same problem faced in Nehemiah 13:10-13 where Nehemiah “came to learn that the food of the Levites had not been given to them … so I quarreled with the prefects”. After this, “all of Judah brought the tithe”. It seems though to be this same cycle of following God and then drifting away, “Malachi is far from idealizing past generations (cf. Ezra 9:7; Zech. 1:2). All had shown the same rebellious attitude to God’s statutes through which he revealed his will (Deut. 4:4–7). The call to repent is worded in Zechariah’s phraseology (Zech. 1:3), but it meets no response because there is no awareness of any shortcomings”.1 

A Scroll of Remembrance Was Written

Malachi 3:16–4:6
The Lord knows how we value Him and His word and He is recording our names in

Malachi 3:16–17 (LEB) Then those who revered Yahweh spoke with one another. And Yahweh listened attentively and heard, and a scroll of remembrance was written ⌊before him⌋ of those who revere Yahweh and ponder his name. 17 “They will be mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the day that I am acting, my treasured possession. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.

And for these, in Malachi 4:2-3 “you who revere my name … healing … you will go out and leap … you will trample down the wicked”.

The Events That Have Been Fulfilled

Luke 1:1–4
Eye witness accounts.

Your Prayer Has Been Heard

Luke 1:5–12
“while he was serving as priest before God”

To Prepare for the Lord a People Made Ready

Luke 1:13–20
“He will be great in the sight of the Lord”

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Malachi 2:1-17
  • Malachi 3:1–16
  • Malachi 4:1-6
  • Luke 1:1-20

A Scroll of Remembrance Was Written

God has recorded the names of those that love Him. See Malachi 3:16–4:6. Are you written in God’s book? Is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life? Read John 3:16, Acts 2:21 and call on Jesus Christ.

The Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ – The Gospels

We began the year reading the gospel of Mark and this is often often the way we read the Bible, one book at a time. As we begin going through the gospels again, this time we will follow the order of readings from the Tyndale One Year Chronological Bible. This means we will move back and forth throught Matthew, Mark Luke and John but with little emphasis on Mark. Covering these events chronologically as they happened, gives a much different context and helps us understand the move of God as He is introducing the Saviour, the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. This series begins here at the end of Malachi and introduces the “Witnesses” writing the Gospels. The series ends on July 5, 2018 with Go and Make Disciples of All the Nations.

Operation Exodus

is helping Jewish people return to their homeland. You might fund one that desires to go home. http://operationexodususa.org/Overview

References

  • 1. Baldwin, J. G. (1972). Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 28, p. 268). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Devotions

A Spring From the House of Yahweh

by  • 

There is coming a day when Israel and the world will know that the Lord is God in Jerusalem. Christians often refer to Revelation to describe the last days, Armageddon, and final judgement. And, today, there are many that say Revelation is too mystical, its allegorical, which is there way of saying it makes a nice fireside story, but isn’t really a description of what will happen. Joel 3:18 says “it will happen”. Joel 3:17 says “you will know that I, Yahweh your God, am dwelling in Zion … and Jerusalem will be a place of holiness”. But this is not just a statement to the children of Israel. Malachi 1:5 goes further saying “Your eyes will see this, and you will say, “Yahweh is great beyond the borders of Israel”. The nations will also know.

I Will Return the Fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem

Joel 3:1–8
The nations have come and gone across Israel. They have done as they will, taking even the people as their spoil. Yes, there were times that God gave Judah over as happened with Jehoiakim who did evil and the nation went into seventy years of captivity at Nebuchadnezzar’s hand. Now though, in the day that Joel sees, the Lord is their God, the Lord is their defender, the Lord will repay their enemies for their abuses. In Joel 3:2 it is in “the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will argue a case against them there concerning my people and my inheritance Israel”. This is “An unknown location with a symbolic name that means “the Valley where Yahweh will judge.” This is the place where Yahweh gathers the nations for judgment. Note that, “Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all include a tradition of a final divine judgment in this valley. The traditional identification connects the site with the part of the Kidron Valley just east of Jerusalem. The pseudepigraphal book of 1 Enoch also describes a final judgment taking place in a deep valley (1 Enoch 53:1; 54:1)”.1

This is the way God repays, not with malice, but by turning their intent, their actions back on them, as it says in Joel 3:7b-8 “I will return what you deserve on your head! 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans and to a nation far away, for Yahweh has spoken”.

