IN TROUBLE WITH GOD
“But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon" (Ezra 5:12 NKJV).
This verse is part of the answer the Jews gave to their enemies when they were rebuilding the Temple after the captivity. The verse tells why the Temple needed rebuilding. It speaks of the provoking of God and the punishing by God.
Provoking of God – “Because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath.” According to verse 11, the provoking occurred after the first Temple was built by Solomon. Here we see that after a great work was done for God, the people provoked God by their disobedience. It is often after a time of success that Satan attacks and causes us to go astray. We must be very careful after accomplishing some great work that we do not let down our dedication and lapse into sin. Further, this provocation stirred up the wrath of God. If there is anything we want to avoid in life, it is the wrath of God. We like to hear about the love of God, but we also need to hear about the wrath of God. Our sin provokes God’s wrath, and nothing is more perilous to our soul.
Punishing by God – “He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon.” The punishment was twofold. It involved destruction and dispersion.
Destruction – “Destroyed this temple.” The great Temple which Solomon had built was destroyed. Israel forsook worship at the Temple, and so God destroyed it. If we are not good stewards of our spiritual privileges, we will lose them.
Dispersion – “Carried the people away to Babylon.” Because of their sin, Israel was removed from the land of Canaan. When they forsook God, He no longer protected them from their enemies. Times have not changed; this is still true. Our nation needs to heed this warning.
(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)
Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)
Quotation of the Week
“To walk in our own way is to run away from God!”
Anonymous
Word Study
Divide
In Luke 12:13 we read, “Then one from the crowd said to Him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me” (NKJV).
Divide is the Greek word merizō (μερίζω = mer-id'-zo). It means to divide, part, share, separate, to make an allotment, distribute, deal out, assign, apportion. In Classical Greek, the primary meaning of merizō is to divide. Merizō also involves the idea of sharing something with someone, such as the distribution of the tithe of produce to the priests or the distribution of parental property to the children. Merizō includes a simple separation as well as a violent tearing apart.
In the Septuagint merizō is used to describe God’s command to divide Canaan among the 12 tribes (Joshua 13:7-27; 14:5). It is also used to describe the distribution of the spoils of battle (1 Sam. 30:24) and how God provided portions for the priests (Levites) since they had no part of the inherited land (Deut. 18:8). In the New Testament merizō is used to show that division may destroy (Matt. 12:25-26). Thus, there is a moral element in the term. As in the Septuagint, the New Testament uses merizō to describe the spiritual problem of carnal hearts divided by devotion to God and to the world.
Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be forsaken by His disciples (Zech. 13:7).
New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 26:56.
Bible Facts
Medical quarantine instituted (Lev. 13:45-46; Num. 5:1-4). Long before man understood the principles of quarantine, God commanded the Israelites to isolate those with a contagious disease until they were cured.
Bible Quiz
Whom did John the Baptist call a “brood of vipers?”
**Answer to last week’s trivia: How old was Abraham when Isaac was born? 100 years old (Gen. 21:5).
That’s in the Bible
"Fall of a sparrow”
“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will” (Matt. 10:29 NKJV).
“Fall of a sparrow” - The expression “fall of a sparrow” refers to the importance of little things. Sparrows were one of the cheapest items sold for poor people’s food in the marketplace - a penny could buy two of them. Yet the Father knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. If God cares for sparrows in such a marvelous way, will He not also care for His own who are serving Him? He certainly will! Believers should never think the Father has forgotten them. To God, we are of greater value than many sparrows.
Did You Know - Christian History
John H. Noble was born September 4, 1923 in Detroit, MI. He was an American survivor of the Soviet Gulag system. After returning to the US, he who wrote two books relating to his experiences.
John was raised in a home which paid lip service to Christ. The Nobles had returned to Germany to operate their camera business. In 1945 allied bombers pounded Dresden. The fire bombs would leave the city a burned-out husk. At least 35,000 people died.
Surviving a blast that took one third of the roof of his home, John stumbled to the basement with ears ringing and began to pray in earnest. Bomb after bomb exploded nearby, but John and his family survived. John, felt he had been spared to do some work for God. However, he quickly forgot his promise to be thankful.
Being Americans, John and his family expected their citizenship to protect them from the Russians who moved in to occupy East Germany. Instead, John and his father were taken into Soviet custody. There, as the Soviets starved the prisoners into submission, he learned to pray. At first, he prayed for bread and release. He finally reached a point of weakness in which he told the Lord he could not go on any longer. He asked the Lord to either take him or, give him the strength to do go on.
A new strength flowed into him as he spent the next ten years he spent in Soviet prison camps. His faith deepened. Later he would write a book of his experiences, I Found God in Soviet Russia. It sold tens of thousands of copies and reported many miraculous experiences of John as well as other Christians. John was even able to share his testimony with Russian prisoners and guards who hungered to know about Christ.
A group of Christians in America, who had never met him, began praying for his release. When the American government discovered he was alive, they requested his release. Two years later, he was freed.
A Little Humor
Miss Gladys was a regular fixture in the morning at Frost Community Church. On this particular morning the pastor’s message went on forever. Some in the congregation dozed off. Following the service, she walked up to a very sleepy looking visitor to welcome him. Hello, I’m Gladys Dunn.” To which the visitor replied, “You’re not the only one.”
Thought Provoking Church Sign
“Christ was delivered for our sins that we might be delivered from our sins!”
