Monday, September 30, 2024

God’s Courage In My Life: The story of Esther

 

God’s Courage In My Life: Esther

Background

Characters:

Esther, a Persian name which means star. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, which means myrtle.
Mordecai "little man" cousin and adoptive father of queen Esther; son of Jair of the tribe of Benjamin.
Ahasuerus "I will be silent and poor", title of the king of Persia, probably Xerxes.
Haman = "magnificent", chief minister (vizier) of Ahasuerus, enemy of Mordecai and the Jews.

The Missing Name of God: Esther is the only book in the Bible that contains not a single mention of God’s name. Nor does it refer to the Temple, the land of Israel or the scripture. Why, is God’s name absent from the book?

“The Book of Esther serves the purpose of showing how Divine Providence overrules all things; even in a distant, far country, God’s people are yet in His hands. But since they are in this distant, far country, and not in the land of Promise, His Name is not mentioned” (Edward J. Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 349)

Timeline: As far back as 722 B.C., Israelites from the northern tribes were transplanted as captives to “the cities of the Medes” among other places (II Kgs 17:6). Furthermore, after the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus in 539 B.C., some of the Jews who had been transported to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar probably moved eastward to Shushan and other cities in Medo-Persia, as Mordecai did (Est 2:5, 6). But of the millions of Jews who had been dispersed throughout the Near East, only about 50,000 chose to return to the Promised Land with Zerubbabel and Joshua in 536 B.C. (Ezr 2:64-67).

According to Ezra 6:15, the second Temple was completed in 515-517 B.C., in the sixth year of Darius I. It was just thirty-two years later that Xerxes, the son of Darius I, “made a feast unto all his princes and his servants” (Est 1:3). The events of this book cover a period of ten years, from the great feast of Xerxes (483 B.C.) to the Feast of Purim (473 B.C.). Sixteen years after the first Feast of Purim, Ezra led his expedition back to Jerusalem (Ezr 7:9). Thus, the events of this book fit in between the sixth and seventh chapters of the Book of Ezra. -  Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: Old Testament, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), Ne 13:30.

Introduction:

In her book, Living with Love, Josephine Robertson tells a story. "In 1883, a youthful missionary,  Joe Roberts, arrived by stagecoach in a blizzard to minister to the Shoshone Tribe of Wyoming. Soon after he arrived, the son of the chief Washakie was shot by a soldier in a brawl. The Chief vowed to kill the first white man he met as revenge. This would lead to the start of a long, bloody feud, with death on both sides, but especially among the Shoshone people, Roberts who had come to help the tribe with the Gospel, decided he needed to act. He got direction and then set out for the camp, fifteen miles away deep in the mountains. When he arrived, he stood outside the chief’s teepee and called the chief's name. When Washakie appeared, Roberts opened his shirt and bared his chest and said, "I have heard of your vow. The other white men have families, but I am alone. Kill me instead."

Washakie was amazed and told him to come into his tent. "How do you have so much courage?" he asked. So Joe Roberts told the chief of the courage of Christ and how He died for all men.

They talked for hours. When missionary Joe left, the chief of the Shoshones had renounced his vow to kill and resolved to become a Christian.

If you were in such a time and place offer your life to save the life of others? Could you offer yourself to appease a father’s rage so that you might have a chance to share the Gospel? That took courage, supernatural courage and that is what we are going to talk about this morning, the God’s Courage In My Life, from the book of the courageous woman of God, Esther.

God’s Providence  Esther 1:10-12

On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.

Providence In The Past

In the book of Esther we see several events which seem random or unconnected, but actually are ordered by the providence of God. Events that will work to bring about God’s sovereign will and save God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel.

The first event involves the King Ahasuerus,  the son of Darius I and history tells us carries the title of Xerxes, throws a feast, This feast (literally, it was a drinking feast) and it is recorded in history as taking place year 483/482 B.C. It was to commemorate the planned invasion of Greece by Persia.

The second event during the feast involves the Queen Amestris, who the Bible names us as Vashti, a title which meant “most beautiful.”

