A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Devotional

Building Intimacy with God

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Today as I browsed facebook for a bit I saw a short video that compared all the different faith systems of the world with “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.   How every faith system has that law written into it’s code in some format.   I tried finding it on youtube so I could link it for you but failed to find it.   Anyways, it struck me at the time that… everyone has that spark of God in them…. so it’s only natural that every man-made faith would have this truth as part of it. 

Build your intimacy with God with these prayer and spending time in his word.

As I was reading through “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World” a similar idea was pointed out.  How all of us desire to know God. That we all are designed to be close to him. 

The question before us then is this:

How DO we get to know him?  To be close to him… to have intimacy with him?

And within that intimacy…. how do we let God have intimacy with us… to get to know us well to?

I know, part of writes those words and I’m wondering at myself.  God already knows me.. he knows my every thought and deed.  So why should that ever be a consideration?   But the thing that God wants with us a relationship.  For us to know him, for him to know us, and through that relationship…show forth his glory.   When you think of intimacy with God as a relationship, it only makes sense that you share of yourself with him.  He will also share of himself with you. 

Where do we get this knowledge of him?

We find God in his Holy Word.  It makes sense to spend some time in it doesn’t it?  Having a time of setting down and reading his word, let those words soak into us as we study them. 

We can find a good devotional plan to follow, as well as finding a church family to be part of.  Reading good Christian based literature that will draw our minds to him.  Listening to sermons on-line or in person.  All good ways to grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

As we grow in that knowledge we mustn’t neglect talking with him.  Just as you would talk to your best friend, or a neighbour over coffee, sharing with them the details of your life and learning the details of theirs.  So we can talk with God.  The bible gives us details about him and his care for his people. 

How do we build relationship with God?

Through prayer (talking with God) we can share our lives with him.  Letting him know what’s important to us, and as we get to know him more, his spirit will guide us to seeing what’s important to God as well.  Caring for others he brings into our lives. 

One of the amazing things is… we often don’t truly know how much we need to be with God until we start spending time with him.  Blows me away every single time.  🙂

You know how it’s a delight to chat with a friend?  Now, imagine the delight that comes with building a relationship with someone who knows everything about you… and loves you none-the-less?  Imagine it.  He loves each of us so deeply we can’t even truly fathom it.  And he wants to have a relationship with us.  To spend time with us talking, and learning, and growing and becoming.   Talking with him, living by his call upon our lives, this is building a relationship that broadens our knowledge and love of him. 

I made up a small printable of copywork to share with your children (or for you to practice yourself).   You can find that HERE. 

Levites Guard the Offerings

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Remember Ezra’s Shame and His response?  Today we learn what to do with offerings to the Lord in Ezra 8:24-35.

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. 25 And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. 26 I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold, 27 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. 29 Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.
31 Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way. 32 We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days. 33 On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.
35 At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 They also delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God.

The Levites needed to guard the offerings for the house of the Lord.

Ezra has a problem.   He has all this gold, silver and vessels given.  An offering for the house of the Lord God. What can he do?   The job of the Levites is the serve the House of God. It makes sense therefore, to have the Levites guard these offerings to the Lord doesn’t it?   Twelve of the leading priests are chosen for this duty, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them.  In total there were 650 talents of silver, 200 talets of silver vessels, 100 talents of gold, 20 bowls of gold and 2 vessels of bronze. The duty of these 12 men:”Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord.” . 

The Levites have the offerings, off the whole group set, heading off to Jerusalem.  God was with them, not allowing them to be ambushed along the way. Soon they were in Jerusalem were the offering were measured into the hands of Meremoth the priest.   Everything was counted and documented.  

Now that the whole gang was together… all the Israelites: those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, they set about to make burnt and sin offerings to the Lord. They also delivered the king’s commissions to this workers, and aided people and the house of God.  

The Levites did the job they were supposed to.

The question I suppose, to us, is this….do we do the job we are supposed to?

Kids, Crunch, and Christ Journal Through The Bible

Shame, Fasting, Prayer, Response

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Yesterday, God showed his good hand, today we learn of Ezra’s shame and how he responded to it in Ezra 8:21-23.

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.Ezra 8:21-23 reminds of what to do with our shame. Find the cause, turn to God.

I thought it was neat yesterday when Ezra noticed an appalling lack of Levites in the midst of the people coming with him.   Asked for help, and noted God assistance.   Very cool to read about that. 

Now he has the Levites among the people, and the first thing Ezra does is call for a fast. Right there, where they are camping, the Israelites fast.   They fast because they have this need to humble themselves before God.   As they do this they seek from God a safe journey for themselves, their children and all their stuff.

You see Ezra is ashamed that he needed to ask the King for protection for the people as they travelled.  After all, they had told the King that God was there end all and be all.  As in God takes care of those who seek him. And that God’s wrath is real against those who forsake him.  

