God needs fewer mouthpieces than he needs ears
I have been finishing up a personal study of the book of Ezra. I don't even remember how I got started into it, but it has been a fruitful and productive time. Like Ruth, this book really shows just how beautifully things can work when a community embraces the Law. Ezra is the story of a people regrouping, beginning a new way of life under the tutelage of the Word. I was fascinated as I read the account, seeing how the community came from a foreign land back to Jerusalem to start up the temple again. That's one of God's great beauties, is Him giving people the ability to start again. You see His gracious providence in that. The Law gets them going, giving impulse for the move back to their God.
It's got all the great stuff of a good story: a place, a history, a project, a people, enemies, conflict, leadership, significance, a legacy, a point to teach.
It is thrilling to hear the descriptions of the people beginning worship services. Imagine that, as the praises start rising again. A lot of people's attitudes are to hate religious practice, even Christians. What is interesting to note is that the system of religion the Jews had had a lot of similarities to the other religions. A lot of people try to get by without worshipping anything. It's just not possible. What is so fascinating about Ezra is its insight into how much better worship of the true God is than worship of false gods. The real God requires sacrifices. There are obligations we have to Him. He is not a god not to be pleased, as many people think in their understanding of "grace." He is a God to be mightily pleased. What we do is say, "Mighty is our God" rather than "Mighty are we", and our God is the one who says, "Trust in me for everything." We don't worship Him any 'ole way. He tells us how to do it.
One of the cool things I got out of my reading was the idea of "freewill offerings." It says that after the required gifts and sacrifices that the Jews could give freewill offerings, offerings that were not required but were based on the desire of the giver. How much blessing to be able to give the required amount and then have the desire to give that extra amount. How the heart of God must tingle at that, and how fitting it is to do it for Him. It's going to be neat at the end of days to do an inventory of the freewill gifts. Ezra and the gang did an inventory of gold and goats and bulls. We will get to check and see all the offerings people gave out of their desire. And that could be anything. Just giving back to the Cause, that's all it requires.
Right now, I'm trying to catalogue what I have learned, trying to take it from "Wow, that was a great couple of days in Ezra" to "How can this apply to my life?" And if I don't freak out about it, that'll be a miracle.
It's got all the great stuff of a good story: a place, a history, a project, a people, enemies, conflict, leadership, significance, a legacy, a point to teach.
It is thrilling to hear the descriptions of the people beginning worship services. Imagine that, as the praises start rising again. A lot of people's attitudes are to hate religious practice, even Christians. What is interesting to note is that the system of religion the Jews had had a lot of similarities to the other religions. A lot of people try to get by without worshipping anything. It's just not possible. What is so fascinating about Ezra is its insight into how much better worship of the true God is than worship of false gods. The real God requires sacrifices. There are obligations we have to Him. He is not a god not to be pleased, as many people think in their understanding of "grace." He is a God to be mightily pleased. What we do is say, "Mighty is our God" rather than "Mighty are we", and our God is the one who says, "Trust in me for everything." We don't worship Him any 'ole way. He tells us how to do it.
One of the cool things I got out of my reading was the idea of "freewill offerings." It says that after the required gifts and sacrifices that the Jews could give freewill offerings, offerings that were not required but were based on the desire of the giver. How much blessing to be able to give the required amount and then have the desire to give that extra amount. How the heart of God must tingle at that, and how fitting it is to do it for Him. It's going to be neat at the end of days to do an inventory of the freewill gifts. Ezra and the gang did an inventory of gold and goats and bulls. We will get to check and see all the offerings people gave out of their desire. And that could be anything. Just giving back to the Cause, that's all it requires.
Right now, I'm trying to catalogue what I have learned, trying to take it from "Wow, that was a great couple of days in Ezra" to "How can this apply to my life?" And if I don't freak out about it, that'll be a miracle.
posted by David at 11:55 AM
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