COMING HOME

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:”

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

This was the inventory:

gold dishes 30
silver dishes 1,000
silver pans 29
gold bowls 30
matching silver bowls 410
other articles 1,000

In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town, in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah):

The list of the men of the people of Israel:

the descendants of Parosh 2,172
of Shephatiah 372
of Arah 775
of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,812
of Elam 1,254
of Zattu 945
of Zakkai 760
of Bani 642
of Bebai 623
of Azgad 1,222
of Adonikam 666
of Bigvai 2,056
of Adin 454
of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98
of Bezai 323
of Jorah 112
of Hashum 223
of Gibbar 95
the men of Bethlehem 123
of Netophah 56
of Anathoth 128
of Azmaveth 42
of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743
of Ramah and Geba 621
of Mikmash 122
of Bethel and Ai 223
of Nebo 52
of Magbish 156
of the other Elam 1,254
of Harim 320
of Lod, Hadid and Ono 725
of Jericho 345
of Senaah 3,630

The priests:

the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973
of Immer 1,052
of Pashhur 1,247
of Harim 1,017

The Levites:

the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (of the line of Hodaviah) 74

The musicians:

the descendants of Asaph 128
The gatekeepers of the temple:
the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 139

The temple servants:

the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, Keros, Siaha, Padon, Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, Besai, Asnah, Meunim, Nephusim, Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, Barkos, Sisera, Temah, Neziah and Hatipha

The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of
Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,
Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,
Shephatiah, Hattil,
Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami

The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392
The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

The descendants of
Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 652

And from among the priests:

The descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 200 male and female singers. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.

The priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.

Ezra 1 and 2

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I arrived in Djibouti, Africa, in March 2010 and began a tour of duty forward deployed from home. I had been on deployments before but never for the duration of that one. Things were busy but you couldn’t help but yearn for that day when you would return to the comfort of your home and the love of your family. It’s hard when you are taken away from the land and the people you love.

I can’t help but think my yearning for home was multiplied exponentially in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel as they say in exile in Babylon. You’ll recall that the people’s persistent sinful behavior had brought on the ire of God and so he sent the kingdom of Judah into the captivity of the Babylonians for seventy years…but He promised that they would be restored.

Now imagine if you were in their place. Imagine if you were taken captive and spent seventy years of your life in a foreign land. Maybe, depending on your age, you may not hold any hope in being able to return again. You would die exiled from your homeland. It had to be a difficult penalty to pay but it wasn’t as if Israel hadn’t been given every opportunity to repent and get right with God.

Life is about choices and Israel’s decision to disobey God in exchange for their own desires and the worship of false gods was their downfall.

What path are you walking today?

Well, the book of Ezra starts with good news for the people of Israel. For the seventy of years had passed and there had been some changes in Babylon. Out were the Babylonians. In were the Persians. New leadership and a new attitude, particularly in regard to the captive Israelites.

For we read where the Lord “moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm”. Cyrus wrote:

“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:”

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”

Imagine what the people of Israel must have thought as they heard this proclamation. Maybe they couldn’t believe their ears. Maybe they remembered the promise of a God who keeps all his promises…and they were led to the place of worship and praise. Whatever the case, soon they would be free to return home.

And so scripture tells us that “the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem”. To that end, we read where “All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.” Additionally, King Cyrus “brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god”.

The people of Israel were returning with much of what was taken from the temple coming along with them. And when they arrived “at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem”, they didn’t just sit around and wonder what to do next or where to start to rebuild. No, we read where “some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site”. They didn’t waste time coming back into a spirit of worship unto the One who had delivered them…again.

Yes, the Israelites returned home because of God’s grace, mercy and love…ready to make good on their second chance.

Where are you in your life? Has Satan carried you away from the Lord into a sin-induced exile…into a life captivated by worldly entrapments? Are you in need of God’s deliverance…of His mercy and grace?

The good news is that it is only a prayer away…a prayer that sincerely repents of the sins you have committed…a prayer that seeks sincere forgiveness and pardon.

For know God is ready to present you with a wonderful homecoming…a love-filled reunion with Him, culminating the time He has spent waiting and watching for you as He has anxiously awaited your return.

Do you need to come home?

Why wait another day in exile?

The Lord is waiting.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com