Julie
Ezra is now king and was sent by God to teach the people. Something that stood out today, "The hand of God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him." They fasted and prayed about this and God heard them. I think it was a good reminder today that we should see him in hard times and he will take care of those that are fighting against us.
We should be good stewards of what God does for us and pass down what we know from generation to generation. It is our responsibility to teach our children so that they will teach their children. As we have read over and over in the OT, the people wouldn't follow the will of God regardless of what he did to them. He gave them chance and after chance to do things right and the chose the wrong path every time.
Michelle
When I think of Xerxes of Persia, positive things don't come to mind. I do not recall ever hearing that the Persian kings believed in God or followed any of God's commands. So this chapter has had some surprising things shown to me. I find it interesting that what I have always known about these kings is not what is said here. I can appreciate that they are helping God's people take care of the temple and allowing for the ritual sacrifices and festivals.
Yes, it is our responsibility to pass down what we know and teach our children about God. This psalm seems to be doing just that. It goes thru all that has happened to the people and says to stop hiding this from the descendants, but tell the next generation of all the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord and all his wonders. As we are progressing thru the bible, or the Old Testament, I sometimes think about why things changed with Jesus. Why did God think that the people needed a human sacrifice to show us the way? I understand that even after all that he did for his people from the beginning and they still were rebellious and strayed so easily, God is constantly pulling us back to him. But why did it take that to change all that had been practiced before. We no longer do the sacrifices listed in the law of Moses. I am sure we will learn more about this question later.
Ok I am not sure how I overlooked this in chapter 8, but there is a devotional related to verses 22-23. It talks about total dependence. I am going to send you the page. It really stopped me in my reading as it is very relevant to what we are experiencing right now. It is a reminder to me that faith is the ingredient that needs to have our focus at all times. Faith in God and that we turn to him in all things.
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