Prepare For War

Joel 3:9–13
The nations grow in anger as it says in Joel 3:9-12 “stir up the mighty warrior … “beat your cutting tools of iron into swords … gather yourselves … let the nations be roused”. The resistance toward Israel is building, the men of war are preparing, the nations are allies together, even the weak say “I am a mighty warrior (or the least among us might say, Yes, fight them)”. Then in Joel 3:13 it says, “send forth the sickle” which is a reference to the final harvest, the harvest that goes in to the wine press of the wrath of God in

Revelation 14:19 (LEB) And the angel swung his sickle into the earth and harvested the vine of the earth, and threw the grapes* into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

 

And You Will Know

Joel 3:14–17
On “the day of Yahweh” in Joel 3:14-17 the Lord, Jesus Christ himself, returns and “utters his voice” as he takes his rightful place “dwelling in Zion … and Jerusalem will be a place of holiness”. We will know Jesus Christ as “King of kings and Lord of lords” as it says in

Revelation 19:15–16 (LEB) And out of his mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it he could strike the nations. And he will shepherd them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the wine of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. 16 And he has a name written on his outer garment and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

From this day on, Israel will no longer be the pathway for armies that tread her underfoot. Long ago, Jesus taught us to pray, in

Matthew 6:10 (LEB) May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And it is being done. 

A Spring From the House of Yahweh Will Come Forth

Joel 3:18–21
Ask what people believe about God today and many will say, that is just a folk tale from our unenlightened and ignorant time in history. But Joel, looking forward says in

Joel 3:18 (LEB) And it will happen on that day; the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the channels of Judah will flow with water. A spring from the house of Yahweh will come forth, and it will water the valley of Acacia Trees.

There is absolute certainty in Joel as a prophet, that “it will happen” and “on that day” the Lord will do a work. And it isn’t just Joel that has this prophetic view, “The image of Judah’s glorious future that ends the oracle (Joel 3:17–21) reflects similar accounts of ideal restoration found near the end of other prophetic books (Isa 66:10–14; Hos 14:4–9; Amos 9:11–15)”.2

And this “spring from the house of Yahweh” is also spoken of in

Revelation 22:1–2 (LEB) And he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming out from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 in the middle of its street, and ⌊on both sides of the river⌋ is the tree of life, producing twelve fruits—yielding its fruit according to every month—and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

 

Yahweh is Great Beyond the Borders of Israel

Malachi 1:1–5
Many people talk of the Bible as being a history of the Jewish people by and for them. God has a different view. Yes, the Bible does record the history of the Jewish people, but it identifies them as the children of Israel, who was a descendant of Abraham, who was a man that believed God. The Bible introduces God and reveals His character and nature. But even more than that, it explains the fallen nature of man and the effects of sin in the world, as it says in

Romans 8:19–22 (LEB) For the eagerly expecting creation awaits eagerly the revelation of the sons of God. 20 For the creation has been subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its servility to decay, into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers agony together until now.

Malachi 1:1-5 makes it clear that those God loves experience the blessing of that love. But those that are outside of that love will experience “desolation … desert … ruin”. At first reading, you might say, God has chosen to love Jacob and hate Esau and maybe that is all there is to say, whether you think that is fair or just or not. Let me say this a little differently, but I think with the same meaning. If you are in Esau’s camp, there isn’t anything that you can do to make God accept you. If you could join Jacob’s camp, there is nothing you can do to make God hate you.

A Son Honors His Father

Malachi 1:6–14
Malachi 1:6 describes what we already know, “A son honors his father, and a slave his master” and then asks the question, “where is my honor?”. Malachi goes on to describe how those that are to offer sacrifices and offerings to the Lord for the people, the priests, are taking the best for themselves and offering the weak and sick and lame to the Lord. In Malachi 1:13 they say “This is a weariness (to follow the ways of the Lord and present the sacrifices and offerings)”. Whether they know it or not, whether they value God or not, He knows who He is, in Malachi 1:14b “For I am a great king,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and my name is awesome among the nations”.

