Merry Christmas

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counnselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

May all your days be made bright by the light of the love that was born at Christmas. We at Bible Study for Women would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year ruled by Christ's peace.

Shalom.

How is Your Peace?

Taught by Arlene S.
Notes by Linda G.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:6-7a, emphasis added)

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14, emphasis added)

The above two verses are probably familiar to all of us. We hear them often this time of year. Arlene reminded us that the first verse from Isaiah is a prophecy about the coming Messiah. The second verse is the New Testament fulfillment of this prophecy. Both of these verses speak of peace. Peace is something that the Lord wants us to have.

She broke ‘peace’ down into two types: spiritual peace and circumstantial peace. In John 14:27 Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. The peace that Jesus is speaking of, that He wants us to have, is spiritual peace. Peace that transcends worldly circumstances.

Within the category of spiritual peace Arlene showed us that biblically there is something called ‘positional peace’ and something called ‘experiential peace’.

POSITIONAL PEACE

Arlene brought us through a series of scriptures that point to the fact that we do have peace with God. It is the peace that we have when we come to God.

“For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10, emphasis added)

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6, emphasis added)

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, emphasis added)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”. (Eph 2:8, emphasis added)

The emphasis on the above verses is on what God has done for us. We are not saved by the law. Even in the Old Testament this was true. “If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about-but not before God. What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."” (Romans 4:6-7). Abraham looked ahead to the fulfillment to God’s promises. We, as new Testament believers, look back to the cross. Arlene emphasized that God’s love for us is ‘furious’, despite the fact that we are sinners. Through Christ’s death we are restored to relationship with the father. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21)

EXPERIENTIAL PEACE

Arlene explained that because we do have positional peace with God we should be able to have experiential peace in our lives. (I am sure that I am not alone in saying that peace is not always a reality in my life.) Arlene asked us “Why are we moved? Why are we anxious? Why no peace? What is blocking it?”. She went back to the verse from the beginning of the study “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7). Arlene emphasized the word ‘government’ in this verse. What we are governed by is what we are ruled by. The more peace we want in our lives, the more we must allow God to rule in our lives.

The following is a list of the things that we may be allowing to rule in our lives. Something that Arlene stressed is that Satan absolutely wants to keep us from allowing Christ to rule our lives. We need to be vigilant to overcome the ways in which he will keep us from walking in God’s peace.

Other people/our culture: Paul states this very clearly: “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”(Gal 1:10) Arlene also pointed to another scripture where Paul describes a situation where a fellow servant of Christ did not do as Paul wanted. “Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity”. (1 Cor 16:12) It seems Paul could take ‘no’ for an answer. Arlene pointed out that it is ok for us to say ‘no’ as well. (Personally, I would follow this up with we should be able to accept ‘no’ as an answer. Amen?)

Circumstances: We may allow bad circumstances to rule us (i.e. our past, a troubled marriage, shaky finances, health issues)

Self-imposed rule: Arlene pointed out that unknowingly we can allow our own hidden faults to rule us. “Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.”(Psalm 19:12) The following are unintentional sins that could be ruling us. Not only do they affect our own lives but also the lives of those around us.

Perfectionism: This could rule us as well. To read more about this, see Arlene’s devotional entitled “Perfect Pursuit”. mwcwbstudy.blogspot.com/2010/12/perfect-pursuit.html Arlene told us that we need to ‘accept acceptance’. In this world we will never be perfect but God rejoices as we try to please Him.

Insecurities: Our insecurities also can rule over us. As Arlene mentioned, not only do our insecurities hurt us but they also hurt others. Especially in our role as mothers this can happen. Our children are greatly influenced by us and as we respond to situations out of something like insecurity or having a victim mentality, this is what they will learn. We want to model Christ’s rule in our lives for the health of our families. Arlene showed us the nature of the Proverbs 31 Woman, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. “(Proverbs 31-25) Like the Proverbs 31 Woman, we too can be women of valor, one who is confident with the heart and spirit of a warrior.

Self-protection: Many of us keep our heart guarded because we have been greatly wounded in the past. The Lord wants us to be able to love generously, lavishly, and sincerely. As Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.“ It is hard to trust the Lord with our heart, but it is the best place to be.

Negative emotions: Some of the negative emotions that can rule us are: jealousy, envy, malice, depression, bitterness, anger & criticalness. These emotions can cause us to avoid people because we know that they can bring these emotions out in a powerful way. Arlene encouraged us to pour out our hearts to the Father. He can bring healing.

Guilt: This is not the kind of guilt that makes us do something but the kind that keeps us from doing something. This is what Satan uses to keep us from walking in obedience to the Lord. Satan will tell us we are not worthy to serve God. We must choose to believe what the Lord says about us and listen to His voice.

Need for significance: Arlene mentioned how we can be motivated out of a need to show that we are significant to others. For example, we may decide to meet a need of another family while our own family is in need of that very thing. We need to hold on to the praises and criticisms of men lightly. What the Lord has to say to us, about us, is what really counts. (As a side note, this isn’t to say that a word of encouragement to another is not a blessing!)

Acceptance: The need for acceptance is also something that can rule us. We want to be part of the group.

Fear of failure: Arlene showed us that the fear of failure will keep us from God’s best. Sometimes we will not walk in obedience because we are ruled by the fear that we will not succeed.

Co-dependence: Again, as mothers this can keep us from walking in God’s peace. We allow other people’s happiness to rule our sound decisions. We feel that to guard our own happiness we need to keep those around us happy, especially our kids. Arlene stressed that we are not responsible to keep our kids happy. Our dependency needs to be on the Lord – not on the relationships that surround us.

Arlene showed us how all the above things will keep us from walking is Jesus’ experiential peace. This peace can be a reality in our lives. “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”(Isaiah 26:3) God’s rule is good and right and pure. We need to die (or surrender) to what we want instead we need to cling to the Lord if we want to experience this peace. We want to be attached to Him. The more we are able to do this the more peace we will have. Trusting God is the key.

Something else Arlene pointed out, it is easy to allow God to rule when we understand but when we don’t understand the circumstances of our lives, peace can flee. The story of Job is a good example of this. In the Old Testament adverse circumstances were often the direct result of sin. Job’s friends all admonished him to admit his sin in order to restore the favor of the Lord. Job did all that he knew to do yet his circumstances did not change. He said “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.(Job 13:15)

In Job 38, God responds to Job’s plea for understanding. “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2) God then describes the wonders of the physical world He has created. His point is that if man cannot understand God’s power to create and sustain the things that we can see and we can accept it, why can’t we trust Him with the things that are going on in our lives that we don’t understand? In other words, we don’t know how God created the world but we accept that He did then why can’t we trust Him with the things going on in our lives that we don’t understand. Arlene illustrated that she doesn’t know how a plane flies in the air but she travels on them. How much more can we trust God?

In conclusion, Arlene asked us, “Do you have peace in my life? Who is ruling?”. Is it another person, your circumstances or some hidden fault? God desires for us to live in His peace. The more we allow Him to rule or govern our lives the more we will experience His peace. Although while we are on earth, we will never fully walk in complete peace we can have more than many of us are experiencing. Let the following verse be a prayer in this quest:

“Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. Lord, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.” (Isaiah 26:12-13)

Perfect Pursuit

I have some strong tendencies; others might categorize them as mild compulsions while still others blatant obsessions. I guess that distinction would lie in the relative proximity of their relationship with me. Those that are up front and close fall victim to these tendencies most often and have graduated from the “that is so cute” to the “you are out of control sister” mindset. I am working on tempering these inclinations for that last group.

As I sit here writing this post, I need only glance above the screen of my laptop to realize I am about to have a serious encounter with this particular disposition. I can’t help but notice that our television, which my husband had been working on the other night, was blatantly off center on its stand. Now mind you, I recognized this serious breech of decorative malfeasance the other morning and since I am working on my “tendencies”, I decided to exercise restraint and wait until someone else became aware of the obvious faux pas and rectify it. Well that was five and a half days ago; I can’t help wondering if there is a grave problem with the members in this house. I mean, seriously, am I the only one who sees how wrong this is? Can’t they see how important it is for the television to be sitting right in the middle of the table?!

Perhaps you have already been able to pin point my struggle. Hello, my name is Arlene and I am a perfectionist. I don’t mean to be that way and I can’t even isolate where this penchant for the perfect was birthed. But it seems to have escalated over the years to a full blown affinity to order. Doesn’t everyone live the credo “there is a place for every thing and everything belongs in its place”? No? Really?

Aside from the current pending issue I am well on the way to perfectionism temperance though admittedly I do encounter lapses now and again. Ok more now then again. I confess my motivation to moderation wasn’t due to the fact that I was driving those dear to me over the edge but I discovered that this proclivity for excellence doesn’t entirely line up with the Word of God.

