TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Ezra 7:1-8:20
1 Corinthians 4:1-21
Psalm 30:1-12
Proverbs 20:28-30
Ezra 7:1 — Don’t gloss over this genealogy! Who is Seraiah? The last high priest of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:18, Jeremiah 52:24). The priests were executed as vanquished leaders (2 Kings 25:21, Jeremiah 52:27) by the Babylonians. God exercised judgment on the Babylonians and put the Persians in charge. They have a much different attitude toward Ezra than toward his father.
Ezra 7:5 — Remember Phinehas the Bold? Yes, we have his descendant with us. Ezra the scribe was birthed to be high priest, he descended from the valiant, he was studied in the Law, and he was ultimately favored by the king.
Ezra 7:9 — Ezra was in a 4-month-long wagon train with thousands of his kinfolk, and we complain about rush hour traffic, delays boarding our seat on a plane, or flying international in just economy!
Ezra 7:10 — Great verse to memorize and to apply!
- Seek it (2 Kings 22:8-10 – Josiah did so upon discovering the Law)
- Do it (James 1:22 – Doers of the Word and not hearers only)
- Teach it (1 Timothy 4:11 – These things command and teach)
Ezra 7:15 — Five surprising things in the Royal Letter:
- The king is giving to the God of Israel silver and gold (Ezra 7:15)
- The king is not specifying what can be purchased (Ezra 7:18)
- The king is giving a blank check (Ezra 7:20, Ezra 7:22)
- The king is giving tax exemption (Ezra 7:24)
- The king is establishing a theocracy (Ezra 7:26)
1 Corinthians 4:7 — ”What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” Everything we have is from God – why are we boasting in what we have and comparing ourselves?
1 Corinthians 4:10 — What does Christian love entail (John 13:34)? Appearing foolish, appearing weak, being despised, hungering, thirsting, being naked, being beaten, being homeless, earning your own pay, being reviled, being persecuted, and giving your best (1 Corinthians 4:17). This is the result of the love their spiritual father, Paul, had for them (1 Corinthians 4:15).
Psalm 30:4 — “Sing to the Lord and Be Not Silent” is based on Psalm 30:4-5.
Proverbs 20:28 — Solomon wrote out instructions for his son, Rehoboam, but Rehoboam ignored them (1 Kings 12:11).
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