He has demonstrated His love for them and “A father-son relationship between God and Israel is implied at the beginning of the exodus deliverance, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my first-born son’ (Exod. 4:22). Hosea saw Israel as an ungrateful son (Hos. 11:1), and Isaiah’s prophecy opens with a complaint of the heavenly Father against his rebellious sons (Isa. 1:2). Like his prophetic predecessors Malachi realized that the heart of the trouble he was probing was a broken relationship with God. Instead of affection and trust there was antipathy to God’s nature and will”3.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Joel 3:1-21
  • Malachi 1:1–14

Operation Exodus

is helping Jewish people return to their homeland. You might fund one that desires to go home. http://operationexodususa.org/Overview

References

  • 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Joe 3:2). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • 2. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Joe 3:1–21). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • 3. Baldwin, J. G. (1972). Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 28, p. 244). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Devotions

And Even Now Declares Yahweh Return To Me

by  • 

In the last chapter of Nehemiah, we find him turning the people back to serve God. Joel opens with the devastation of an army of locusts as the example, something so severe none of them have seen it before, and it is the judgement to come before the Lords army. The harvest is ruined, the storehouse at the temple is empty, the trees destroyed and “joy is dried up among the sons of men”. But even at this last moment, as the Lord “utters His voice before his army”, He says “return to me”. There is a call, “blow the trumpet … gather the people”. And the Lord says, Look at me”.

Has This Ever Happened?

Joel 1:1–4
You might say, “Has this ever happened?” or Have you ever known of this kind of devastation happening?” Here the description is “Literally, (1) the gnawing locust; (2) the swarming locust; (3) the licking locust; (4) the consuming locust; forming a climax to the most destructive kind. The last is often three inches long, and the two antennae, each an inch long. The two hinder of its six feet are larger than the rest, adapting it for leaping. The first “kind” is that of the locust, having just emerged from the egg in spring, and without wings. The second is when at the end of spring, still in their first skin, the locusts put forth little ones without legs or wings. The third, when after their third casting of the old skin, they get small wings, which enable them to leap the better, but not to fly. Being unable to go away till their wings are matured, they devour all before them, grass, shrubs, and bark of trees: translated “rough caterpillars” (Je 51:27). The fourth kind, the matured winged locusts (see on Na 3:16)”.1

Wail All Drinkers of Wine

Joel 1:5–7
The first to notice are those that are cut off from their daily supply. Something has happened, but what? In Joel 1:5-6 They awaken from their stupor to find devastation at their door. No more making merry. No more escape, just the brutal reality of being overtaken “because a nation has invaded”. 

The Harvest of the Field is Ruined

Joel 1:8–12
The house of the Lord has a storehouse, wealth and provision from the tithe of the lands bounty. But even the priest laments, the storehouse is empty in Joel 1:9 and the fields are destroyed in Joel 1:10. Even worse, “all the trees of the field-are dried up”. We may not recognize the depth of this devastation because few of us harvest our own fruit from trees. The reality is that it takes three years for a grape vine to produce grapes, an apple tree takes four to five years before it will bear fruit, a pomegranate is two to three years, a fig tree may bear at two years but some trees require six before they bear fruit, and palm trees take four to eight years to bear fruit and seven to ten years before they are at full yield. Now we may understand Joel 1:12 “Indeed, joy is dried up among the sons of men”.

How the Beasts Groan

Joel 1:13–20
Now, they call for a fast, in Joel 1:14 “Solemnize a fast, Call an assembly! … and cry out to Yahweh”. But where was the cry to Him in their blessing? Now, when dearth comes it is long past the time when they might have called out to the Lord. Now they say in Joel 1:16-20 “Is not food cut off before our eyes, … The seeds shrivel under their clods … How the beasts groan … fire has devoured … the courses of water are dried up”. There is no food for man or beast. Who knows what came first the drought, or the locust, or the fire? And what does it matter now, there is famine in the land.