Early on in my walk, I stumbled on the verse “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). You probably have figured out that that verse and my obsession was a disaster waiting to happen, the nucleic proportion kind, and it did. I self destructed. At that time, I didn’t understand the elementary basics of applying scripture with scripture. I hadn’t understood that while this verse describes the standard of righteousness, this standard can never be perfectly met by man himself, a person who by faith trusts in God enjoys God’s righteousness being reproduced in his life.

The Psalmist understood this when he wrote “To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless” (Psalm 119:96). I wonder if he had tendencies also. It would seem that he realized that all his ability to be perfect could never match up to the mighty righteousness of God. I think we might have had something in common.

In my desire to be free from this bondage of perfection I learned something stunning. God is not moved by my imperfections after all. In fact, if scripture holds true, and I believe that it does, He already sees me as perfect. The Song of Solomon reads “but my dove, my perfect one, is unique.” (6:9) I love that verse because my whole life I have been described as different, somehow it never felt like a compliment, but I rather like God’s terminology instead…unique. A girl could get use to that especially when it sits next to “perfect”.

But there is more. Not only does God see me as perfect, but He makes my way perfect. “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” (Psalm 18:31). “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me.” (Psalm 138:8 KJV) To my understanding it would seem that God has decided to take up my pursuit of perfection and carry it out on my behalf. Don’t you find that utterly amazing?

However, there is something that I do need to do and that is “aim for perfection” (2 Corinthians 13:11). You see I stand in the righteousness of God because of what Christ did on the cross but that doesn’t negate my responsibility to work out that righteousness in my life. While I am in perfect standing before God that perfection is being worked out tangibly as I walk by faith with Him. Righteous perfection will never be attained but I am commanded to pursue it.

I think I can do that. To aim for something doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to hit the mark, it just means your trying to. I think that makes God happy. I think He likes it when want to please Him. I think our faith attempts are what count and not whether we actually hit the bull’s eye. I am content to live with that and even as I finish this post I am going to purpose to make it my pursuit to aim for better and not get crazed over the failed attempts. Yeah I think that will be my new focus. That is definitely what I will do!

As soon as I straighten the T.V..

“Faith is the courage to accept acceptance, to accept that God loves me as I am and not as I should be, because I’m never going to be as I should be.”
Paul Tillich

Class Notes for 12/7

The notes for today's lesson will not be posted on the blog. Toby will be sending out a copy of her notes to the Women's Bible Study email list. If you would like a copy, please contact Toby directly. Next week's lesson will be up as usual. Have a great week!

Lessons from Lexi: A study in joy

My daughter recently turned 20 months. While this age has its toddler moments of insanity, I am finding it a delightful age to parent. I also find that often times I learn more from her than she from me!

Sure, I’ve walked this earth by God’s grace for 39 years (don’t even mention my 40^th birthday coming up, ugh!) and Lexi’s walked it for…a little over one and a half years but she still has blessed me with some wonderful lessons of how to live in God’s grace every day.

Lesson 1: Beauty is not where you expect

My daughter loves flowers; loves to stop and see them, smell them, touch them. A walk into our church can take quite a while as she stops to admire each and every flower along the way. As winter approaches, most flowers have died and dried up. The pots and fields of flowers we do encounter in our travels are usually of the brown, withered, dried up, and, well, dead variety! Yet, Lexi stops with grace and awe at each one. She bends down to smell them, she looks up at me and says, “pwetty” and she takes such joy in God’s creation. At first, I wanted to pull her along and even started to say, “those are all gone, let’s go, nothing to see here.” I even chuckled at her toddler sense of aesthetics: dead flowers pretty?

Then the Spirit stopped me. Isn’t that how God sees us fallen humans? Are we always bright, blooming, healthy spring flowers? I can’t speak for you, but, no, I’m not! I sin. I fall into despair. I forget to talk to God. My soul , at times, feels like a brown, withered, dried up flower-but God sees me and all of you as “pwetty”. Beauty personified! What if we took this approach to the world as well? What if we learned to see beauty in people and things usually overlooked or dismissed by most people? What if we saw the beauty in the down trodden, sad new person in church-instead of ignoring them? What if we saw the “pwetty” in the harried cashier on our next trip to Shop-Rite? As the busyness of Christmas approaches, let’s all remember to “see the pwetty” and I think we will find life filled with more joy than we thought.

Lesson 2: Sometimes you just fall down.

Lexi has been walking since her first birthday, but, as a toddler, she sometimes overestimates what she can do. She’ll try to run or skip, jump or hop, climb something way too big for her or just perform something physical that she’s not capable of yet. Quite a few times throughout the day she trips or tumbles (gently!) off her chair. When this happens she says, “Go boom” very matter of factly, gets up, brushes off her hands and continues on with what she was doing. Falling down was just that: falling down. No shame or moral lessons attached to it. She fell. She got up. Life moves on. I challenge all of us to live like this! How often do we “fall”, whether that “fall” be a job loss, a bad hair day, a broken friendship, a bad presentation at work, a lost opportunity, an argument with a spouse/friend, or an actual, physical tumble? Probably more times than we want to admit. And how often, in these falls, do we feel embarrassment, we mutter “sorry” under our breath, we feel shame at our ineptness, we feel we are not enough. Falling becomes a reflection, and a bad one at that, on our very character. Let’s give that up, ladies! Let’s remember when we fall down to just realize, matter of factly, that we went “boom” and just get up and move on. Our mistakes are NOT who we are. We are washed clean by the blood of Jesus. When we “go boom” it is nothing more than a brief interruption in whatever we were doing. How much more joyful would our lives be if we could let go of our “my bad” moments!

Lesson 3: Sometimes a cup of water is truly a miracle

Since everything is so new to someone Lexi’s age, she tends to slow down and really see and appreciate life’s little moments. A new toy!! Really! If she were a dog, she’d be wagging her tail. Sometimes in the morning when I announce we are having oatmeal, one of her favorites, she runs to the kitchen, pumping her little arms in the air, chanting, “o-meal, o-meal!”

The other day after a snack and some time running around at a playdate, Lexi was thirsty. I didn’t have her sippy cup and so offered her something new: a drink of cold water out of a “grown up” cup with no straw and no lid. Her eyes got wide, her mouth opened in joy and she carefully and reverently drank all the water. Then she looked at me and said, “tank oo” and then gave a big, happy, “mmmmmmmm!” sound. Over water. That water was truly something to rejoice about!

I smile at these moments. My family and friends and I laugh at the great joy she takes in, of all things, oatmeal and water. How cute, we think, and then, “if only we could still be amazed at everything.”

Well, why can’t we? We have the joy of the Lord in our hearts and he graces each day with little moments of joy, we just have to start seeing them. Someone brought snacks in to work? Yay! When you get home after a long day, your slippers feel so soft and comfy? Rejoice! Let’s take the time to start taking joy in all that God gives us and stop waiting for something big and miraculous to bring us joy. Everyday life can be an “o-meal” moment!

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

1^st Peter 1:8-9

For the Love of Ezra

Taught by Arlene S.
Notes by Linda G.

Throughout our study of the book of Ezra, the focus has been primarily on the spiritual and physical journey of the Israelites as they returned from their time of exile in Babylon. In today’s lesson Arlene gave us a different perspective – we looked at Ezra the man. From what we have studied to date, we see that he was a man of influence. Arlene mentioned that he is often referred to as ‘the second Moses’. Today we explored why this is so and why we can see Ezra, also, as a man who truly loved.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:3-4).

Arlene used this verse to point to the character of Ezra. She focused first on Ezra’s ‘faithfulness’. The Hebrew word for faithfulness is met. It means that something can be relied on, as in adhering to the truth. The Hebrew word for love in this verse is hesed. It refers to a loyal, covenant love often translated in the NIV as "unfailing love". Arlene pointed out that Ezra walked in this love .
Arlene brought us through seven facets of how Ezra displayed this love. She focused on how he related to God, and how that relationship shaped his relationship to the Israelites.

1)Ezra devoted his life to studying and observing God’s Word. The teachings of God’s Word became a part of Ezra’s very nature; he was devoted. Based on the above verse we see that because of his faithfulness to the Truth that he did find favor with God.

