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The Bible Breakdown
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The Bible Breakdown
Ezra 05: Put Me on Your List
What fuels unwavering determination in the face of relentless opposition? Join us as we explore the profound resilience of the Jews in Ezra, Chapter 5, where their dedication to rebuilding the temple stands as a testament to their faith and strength. We'll dive into their journey with guidance from the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, uncovering how they defied threats from officials like Tennai. Through an engaging tale about a high school bully and his list, we'll draw parallels to the Jews' steadfast spirit, bringing ancient history to life with a relatable twist. We'll also read through Ezra 5:1-6, highlighting the supportive roles of the prophets and the courage of the temple builders.
In the second part of our episode, “Ezra’s Dedication to God’s Word,” we reflect on Ezra 7:10 and the powerful example he set through his commitment to studying, obeying, and teaching God's law. Kicking off with a heartfelt prayer, we'll express gratitude and seek wisdom, setting the tone for a deep reflection on the importance of knowing and sharing God’s word. We'll explore how Ezra's devotion resonates today, inspiring us to persevere in our faith and purpose. Stay tuned as we promise to continue this captivating journey through the Book of Ezra in our next session, leaving you inspired by the enduring strength and dedication of these historical figures.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Hello everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, ezra, chapter 5, and today's title is Put Me on your List. Put Me on your List. There's going to be a moment here where they decide enough's enough. God has given us a word, god has told us what to do. We're going to build the temple. And they start going around saying, well, I'm going to put your name on a list and they say go ahead. We're going to enjoy all that in just a moment. But before we do that, as always, make sure you like, share, subscribe to YouTube channel, make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast it really does help and also make sure you're joining us at the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook, because the more we dig, the more we find, as you're opening up your Bible. To Ezra, chapter 5, I heard the story one time of this small high school in this rural town in Alabama.
Speaker 1:There was this young man who was kind of the high school bully. He loved to kind of push his weight around and kind of let everybody know who was in charge. He would say he was keeping a list. He'd walk into a room and he'd say I'm keeping a list, I'm keeping a list. And what everybody knew was he would say I'm keeping a list, I'm keeping a list. And what everybody knew was he would say I'm keeping a list of everybody in here that I can whoop, because he's from Alabama, so he doesn't say that he can beat up, he's like I can whoop them. That's W-H-O-O-P, by the way, I'm keeping a list, everybody I can whoop. Well, he's a pretty big guy, and so everybody was like okay, and he'd walk in and go yep, everybody in this room is on my list and he'd just go on about his business. That's just his thing. And he was a big enough bully. Nobody corrected him and told him how stupid that sounded.
Speaker 1:But there was this new kid that came to class one day and the guy walks in the same thing Yep, everybody in here is on my list. Well, this new kid didn't know any better. He said what list is this? He said well, I'm keeping a list. What list is this? And he said I'm keeping a list to everybody in here that I can whoop and you know what, I'm going to add you to that list. And that new kid was like you know, I don't really want to stir up any trouble. So he's thinking about it and he's like really, you're going to put me on that list, huh, yeah, well, you might want to be careful because I don't think you can take me. And the bully said you don't think I can take you? No, I don't think you can take me. Well, let me take your name off of my list. So he wasn't really that big a deal after all. He just wanted to act like he knew what was going on and act like that. He was big and bad, right. Well, today we're going to see how they start taking a list. It's almost like a tattletale, like a hall monitor. I'm going to tell Artaxerxes on you, go ahead, because I'm not going to stop what God's called me to do Put me on your list.
Speaker 1:Let's read God's word, ezra 5, verse 1, and let's see what's going on. You ready. Verse 1 says this At that time, the prophets of Haggai and Zechariah, son of Edo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem Pause, by the way. When we look at what's called the minor prophets toward the back of your Old Testament, we have books written by Haggai and Zechariah so you can read what they were saying and how they were encouraging God's people to go ahead and build a temple. So if you notice, all the way back in Ezra 1, I was telling you there's a lot of things, that a lot of the second half of the Old Testament is right here in this time, and so we'll revisit it, we come back to it. But you can read how they're encouraging, especially Zechariah. He's saying that he saw a vision of the high priest and how the enemy was trying to come against him, but God was saying no, now is the time. It's beautiful. There's a verse in Zechariah where he says it's not gonna be by might, not gonna be by power, but it's gonna be by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. And so it's powerful to read. All right, let's get back to it.
