O. Addison Gethers e-mail address : [email protected] or [email protected] window live messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS
----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 9:34 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Tuesday May 12 > Ezra 4-6 (The Message) > > Ezra 4 > The Building Stopped: Cease Rebuilding in That City > 1-2 Old enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building > The Temple of the God of > Israel. They came to Zerubbabel and the family heads and said, "We'll help > you build. We worship > your God the same as you. We've been offering sacrifices to him since > Esarhaddon king of Assyria > brought us here." > 3 Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the family heads of Israel said to > them, "Nothing doing. > Building The Temple of our God is not the same thing to you as to us. We > alone will build for the > God of Israel. We're the ones King Cyrus of Persia commanded to do it." > > 4-5 So these people started beating down the morale of the people of > Judah, harassing them as they > built. They even hired propagandists to sap their resolve. They kept this > up for about fifteen > years, throughout the lifetime of Cyrus king of Persia and on into the > reign of Darius king of > Persia. > > 6 In fact, in the reign of Xerxes, at the beginning of his reign, they > wrote an accusation against > those living in Judah and Jerusalem. > > 7 Again later, in the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and > their associates wrote > regarding the Jerusalem business to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter > was written in Aramaic and > translated. (What follows is written in Aramaic.) > > 8-16 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a > letter against Jerusalem to > Artaxerxes the king as follows: > > From: Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, backed by > the rest of their > associates, the judges and officials over the people from Tripolis, > Persia, Erech, and Babylon, > Elamites of Susa, and all the others whom the great and honorable > Ashurbanipal deported and settled > in the city of Samaria and other places in the land across the Euphrates. > (This is the copy of the letter they sent to him.) > > To: King Artaxerxes from your servants from the land across the > Euphrates. > > We are here to inform the king that the Jews who came from you to us > have arrived in Jerusalem > and have set about rebuilding that rebellious and evil city. They are busy > at work finishing the > walls and rebuilding the foundations. The king needs to know that once > that city is rebuilt and the > wall completed they will no longer pay a penny of tribute, tax, or duty. > The royal treasury will > feel the loss. We're loyal to the king and cannot sit idly by while our > king is being > insulted-that's why we are passing this information on. We suggest that > you look into the court > records of your ancestors; you'll learn from those books that that city is > a rebellious city, a > thorn in the side to kings and provinces, a historic center of unrest and > revolt. That's why the > city was wiped out. We are letting the king know that if that city gets > rebuilt and its walls > restored, you'll end up with nothing in your province beyond the > Euphrates. > > 17-22 The king sent his reply to Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai > the secretary, and the rest > of their associates who lived in Samaria and other places beyond the > Euphrates. > > Peace be with you. The letter that you sent has been translated and read > to me. I gave orders to > search the records, and sure enough it turns out that this city has > revolted against kings time and > again-rebellion is an old story there. I find that they've had their share > of strong kings who have > taken over beyond the Euphrates and exacted taxes, tribute, and duty. So > do this: Order these men to > stop work immediately-not a lick of rebuilding in that city unless I order > it. Act quickly and > firmly; they've done enough damage to kings! > > 23 The letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the > secretary and their associates. > They lost no time. They went to the Jews in Jerusalem and made them quit > work. > > 24 That put a stop to the work on The Temple of God in Jerusalem. Nothing > more was done until the > second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. > > The Building Resumed: > "Help the Leaders in the Rebuilding" > Ezra 5 > 1-2Meanwhile the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo were preaching > to the Jews in Judah and > Jerusalem in the authority of the God of Israel who ruled them. And so > Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel > and Jeshua son of Jozadak started again, rebuilding The Temple of God in > Jerusalem. The prophets of > God were right there helping them. > 3-4 Tattenai was governor of the land beyond the Euphrates at this time. > Tattenai, Shethar-Bozenai, > and their associates came to the Israelites and asked, "Who issued you a > permit to rebuild this > Temple and restore it to use?" Then we told them the names of the men > responsible for this > construction work. > > 5 But God had his eye on the leaders of the Jews, and the work wasn't > stopped until a report could > reach Darius and an official reply be returned. > > 6-7 Tattenai, governor of the land beyond the Euphrates, and > Shethar-Bozenai and his associates-the > officials of that land-sent a letter to Darius the king. This is what they > wrote to him: > > To Darius the king. Peace and blessing! > > 8 We want to report to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to > The Temple of the great > God that is being rebuilt with large stones. Timbers are being fitted into > the walls; the work is > going on with great energy and in good time. > > 9-10 