Then we have the critical event in our story, the king in the midst of this drinking feast, with all his drinking nobles, calls for the queen to dress up and show herself off before his guests, which may have numbered in the 10s of thousands, but the queen refuses to come. We are not told exactly why she refuses. Was it because of the drunkenness of the guests? Was it because she did not want to be paraded like a prize horse. Perhaps it was because she had her own banquet for the women at another palace and it was her duty to stay there. We don’t know but her refusal brings about a cascade of reactions and crises that only God uses to accomplish His purpose.

So let us discuss Providence because the book of Esther is about providence.

The Providence of the Present

One of the most powerful and courageous things a Christian can do is learn to trust God in His providence as the God’s people did in the past, we must do in the present. We might call it stepping out in faith, or standing on the promises but what it means is trusting God when there is no visible means of support. We must touch providence by faith never by sight.

Providence: Literally means foresight but is generally used to denote God's preserving and governing all things by means of second causes.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.,

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

God's providence extends to:

The affairs of men
Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
James 4:14-15 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

God’s providence even to the free actions of men Pro19:21, 20:24; Php 2:13 Eph 2:10

applies to the sinful actions of men, they are represented as occurring by God's permission and as controlled and overruled for good. God does not cause or approve of sin, but only limits, restrains, overrules it for good. The mode of God's providential government is altogether unexplained.

God’s providence is
universal Ps 103:17-19
particular (to the individual) Mt 10:29-31
efficacious (effective, it will not fail) Ps 33:11 Job 23:13
embraces events apparently contingent (if, then) Pr 16:9,33 19:21 21:1
is consistent with His own perfection (God is all knowing, powerful and present) 2Ti 2:13
and to His own glory Ro 9:17 11:36

Illustration: “We Sent Two Boats and a Helicopter.”

Here's a great story about providence. During a terrible flood, volunteers risked their lives to rescue victims stranded in the deluge. One old Pentecostal preacher was up to his knees in the fast-rising waters when a rowboat came by. "Hop in, we'll save you!"

   "No thanks, I’m waiting for the Lord to take care of me."

   A short while later, the water had risen to the roof and the man had climbed there for safety. A fire and rescue boat is patrolling and seeing him goes to save him. “Get in, we won’t be able to come back.” Again he declined: "No thanks, I have faith and the good Lord is going to save me."

   Soon the water was up to his chin, a Coast Guard helicopter flies overhead drops a ladder and over the loud speaker calls out. "Grab the ladder, this is your last chance!"

   "Thanks, but no thanks. I have faith.  I don't need you to rescue me because the Lord will save me."

 Those were the last words the man uttered a wave washed over him and he drowned. He realized he was in heaven but he was bewildered and pretty upset. Banging on the Pearly Gates be called out to St. Peter, "What happened? I never doubted, I had faith why wasn’t I saved?"

   Peter looked at him, shook his head, and said, "Hey! We sent two boats and a helicopter!”

Get it? That’s providence.

The providence of God continues through the events of the Persian court as Vashti is removed as the queen, and a search is began for a replacement to teach her and all the women of Persia a lesson about who is really in charge, the king or queen, men or women. The historian Herodotus records such and event though the names are not given, but we know her name Esther the star of Persia. She among all the women of Persia is selected and place in the place of Queen Vashti.

God’s Providence now moves from events to people. In this case the special person through which God will save the nation of Israel.

God’s Person - Esther 4:13-14

Esther 4:13-14 13  Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 14  For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

God Uses Esther to save His People

In chapter 2 we once again see God’s Providence at work as we meet Mordecai and Esther through the search for Vashti’s replacement. Mordecai was one of the Kings officers who served in the court and whose station was “at the Kings Gate” this may have been a literal gate in the palace or it may have simply meant a place where the kings officers would wait to be called to the King.

We then met Esther, Mordecai had raised her as his daughter when her father, Mordecia’s uncle had died.

Esther has been installed as the replacement of Vashti in the Kings attention and affections when in chapter 3 we meet Haman, a proud vain, ambitious, sycophantic man who wants first place in the Kings court. When he rides out one day past the other officers in the court yard, Mordecia refused to bow down as the others do.