Sound the Alarm

Joel 2:1–5
This is a well known and often recited passage in Joel 2:1. The alarm could have been sounded earlier, now it is nearly too late to escape destruction. Where were the watchman on the wall, those that cry out before calamity is upon them? This is “the day of Yahweh” coming. In Joel 2:2-5 “a day of a cloud … a great and strong army … nothing like it from old … before them a fire … behind them a flame … nothing can escape … they run … they leap … a strong army arranged in rows for battle”. It is over already, the sides have been chosen. 

Yahweh Utters His Voice Before His Army

Joel 2:6–11
It says that “before them, nations writhe” in Joel 2:6. This army is not like others, in Joel 2:7-10 “they run like mighty warriors … each on its own way … they do not swerve … they do not jostle … they are not halted”. How can an army move with force and speed and stay on their path without running into each other, without slowing each other down, without being hindered by the debris of battle under their feet. This is an army with one mind, one purpose, moving together and “the earth quakes; the heavens tremble”. And now, in Joel 2:11 we find the source of their power, “Yahweh utters his voice before his army”. And now, we see the difference in this army. A natural army depends on the strength of its warriors but the army of the Lord is dependent on His strength. Who can stand in front of this army? or as Joel 2:11 says, “Who can endure it?”. The answer is, no one can. 

“And Even Now”, Declares Yahweh, “Return To Me”

Joel 2:12–17
Even at the last moment, it is not too late to return to the Lord. And it is the Lord asking in Joel 2:12-13 “return to me”. Will you “rend your hearts” after going your own way for so long? But if one turns, is it possible that more will also? Now the intercessor rises up and says in Joel 2:15-17 “Blow the trumpet in Zion … gather the people … let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep. And let them say, “Take pity, Yahweh, on your people”.

And Yahweh Answered

Joel 2:18–24
In Joel 2:19 “Yahweh answered and said to his people. ‘Look at me'”. This is always the answer. Keep your eyes on Him. Look at Him and live. Look at Him and be saved.

Isaiah 53:12 (LEB) Therefore, I will divide to him a portion among the many, and with the strong ones he will divide bounty, because he poured his life out to death and was counted with the transgressors; and he was the one who bore the sin of many and will intercede for the transgressors.

Isaiah 55:6–9 (LEB) Seek Yahweh while he lets himself be found; call him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of sin his thoughts. And let him return to Yahweh, that he may take pity on him, and to our God, for he will forgive manifold. 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” declares Yahweh. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

And for those that return He says in Joel 2:23-24 “Be glad and rejoice in Yahweh your God … he has given … he has poured down … the threshing floors will be full … the vats will overflow”.

My People Will Never Be Ashamed Again

Joel 2:25–32
Joel 2:25-26 brings the promise of restoration, “I will repay you the years … (for the destruction) that I sent against you. And you will eat abundantly and be satisfied”. Do you understand how great this promise is? The destroyer came because of their rebellion. They broke their covenant with God. They deserved every thing that happened to them.

Yet, in Joel 2:26-32, God says, He will repay them for every bit of devastation they faced. And this is what it will look like:

  • And you will eat abundantly
  • And you will know that I am in the midst
  • And … I will pour out my spirit on all flesh
  • And I will set wonders in heaven
  • And … everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be rescued

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Joel 1:1-20
  • Joel 2:1–32

Operation Exodus

is helping Jewish people return to their homeland. You might fund one that desires to go home. http://operationexodususa.org/Overview

Return to Israel – Ezra

We often read one book of the Bible at a time and that is easier for everyone to follow. The order of our readings, beginning with Ezra, are from the Tyndale One Year Chronological Bible because the return from Babylonian exile includes Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah, Esther, a few Psalms, and other connections. Covering these events chronologically as they happened, gives a much better context and helps us understand the move of God as He is reestablishing His people. Review the whole series beginning with Go Up To Jerusalem.

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 664). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

Two Choirs Stood In The House of God

by  • 

The wall is finished, the gates are open. Nehemiah gathers, not just those in Jerusalem but from all of the region around. He gathers all of the Levites, and all of the singers, and all of the commanders, and all of the people and separates them into two great choirs. One choir walks the top of the wall in one direction and the other choir walks the other direction with trumpets and singing and great joy. And they met, and stood in the Temple. That day, in Nehemiah 12:43 “And the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar”. Nehemiah accomplished his main task, but also made sure that the people honored God, that the consecrated the Sabbath and cared for the house of God. 