Shame because of his fear eh?   Fear for his people, smallish in number travelling through hostile lands.  So he asked for help.  Help from a king….when he had God on his side.

Therefore Ezra and the people fasted, calling upon the Lord.  Imploring him to help him.  And then read this “he listened to our entreaty“.   Isn’t that awesome?  God listened to them. 

Ezra’s shame.

Prayer and fasting.

God listened.

Oh, I need to share this story with the lad tomorrow.  He sometimes, (like all of us) fails to see what we should do with shame and guilt. And here Ezra points it out to us right?  He has this shame, he figures out what causes it, and he then turns to God in prayer.  God… he responded.  He heard what they had to say. 

I’m sitting here and just thinking… it’s the way it is eh?

We live out our lives, so often minding our interests, doing our thing and then we realize that we aren’t living what we say we believe and that shames us (at least it should) and then we turn to God and tell him about it.  And you know what God does EVERY SINGLE TIME?   He listens to us.   All the time.  To people everywhere who see their shame and turn to him.. he hears them.  He hears me.  He hears you.. oh he hears us.    

Doesn’t it just blow your mind?   To think and see and realize just how much God hears us?

It’s an awesome thing.

The Good Hand of Our God

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Last time we met we learned what we can learn from a genealogy, today we’ll learn from Ezra 8:15-20. 

15 I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi. 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight, 17 and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God. 18 And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18; 19 also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20; 20 besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.See God in action in Ezra 8:15-20

I have to admit, I’m feeling a bit lost here.   I shouldn’t be, but none-the-less I am.  That being the case, let me do what I always do when I am on lost… keep rereading the passage until something clicks. 

Okay, reading this passage now for the fourth time.  🙂   Ezra has all these people gathered together who came to join them, they are camping out at the river that runs to Ahava. They are camping there as he figures out who all has come to join them and notices am important fact… there are no sons of Levi with them!

This leads Ezra to send off for some “ministers for the house of our God.”  And… here Ezra acknowledges God for “by the good hand of our God” a “man of discretion” was sent to them. Neat eh?   Sherebiah came along with his boys and his family, Hashabiah and Jeshsisah and their people came too.   220 temple servants came along as well.  Therefore they have the people that they need. 

Neat eh?

Ezra saw a need.   Took the appropriate action.  God sent them the people they needed.

Isn’t that just the way it is?   God sending folks when they are needed?   He didn’t send them before the need was apparent, but once it was apparent the people were ready. 

I sometimes wonder… if people don’t notice a need… does God meet it?  Like if Ezra had not noticed the missing Levites….would God have sent them?  I know in my own life that sometimes I don’t recognize a need for something until it’s pointed out to me or until my need is so “in my face” that I cry out to God for help.  When my need is like that…help is right there waiting for me.  Here Ezra noticed a need it was immediately fulfilled and Ezra recognized it was God at work.  

Which of course brings me to another thought… do we always recognize God at work?   Do we see what he is doing in our lives?  How he answers our needs?  It’s too easy to forget isn’t it?   We mustn’t.  You know that I write that to myself eh?  I mustn’t forget God’s ready and able help.  I need to be like Ezra and recognize it quickly. 

Genealogy Report

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So we know that Ezra came, that Artaxerxes made a decree helping out Ezra and the Israelites.   Today we learn the genealogy of the folks who came with Ezra, in Ezra 8:1-14.

These are the heads of their fathers’ houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king: 2Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush.  Of the sons of Shecaniah, who was of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, with whom were registered 150 men.  Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men.  Of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah the son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men.  Of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men.  Of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men.  Of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him 80 men.  Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men.  Of the sons of Bani, Shelomith the son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men. 11 Of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah, the son of Bebai, and with him 28 men.  Of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men.  Of the sons of Adonikam, those who came later, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men.  Of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.

The genealogy of the Babylon Exiles

I have to admit…. when I know that I am faced with a genealogy my eyes tend to glaze over and my heart says “I don’t wanna”.   And honestly I DON’T want to.  I don’t want to read through an endless list of names and numbers.

Therefore as I sit here I find myself asking “why did the author find it important to include this list?”   God’s word is meant to teach and admonish, to spur us on the good deeds.  So what I can today… 2000 + years later learn from this passage?

How will it spur me on to becoming more of the person that God wants me to be?

I read over this list and I see that some families came with 50 people, and others came with 300.   But you know what they all did?  They all made the trek from Babylon back to Jerusalem.  I can’t imagine it was an easy trip with air conditioned cars or trains to ride.  They would have walked or had to deal with camels and donkeys.  They may have faced bandits and folks unfriendly to them.  But whether they came with 50 or 300, they simply headed the call and came. 