2)Ezra spoke the truth in love resulting in conviction. Arlene reviewed chapter 9 to give us perspective. This chapter begins with ‘After these things had been done’ (Ez 9:1). The things that had been done were: the return of two waves of exiles, the temple and alter were rebuilt, and they faced opposition. Many commentators place chapter 8 of Nehemiah on the historical calendar of events between chapters 9 and 10 of Ezra. In this chapter of Nehemiah, Ezra is reading from the law (Deut 5:29-33, 6, 7:6-16, and 10:12-13). The people were mourning and weeping as he read. These verses spoke of God's covenant love for them and how He gave them the commandments so that they might have a long life and live in prosperity.

Sometime we use the Word like a sword on each other, perhaps in truth but possibly lacking the love which needs to balance the truth. Arlene brought up the following from 1 Cor 13:1-3, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing”. If Ezra had not spoken with the love of God, his word would not have been received yet we clearly see it touched their hearts.

3) Ezra pointed them to joy in God’s hesed love for them. “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, 'This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.' For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law” (Neh. 8:9). Ezra tells the people to rejoice because “the joy of the Lord is your strength" (see Neh 8:10) and that they then celebrated “with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them” (Neh. 8:12). In this passage we see that “love rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor 13:6b).

Arlene shared with us some thoughts from a book entitled You Gotta Keep Dancin’ by Tim Hansel (Life Journey Books, 1985, pp. 53-54). In this book, Mr. Hansel explains that the word for ‘happiness’ and ‘happening’ come from the same root, the point being that happiness is linked to circumstances. Joy is something that overshadows present circumstances. He writes “Joy is that deep settled confidence that God is in control of every area of my life”. He goes on to say “It is not a feeling; it is a choice”. We may not be able to avoid painful circumstances in our lives but we do have the freedom to choose joy in these times. Ezra pointed the people not to sorrow on this sacred day but to be joyful in the Lord.

4)Ezra identified with them (the Israelites) which resulted in genuine sorrow. In Ezra 9 we saw that some things were going on that grieved Ezra. Not only on behalf of his people but himself as well. Not only was Ezra a teacher put he was also a priest. As 1 Cor 13:4 says “Love does not boast”, or in the NKJV, “parade itself”. Ezra did not exalt himself against his fellow Jews but identified with them. In Hebrews 4:14-5:3 we see that Jesus, as our high priest, had compassion on our suffering and weaknesses because he was tempted as we are. Even more so, the earthly priests could have compassion and understanding of the peoples’ weaknesses because they were sinners as well. Ezra truly fellowshiped in their sorrow.

Arlene shared with us a quote by Henri Noeween that speaks of this compassion that we want to have for others, “ Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to a place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering.
What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick sure for it”.

We examined the question of why do we find so much emotion in this chapter? Going back to Solomon, we learned, he had disobeyed the Lord by taking wives that influenced him by drawing him away from the Lord (to put it mildly!). The consequences of his actions on the nation of Israel were painfully severe, touching generations to follow. The Isrealites of Ezra’s time were repeating the mistakes of their past leaders and Ezra grieved for what might follow. Arlene pointed out that we, as women, are leaders of some kind with a sphere of influence. We need to choose the type of leader we want to be.

5)Ezra gave Godly counsel and waited for God to work on their hearts. From Ezra 10:1-4, Arlene taught how Ezra had given godly counsel to the people then took a step back and gave the Lord room to work. As it says in 1 Cor 13:7, love always trusts (God). Arlene gave us a helpful acrostic that she had learned in a parenting seminar many years ago. It is I.C.E. I – instruction , C-consequence, E – exercise your options. She related how it is often hard for us to remain silent because it makes us feel helpless. Trusting God and believing he is in control is the best path to take.

6)Ezra used his authority and led them in obedience. We see in 1 Cor 13 that "love bears all things". As Arlene taught, Ezra did not just talk about what they should do, he did what he said should be done and became a part of it. We already saw that he had the legal and spiritual authority to rule. He didn’t use his authority from a place of supreme power, he ruled with love and humility.

Sometimes in the Word there appears to be inconsistencies between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In Deuteronomy 7:1-4, God is telling his people not to intermarry with the people of the lands they had conquered. This was due to the transfer of uncleanness. In Ezra 8 and 9 we see that the Israelites had intermarried with these people. In the New Testament we have already been made clean. We are under a new covenant. In the New Testament, in an unequally yoked marriage, the unbelieving spouse and the children are sanctified (not saved) by the believing spouse. They are made clean. “Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!” (2 Cor 3:7-9).

7)Ezra supervised repentance for as long as it took. In 1 Cor 13, God tells us "love is patient". Arlene showed us how Ezra loved the people with patience. Ezra 10:9-19 details the process that took place. A thorough investigation was carried out – the judgment was not carried out haphazardly and it took time.

Arlene differentiated the kinds of sin we see in the Bible (see Psalm 51). Here they are: 1) sin – missing the mark, basically regular, daily sin that we all commit as part of our human nature, 2)transgressions– this is premeditated sin, 3) iniquity – perversity or evil, and 4) hidden faults and unintentional sins. “Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression” (Psalm 19:12-13).

“If a person sins and does wht is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even thought he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible. He is to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value . In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven.“(Lev 5:17-18).

“They all gave their hands in pledge to put away their wives, and for their guilt they each presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.” (Ezra 10:19).

Arlene pointed out what was so wonderful in these passages is how determined God is to love His people. He had made a way for them to be reconciled to himself, even for the sins that they did not know they were committing. This is hesed, covenant love. God absolutely loves us in the same way. Jesus died on the cross to cover all our sins – from those that are premeditated to those we don’t even know we have done. Even as I write this I am filled with joy and gratitude. What a wonderful Savior we have!!

In conclusion, Arlene showed us how Ezra loved:
• he had a whole hearted devotion to God and His word
• he was passionate about others loving God too
• he brought encouragement and hope to the repentant
• he identified with their sin and then helped
• he gave godly counsel and trusted God with people
• he didn’t use his authority to control but to help
• he stuck with them to the end


“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:3-4).

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

By Susan H.

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. Every year I maintain my resolve that I will not allow holiday business to rob me of the true meaning behind Thanksgiving - a time for giving thanks. Yet each year I feel as though that resolve gets swallowed up by a giant turkey vulture.

I know I am not alone with the directions my thoughts wander. None of which even slightly resemble thankfulness. Usually, my first thought is, “Christmas is right around the corner.” I will appropriately follow that thought up with two simple words, “Black Friday.”

How is it that I have completely skipped over Thanksgiving in an attempt to rush around for Christmas? Eventually reality wakes me up and my focus will at least be on the appropriate holiday. Unfortunately, still my questions haunt me, “Should I make pumpkin or apple pie, sausage or cornbread stuffing, turnips or mashed potatoes?

Finally, all the food preparation is done. The meal is cooked and the family gathers around the table. A prayer of Thanksgiving is offered and we each have the opportunity to thank God for something he has done in our lives. It is at this point that I wonder, “Choose one thing?” There are so many. Where do I begin? Should I say something really big or really spiritual? As I reflect on God’s goodness, I realize how I am thankful for the small as well as the not so small things in my life. I am also sorry that I allow life to rush past without taking time to enjoy those moments that are truly important in life.

I think next year I will follow my daughter’s example. She is teaching my two year old granddaughter the true meaning of thankfulness. She stuck a straggly tree branch in a pot and each night the family would gather and place a construction paper leaf on a branch with something they were thankful for. One night my granddaughter was thankful for cookies and her father was thankful for her bedtime. It’s the small things that count!


"Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Could You Do Me A Favor?

Could you do me a favor?

Have you ever asked anyone that question? Has anyone ever asked a favor of you? Chances are the answer to both of those questions would be a resounding “yes”.

I have this one relationship in my life whose history is marked by favors. Over the years we have watched each others kids, ran each others errands and spent more then one phone call listening to each others struggles. What makes this single relationship different from most others is that we have come to a place where there is less inquiring and more aspiring. Our relationship is increasingly characterized as one that looks for premeditated opportunities to help each other out. We look to do favors for each other on purpose before the other even thinks to ask. As I write this I confess that she is much better at it then me. I am still an apprentice.

In my study of Ezra I learned something really interesting about this man’s relationship with God. Six times I saw “the gracious hand of God was on him” within the pages of this book. In Biblical terminology, graciousness of God would be interchangeable with the favor of God. I couldn’t help but wonder what was it about this man that allowed him to walk in the kind of favor that I saw described in this book. I need go no further then Ezra 7:9c-10.

“the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” (emphasis mine)

Ezra devoted or gave his whole heart and soul, to not only studying God’s law but also to doing and teaching it. I don’t think what drove Ezra to this kind of Bible study and radical level of obedience was so much a sense of duty but an overflowing love for God. I can’t help but wonder if there is a direct correlation between the favor that I walk in with God and my whole hearted devotion to these same things.