At The Dedication of The Wall

Nehemiah 12:22–31
All of the Levites are gathered together “from all of their places” in Nehemiah 12:27 “to do the dedication with joy, thanksgivings, song and cymbals, stringed instruments and lyres”. And all the singers in Nehemiah 12:28-29. And the priests purified in vs 30. And Nehemiah “brought the commanders upon the wall” and “appointed two great choirs”. 

Two Choirs Stood In The House of God

Nehemiah 12:32–43
One choir followed commanders in Nehemiah 12:31b “to the right on the wall to the Dung gate”, the “priests with trumpets”, “instruments of the songs of David”, and “Ezra the scribe went before them”. “The second choir went the opposite way” and Nehemiah “followed after them with half of the people on the wall” to “the Gate of the Guard” in Nehemiah 12:39. Then in Nehemiah 12:40-43 “the two choirs stood in the house of God … and the priests … with the trumpets … and the singers sang … and rejoiced because God brought great joy to them”.

Guardians of the Entrances

1 Chronicles 9:22–27
This description of the gatekeepers begins in 1 Chronicles 9:17 where they are described as we would expect as gaurdians of the entrances.There were several other duties for the gatekeepers, “The section deals with three aspects of the gatekeepers’ ‘service’ or ministry (vv. 19, 28), their authority (vv. 17–23), their leadership (vv. 24–27), and their additional work (vv. 28–32).”5

In 1 Chronicles 9:26 “the four mighty gatekeepers” are mentioned, “The four principal gatekeepers (vv. 24–27) are presumably those named in verse 17. The temple doors were closed each night, though a key (v. 27) is mentioned nowhere else in the Old Testament. The morning (v. 27) was the time for praise (cf. 1 Chr. 23:30) and sacrifice”.6

A Song of Praise and Thanksgiving to God

Nehemiah 12:44–47
There were offerings and in the storehouse rooms and in Nehemiah 12:44 “the joy of Judah was upon the priests and Levites standing there”. When the people prospered and found the joy of the Lord in their lives, the priests also prospered. Now they need someone to manage the storehouse. This responsibility was not the keeping of the gates or of singing, it was the keeping of the people, the keeping of the staff, so they could do their work.

Nehemiah 12:46 (LEB) For in the days of David and Asaph from ancient times there was the head of the singers and a song of praise and thanksgiving to God.

We should have such order, and paid positions for “the head of the singers”, the singers, the gatekeepers, the Levites, and the “descendants of Aaron”. Or in our language, a worship leader, worship singers, ushers (helps and administration and today, security), and ministry staff (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor Teacher).

They Separated All of the Foreign People

Nehemiah 13:1–3
We could take a lesson from Nehemiah 13:2. God didn’t have any tolerance for the “Ammonite or Moabite” who didn’t offer “bread and water” which might not have been so bad. But they sought out and “hired Balaam … to curse them”. From then on, the law of God was, “that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God”. So, they separated from them.

The Chambers of the House of Our God

Nehemiah 13:4–9
The priest, Eliashib, offered Tobiah special consideration by giving him a place in the house of God. This chamber had a purpose, and it wasn’t for the priest to rent it out for gain or favor. It was already clear that Tobiah “had admirers and sworn supporters in the highest circles of Judah (6:17–19). Himself the bearer of a good Jewish name (see on 2:10), he had married into one of the leading families, and his son into another, as reported earlier; now it emerges that the high priest himself was a connection.1 But Nehemiah wouldn’t let this go, in Nehemiah 13:8 he “threw all of the objects from the house of Tobiah outside of the chamber”.

The House of God Forsaken

Nehemiah 13:10–14
Nehemiah finds that the distribution to “the Levites had not been given to them” in Nehemiah 13:10. Because of this, they had all gone to the fields to be able to feed themselves and their families. The thing is, the rest of Israel had been given land, but not the Levites. So, in Nehemiah 13:11-13 “I quarreled with the prefects, and I said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them and set them at their station”. He reestablished the tithe, and the store house, and the distribution, and the workers in the house of God. 