There may have been a good reason for Mordecia refusing to bow and Haman despising Mordecia. Haman we are told is “Agagite,” which could mean he came from a district in the empire known as Agag. But it could also mean that he was descended from Agag, king of the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:8). If the latter is the case, then we can easily understand why Haman hated the Jews and Mordecai would not bow. These were ancient, bitter and implacable enemies from the time of the Exodus.  - Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Committed, “Be” Commentary Series, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993), 92–94.

Haman determines not only to punish Mordecia, but to destroy all the Jews in all the lands of the Empire. Perhaps the greatest revenge of one person upon millions of people until Hitler.

Haman though his lies and his position with the King, gets the king to sign a law into effect that on the 13th day of the 12 month all the Jews in all the kingdom were to be killed and those who did the killing could keep the possessions of the families that they killed as a bounty.

It is under the danger of that decree that Mordecai comes to Esther and tells her she must be God’s Person for this hour. God’s person for God’s providence Eshter had never even told the King or anyone else that she was a Jew and now she must walk into the King’s presence without an invitation, which could result her own death and try and stop the slaughter of Mordecai and her people.

Mordecai in convincing her asks  this famous question, “who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.

He then appeals to her using three principles in 4:13-14

Faith: …then shall deliverance arise to the Jews from another place (based upon God’s promises.)

Fidelity: Thy fathers house shall be destroyed (loyalty and duty to your family)

Fortitude: thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this (courage to act)

We know God used Esther and Mordecai but the question for us today is….

Will God Use You?

In the Bible there are many examples of “for such a time as this.”

Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah: Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Daniel in the lions den: Daniel 6:10  Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Peter and John before the Sanhedrin.: Acts 5:27-29   And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

You might say, “sure if those things happened, I’d stand for God just like the heroes of the Bible.”  Le me give you some other examples from today.

A teacher attacks Christianity and opens the class for discussion.  Do you speak or hold your tongue?

Co-workers or friends call you over to listen to a dirty story or watch an immoral video on their smart phone.  Do you awkwardly just smile and just go along or say something?

Your children want you to buy them music or take them to a show that you know is a bad influence and shows sin as enjoyable, even desirable.  Do you say ok?

Friends decide to eat out after work and when you arrive, they order a pitcher of beer for your table even though they know you don’t drink as a Christian. Should you stay while they drink? 

You and a friend are driving down the highway and pass a car with the hood open and steam coming out of the radiator.  A mile or two later you pass a man walking with a gas can in his hand. Do you stop and help him?

The point is that no one can know for sure when God will use us, therefore we must be always ready “for such a time as this.”

How do you know what to do in these situations? What principles will you use to decide what you must do?  Just like Mordecai’s appeal to Esther we must have:

Faith in God’s promises

Fidelity to your God, you family and your Church

Fortitude, the courage to act now.

Those principles will never fail you in any decision you will make. I think they are reflected and summarized here in ….

1 Chronicles 19:13  Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.

God’s providence is at work, God’s person is in place and now we will see…

God’s Power - Esther 8:5-7

Esther 8:5-7 5  And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces: 6  For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? 7  Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.

God’s Power through Esther and Mordecai Saves the Jews.

Esther risks her life to go before the King and he points his scepter at her allowing her to live and come into his presence. She invites him and Haman to a dinner which of course appeals greatly to the vanity of Haman. At the dinner she pleads for her life and the King asks who would dare to threaten her and her people and Esther points and says, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman.”

The King is filled with wrath and has Haman hanged on the gallows that Haman had built to kill Mordecai. He then signs a law that allows the Jewish people to defend themselves when the day comes that Haman had devised to have them eradicated.

And though Esther, Mordecai and the King were all involved, it was God in His power, working through them, who brought about their deliverance.

Will God’s Power Work In Us?

If you are a child of God, you want the answer to be, yes. But know that even if you are not saved, the answer is still yes. In the former God works though you willingly and in the latter He still works through you though you are unwilling. God is God and He is sovereign, therefor by His foreknowledge, He will work His will. Either through you or in spite of you but God’s power through God’s providence will accomplish God’s sovereign will.

I hope and pray that all of us here are in the first group. We want to willingly be used of God, to see His will done and power seen in our choices and service.  We must always be aware of the reality and the opportunities in the same way that Mordecai spoke to Esther, “for such a time as this?”  Has God brought you, has God brought our church, has God brought others, into the times and events of our lives, for such a time as this?