Speaker 1:They prophesied in the name of God of Israel who was over them. Zerub Shealtiel and Yeshua, son of Jehozadak, responded by starting again to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them and helped them. But Tennai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar Bezoni and their colleagues soon arrived in Jerusalem and asked who gave you permission to rebuild this temple and restore this structure? For they had asked for the names of all the men working on the temple. Remember, I'm taking your name down. But because their God was watching over them, the leaders of the Jews were not prevented from building until a report was sent to Darius and he returned his decision. So, in other words, what happened was is they said I'm taking your names and I'm telling the teacher Artaxerxes, the king. And what they said was basically fine, send him a letter, tell him what's going on. Until he sends one back, we's gonna build. And so this is what happened.
Speaker 1:Verse 6 this is the copy of the letter that Tenney I, the governor of Shethar-Bazonai, and the other officials of Providence West Euphrates River sent to King Darius. To King Darius greetings. King. You should know that we went to the construction site of the temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones. Timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.
Speaker 1:We asked the leaders who gave you permission to rebuild this temple and restore the structure, and they demanded we demanded their names so we could tell you who the leaders were. This was their answer. We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and we are rebuilding the temple that was built here many years ago by a great king of Israel, but because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he abandoned them to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylonia. However, king Cyrus of Babylon, during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the temple of God should be rebuilt. King Cyrus returned the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem and had placed them in the temple of Babylon. These cups were taken from that temple and presented to a man named Sheth-bizar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah. The king instructed him to return the cups to their place in Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple of God there on its original site. So Sheth-bizar came and laid the foundation of the temple of God in Jerusalem. The people have been working on it ever since, though it is not yet completed. Therefore, if it pleases the king, we request that a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever issued a decree to rebuild God's temple in Jerusalem, and then let the king send us his decision on this matter. Uh-oh, because these folks don't realize what they just did.
Speaker 1:And can I tell you that's what's going to happen many times in our lives. Many times in our lives, we are going to be confronted by people who don't understand our pursuit of God. When we make a decision that we're going to keep the main thing, the main thing in our life, and that is we're going to do our best to not get distracted by the things and the stuff and all the whatevers, and we're just going to pursue God with our life, there's going to be people that's not going to understand. There's going to be people that's going to say well, you know what? I'm going to come against you. I'm going to tell on you, you all that kind of stuff. We have a decision to make. Are we going to allow them to intimidate us to not pursue God? Are we going to say tell whoever you got to tell I am not ashamed of my pursuit of God. And then when they do that, it's going to work against them.
Speaker 1:Because, as we're going to see in the next chapter, darius is going to look up in the history and he's going to find out. Well, sure enough is going to look up in the history and he's going to find out. Well, sure enough. King Cyrus did tell them to go do this. So guess what? So be faithful, trust God. Don't allow yourself to be intimidated and instead go the other way around. You know what? I am a Christ follower. I am following God with all of my life. I am not ashamed of who I am in Christ. I think it's time for Christians to no longer be ashamed of who they are, to not allow culture and allow the bad actors and the bad Christians out there Don't let them get all the attention anymore but for us to stand up and say I have got God's word. I'm going to follow God's word with my life and I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So put me on whatever list I got to be on. I am going to continue to follow the Lord and watch what happens when we refuse to be intimidated.
Speaker 1:Let's pray, god. Thank you so much that you are so worthy of our attention. You're so worthy of our worship. I pray today, god, that you'll give us the wisdom to never give up and to always trust you in all things. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen, amen. God's word says in Ezra 7, verse 10,. This is what Ezra decided to do and how all this was possible. It says this was because Ezra determined to study and obey the law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to others. He says I want to know God and I want to make him known to everybody else. That's exactly what the main thing is for us. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. Ezra, chapter six.
