Prophets Faithfull to God's CovenantProphets of Restoration
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) Ezra: Faith and Action PreacherNehemiah 7:73-8:6
The MessageEzra and The Revelation73 The priests, Levites, security guards, singers, and Temple support staff, along with some others, and the rest of the People of Israel, all found a place to live in their own towns. 8 By the time the seventh month arrived, the People of Israel were settled in their towns. Then all the people gathered as one person in the town square in front of the Water Gate and asked the scholar Ezra to bring the Book of The Revelation of Moses that God had commanded for Israel. 2-3 So Ezra, the priest, brought The Revelation to the congregation, which was made up of both men and women—everyone capable of understanding. It was the first day of the seventh month. He read it facing the town square at the Water Gate from early dawn until noon in the hearing of the men and women, all who could understand it. And all the people listened—they were all ears—to the Book of The Revelation. 4 The scholar Ezra stood on a wooden platform constructed for the occasion. He was flanked on the right by Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on the left by Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5-6 Ezra opened the book. Every eye was on him (he was standing on the raised platform), and as he opened the book, everyone stood. Then Ezra praised God, the great God, and all the people responded, “Oh Yes! Yes!” with hands raised high. And then they fell to their knees in worship of God, their faces to the ground. For ReflectionWhen one strips away all the human personal protection devices and all the masks of one's illusionary life, what is it that people want more than anything? Is it power, money, social standing, belonging, or is it solace? I believe that our souls yearn for peaceful rest from the chaos of our everyday-walking-around lives. We live on the cusp of fear. We survive on our expectations for self-preservation.
Ezra arrives at the right time to lead the exiles out of Babylon and invigorate the Mosaic law. When the remnants of Judah returned from Babylon to find their cities in ruin, they were devastated. In the reading of Revelation, the Jews found hope and a common bond and hope. They rested in the word of God. PrayPray and reinvigorate your trust and confidence in the Lord.
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