What open doors do we see? What challenges? What chances for service? We must face these times with faith, fidelity and fortitude.  We must not shrink back from what we know is God’s providence at work in this time, in this place and in our life.  

Conclusion

Will I rise to the occasion, the opportunity “for such a time as this?”

Listen to the challenge of God from Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

In battle when men would fall standing in the shield wall or when the walls of city were breeched and the enemy concentrates their forces to break through the gap, it is then that the courageous would rush forward and “stand in the gap”

As we look around us, at our family, our church, our nation, the times in which we live, is there a gap that we should be standing in?  Is there a break in the shield wall that you should courageously step into? 

To do so, you must be willing to trust God’s promises, accept His providence and act upon His principle of faith, fidelity and fortitude. Then like Esther and Mordecia, like, like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, like Peter, John and like so many others, both known and unknown, you can be used of God “for such a time as this.”

 

Monday, September 23, 2024

God’s Restart In My Life - Ezra 3:9-13

 

God’s Restart In My Life- Ezra 3:9-13

Background:

Title. The Book of Ezra is the story of God’s nation, Israel returning to Jerusalem and beginning the rebuilding of the Temple. In the Jewish Canon it and the book of Nehemiah are combined into one long book because their subject matter and setting are the same.

 Historical Background. The Book of Ezra is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel given through the prophet Jeremiah to bring them back after seventy years of captivity. God used three Persian kings, Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, to authorize the people’s return and even to furnish supplies and protection for the trips that would take place over the coming years. Zerubbabel, the governor, Joshua, the high priest, Haggai and Zechariah, the prophets and Ezra the historian lead the people back and begin the building of the second Temple where God’s people could once again worship their God as He had commanded them.

As the scene opens in Ezra 1, the Jews have just seen the overthrow of the hated Neo-Babylonian Empire, in 539 B.C., by Cyrus the Persian. And Daniel has just been put into a place of honor by Darius the Mede, whom Cyrus appointed to rule over the Neo-Babylonian territories - Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: Old Testament,

Timeline - More than a century before, the Prophet Isaiah had warned the Jews that the people of Judah would be taken captive by Babylon and punished for their sins and his prophecy was fulfilled. In 605, Nebuchadnezzar deported the royal family and took the temple vessels to Babylon. In 597, he sent into exile 7,000 “men of might” and a thousand craftsmen and in 586, he destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and exiled the rest of the Jews in Babylon, except for “the poor of the land.”

In 538, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, conqueror of Babylon, issued a decree that permitted the exiled Jews to return to their land and rebuild their temple.

For at least forty years, the Prophet Jeremiah had warned the leaders of Judah that the Babylonian exile was inevitable and he pled with them to repent of their sins and surrender to Babylon. Only then could they save the city and the temple from ruin. The leaders didn’t listen, in fact, they called Jeremiah a traitor, and the Holy City and the temple were destroyed in 587–586. - Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Heroic, “Be” Commentary Series,

Ezra 1:1 begins immediately after 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.

Introduction:

Preaching through the Bible chronologically, has brought us from the creation of the earth, to the creation of Israel, from the exodus of Israel from Egypt, to the conquering of Canaan, from the battles of David to the founding of Jerusalem as his capital. But then we move from the heights of David and Solomon to the depths of Isarel unfaithful Kings, from a civil war that divide the tribes to the captivity and expulsion of Israel from the Promised land.

Today begin the next chapter in the history of God people. Today God begins to return his people to the land He had promised. Few things in history show us the veracity and truth of the Bible more than the continued existence of Israel in the land of Israel. If they had been just another tribe, then we would never have heard of them much less still be praying for them today as they continue to fight for the land God gave them. God’s word is true and Israel is proof.

In Ezra the story of Israel’s restart is told. Now go with me to chapter 3.

Praise For The New Start - Ezra 3:8-11

Praise For The Temple Rebuilt

They have a worship service, a celebration and lay the foundation of the 2nd Temple.