I believe Ezra enjoyed a radical relationship with God (he is referred as the second Moses in Jewish synagogues) because of his wholehearted desire to know and love God through His word. Because of that priority God was able to pour out favor upon favor in his life. Maybe the same things that afforded Ezra that kind of favor are identical for me as well. While I know that in Christ I am a favored child of God, is there more that I can have in Him? As I dive head first into the scriptures and learn about who my God is and not merely reading the word but doing it, might I bask in that same kind of favor Ezra had too? Could it be about cultivating a deep and satisfying relationship with God through His Word that I am after? Is that what I need to live in the gracious hand of favor of God?

Maybe it is kind of like the relationship I have with my friend. Over the years we have spent a considerable amount of time getting to know and love each other. I would like to say it was all blossoms and sunshine but a tried and true friendship rarely is. But I think because we have opted to understand and love through those difficult times we can now enjoy the security where we don’t need to ask each other for a favor, we already have it. Not all of my friendships are characterized in this manner. This one is truly special and greatly cherished at least on my end. I think that is what God desires to have with each one of us as well; a relationship of pure devotion. As I write this my heart swells with gratitude for my God and this friend He has given me. I think I feel a premeditated favor coming on.

“The Lord confides in those who fear him, he makes his covenant known to them.”
Psalm 25:14

Ezra's Cry to the Lord

Taught by Janet R.
Notes by Linda G.

Today Janet covered chapter 9 of Ezra. She opened the class by asking the class a question: “How many of you have found yourself (or someone you know) in an environment that was so despicable that you (or they) didn’t know what to do?”. Many of the women offered instances of people they knew who were in such situations. These answers set the scene to what we will see in Ezra 9.

“After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness" “(Ezra 9:1-2).

Janet then asked the question : “Have you ever been in a situation where you know God has told you something from His word and you then see a believer who is not doing as God commanded?”. She then asked: “What do you do about it?”. A discussion followed in the class. Two observations stuck with me. One woman said that you need to pray about it, seek God through His Word, and be led by the Holy Spirit, whose job it is to convict. Another said that you should make sure that the person with whom you are speaking truly knows that you love them. It is not so much that you do love them, but they need to know this. If someone truly knows that you love them they will likely receive the message.

Ezra 9:2 describes the situation Ezra was facing “They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness”. In the next verse we see that Ezra was broken by what he had seen. “When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled” (Ezra 9:3).

Ezra 9:6-15 is Ezra’s plea to the Lord on behalf of himself and his people. Janet pointed out that Ezra prayed with true humility. “O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens “(Ezra 9:6). She mentioned it is so easy for us to point the finger at someone else and their sin, yet Ezra did not separate himself from the sin of the people. He cried out to the Lord. Janet asked the rhetorical questions: “Do we cry out to the Lord?, “Are our hearts burdened by the sin in our land?”.

It should be noted that Ezra was burdened by what he had seen in the church. He wasn’t crying out on behalf of the multitudes but on behalf of the Lord’s own Chosen People. This is something to think about.

Janet encouraged us all to pray over those in leadership over us. She suggested we pray for our pastors, the President, our bosses, our mayors and our Governor.

The following are admonitions that Janet closed the class with:

*We have to start doing what God says.
*Have we cried out to God for the things we need release from?
*Have we cried out and interceded for other?
*Do we cry out daily to be led by the Holy Spirit?
*Are we asking more and being thankful less?
*Is God controlling my thoughts?
*Am I persevering in prayer?

It is Sufficient!

“I am not enchanted with today”. They were the words a friend of mine posted on her facebook wall yesterday.

Before I even landed my feet on the carpet this morning my mind echoed that very thought. It wasn’t going to be an enchanting day. With the stubborn tenacity that has come to be my mainstay these last several years, I rolled over and placed each throbbing foot on the floor and gingerly lifted myself up off the bed determined to not allow this disease to rob me of this day. I couldn’t help but muse “how old am I anyway? 80?” Then I was reminded of my mother who is 82 and springs out of bed ready for anything and I readjusted that to “ok maybe 90”.

I poured that crucial first cup of coffee and settled into the most comfortable spot commanded by my current condition. I heaved a sobering sigh as I thought of all the things that I had planned to do but knew would have to wait for another time. I have come to accept that when faced with this kind of day, agendas are going to have to be flexible. I’ve grown accustomed to those first several hours filled with confusion, stiffness and achiness that would override any schedule I might have and demand to be acknowledged. I have learned to adapt. While most days are walked out with a satisfying amount of productivity, there are these kind and they are less then enchanting.

As I sat sipping my coffee with my Bible opened in my lap, my mind started to flood with all manner of anxiety that I face when I am having a bad day. How will I get everything done now that I am behind schedule? Who will I have to disappoint today because I can’t come through for them? What if it isn’t only today? What if it gets worse? What if I am back in bed again like those days in the beginning? I have a tendency to escalate my fears.

It is then that I purposely reminded myself “it is sufficient”. I then pull out a worn index card and read, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

There is a certain daily-ness of God that I have come to learn to appreciate. God tells us several times in scripture not to think about tomorrow but to focus on the day at hand. His desire is for us to walk with Him daily with our attention directed on what He has planned for us on any singular day. I think we spend too much time thinking about the future and not enough about the present or even more importantly the past.

Every year we celebrate Passover in our home. The Passover meal is central around the Haggadah. The Haggadah means “the telling” and it is a story that is retold every year. It tells of the miraculous works of God as He cared for the children of Israel in ancient times through His mighty deliverance of them from slavery in Egypt. There is one particular part during “the telling” that I particularly enjoy. It is called “Dayenu” and it means “it would have been sufficient.” The speaker reads a sentence and the rest of the participants shout dayenu. Let me share this portion of my Haggadah with you.

“If the Lord had merely rescued us, but had not judged the Egyptians,” dayenu
“If He had only destroyed their gods, but had not parted the Red Sea,”
dayenu
“If He had only drowned our enemies, but had not fed us with manna,”
dayenu
“If He had only led us through the desert, but had not given us the Sabbath,”
dayenu
If He had only given us the Torah, but not the land of Israel,
dayenu
But the Holy one, blessed be He, provided all of these blessings for our ancestors. And not only these, but so many more.”
(emphasis mine)

Can I draw your attention to the words that I have emphasized? I am always provoked by this part of the seder. If God had only rescued me from my past life apart from Him and made me His treasured possession, would that be sufficient? If God had only made me His child but not performed miraculous wonders would that be sufficient? If God gave me just enough grace for each day, would it be sufficient? Living in America, we can sometimes forget how much we have. We have more then enough but we often focus on what we don't have rather then what we do. I think that I sometimes fall into a spiritual greediness and find myself less then satisfied with what wonderful things God has already done for me and I direct my gaze at what I lack.

Jesus warned the disciples of this very thing. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20) Just as Jesus gave the disciples a wake up call, sometimes I need one too. God had done so much for me, so what if I have an occasional bad day. I need to be careful not to forget what He has already accomplished in my life.

It is early afternoon and I still haven’t gotten any relief. It is pretty much settled at this point that other then this post not much will get accomplished. I am ok with that. His grace is indeed sufficient. If He had more planned for me then there would be more grace. “Sufficient for today is its own trouble.” I think I could do some baking for my family though. With a houseful of men with an innate love for home baked goods, that would surely veil any inadequacies of productivity. Hmm the smell of fresh baked cookies. I think that could make the day a little more enchanting.

Dayenu!?

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you may abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8

The Gracious Hand of Our God

Taught by Jan S.
Notes by Linda G.

Today Jan taught on Ezra, chapter 8. She began her lesson by giving us an overview of what the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem would entail. As a reminder, the first group that returned had come under the leadership of Zerubbabel in 537 B.C. and encompassed about 50,000 people. The second group that would return under the leadership of Ezra was much smaller, approximately 4,000-5,000 individuals. Ezra’s return was 79 years after Zerubbabel's.

In chapter 8:2-14, Ezra documents the family heads that would be returning with him. Jan used this as interesting insight into Ezra the man. Last week we learned ‘..Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel’ (Ezra 7:10). We know that Ezra was a man fully devoted to the things of the Lord. What we see in this passage, Jan pointed out, is that God had given Ezra a gift of administration. Ezra needed this gift to accomplish to work God had entrusted to him. We see that Ezra was a true leader. We see that he kept detailed records of those on the journey. This would be using his gift of administration. He was a priest. He was a scribe, (a teacher of the law).

Verse 15 tells us that all those who would be making the journey were assembled together. Ezra realized that there were no Levites in the group. According to Deuteronomy 33:10, the responsibility of the Levites was to teach God’s precepts to Jacob and His law to Israel, offer incense and whole burnt offering at God’s temple. Ezra was returning to Jerusalem to reinstate worship in the temple. The inclusion of Levites was critical.

