In the book of Ezra, Ezra said, “this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king”, and in chapter six and verse sixteen of Ezra, Ezra shared how the people of Israel, “kept the dedication of this house of God with joy” where we read,
And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity,
kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,
The verse reads, “And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, ...”Ezra began with the words, “and the children of Israel” which means “and the offspring and progeny belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and was the name of the descendants and nation of descendants of Jacob”, “the priests”whose name means “the sacred spiritual speakers and influencers”, “and the Levites” or “and the descendants of Levi whose name means joined to and were set aside by God for His service”, “and the rest of the children” which means “and the residue and remainder belonging to the offspring and progeny” “of the captivity” or “belonging to the exiled people of Israel”. Ezra shared how the offspring belonging to “Israel”, their spiritual leaders and the sons of Levi who were set aside for the service of Jehovah God as well as the remainder of the offspring of the exiles did the following.
The verse goes on to say, “... kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,” Ezra continued with the words, “kept the dedication” which means “observed and performed the consecration” “of this house of God” or “pertaining to this habitation, abode and dwelling place belonging to the Supreme Deity” “with joy” which means “accompanied by absolute delight and pleasure”. Ezra shared how the “children of Israel, the priests, the Levites and the remainder of the offspring of Israel who were exiled” observed the consecration of the temple of Jehovah God the Supreme Deity with absolute delight and pleasure in their hearts and minds.
When we think through Ezra's words in this verse, we discover how all the people of “Israel” were involved in the “dedication or consecration” of Jehovah God's temple in Jerusalem. The “offspring of Israel were there. The spiritual priests, the Levites and the remainder of the people of Israel who were exiled in Babylon were in attendance. They were filled with delight and pleasure as they offered their sacrifices unto God. God wants us to enjoy a personal intimate relationship with Him, and He gave His Son Jesus to be crucified on the cross to make that possible. When we surrender our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and inspire us to offer our sacrifices of praise and honor to Him forever.
Next time Ezra shares what the people of Israel, “offered at the dedication of this house of God”, 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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