Consecrate the Day of the Sabbath

Nehemiah 13:15–22
In Nehemiah 13:15-16 “people treading the wine press on the Sabbath … (and) brought fish and every kind of merchandise and sold it on the Sabbath”. So in Nehemiah 13:17-18 “I quarreled with the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing … you are adding fierce wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath!” Then he locked the gates for the Sabbath, but they “spent the night outside of Jerusalem” in Nehemiah 13:20. They couldn’t wait a minute, planning how they could begin selling again after the Sabbath was over. They missed the whole point, it was to be a day of rest, a day to connect with God and each other. It wasn’t a day for planning your work for the next week.

A Covenant With Our God

Nehemiah 13:23–31
The whole congregation had stood with Ezra and made an oath that they would not inter-marry with the pagan nations around them but here is “Another violation of the covenant signed by the community (10:30). See v. 3 and note; compare note on Ezra 9:1–10:44”.2 Nehemiah wanted to be remembered for his work,

Nehemiah 13:30 (LEB) So I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established responsibilities for the priests and Levites, each in his own work,

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Nehemiah 12:22-47
  • Nehemiah 13:1–31

Operation Exodus

is helping Jewish people return to their homeland. You might fund one that desires to go home. http://operationexodususa.org/Overview

Return to Israel – Ezra

We often read one book of the Bible at a time and that is easier for everyone to follow. The order of our readings, beginning with Ezra, are from the Tyndale One Year Chronological Bible because the return from Babylonian exile includes Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah, Esther, a few Psalms, and other connections. Covering these events chronologically as they happened, gives a much better context and helps us understand the move of God as He is reestablishing His people. Review the whole series beginning with Go Up To Jerusalem.

References

  • 1. Kidner, D. (1979). Ezra and Nehemiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 12, p. 141). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 2. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ne 13:23). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Devotions

To Praise and To Give Thanks

by  • 

The people are settling in to the whole region of Judah. This had once been theirs, and it is again but now under the rule of the Persian Governor. At least he is one of their own, Nehemiah. They still have their genealogies, they have maintained their connection to God’s covenant with Abraham. We find the names of those that returned. We find tribes and Priests, and Levites. We also find those that have specific roles, the gatekeepers, the bakers, those that mix incense and fragrances, and the singers. This they remembered from David’s day, there is power in praise. 

The Villages in Their Territories

Nehemiah 11:25–36
Now that the work in Jerusalem is done, they can focus on the settlements. Here in Nehemiah 11:25, “The whole region in which the villages here mentioned were situated had been completely devastated by the Chaldean invasion; and, therefore, it must be assumed, that these villages had been rebuilt”.1 Nehemiah was now the governor, but this was their homeland “As a province of the Persian empire, the whole territory governed by Nehemiah was called Yehud (Judah), and was bounded on the north by the province of Samaria, and on the south by Idumea (Edom). But historically the part of it which ran from Jerusalem northward had belonged to Benjamin; so the two tribes occupied their respective territories, defined briefly in verses 30b, 31a, with Levi distributed among them both (36)”.2 

They Were Written in the Book

1 Chronicles 9:1–21
Genealogies matter to the Jewish people, and we see this in 1 Chronicles 9:1 where “From the beginning of the Hebrew nation, public records were kept, containing a registration of the name of every individual, as well as the tribe and family to which he belonged. “The book of the kings of Israel and Judah” does not refer to the two canonical books that are known in Scripture by that name, but to authenticated copies of those registers, placed under the official care of the sovereigns; and as a great number of the Israelites (1 Ch 9:3) took refuge in Judah during the invasion of Shalmaneser, they carried the public records along with them. The genealogies given in the preceding chapters were drawn from the public records in the archives both of Israel and Judah; and those given in this chapter relate to the period subsequent to the restoration; whence it appears (compare 1 Ch 3:17–24) that the genealogical registers were kept during the captivity in Babylon”.3

In 1 Chronicles 9:2 we get the names of the first group to return. “1 Chronicles 9 is made up of two lists: verses 2–34, those who resettled Jerusalem; verses 35–44, the genealogy of Saul. The main subject matter is the list of Jerusalem residents, since the latter section really introduces the account of Saul’s dynasty (ch. 10). Occupation of Jerusalem is a key feature in the restoration of post-exilic Israel”.4