Imagine this day. Jeshua, Kadmiel and Henadad are set before the people as the men who would begin this great work. These are the Levites who would begin the work and care for the Temple. In the Temple of Solomon there had been 24,000 Levites to oversee the work but now there were only 341 that had returned.

As the Levites lay the first stones, others in their Temple apparel blow the trumpets and the choir, the Sons of Asaph, and an orchestra begin to praise the Lord.

They sang together by course, they took turns singing from one section of the choir to another. We even know the song they sang that day. 

Psalms 136:1-9 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
4 To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
7 To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

The Psalms continues this way to 26 and ends with, “O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

Praise for God’s Restarts of Our Lives

I would have loved to hear that shout, love to hear that praise.  They were so joyous at the prospect of God's work going forward. So joyous that God’s promises had been fulfilled and they were a part of the plan and prophecy of God.

Shouldn’t we also have that same king of joy? We should sing our praise with the same kind of motivation because God's work is still going forward, by the promise of our Lord and we are a part of that plan for the Church of Jesus Christ.

How many in Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel’s time must have thought that God had abandoned His people. How many may have given up hope and just become a part of the culture around them.

It was a dark time, a black time, a time that seemed to have no light for them to see a way out. But 70 years later the people returned and the Temple work was begun. Soon we’ll be in the book of Nehemiah and under that great man the wall of Jerusalem will be rebuilt.

God had not abandoned them, he was only purifying them, strengthening them and consecrating them for a restart.

And in the darkness of our own days, I am so glad that God has not abandoned us. The promises he gave the prophets then were true and the promises He has given us today are just as true.

Just as God’s mercy endures forever, so also His word endures forever. Psalms 119:89-92 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. 90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.  91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants. 92 Unless thy law had been my delights,I should then have perished in mine affliction.

For us the Lord has commanded and promised in Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And what God has promised and commanded, he will also supply, just as He did for the restart of the Temple. He has given us willing people, he has given us a place and he has given us a wonderful purpose.

Oh yes, we need to praise God and shout for joy, because God’s work is going forward at Calvary Baptist Church. It can be a bit overwhelming; it can be a bit chaotic, it can even be a bit contentious, but most of all it should be joyful and it should be thankful to that God in his mercy is still willing to use us.

Illustration: Hit em again Lord.

A church was really needing to start a remodeling project, but had not been successful in the past. The auditorium was really in bad shape needing paint, pews, plaster and much more. The Pastor preached his message and then made his appeal, "Which of you will now make a pledge to start this great work?"  For what seemed like a long time no one stood, finally one of the stingiest but richest man in the community stood and said, "I pledge $100 to the remodel." It wasn't much and it could have been more but it was a start and the pastor said to the assembly, "And the people said…." The people responded with a hearty, "Amen!"  As they said it a piece of plaster fell from the ceiling and struck the man right on the head.  He smiled and said, "Pastor I guess I better pledge $500." The people needed to prompt from the pastor they let out a much louder amen and a few glories as well.  Now a slightly larger piece of plaster fell and again struck the man on the head.  He appeared a little perplexed and now without smiling said, "Pastor, I better make that a thousand dollars." Just then one of the deacons jumped up and cried out, "Hit 'em again, Lord. Hit 'em again!"

You know the Lord shouldn’t have to hit someone in the head for all of us to praise Him for using our church preach the Gospel and reach our community.

Tears For The Past Work - Ezra 3:12

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

The Ancient Men Wept

Not all praised God and shouted for joy that day. For there were some who were there who remembered the Great Temple of Solomon. Many years had passed but they still remembered the glory of Solomon's Temple. How could they forget such a magnificent structure?

The old Temple was three times higher and four times larger than what was going to be built under Zerubbabel and Joshua. Solomon was one of the greatest kings of the east, Zerubbabel was only a governor under the authority of Cyrus.

They did not sing this day when the foundation was laid, they wept over what was past over what had been lost.

When the temple was nearly finished God spoke to them through the prophet in Haggai 2:2-5 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, 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? 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: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.

 Who can blame them for remembering? But God’s message is this. Those who were weeping and looking only back at the past had missed the truth behind the Temple itself. It wasn't about the king who had built it, it wasn't the grandeur and the beauty of the building that made it great. It was the God who dwelt there and made it His Temple.