We aren’t told if they needed to beg people to come, or if they lost people along the way, we are simply told that “S” brought _____ men. With those men would have been their wives and children.  People to help repopulate the land. People that Ezra could teach the Law of Moses to.  People to gladden the hearts of those who went first to build.  Can you imagine what it meant to the builders to have these folks come?  Folks to see the results of their hard work and to gladden their hearts?

I think about that and I see God at work in bringing these men and their families.   What genealogies show is God at work.  In individuals, in men and in their families.   A good thing that yes?

Artaxerxes Makes a Decree

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Remember yesterday who came? Yeah… Ezra! Teacher of the Law of Moses to the Israelites. Cool eh?
So today, in Ezra 7:11-28, we learn about a decree that Artaxerxes issues.

11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the Lord and his statutes for Israel: 12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now13 I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, 15 and also to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. 17 With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. 18 Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. 19 The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king’s treasury.

21 “And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, 22 up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.23 Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. 24 We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. 26 Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

Artaxerxes issues a decree in Ezra 7:11-28.

King Artaxerxes issued this decree in the form of a letter to Ezra, priest and scribe.  He invited Ezra, plus whoever else wanted to go with him, to set out to live in Jerusalem.   Ezra is heading off with the permission of the King to go to Jerusalem.  This decree allows anyone to go with him who wants to.

His Job: to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God AND to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem. 

Can you believe it?   This same king who ordered the work stopped, now sees it finished and sends Ezra and a whack of other people to Jerusalem and has them bringing gold and silver with them!   Amazing isn’t?   Totally God at work eh?

Part of the money sent is meant for the buying of animals and grains to offer as a sacrifice to God.  What they do with the rest is up to them. With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God.

The king’s treasury is open for them to use. 

Not only that. but Artazerxes added a decree to the treasurers. Whatever Ezra needs… get it to him.  Be diligent about it.   Get the job done… up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil and salt!

Ezra is seen as the mouthpiece of God for listen to what Artaxerxes says “whatever is decreed by the God of heaven“.  These words just said after he described Ezra as the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven.  Why does Artaxerxes do this?   He wants to avoid making God angry with him.

Artaxerxes goes on to remind them that taxes won’t be paid by the priests, levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants or any other servant.   

Ezra is given the task to set rulers over the the people. These people are to know the laws of God, and if they don’t, they need to learn from Ezra.   And if people don’t want to obey God’s law… or the kings’ laws gets to be executed, banished, imprisoned or have their stuff taken away.

I just like this next section:  Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

Hmm… I’d take courage too, wouldn’t you?   To know the king was behind me 100%, a king who formerly opposed but is not actively helping.  It’d be like our prime minister helping me to start up a church!   Seems impossible, but God has this funny habit of doing the impossible. 🙂

Ezra Comes!

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Last time we met we learned about God made the people joyful.  Our next section is Ezra 7.  I don’t know that I’ll get through the entire chapter today, but thought I would put up a youtube reading of this chapter for you.  I’m just doing the first few verses, Ezra 7:1-10. 

 

We know the temple has been built, we know that people celebrated for days afterwards.   So what will happen next with the Israelites?

Ezra came!

Ezra was a man, whose job was to be a scribe.  He was skilled in the Law of Moses.  Do you remember that God gave the law to the people?   The law of Moses is the first five books of the Old Testament.  These books were a specialty of Moses. Now Ezra had everything he wanted or needed.  All he had to do was ask for it and the king would give it to him.  This was due to the fact that God’s hand was upon him. 

I read that statement and I just had to think about it for a bit.

Imagine having the favour of the rulership of a land.  To know that you can ask for anything and know you’ll get it.. It would be hard I think to maintain a humble heart.  To remember that you have this blessing because of God’s favour.  

7 Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

But we see in Verse 10 this line “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel“.    Do you see where Ezra’s heart was?   Fixed upon the Law of Moses and sharing his knowledge with the people.  Having that focus would have been an aid to him wouldn’t it?   

Sometimes I wonder how people do it.

When I read Ezekiel and all the hardships he went through to show the Israelites God’s actions and plans. And now Ezra and the favour showed him by the king.  How do people maintain their focus?   How do they not let other things distract them from their purpose?   I don’t know to be honest.

I know that it is SO easy for me to be distracted by things in life, but then if I stop and think about it (instead of getting down on myself) I think about how I do have focus.  I want my lad to grow up to know the Lord, to love him and want to serve him.  And how I will stop what I am doing so I can talk with him about various things.  I realize that I DO have focus and that nothing really ever detracts from that.  

Ezra had focus.   He came to the Israelites with that focus intact.  Teach them the Law of Moses.   Let us have a firm focus like Ezra eh?

Ezra 7:1-10, Ezra Comes! Let us have focus like Ezra did.