In the book of Ezra, Ezra said, “Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel”, and in chapter seven and verse twelve of Ezra, Ezra shared how the letter began, “Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest” where we read,
Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven,
perfect peace, and at such a time.
The verse reads, “Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, ...” Ezra began with the word, “Artaxerxes” whose name means “I will make the spoiled to boil or I will stir myself in winter and was the son and successor of Xerxes as emperor of Persia from 465-424 BC” “king of kings” which means “royal ruler and leader of royal rulers and leaders”, “unto Ezra the priest” or “to Ezra, whose name means help and was the priest and scribe who led the reforms of the returned exiles in Jerusalem and was a co-worker with Nehemiah”, “a scribe” which means “a recorder and secretary” “of the law” or “pertaining to the decree, directives and commands” “of the God of heaven”which means “belonging to the Supreme Deity within the visible sky, atmosphere and sidereal heaven where God abides and other spiritual entities”. Ezra shared how “Artaxerxes” who considered himself to the the royal ruler among royal rulers, addressed his “letter” to “Ezra” who was a spiritual spokesman and recorder concerning the directives and commands of Jehovah God who dwells in the sidereal “heaven”.
The verse goes on to say, “… perfect peace, and at such a time.” Ezra continued with the words, “perfect peace” which means “complete calm and tranquility”, “and at such a time” or “now and at the present moment”. Ezra shared how “Artaxerxes” wished him complete calm at the present time.
When we meditate upon Ezra's words in this verse, we discover the beginning words to the letter written by “Artaxerxes”to him. “Artaxerxes” identified himself as the royal ruler among royal rulers, and he addressed “Ezra” specifically as he knew he was a spiritual spokesman and recorder of God's word who dwells in “heaven”. “Artaxerxes” wished complete tranquility for “Ezra” at the present time, and such was the nature of epistles written for these purposes. God put “Ezra”in a favored position with “Artaxerxes”, and this letter would give “Ezra” the authority to carry out his work among the people of Israel. God wants all of us to know that He has a purpose and plan for our lives, and the first step in that plan is to receive His Son Jesus as our “Savior and Lord” because He died on the cross for our sins. When we accept Jesus into our lives, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and to fulfill His will for us in His Kingdom. (See John 16:13)
Next time Ezra shares how Artaxerxes wrote in the letter, “I make a decree”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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