It wasn't Zerubbabel or Solomon or Ezra but God who filled the temple with his glory. It was God who called for this work to go on.  It was God who would see it though the difficulties and interruptions that they would face.

You Can’t Go On if You keep Looking Back.

Used to be a song LeeOra and I listened to, so long ago it was on a cassette tape.  If you don’t know what that is then you missed one of the joys of music, back in the day. Especially as the tape go old and come unwound and then tangled inside your car cassette player. What joy, that was. But one of the lyrics in that song has stuck in my head, "You can't drive straight ahead, while looking in the rear view mirror."

It’s true in driving, its true in the church, true in our families and its true in our lives as children of God. You can't go forward to what God has in store, if you’re looking backward at what was left behind.

Scripture: Want to hear one of the toughest verses in the Bible? Look at Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Jesus says to those He had called to serve the cause of the Gospel, “You aren’t going to be fit for service if you keep looking back.  

You can't rebuild a temple, relaunch a church or restart your life by building on memories of the past. Good memories or bad memories aren’t fuel for moving forward. The power to move forward comes from the promises of God for the future. You build on the faithfulness of God's people. You build on sacrifice, on service and on supplication. And then you can restart once, twice or a hundred times if necessary, because God will never run out of mercy and His word will never run out of power.

New Building

Looking backward instead of going forward is kind of like the church that decided to build a new building. So, the building committee go together and  passed the following resolutions:

 1. We shall build a new church.
2. The new building is to be located on the site of the old one.
3. The material in the old building is to be used in the new one.
4. We shall continue to use the old building until the new one is completed. - Bob Phillips, Good Clean Jokes, Harvest House, 1992, p. 55.

When we need a restart, in any area of our life or church, we have to step out of the past whether good or bad and step into the future trusting the Lord for every step we take.

Noise Hear Afar Off - Ezra 3:13

So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

The Past Couldn’t Overcome The Future

The ancient men wept because the remembered the past, the wept because they had lost so much by their failures in the past, but their weeping could not overwhelm the joy for the future that had begun that day.

The final result that day was a Noise heard afar off. The sounds of praise and joy echoed from the hills and through the valleys of Judah that day because by God’s promise and power they had restarted their nation. It was not the tears that predominated that day but it was the praise to God for what was begun again.

Ezra 3:13 the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Tears or Joy Depend On the Direction I’m Looking

Those who looked back suffer the loss of their joy but those who looked forward shouted out in praise and joy. I can be in danger of this. Looking back at what was, what might have been. Looking back at what has been lost and what never was.

If I do this, then I risk my joy in the Lord’s promises of the future. It has been said that the past should be a rudder to guide us, but not an anchor to stop us. Thank God for the past He has given us, but praise Him for the future He has promised us.

Zerubbabel and Ezra never built a temple as great as Solomon's. That wasn't what God called them to do. He called them to carry on the work, He called them to go keep going forward. It wasn't the same temple because it wasn't the same king, the same times or even the same people. God called for a temple He could use in the that time and for the people of that time.

The same is true for us in our lives, our marriages, our church, our health, our circumstances and times we live in. We will never be able to restart the past, you can only restart if you are looking to the future.

What was it that C S Lewis said, “You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

That is one of the most joyful, hopeful and powerful aspects of Christianity. No matter what the past was and no matter how dark the present it, the future, by the power of God’s word and the renewing of His mercy, will always be shining bright.

Conclusion: The Greater Glory Awaits the Second Temple

When the Temple was restarted and years later when it was finally finished, those who compared it with the old, didn’t think it would ever be as glorious.

Yet in time, the glory of the second Temple actually would outshine even the Temple of Solomon. They couldn’t know this, but God knew it and he used those here in the book of Ezra to restart the work for that greater glory.

Haggai 2:6-9 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.

It would be to the 2nd Temple begun by those in Ezra’s time that Jesus would come.

The Messiah, Son of God would shake the nations, He would be the glory that would fill the House of God, He would be the One who would give pace in this place.

Who other than God could have known? And who other than God can know what He will do when we are will to trust Him in the restarts of our life. In the joyfulness of moving forward, in the faithfulness of trusting His word as we step into the future with Him.