In the book of Ezra, Ezra shared how, “there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written”, and in chapter six and verse three of Ezra, Ezra shared that Darius discovered, “Cyrus the king made a decree” where we read,
In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;
The verse reads, “In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, ...” Ezra began with the words, “in the first year of Cyrus the king” which means “within the initial annual summation of sunrises to sunsets belonging to Cyrus whose name means possess you the furnace and was the king of Persia and conqueror of Babylon who was the first ruler of Persia to make a decree allowing the Israelite exiles to return to Jerusalem”, “Cyrus the king” which means “Cyrus the royal ruler and leader” “made a decree” or “set, fixed and appointed a judgment, discretion and command” “concerning the house of God” which means “about and relating to the habitation, abode and dwelling place belonging to the Supreme Deity” “at Jerusalem” or “within Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split”. Ezra shared within the book of records was discovered the command made by Cyrus the king of Persia about the sacred dwelling place of Jehovah located in “Jerusalem”.
The verse continues, “... Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid;” Ezra added the words, “let the house be builded” or “allow and permit the sacred habitation, abode and dwelling place of Jehovah be erected, established and rebuilt”, “the place where they offered sacrifices” which means “the location that they, the people of Israel, gave and presented animal offerings”, “and let the foundations thereof” or “and allow and permit the base of the building” “be strongly laid” which means “be made to bear a mighty load”. Ezra shared how “Cyrus” ordered that the “temple” in “Jerusalem” and the location that they presented animal offerings be erected and rebuilt, and they were to make the base of the temple able to bear a mighty load.
Finally the verse says, “the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;” Ezra concluded this verse by describing “the height thereof threescore cubits” or “the altitude of the temple was to be sixty cubits or ninety feet tall”, “and the breadth there of threescore cubits” which means “the width of the temple was to be sixty cubits or ninety feet wide”. Ezra ended this verse by sharing how “Cyrus” ordered the sacred worship place located in Jerusalem to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide.
When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Ezra how the “book” discovered by “Darius” declared that “Cyrus” said Israel was to be allowed to rebuild their temple of worship in Jerusalem, and they were even given the height and width of the structure. Detail by detail God was revealing His plan to have His temple rebuilt, and the reestablishment of the people of Israel and their worship of Him was to be reinstated. God loves the people of Israel, and even when they have forsaken Him and been punished for it, He calls them back to a personal relationship with Him. God loves us in the same manner. He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for our sins, and when we put our faith and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and guide us by His Holy Spirit into all truth and His detailed plan for our lives. (See John 16:13)
Next time Ezra shares about, “three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber”, 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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