Jan asked the question “what did Ezra do about this situation?”. We see the answer in the following verses. Ezra sends leaders and men of learning to gather the needed individuals who would be able to serve in the temple. Jan also led us in a discussion considering why these individuals may not have been eager to join the journey initially. After all, she pointed out, being a Levite was a gift of God. As we already know, this journey would take about four months and would cover approximately 900 miles. We may take for granted the ease and comfort in which we now travel, but for the Israelites this would have been an arduous journey. The Levites were not physical laborers – they were men of learning and study. Going on such a journey would be well outside their comfort zone. (Something to ponder..Is God calling you to something outside your comfort zone?? The best place to be is in His will!)

Ezra recounts “Because the gracious hand of our God was on us… (Ez 8:18). The men Ezra sent sent returned with 38 Levites and another 220 temple servants. This is another example of those God called were gifted to accomplish the task before them. As the Levites were gifted to carry out their duties, the temple servants would have been gifted as well. These temple servants would have been responsible for the daily physical upkeep of the temple (as the Levites were responsible for the spiritual upkeep).

Jan then expanded upon the topic of spiritual gifts. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:6-8). Jan pointed out that we are all given spiritual gifts for the edification of the body. She wanted us to think about the gifts that we believe God has given to us and how we feel when we are using this/these gift(s). Arlene also mentioned that if you are not sure what your gifts are to ask a Christian friend who knows you well. Other people can sometimes see your gifts more clearly than you can.

In verse 21 we see that the Israelites are ready to begin their journey home. Jan asks the question “what does Ezra do next?”. He calls for a fast: “There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions (Ez 8:21)”. Before the Israelites can begin the physical journey they need to prepare spiritually. Jan gave us something to think about….when we are headed on a journey of any kind, even for a family vacation, do we prepare ourselves spiritually? We see in verse 24 that there was also a physical component to their preparation. There were massive amounts of gold and silver to be moved for use in the temple.

The following verses point to a truth that is as relevant to us today as when it was written. “I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him. So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer “(Ez 8:21-22). Like Ezra, we cry out to God for many reasons but do we trust Him with the outcome? Jan surmised that many times we pray as Ezra did but then we go off and do our own thing.

A few verses that speak to this very idea are as follows:
Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Proverbs 3:5-7 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil”.

James 1:6-8 “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does”.

Jan taught that Ezra put God’s reputation on the line. The bottom line is that God did indeed protect the Israelites on their journey and He was glorified. “The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way (Ezra 8:31b)”. It should be noted that their protection was not a small matter. The traveling party was small in number compared to the group that had left under Zerubbabel. They were transporting a fortune in gold and silver. Their journey was through desolate lands.

Finally we see in verse 32 that they had arrived at their destination. When the exiles arrived they did three things:

1) The silver and gold were delivered. “Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time (Ez 8:34)”.
2) Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel” (Ez 8:35b).
3) "They also delivered the king's orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God". (Ez 8:36).

Jan then posed the question, “why would these pagan people help the Israelites?”. A few of the answers the class gave were: they saw the presence of God upon the Israelites, they saw the evidence of the Israelites faith and were drawn to it, and that it was evidence of the hand of God’s favor upon them.
In conclusion, Jan gave us a question to think about…”what is the one thing that is needed for the Israelites to be a viable community?”.

What is your answer? We’d love to hear from you!
Come back next week for the answer.

Filtering Our Soul

At the end of this past summer, my husband and I turned off the pool filter to prepare for closing the pool for the winter. The water would no longer circulate and impurities filtered out. As it often does, life got busy as fall approached. We kept forgetting to call our pool company to come close the pool.

Each day we’d glance out the window and notice small changes; one day the water was slightly green, the next a big pile of leaves had blown off a tree and sunk to the bottom, the steps began to have algae growth and each day the water was a little less clear and a lot more green until it was a dark, murky blackish green. These were small changes, but little by little, they built up.

Looking out the window the other morning I remarked, “you know it doesn’t take much for still water to return to its natural state of filth-leaves, bugs, algae. You really have to stay on top of it daily with the chemicals and filter to keep it pure.”

It suddenly struck me, isn’t that just like our spiritual life? And like the pool water, it doesn’t take much for our soul to return to it’s natural state of “filth”, that is, original sin. In Mark 7:21 it says “For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts...” and Psalm 51:5 says, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” We let little sins in here and there, maybe thinking, “what? it’s just a little white lie” or “no one will even miss this item I’m taking” or “she deserved that harsh tone I used, she was in the wrong.” The water of our soul becomes contaminated bit by bit, like our pool water.

I realized that my everyday life is full of times where I let my soul water turn green-when I wasn’t loving like Jesus or faithful like Abraham; where I was harsh where I should have been gentle, prideful where I should have been humble. When I let moments-days!-like that build up I begin to feel a distance from God. Like the neglected pool water, my neglected soul turns a murky, blackish green so that I can’t even see or feel the Lord.

So, as the pool water needs daily filtering and chemicals, so do our souls. Make sure you apply the Holy Spirit “chemical” and a large dose of Jesus tabs; make sure your soul is filtered daily through God’s Word and don’t forget to dive deep into the purifying mix of worship and fellowship.

God calls us to be holy, to be pure, only through daily surrender, filtering and cleaning can we be so.

Oh, and don’t worry, our pool is back to normal and will be ready to swim in again next summer-you won’t become immersed in the murk!

Genesis 4:7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

The Taboo Two

Taught by Annie H. 11/2
Notes by Linda G.

Today Annie taught a thought provoking message based on Ezra, chapter 7. As chapter 7 opens, Artaxerxes is now king of Persia. This is about a 57 year period from the end of chapter 6 where the temple had been completed to the beginning of chapter 7. Ezra 7:1–6 details the genealogy of Ezra. Annie taught us that this was very important because it established Ezra as having spiritual authority through the direct family line of Aaron. We have learned in the course of this study how important this was to the Israelites. We see that Ezra ‘was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses (see Ezra 7:6)’. The Hebrew word for teacher in this passage is ‘sōper’. It can be translated as a scribe or teacher. As a scribe, Ezra would be extremely knowledgeable about the Torah.

Sōper can also refer to a political or administrative designation, similar to ‘secretary of state’. “The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him” (Ezra 7:6b). Ezra had been established as having political authority as well as religious authority.

“For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel (Ezra 7:10)”. Annie showed us that literally, ‘devoted’ is translated as Ezra had ‘set his heart on’ these things. Ezra didn’t just do these ‘religious’ disciplines…they were his life. She broke this verse down to its three components: 1) study, 2) observance, and 3) teaching.

As we have learned in previous studies and devotionals, an effective way of learning is by asking questions. The question Annie asked is ‘what does it mean to study God’s word?’. In Hebrew ‘daras’ (study) means a ‘careful search’. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15 KJV)”. In the NIV, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth”. Annie taught that we don’t want to study God’s word out of obligation. We want to please God. In order to be a witness to others, by word or deed, we need to know what God is saying. We learn that as we study his word. She pointed out that study is not a passive pursuit..it leads us to active obedience through observance.

The second thing we see about Ezra was that he had his heart set on observing the ‘laws and decrees’ of Israel. We don’t want to just look at the law, we want to live out the law. As Annie said, “our lives should have the Word written all over them”. The law she spoke of was love. “He (Jesus) answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind"; and, "Love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27)”. We obey the 10 commandments, not just in word, but in spirit.

The third aspect of Ezra’s devotion that Annie touched on was teaching of the ‘laws and decrees’ of Israel. She explained that this is not just a formal education secession. This also means sharing your testimony with others – what the Lord has done in your life. It means answering questions of those who are seeking. It means truly living your life by example. It is not just words, you don’t know whose lives you will touch by simply living out your faith in the world.

The next portion of Ezra, verses 11 through 26, is a letter King Artaxerxes had written to Ezra. (Something to ponder: this is what God’s word says about Ezra “the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord for Israel (Ezra 7:11)”. Wouldn’t we want God to say the same about us? That we are women ‘learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord for Israel’. I want the Lord to say that about me!)

In this letter we see the political authority that the king had granted to Ezra. Ezra given access to silver and gold and supplies of all manner, not just for the physical upkeep of Jerusalem, but what was needed to maintain the Temple and to worship the Lord. Ezra was also given the power to impose taxes and execute justice. The hand of the Lord truly was on this situation!!

