“Then the people of Israel – the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles – celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.”
~ Ezra 6:16
Hi James and Ellen,
You are getting to know the Israelite people group. Israelites are God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids. Almost all that is written in the Old Testament is about God’s especially chosen people – the Israelite people group. The Old Testament division of the Bible is much larger than the New Testament division of the Bible. Why do you think that is? Your grandpaa thinks that God wants you to learn about Him through the Israelite people group – His specially chosen guys, gals and kids. The guys, gals and kids who God has placed and is placing on planet Earth and who He has and who He will lead to believe in His Son – Jesus Christ, are now God’s specially elected children. It is through God’s grace that your grandmaa and grandpaa have the faith to believe in God’s only Son – Jesus Christ. There will be times as you are reading in the Old Testament that you will wonder why you have to read what you are reading. Life was very different during the time when the thirty-nine Old Testament books were written than what life is like today. The Old Testament reads at times like a history book. The Old Testament tells you the history of God’s especially chosen people. The Old Testament is a living book that was scripted by God to be written. As you study through the Old Testament, you will find out what happens when someone believes in God and is obedient to God’s will. You will also find out as you study through the Old Testament what happens when a guy, gal or kid is not obedient to God’s will. As you study through the Old Testament, you will find God making promises to His specially chosen people and then keeping each time these promises. When David was obedient to God, God gave Jerusalem to David as his city. When God’s specially chosen people in Jerusalem were not obedient to God, God handed Jerusalem over to Israel’s enemies. God told His specially chosen people through prophets that this would happen and it did. Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians 586 years before Jesus Christ was born. The people who were living in Jerusalem were taken away by Nebuchadnezzar – the Babylonian king, to be slaves in Babylon.
There are many depressing times recorded in the Old Testament books. When King Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, King Nebuchadnezzar carried off all the gold and silver articles that were in the house of God – which was the temple that God had Solomon build for Him about 350 years earlier. The temple was where God’s specially chosen people worshipped Him. The temple was where the Ark of the Covenant was located. God’s presence was in the Ark of the Covenant. This temple or house of God was really important to God’s specially chosen people. God about seventy years later had His temple rebuilt in Jerusalem. This was a very heartening time for God’s specially chosen people. God had three guys – Ezra, Haggai and Zechariah, pen books about this time. Haggai and Zechariah scribed books to encourage God’s specially chosen people to complete rebuilding the temple. Ezra wrote his book to explain how it came about that God’s specially chosen people were able to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Ezra 6 tells you how a letter or a scroll – which was called a decree, was found. This degree had been written by an Assyrian king. This king’s name was Cyrus. Ezra gives you a lot of history – especially in this chapter, in the book that goes by his name. God had promised His specially chosen people they would one day return to Jerusalem. God always keeps His promises. God used the leader of the enemy – which were the Assyrians, of His specially chosen people to keep His promise that He would have them one day return to Jerusalem. How do you think that God’s specially chosen people felt when they finished rebuilding the temple? Verse 16 tells you that “Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.” God’s specially chosen people found out while having to live in another country as slaves that living without having a temple – or a house of God, to go to to worship in was something that they really missed. Rebuilding the temple that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed was something essential that God’s specially chosen people needed to do.
Having a place to worship together is very important for the guys, gals and kids living in Latin America. Guys, gals and kids who live in Latin America do not mind meeting in homes but . . . your grandmaa and grandpaa helped to start a church the first year after your grandmaa and grandpaa arrived in Bolivia. The church that your grandmaa and grandpaa helped begin was named the Pari Church. The guys, gals and kids who attended the Pari Church met in the patio area of a Christ-follower’s home. Your Aunt Lynn used to play with the daughter of one of the couples who helped start this church. The gal’s name is Gloria. Gloria’s ma and dad became really good friends of your grandmaa and grandpaa. Gloria’s dad – Zacarias, is now a church leader. Zacarias graduated from the rural resident leadership training program which your grandmaa and grandpaa administrated in Concepcion, Nuflo de Chavez. Gloria’s ma – Justina, was a real help to your grandmaa. Justina would come to your grandmaa’s house once a week to help your grandmaa clean her house. Your grandmaa and Justina spent more time talking together than cleaning your grandmaa’s house. Your grandmaa and grandpaa learned a lot from the Pari Church Christ-followers. After the Pari Church was organized, the Pari Church Christ-followers decided to construct a special place to meet in together to worship God. The walls of the church that the Pari Church Christ-followers built were crude boards for the initial cuts from logs. Once the Pari Church Christ-followers finished building their church, they dedicated it. If you ever want to have a joy experience, go to where there is a new church being dedicated to God. It is a blessed celebration.
Ezra 6 (56)