Week 37

Ezra 4:6-6:13 and Haggai

The people who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon had laid the foundations of the temple, but they encountered opposition from the inhabitants of Samaria.  Their enemies wrote a letter to the king of Persia, accusing Jerusalem of being at the center of much rebellion, and the king wrote back commanding that they stop working.  This stop lasted until the reign of king Darius of Persia (not the Babylonian king of the same name).

In the 2nd year of king Darius’ reign, the Lord stirred up the leaders and people in Israel through the prophet Haggai and Zechariah, rebuking them for not finishing the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem.  In response to the words of Haggai, work on the temple was restarted, and this caused a letter to be sent from the regional governor to the king, asking him for a response to this activity.  Darius had the archives searched, and they found the decree of Cyrus the Great, declaring freedom for the Jews, permission to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and that the work to do so would be funded out of the king’s treasury (from taxes on the people).  So this work in rebuilding the temple was not only approved by Darius, but he instructed the regional governor to provide the Jews with tax money for the costs of doing so.

Zechariah 1-6

In the Old Testament, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah provide the historical record of Israel in the years following the Babylonian captivity of Israel, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple over the course of around 100 years.  During that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied the words of the Lord.

Even though Zechariah prophesied in these times, much of what God said through Him spoke of things that would happen far in the future, with Joshua the High Priest being an explicit foreshadowing of Jesus Christ.  He is called The Branch, which is the same title used by God in Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 23:5, and Jeremiah 33:15.  In chapter 4 we see the 2 anointed ones, who represent the 2 witnesses of Revelation 11:4.  In chapter 6, Joshua the High Priest (called The Branch) is crowned, prophetically speaking of Jesus, Who will be both King and Priest to God.

Zechariah 7-8, Ezra 6:14-22, and Psalm 78

In Zechariah 7-8 a group of men inquired of the Lord regarding some days of fasting that they had observed in Babylon, but God tells them that He never commanded such fasts, and He preferred to see them exhibit hearts of kindness and compassion towards each other.  God is telling them that empty religious practices are worthless before Him.  He promises to rebuild His temple, and make Zion a place that many people desire, but He expects His people to rightly represent Him in treating others with righteousness and honesty in all interactions.

The exiles completed the building of the temple in the 6th year of king Darius of Persia, and it was re-dedicated to the Lord with sacrifices and offerings, and again celebrated the Passover in the first month on their calendar.

Psalm 78 recounts the history of God’s faithfulness to Israel, even though they continually failed to remain faithful to Him.  In spite of their persistent unfaithfulness, God did not destroy them, and He was quick to forgive them when they turned to Him in repentance.  Just like He promised, the Lord brought back the peoples to Israel, and all of His promises will likewise be fulfilled exactly as He has said in the future.

Psalm 107, 116, and 118

The Lord will never stop dealing with those He loves, and is faithful to both discipline and bless them as He sees fit.  We are to render thanks and praise to Him at all times, whether we are being blessed or humbled by the Lord, because everything He does is good, even though not always pleasant.  The Lord hears our prayers and petitions, and we love Him for Who He is, and all He has done.  He rescues us time after time, and preserves us until the day of His choosing.

The lovingkindness and mercy of the Lord is forever.  As the psalmist says in 118:8-9, it is always better to take refuge in the Lord, rather than trusting in ourselves, in other men, or even in governments, or power kings.

Psalm 125, 126, 128, 129, 132, 147, and 149

The psalms between 120-134 are called songs of ascent, and tradition has it that they were sung walking up to the temple from the eastern entrance of Jerusalem, which is an uphill walk from the Kidron valley.

125 - The Lord does good for those who are His, but He allows the wicked to be led away in deceit with their evil companions.

126 - Psalm 126 is a song of praise to God, Who restores His children, and is believed to have been written by Ezra.

128 - Blessed are those who fear the Lord, and walks in His ways

129 - The Lord will put to shame all those who hate Zion and His people

132 - The Lord has chosen Zion as His forever, and His promises to David will not falter.

147 - Give praise to the Lord for His faithfulness and countless acts of mercy.  He restores His people, and builds up Jerusalem.

149 - The Syriac version of this psalms is titled “concerning the new temple”, and it commands praises to the Lord for His goodness and justice

Zechariah 9-14

9 - The Lord will triumph over all the nations around Israel, and in this prophecy of Zechariah we also see the prediction of Christ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

10 - In the last days the Lord will bring back all of His people to the land, and strengthen them to greatness in His Name.

11 - Before the last days there will be judgement upon Israel, which we’ve seen severely happen in the past 1900 years.  This chapter also includes a prophecy concerning Judas, and the 30 pieces of silver he took, and how it was later used to buy the potter’s field.  The worthless shepherd described at the end of this chapter speaks of the anti-christ in the last days

12 - In the last days many nations of the world will come together to fight against Jerusalem, but the Lord will defend His own

13 - There will be times of great trouble for Israel in the last days, but the Lord will save a remnant for Himself

14 - In the end, the Lord will return to the earth and do battle with the enemies of His people.  He will establish His throne in Jerusalem, and all the nations of the world will come to worship Him there.

Esther 1-4

It is generally considered that the events of the book of Esther occurs between the periods recorded by Ezra and Nehemiah, between the first and second returns of Jews to Israel following the Babylonian captivity.  It is not clear which king of Persia is referenced in this story, since there were many named Ahaseurus, or Artaxerxes, but some scholars believe he was the same as Artaxerxes Longimanus, who issued the decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

The king of Persia was disrespected by his queen, and so she was set aside from being queen, and a search was initiated throughout the land to find a new queen.  Esther, who was an orphan, and under the care of her uncle Mordecai, was included among the many young women to be considered for the king’s choice, and she was chosen and made queen.  However, the king also promoted an evil man named Haman, but he grew incensed that Mordecai refused to bow to him, and eventually convinced the king to allow him to have all the Jews in the land killed.  A proclamation is made in the first month of the year that the Jews will be vulnerable to slaughter and plunder on the 13th day of the 12th month.  Mordecai and all of the Jews go into mourning over this news, and after some time he is able to communicate to Esther all that is going on, and the plan that Haman has to wipe out all the Jews in the land.  Esther asked that all the Jews fast and pray for her for three days, and then she would go in to see the king.