Annie asked the question, “why would the King allow the Israelites such freedom, especially that they could practice their own religion and not the religion of Persia?”. She explained that this was good for the morale of the conquered peoples. Persia did not just do this for the conquered Israelites, but for other conquered nations as well. She explained that if they had been forced to follow foreign gods there could have been revolt. Annie made a very important point, when religion is forced upon people it does not bring true belief. God wants us to have a personal relationship with him. A true relationship with God is not borne out of fear (but out of love).

The relationship between religion and politics was then explored in a discussion in the class. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This means that our government does not force us to practice a specific religion, similar to what King Artaxerxes had decreed. Very often the phrase ‘separation of church and state’ is attributed to the U.S. Constitution. This is incorrect. This phrase was actually used in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists Association in 1802. The original text reads: "...I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. The meaning of this was to protect religious freedom, not prevent it.

Annie had asked what we, as Christians, should do today. We see evidence of our religious freedom being threatened. She noted that we do not want a theocracy (a political unit governed by a deity). We should want to keep our Jesus and our government separate. As was already noted, faith in God does not come through legislation but through relationship. It was noted that we do have an enemy and that attacks WILL come. We need to pray. We want a government that respects and protects our rights. Annie asked “Can’t we do better than King Artaxerxes did?”.

Chapter 7 ends with the following: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king's powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me (Ezra 7:27-28). Ezra gives praise to the Lord for working through the secular government. We want to do the same – praise the Lord for the way in which He works. “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases (Proverbs 21:1)”.

A Better Way To Go

Good Morning Everyone

Today we are launching a new ministry of Friday devotionals on this blog. Our vision is to provide something every Friday that is relevant to God's Word while embrassing the practicality of life. Our goal is to expand the ministry of God's Word to as many platforms as we possibly can; we are that passionate about it. Up until now, there have been primarily only two writers to the blog. Over the next several weeks you will be seeing new authors with a diversity of perspectives but one tremendous love for God. We hope that what you read will be a blessing to you. Without further adieu let me introduce our pick for today "A Better Way to Go" by Susan Hassan. Be blessed!

The fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love the cool crisp air, the changing leaves, and even the crunch of fallen leaves under my feet. I so enjoy it that I will even drive in to work on back roads despite it taking longer, just so I can surround myself with that beautiful fall foliage. The magnificence of the brilliant landscape reflects a magnificent God. Who but God would create a tree that turns bright red, golden yellow or deep crimson? It is the last hurrah before the cold winter sets in and I purpose to enjoy it while I can.

The odd thing is that I have always driven on those same back roads on my way home from work not just on my way in. Why didn’t I notice those same breathtaking colors? The same beauty that has captured my attention to the point of changing my direction during my morning drive is still there. I just don’t see it. Could it be that those daily routines that fill our day can obscure our vision that much?

I think we can all find countless miracles that God’s provides for us each and every day if we just expand our field of vision. Maybe we should take a break from focusing all our attention on just going from point A to B while missing the entire road trip along the way.

Be encouraged. God never changes; His daily provision is always there. Sometimes we just fail to see it.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

The Temple - Past and Future

Taught by Toby G.
Notes by Linda G.

Today Toby taught from Ezra 6:13-21. She began her teaching by refreshing our memory of the events that had occurred in the building process to date. The Israelites had been given permission to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. They began building and encountered much opposition. The opposition was overcome and the Temple was completed. She detailed that there were three waves of exiles that had returned from Babylon. The first group is covered in Ezra 1-6, under Zerurbbababel, the second group returned in Ezra 7-10. We will see the return of the third group in Nehemiah 1:1-&:3.

There was a progression of events that were shared by all three groups of the returning exiles. 1) God stirred those in authority to act on behalf of His people, 2) the people faced almost constant opposition, 3) with the Lord’s help they overcame the opposition and were given the aid that was needed. This progression can also be seen in Exodus.

The next portion of scripture Toby covered was Ezra 6:13-15. This tells us that the Temple was rebuilt. Toby noted that to get to this point in the history of the nation of Israel it took many years and was fraught with tests and trials but that the actual completion is recorded in only three verses. This event had been prophesied in Jeremiah 29:10 ‘This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place”.

Toby noted how important it was to the priests and Levites that the construction was done properly. There could only be one Temple. Although the Israelites could pray and worship at synagogues, the only place that the blood sacrifice for sin could be made was on the Temple Mount. For the preceding 70 years there had been no sacrifice for sin. How thankful we should be that because of the shed blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, we can freely go to the Father to receive forgiveness for our sins!

In Ezra 6:19-22, Toby spoke of the Passover celebration that followed the completion of the temple. This was the first time this festival of the Lord would have taken place in 70 years because the sacrifice could not be made according to the law without the physical temple. Even though the reconstructed temple was much smaller when compared with Solomon’s temple there was still much rejoicing. The remnant that had returned had witnessed the faithfulness of the Lord. This was a purified remnant. They had been chastised by the Lord for their sin yet they had received God’s mercy. The celebration of the Passover marked a new era for the nation.

Toby now fast-forwarded in history to give us a more complete understanding of the Temple – its past and its prophesied future. As recorded in the scriptures, the second temple – the one we have just seen rebuilt, is destroyed. To date, it has not been rebuilt. In it’s place on the Temple Mount now stands the Dome of the Rock. This is one of the oldest Islamic structures in the world. Over the course of history Israel had ceased to be a country. In our not so distant past, it had been ruled under Britain, referred to as the Palestinian Mandate. The Jewish people had been treated very badly. Britain desired to placate the Arab nations, as both Jews and Muslims felt they had a claim to the land.

Around 1948, Toby pointed out, that once again we see the three-fold progression of events that we saw in the Exodus and the return of the Babylonian exiles: 1) the Israeli people began to return to their homeland, 2) they faced opposition, 3) by the divine hand of the Lord they overcame the obstacles. In the history of the world, no other ethnic group that has lost its homeland has survived to once again become a country. This could only happen through the hand of the Lord!!

At this point in the class, Annie stepped in to give us insight into the prophetic aspects of the Temple. Right now, the Temple Mount site is off-limits to any Jewish or Christian people who would want to have any type of religious service there. You will be asked to leave even if you are simply praying. The Muslims believe that this is the site where Muhammad ascended to heaven. According to scripture the Temple will be rebuilt (see Ezekiel 38). In both Daniel 9 and Matthew 24 there are references to the fact that in the end times sacrifices in the temple would be forbidden. In order for this to occur there would have to be a temple in which the sacrifices could be made. She made it clear that the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on the site of the Dome of the Rock will come with divine intervention.

Next Toby covered the controversy surrounding the rebuilding of the third Temple that is occurring in present day. There are three different movements that are currently involved in this undertaking. One of these organizations is called the Temple Mount Institute. They are currently compiling the physical effects that would be needed in the Temple. One thing that has proven to be a change is the acquirement of the Red Heifer. The ashes of the red heifer are necessary for purification prior to entering the sanctuary of the Temple proper. The heifer has yet to be located as it is very rare.

The Jewish people themselves are divided on this issue. The Reformed Jews are against the rebuilding. They do not want to go back to the time of physical sacrifices nor do they want to return to the times of the levitical priesthood. Religious Jews are awaiting this. Of major importance is the reestablishment of the Levitical Priesthood through the descendants of Aaron. With the scientific use of DNA, now approximately 50% of those claiming to be from the line of Aaron have been verified.

The class ended with a short discussion of how we felt about the issue. It was noted that the Jewish people quote the same scriptures that we do regarding the Messiah – but they are still awaiting His first appearance while we as Christians await his second coming. It was mentioned that this is in God’s timing, not ours. Christians throughout generations have believed that they were entering into the end times, yet it does seem that we are closer than ever before.

What Are You Going To Do About It?

What would you say is the purpose of a question? Your initial response might be, to search out an answer. I would agree. I am told that there are seventeen different categories of questions with varying shades of purpose to each. Questions can be given to test your knowledge, they can be rhetoric or open ended… the list goes on.

The ancient rabbis would ask questions much as our contemporary teachers might, but their purpose often had a single motivation, to provoke thought. Their queries might even seem harsh and confrontational at times. It is important to realize that debate was key to the study of scripture and the rabbis believed that an excellent student was one who was a good arguer. We need not be offended when we are probed in this venue since the very nature of the rabbis teaching style is to produce spiritual growth.

In the gospels you see Jesus using this type of teaching as he would often ask questions without ever providing an answer. When Jesus was anointed at Bethany by the woman with the expensive perfume, much to the annoyance of the disciples, he asked “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” (Matt 26:10) This question was meant to point them to what they already knew, in this case, their propensity to place money over grace.

