7/21/2011

This morning I heard Zerubabbel and later I began to study. What I have found so far is very interesting.Ezra returned with a remnant from Babylon and God stirred the spirit of King Cyrus and King Cyrus made a proclamation that the God of heaven had charged him to build him a house in Jerusalem.Adversaries attempt to join the building of the temple but Ezra refuses and then Ezra is met with opposition and the building of the temple is put on hold. Haggai and Zechariah prophesy to the people and the building resumes this reminds me of Malachi Chapter 3

7. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said , Wherein shall we return ?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say , Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.,br>9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10.Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

So often we get consumed with the cares of our own lives and forget the weightier matters. The bible says that the elders weeped when they saw the foundation laid

Ezra 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the firsthouse, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

Haggai 2:1-9
1 In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying ,
2.Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying ,
3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
4. Yet now be strong , O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong , O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong , all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work : for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remainethamong you: fear ye not.
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come : and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Haggai again prophesies about the uncleanliness of the nation. At one point Ezra goes on a fast and cries and weeps because of the transgressions of the people

Ezra 10:
9.Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
10 And Ezra the priest stood up , and said unto them, Ye have transgressed , and have takenstrange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
11 Now therefore makeconfession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do .
13.But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to standwithout, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.
14. Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand , and let all them which have takenstrange wives in our cities come at appointedtimes, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
It also reminds me of a scripture I read on Sunday.

Ezekiel 33:1-16
1. Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying ,
2.Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land takea man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman :
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4. Then whosoeverheareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning ; if the sword come , and take him away , his blood shall be upon his own head.
5. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning ; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6. But if the watchmansee the sword come , and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned ; if the sword come , and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman'shand.
7. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surelydie ; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10. Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak , saying , If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live ?
11.Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live : turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die , O house of Israel?
12.Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth .
13. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surelylive ; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commitiniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered ; but for his iniquity that he hath committed , he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surelydie ; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
15. If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surelylive , he shall not die .
16. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live .

God is calling his people to lay the foundations for the latter rain and we must be holy if we are not to be consumed by his glory

Hosea 6
1.Come , and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn , and he will heal us; he hath smitten , and he will bind us up .
2. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up , and we shall live in his sight.
3 Then shall we know , if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
4. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the earlydew it goeth away .
5. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth .
6. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7. But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
8.Gilead is a city of them that workiniquity, and is polluted with blood.
9. And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent : for they commitlewdness.
10.I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.