In the book of Ezra, Ezra shared how king Artaxerxes of Persia wrote in a letter to him, “whosoever will not do the law of your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment”, and in chapter seven and verse twenty-seven of Ezra, Ezra said, “blessed be the LORD God of our fathers” where we read,
Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which has put such a thing as this in the king's heart,
to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:
The verse reads, “Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, ...” Ezra began with the words, “blessed be the LORD” which means “congratulations, praise and salute toward Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “God of our fathers” which means “Supreme Deity belonging to our, Ezra and the people of Israel's, male progenitors, ancestors and forefathers”, “which has put such a thing as this” or “who has set, bestowed, ascribed, consecrated and dedicated the following” “in the king's heart” which means “within the royal ruler and leader's soul, mind, will, inner man and seat of emotions and affections”. Ezra praised Jehovah God for bestowing the following within the soul, mind and will of the royal ruler.
The verse continues, “... to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:” Ezra added the words, “to beautify”which means “to glorify, adorn and embellish” “the house of the LORD” or “the habitation, abode and dwelling place belonging to Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “which is in Jerusalem” which means “who exists within Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split”. Ezra gave praise and honor to Jehovah God for inspiring the royal ruler to bestow gifts upon him and the people of Israel which would adorn the temple of Jehovah God which was located in “Jerusalem”.
When we meditate upon Ezra's words in this verse, we see how he broke out in praise and honor of Jehovah God for putting within the royal ruler the idea of “beautifying” the temple located in “Jerusalem”. Although “Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes” were used to carry out God's will for the people of Israel, Jehovah God Himself was truly responsible for providing what they needed to rebuild and furnish His worship place. God loves the people of Israel, and He loves us. He is willing to supply our need according to His riches in glory, (See Philippians 4:19) and because we needed a “Savior” to take away our sins, He gave His Only Begotten Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind. When we yield to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and inspire others to give us what we need to live in this world until we go to be with Him for all eternity.
Next time Ezra shares how God, “has extended mercy unto me before the king”, 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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