This week as we continue our journey through Ezra we find our progress paused by a question. We have just closed Chapter 4 where we left the exiles despondent and unable to continue the work on the temple. We learned that they had been harassed by their enemies through discouragement, fear and frustrating counsel. To put it plainly they gave up on the work due to unrelenting opposition.

Fast forward almost twenty years where we find ourselves turning the pages of Ezra to Chapter 5. A question is cast as a shadow over the exiles living in Jerusalem by the prophet Haggai. “Is it time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (Haggai 1:3) He begins to point out to the exiles that they ought to consider there ways, since their neglect of the temple symbolized their neglect of God. Because of their abandoned priorities life became very hard for them. Drought settled in the land and the crops became sparse. The people were frustrated and disappointed.

A good question can cause us to temporarily take a breather and think about what we are doing? A few months after Haggai’s question another prophet, Zechariah, comes with a direct encouragement from God “’Return to me’, declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you’” (Zech 1:3). Zechariah reminds them that their God was a God of mercy and that He assured them that Zerubbabel would, in fact, rebuild the temple. (Zech 4:9).

God used these two men to urge the people to reconsider their lives and to reevaluate their priorities. The confrontational question posed by Haggai did not go unheeded, “the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Hagaii.. (Hagaii 1:12). What was the result of that obedience? God declared “I am with you”. (Hag 1:13)

Have you felt your life filled with frustration and disappointment? Maybe it is because you have given up on something that God has asked you to do? Perhaps you have been overtaken with fear, discouragement or frustrating counsel? Is your spirit urging you to return to the work that you once abandoned?

Maybe you might know someone who God has given a vision to do something in His name? Perhaps they have given up and are overwhelmed with discouragement and frustration? Could you be that prophetic voice to them? Could you take the time to remind them of what God has asked them to do? Maybe you could also remind them that if He has asked them to do it, He will be with them.

Then would you be willing to help?

“Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jeruasalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.” Ezra 5:2 (emphasis mine)

The LORD Has Done Great Things!!

Taught by Jan S.
Notes by Linda G.

As sometimes happens, a written re-cap of the lesson does not really do justice to the actual class. Today was one of those times. Jan teaching was filled with dramatic presentations. She reenacted the emotions that the Israelites would have felt as they were leaving Babylon and returning back to Jerusalem and the emotions that they would have felt as they encountered opposition.

After 70 years in exile they would have been filled with anticipation and joy at the prospect of returning to their homeland. Psalm 126 captures this joy…

When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
And we are glad.
Bring back our captivity, O LORD,
As the streams in the South.
Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

When the Israelites returned to their own land they were probably met with suspicion or resentment by the current inhabitants of Jerusalem. (As a reminder from Arlene’s teaching last week…when a people was taken captive to a foreign land, the captor would then send people from his own country back to live in the land that had been captured. In this case, Assyrians had been sent to settle in Jerusalem. They worshiped the God of Israel as the god of the land, but they also continued the worship of other gods.) When the Israelites began to rebuild the temple, these other people – who were actually the enemies of Israel, wanted to help (under false pretenses). Jan taught that the Israelites discerned that it was for them alone to rebuild the temple. They were God’s chosen people – who worship the Him alone. Also, they had been the ones commissioned by King Cyrus.

Their refusal of help was countered by opposition from their enemies. The opposition first came in the form of verbal accusations. They wanted to discourage the Israelites and make them afraid (see Ezra 4:4-5). Later on letters were sent by the enemies to the Babylonian rulers with the intent to stall the rebuilding of the temple. These letters cast suspicion on the Israelites actions and questioned that they had true permission from the Babylonian kings to rebuild in the first place. As a result of these tactics rebuilding of the temple was halted for 14 years.

After a time, two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, were called by the Lord and spoke encouragement to the people. Then the work on the house of the Lord resumed. Again, the Israelites were opposed by their enemies. “But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received” ( Ezra 5:5). The enemies had again written letters to the king, expecting that they could once again stall the rebuilding. [Something to ponder, our enemy will work in the same way. He will use the tactics on us that he has used effectively in the past. We need to wise to his schemes.]

When King Darius received this letter a search was made of the Babylonian archives. A scroll was found that detailed the original decree written many years ago by King Cyrus. This is what King Darius then decreed:

*let the temple be rebuilt
*the costs are to be paid by the Babylonian treasury
*the items from the temple that had been taken are to be returned

As Jan taught, we need the temple more than God does. He doesn’t just want our sacrifices, He wants our hearts. This account also shows that although the letter to King Darius was sent with evil intent, God used it for good. The Israelites then went back to work and completed the temple in four and one half years (see Ezra 6:13-18). After the temple was complete the exiles celebrated the Passover feast. This truly was a reminder of the faithfulness of the Lord. As they had escaped Egypt many years ago by His hand, He had also helped them to rebuild the temple (see Ezra 6:22).

Jan concluded her teaching with the question, “What is God saying in this?” and “What can we take away from this lesson?”. A discussion ensued by the class. Some of the responses were:

*trust in the Lord, He will provide
*how our perception of the opposition effects our reactions
*the need for encouragement
*the need to live in today and not worry about tomorrow
*how the enemy wants to keep us from trusting God
*although opposition is hard, we need to press through to victory
*God is doing a work in rebuilding, even if we can’t see it
*the need to pray Scripture
*that the process of rebuilding makes us who we are

Jan’s final summation: “God will use anyone He wants to fulfill His plans (even the most unlikely). He is sovereign".

Exhausted From Sorrow

“When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.” Luke 22:45

Have you ever been so physically and spiritually worn out that you couldn’t do anything, not even pray? Have you found yourself in a difficult situation for any length of time and then one day you realize that it is about to get worse.

Maybe you have been struggling financially for so very long and one day out of the blue you find in your mailbox an unexpected bill with no resources for payment. Or maybe, you have been in a difficult job for quite a while and have been praying that things would turn around, instead you find yourself demoted or relocated to a different department. Perhaps you have been praying over an ongoing illness and instead of receiving healing, you are diagnosed with still another malady. That is exactly the context that the disciples are facing in our scripture today.

Here is the setting. “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation’. He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed”. Luke 22:39-41

What follows is the sacred yet familiar account of Jesus asking the Father to take the cup of suffering that he was to endure from him. Jesus resolved that it not be his will but his Fathers that remained. There are several indications that this was a time of intense prayer. In the text it tells us that “he knelt down and prayed”. At this time and in this culture, prayer was usually done standing up. One commentary suggested that he might have actually fallen on his face in anguished prayer.

The second indication can be found in verse 44. “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” The language is plain, Jesus’ prayer was earnest.

You might be wondering, why write this devotional? Is she about to condemn the disciples for falling asleep rather then praying? No just the opposite. I read a quote just recently and it got me to thinking. It reads, “Strenuousness of prayer is demanded by the energy with which Satan is pressing his suit”. (Beck, “Imitatio Christi,” 39; cf.R.E. Brown, Death of the Messiah, 188-189)

Could it be that the more intense the battle with the enemy, the more intense our season of prayer ought to be? When the battle heats up do we get exhausted from our sorrow or do we step up our prayer lives. At this time things were suddenly going very wrong for this band of disciples. They were starting to realize what was ahead both physically and spiritually and the reality of it overwhelmed them. The disciples behavior stands in stark contrast both to Jesus’ initial instructions and to Jesus’ own behavior. Jesus was moved to more intensive time in prayer while the disciples were paralyzed by their circumstances.

But Luke’s portrait of their failure is not a condemning one. Luke excuses their behavior on account of excessive sorrow. Luke wasn't and God isn't insensitive to what we are going through when we are too overcome even to pray. Jesus repeats his instructions to “pray that you may not come into the time of trial”. Luke 22:46 We can assume that their failure on Mount of Olives was neither final nor fatal.

Perhaps you have found yourself in a season of prayerlessness due to overwhelming circumstances and your prayer life has spiritually fallen asleep. The best thing you can do is to recognize that if the battle is this intense, then satan is after you. If he is after you with that kind of voracity then you can be assured that victory waits on the other side of that battle.

While Jesus wasn’t delivered from the cup that God had asked Him to drink, God did send an angel to give him the strength he needed to accomplish what God asked Him to do. “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” (Luke 22:44) While Jesus endured great suffering, he achieved an everlasting victory just three days later when he rose from the grave. God may not deliver you from whatever situation that has clouded your life, but he will strengthen you and bring you through it. There is a victory waiting on the other side.

If you are overwhelmed with excessive sorrow and unable to pray, can I be so bold to suggest you get with some prayer friends in Christ and tell them. Allow them to strengthen you through their prayers and bring refreshment where there is exhaustion. Then follow the example of Jesus and step up to a season of such intense prayer that the enemy would have no choice but to put his tail between his legs and flee.

"Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wait. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up." James 4:7-10

It Isn't What It Seems

Every so often something happens in my life that is just so bold and audacious that the only way to get it out of my system is to put words on a page to it. The other day, I was out trimming my petunias when a chipmunk literally ran alongside of my right foot and into my garden. Several years ago, I would have delighted and thought that was the cutest and coolest thing. Not any longer. Imagine right by my foot! The audacity!

Why the change of heart? My husband and I make an attempt, and I use that terminology loosely, to grow raspberries and strawberries each year. The first few years we were relatively successful but we haven’t had much luck more recently. Puzzled by this, one day I happen to look out my window and saw this chipmunk chomping on the lone strawberry that was on our plant. I don’t mean a little nibble; he had that thing in both paws and was gorging on it.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love God’s creatures but really one needs to draw a line. My preconceived thoughts about chipmunks immediately vaporized into reality. What I once thought as a cute and loveable creature of God quickly became my arch enemy. It gave new meaning to Jesus’ admonishment “to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing”.

As I pondered my problem, I asked myself what things do we accept and put up with in our lives that we write off as cute and harmless and aren’t really what they seem at all. How about our possessions that we think we own but really own us as we struggle to pay for and maintain them. I thought about those friendships that drag us down spiritually but seem innocent enough. Then of course we have our technology, as we DVR our programs and google our research but inevitably find ourselves going past that benefit into mindless hours of worthless pursuits. Or how about the mountain of insecurity we accept as part of who we are, that keeps us from stepping out in the boldness and courage that God calls us to, but we mask as a sense of false humility. Have I gone too far? But I am speaking to myself.

I think all of us have these cute things in our lives that we don’t even recognize as having a destructive side to them. Maybe it is because we haven’t looked at them from a different perspective. Do you have some things in your life that when viewed through fresh eyes might fall into this category? I do and I am currently working on putting them into perspective. God’s desire is for us to live an abundant life. Could it be that these kinds of things that we accept as permissible are really the very things that are keeping us from experiencing the fullness that God wants for us? Why not ask God to show you?

So, what is the moral of this post? Beware of rodents in cute chipmunk attire!

Handling Opposition

Taught by Arlene Solomon 10/12
Notes by Linda G.

As Chapter 4 of Ezra opens, we see that the returning exiles are met with some serious opposition as they rebuild the temple. “Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia (Ezra 4:4-5).

Arlene began her teaching by explaining how she approaches her study of a particular passage, she often finds herself asking questions. Looking at Ezra 4, a relevent question might be “If we are doing the work of the Lord then why does God allow opposition?”. She gave us four possible reasons:

1)God wants to prove our faith genuine. (See 1 Peter 1:3-9) The trials we face test the reality of our faith. Trials help us to see what we truly believe. She pointed out that you have no idea what you believe until you are forced to believe it. It is easy to believe God for a job for one week but make that a year and it gets a whole lot harder. God wants to prove our faith genuine.

2)Some things are learned only through opposition. Often it is only through opposition that our prayer lives or our time in the word are prioritized. As we face opposition we also learn who we are in Christ. According to Ephesians 1:4-8 we are blessed, chosen, adopted, forgiven, redeemed and loved. It is in these desperate times that we have to make a choice to believe that this is how God sees us.

3)God wants to sift what is useless for what is useful. He wants to remove those things that may be standing in the way of what He wants to do in our lives so that we can be more useful to Him. Some of the things Arlene mentioned were: pride, self-sufficiency, our own agenda, idols and a lack of perseverance. God wants our motives to be pure. (See Luke 22:31-32).

4)God wants to turn us inside out. We have the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us and often it is only through adversity that His power is obvious. God's desire is that the Spirit be magnified in our lives while things of the flesh diminish. This is our hope: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Cor 4:16-18).

The next logical question Arlene asked was “How do we handle opposition?”.

Sometimes praying that God would move the opposition isn't always the answer. Sometimes God wants us to be moved by it.

There were four different kinds of opposition the Israelites faced in Ezra 4. They were deception, discouragement, fear and bad counsel.

In Ezra 4:2 we learned that the enemies of Israel were attempting to make the Israelites think that they were just like them. While they indeed worshiped the God of Israel, they also worshiped other gods as well. God had appointed Zerubabbel and Jeshua to oversee the building. Zerbabbel was from the direct line of David and Jeshua was a son of the last pre-exilic priest. God was preserving the purity of his chosen people to prove His faithfulness to them. It wasn't so much about bloodlines as it was about the faithfulness of God to preserve His chosen ones. The leaders were able to recognize this deception and refused their help. Because of this, these enemies set out to "discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans" (Ezra 4:4)

We examined the four ways the enemies opposed them in more detail.

1) Deception- means to be led astray or wander from the truth. This is important for us to study becasue the Word tells us that in the last days deception will increase. We see this in 1 Tim 4:1, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons”. If deception is going to increase it is crucial that we learn how to recognize it.

Arlene gave three areas in which we can be deceived as portrayed in scripture.
1) Enemy (Genesis 3:13)
2) Others such as a) false prophets (Jer 6:13) b) brothers (Jer 9:4) c) friends (Jer 9:5)
3) Ourselves through a) our own hearts (Jer 37:9) b) our own self-righteousness (Jer 2:34-38) c) idols in our lives (Jer 3:23) d) the pride of our hearts (Jer 49:16)

She pointed out that all of the scriptures fell within the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was the prophet that was sent to warn Judah of the impending disastor that would come if they didn't repent. The times were marked by pervasive deception.

Yet we need not be at the mercy of deception. God has given us the ability to exercise discernment. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God” (Phil 1:9-11).

The word found in this scripture for discern is a word in the Greek that means approved or tested. It carries the notion of testing something whether it should be received or not. Discernment is the ability to pick out what is best.

Discernment is not having a critical spirit. The Lord does not give us discernement for us to pick out what is wrong. He gives it so we can pick out what is best. Arlene gave us a very practical example of this. When shopping for oranges she will go through the bin picking up and looking for the heaviest – these are the ones with the most juice. It is not that she discards the ones she doesn’t find acceptable…but she holds on to the best. She doesn't declare that the oranges she left behind are wicked and should burn for all eternity. She just takes what is best and is on her way. This is how we apply discernment in the spiritual sense.

So the big question is how do we get discernment? (all the following points came from 1Cor 2-3)
Arlene gave us five ways: 1)start with prayer, 2) loose carnality & worldliness (i.e. jealousy and quarreling) – it will surely quench the spirit(1 Cor 3:1 & 3), 3) going deeper into God’s word (1 Cor 3:2) by studying it, doing it , 4) we need to follow God, not man (1 Cor 3:3) 5) we need to prioritize things of God over things of the world.(1 Cor 3:18-20)

After spending a length of time on deception we returned to our list of oppositions the Israelites faced from their enemies.

2) Discouragement - we learned that discouragement in the Hebrew represented two words. Both of those words dealt figuratively with "the hand". One word symbolized power with a lifted hand. When examining these two words together the word picture was as if the hand that was lifted in power had been dropped. In scripture hand is often associated with power. Discouragement denotes a loss of power. What Arlene pointed out was that satan can not give us power he can only take it. If we are discouraged it is because we have chosen to give our power to him. He has no right to it. She also pointed out that Jesus' desire is to restore our power to us as illustrated in Luke 6 when he healed the man with the withered hand. Jesus gave him his power back.

3) Fear was also a weapon used against them. A commonly used acronym is ‘F’ false – ‘E’ evidence – ‘A’ appearing – ‘R’ real. How often do we fall for this? Fear puts us in a place where our emotions are ruling us. We need to learn to discipline our minds with the Word of God to overcome this overwhelming obstacle. The prescription for this can be found in Proverbs 31:18 “She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good; her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust]" AMP. We need to have that same agressive stance that the Proverbs 31 woman had.

4) Frustrating counsel. Arlene asked the class what we would look for in a counselor. Here are some of the replies: wisdom, understanding, someone who gives the Word – not their opinion, trustworthy, experienced, someone who’s walk is in line with their words, someone of prayer.

Very sadly, we see the result of the opposition the returning exiles faced in Ezra 4:24, “Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia”. We can draw a parallel from this temporary defeat. Just as the Israelites stopped the work because of deception, discouragement, fear and frustrating counsel, we can too. Don’t give up!!

The best way to beat the enemy at his game is to allow God to use the opposition for us and not against us. Allow it to enpower you by:

• Letting deception bring discernment
• Allowing discouragement to bring courage through Jesus
• Use fear to discipline your mind
• Let bad counsel point you back to God