We asked the leaders, "Who issued you the permit to rebuild this > Temple and restore it to > use?" We also asked for their names so we could pass them on to you and > have a record of the men at > the head of the construction work. > > 11-12 This is what they told us: "We are servants of the God of the > heavens and the earth. We are > rebuilding The Temple that was built a long time ago. A great king of > Israel built it, the entire > structure. But our ancestors made the God of the heavens really angry and > he turned them over to > Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who knocked this Temple > down and took the people to > Babylon in exile. > > 13-16 "But when Cyrus became king of Babylon, in his first year he issued > a building permit to > rebuild this Temple of God. He also gave back the gold and silver vessels > of The Temple of God that > Nebuchadnezzar had carted off and put in the Babylon temple. Cyrus the > king removed them from the > temple of Babylon and turned them over to Sheshbazzar, the man he had > appointed governor. He told > him, 'Take these vessels and place them in The Temple of Jerusalem and > rebuild The Temple of God on > its original site.' And Sheshbazzar did it. He laid the foundation of The > Temple of God in > Jerusalem. It has been under construction ever since but it is not yet > finished." 17 So now, if it > please the king, look up the records in the royal archives in Babylon and > see if it is indeed a fact > that Cyrus the king issued an official building permit authorizing the > rebuilding of The Temple of > God in Jerusalem. And then send the king's ruling on this matter to us. > > Ezra 6 > 1-3 So King Darius ordered a search through the records in the archives in > Babylon. Eventually a > scroll was turned up in the fortress of Ecbatana over in the province of > Media, with this writing on > it: > Memorandum > In his first year as king, Cyrus issued an official decree regarding > The Temple of God in > Jerusalem, as follows: > > 3-5 The Temple where sacrifices are offered is to be rebuilt on new > foundations. It is to be ninety > feet high and ninety feet wide with three courses of large stones topped > with one course of timber. > The cost is to be paid from the royal bank. The gold and silver vessels > from The Temple of God that > Nebuchadnezzar carried to Babylon are to be returned to The Temple at > Jerusalem, each to its proper > place; place them in The Temple of God. > > 6-7 Now listen, Tattenai governor of the land beyond the Euphrates, > Shethar-Bozenai, associates, > and all officials of that land: Stay out of their way. Leave the governor > and leaders of the Jews > alone so they can work on that Temple of God as they rebuild it. > > 8-10 I hereby give official orders on how you are to help the leaders of > the Jews in the rebuilding > of that Temple of God: > > 1.All construction costs are to be paid to these men from the royal bank > out of the taxes coming > in from the land beyond the Euphrates. And pay them on time, without > delays. > > 2.Whatever is required for their worship-young bulls, rams, and lambs > for Whole-Burnt-Offerings > to the God-of-Heaven; and whatever wheat, salt, wine, and anointing oil > the priests of Jerusalem > request-is to be given to them daily without delay so that they may make > sacrifices to the > God-of-Heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. > > 11-12 I've issued an official decree that anyone who violates this order > is to be impaled on a > timber torn out of his own house, and the house itself made a manure pit. > And may the God who put > his Name on that place wipe out any king or people who dares to defy this > decree and destroy The > Temple of God at Jerusalem. > > I, Darius, have issued an official decree. Carry it out precisely and > promptly. > > 13 Tattenai governor of the land across the Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, > and their associates did > it: They carried out the decree of Darius precisely and promptly. > > The Building Completed: > "Exuberantly Celebrated the Dedication" > 14-15 So the leaders of the Jews continued to build; the work went well > under the preaching of the > prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. They completed the rebuilding > under orders of the God of > Israel and authorization by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of > Persia. The Temple was completed > on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of the reign of King > Darius. > 16-18 And then the Israelites celebrated-priests, Levites, every last > exile, exuberantly celebrated > the dedication of The Temple of God. At the dedication of this Temple of > God they sacrificed a > hundred bulls, two hundred rams, and four hundred lambs-and, as an > Absolution-Offering for all > Israel, twelve he-goats, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. They > placed the priests in > their divisions and the Levites in their places for the service of God at > Jerusalem-all as written > out in the Book of Moses. > > > 19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the > Passover. > > 20 All the priests and Levites had purified themselves-all, no exceptions. > They were all ritually > clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for the exiles, their > brother priests, and > themselves. > > 21-22 Then the Israelites who had returned from exile, along with everyone > who had removed > themselves from the defilements of the nations to join them and seek God, > the God of Israel, ate the > Passover. With great joy they celebrated the Feast of Unraised Bread for > seven days. God had plunged > them into a sea of joy; he had changed the mind of the king of Assyria to > back them in rebuilding > The Temple of God, the God of Israel. > > > > > > > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
