Friday, September 28, 2012
Zechariah 8 and 9 and Ezra 6:14-22
It is 516 BC and the Temple of the Lord has finally been restored.
This is exactly seventy years after the Temple Solomon built was
destroyed (in 586 BC). God kept his promise. In His Sovereignty and
Faithfulness, God restored the Temple unerringly at the time He
appointed beforehand. Of course, the Israelites rejoiced. Not only
were the Israelites restored physically (as they 1. were now home from
Babylonian captivity; 2. had rebuilt their lands and homes; 3. and
above all, had rebuilt the Temple), but they were restored spiritually
as well.
On Wednesday, Nikkie Coetzee spoke about our lives and bodies being
"Holy Temples" of the Lord. In today's reading, God's physical
restoration of the Temple also symbolized spiritual restoration of the
people back to being "Holy Temples" of God. As "Holy Temples," God
commanded the following:
1. Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor.
Do not plot evil against each other. (Zechariah 7:9-10)
2. Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment
in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love
to swear falsely. (Zechariah 8:16-17)
In my short time walking with the Lord, I've found that the closer I
draw to God, the more I desire His Holiness. The most serene joyful
moments in my life thus far are when my thoughts, speech, and actions
align with God's Perfect Will; that is when my heart is in the right
place. In these moments, I realize that there's no one, nothing more
beautiful than Jesus.
I encourage you to seek the Lord our God today; to strive for His
image and His likeness. In doing so, you will be overwhelmed by the
beauty of Jesus in a magnificent way. Then, you will have cause for
celebration like the Israelites in today's reading. Before you know
it, nonbelievers will be running to God because of the God inside of
you, just as it was emphasized in Zechariah 8:23:
"In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take
firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with
you, because we have heard that God is with you.'"
God Bless,
Anthony
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