Guardians of the Entrances

1 Chronicles 9:22–27
This description of the gatekeepers begins in 1 Chronicles 9:17 where they are described as we would expect as gaurdians of the entrances.There were several other duties for the gatekeepers, “The section deals with three aspects of the gatekeepers’ ‘service’ or ministry (vv. 19, 28), their authority (vv. 17–23), their leadership (vv. 24–27), and their additional work (vv. 28–32).”5

In 1 Chronicles 9:26 “the four mighty gatekeepers” are mentioned, “The four principal gatekeepers (vv. 24–27) are presumably those named in verse 17. The temple doors were closed each night, though a key (v. 27) is mentioned nowhere else in the Old Testament. The morning (v. 27) was the time for praise (cf. 1 Chr. 23:30) and sacrifice”.6

And Some of Them Were …

1 Chronicles 9:28–34
There are a number of different jobs where special service was required and “Since Kohath was the grandfather of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam (Exod. 6:20; Num. 26:59), the Kohathites were considered the most important of the three major Levitical families (that is, Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites)”.7 We have seen the visible gatekeepers but there are many other jobs that are not so visible. These are the workers behind the scenes that make our coming together possible. “The Kohathites were … responsible to care for and move the ark, table, lamp-stand, altars, vessels of the sanctuary, and the screen (Num. 3:29–31). The Kohathites could not touch these objects and could move them only after they had been properly prepared by Aaron and his sons”.8

The Priests and The Levites

Nehemiah 12:1–9
These came “with Zerubbabel” in Nehemiah 12:1, “according to Ne 12:7, “the chief of the priests,” the heads of the twenty-four courses into which the priesthood was divided (1 Ch 24:1–20). Only four of the courses returned from the captivity (Ne 7:39–42; Ezr 2:36–39). But these were divided by Zerubbabel, or Jeshua, into the original number of twenty-four”.9

 

Priests During the Reign of Darius the Persian

Nehemiah 12:10–22
As they lamented earlier, they are now slaves under foreign rule. No longer a king of their own so, “This enumeration was of great importance, not only as establishing their individual purity of descent, but because the chronology of the Jews was henceforth to be reckoned, not as formerly by the reigns of their kings, but by the successions of their high priests”.10 

To Praise and To Give Thanks

Nehemiah 12:23–26
We find the singers, in Nehemiah 12:24, arrayed with “the heads of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brothers opposite them, to praise and to give thanks by the command of David the man of God, section alongside section”. This seems to be in line with “David’s system the phrase, watch corresponding to watch, applied to the gatekeepers (1 Chr. 26:16). Here it seems to govern primarily the singers, who are also shown standing opposite one another, both earlier in this verse and in verse 9”.11

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Nehemiah 11:25-36
  • 1 Chronicles 9:1-34
  • Nehemiah 12:1–36

Operation Exodus

is helping Jewish people return to their homeland. You might fund one that desires to go home. http://operationexodususa.org/Overview

Return to Israel – Ezra

We often read one book of the Bible at a time and that is easier for everyone to follow. The order of our readings, beginning with Ezra, are from the Tyndale One Year Chronological Bible because the return from Babylonian exile includes Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah, Esther, a few Psalms, and other connections. Covering these events chronologically as they happened, gives a much better context and helps us understand the move of God as He is reestablishing His people. Review the whole series beginning with Go Up To Jerusalem.

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 300). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 2. Kidner, D. (1979). Ezra and Nehemiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 12, p. 132). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 3. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 254). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 4. Selman, M. J. (1994). 1 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 10). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 5. Selman, M. J. (1994). 1 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 10, p. 133). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 6. Selman, M. J. (1994). 1 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 10, p. 135). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 7. Logan, P. (2003). Kohathites. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1000). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers
  • 8. Logan, P. (2003). Kohathites. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1000). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
  • 9. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 301). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 10. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 301). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 11. Kidner, D. (1979). Ezra and Nehemiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 12, p. 137). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.