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Dec 04, 2023 06:00am

The Bible Recap: Days 260-266

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(The following are reflections from the writer’s personal journey through The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble – a Bible reading plan to read the Bible chronologically in one year. To learn more about The Bible Recap, visit thebiblerecap.com. Find more posts from this series at lifeword.org/thebiblerecap.)

Day 260: Read Ezra Chapters 1-3

My Takeaways:

God’s sovereignty is all over this new chapter of the lives of His people!

King Cyrus not only decreed that Jews should come home to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, but they brought back all that was taken, in addition to freewill offerings by Cyrus’s people!

They Jews rebuild the altar and the foundation and have a beautiful worship service, with shouts of joy and weeping. It was so loud, people heard from afar.

Oh, friends, God is the ultimate promise keeper! This was a promise kept from 70 years ago, and now it’s being fulfilled! There will be some hiccups along the way, as the people who live in the area won’t be happy about this temple rebuild project, but make no doubt: it will happen. God said it, and He will fulfill it.

Oh, happy day! God is over His kids, and He is over pagans. And, He can work out His will and plans through both. (I wonder what the people of Persia thought about this bold move of Cyrus’s?!)

Day 261: Read Ezra Chapters 4-6 & Psalm Chapter 137

My Takeaways:

I so enjoyed today’s reading!

My God Shot today was something that we can often overlook: God’s plans are so much better than our plans!

The Jews’ plans: rebuild the Temple.

The Jews’ enemies’ plans: thwart those plans.

While it does work for about 15 years, the Jews don’t give up. They begin rebuilding and when the enemy exposes them again, they remind the new king to check out the record books, where they were given permission for such a task. Wise move.

The king finds the records (after a long search) and rebuilding commences! But this time, the new king decrees the building costs on are on the governor!

You guys, ONLY God. He used those delays to flip the circumstances where not only can the Jews rebuild, but now the governor gets to foot the bill!

I love how God can take any bad, tough, or frustrating in our lives and bring GOOD from it! (Romans 8:28). If we are patient and trust HIS process, we will see that His plans trumps ours any day.

Day 262: Read Haggai Chapters 1-2

My Takeaways:

Today was super intriguing and super short! But the heart of it is clear: obedience and the heart.

God wants His house rebuilt…and the people are focusing on their lives—their houses and their livelihood. So, God will withhold blessings in these areas until they get to the reason He brought them back: rebuilding His home. It makes me think how much I can connect to this! How many times am I so busy with my life that I can struggle finding time for God?

After they get started, God questions the priest, via Haggai, about the cleanliness of the people. Here they are rebuilding one of the most holy structures ever with unclean hands and unclean hearts. We are back to the same problem: their hearts aren’t engaged in the sacredness of this task. All these years later, and it’s still the same problem. It makes me think of times I can engage in ministry and not really engage my heart. I can go through the motions just to “get it done.” I get this.

But, amid all this, God promises to bless His people and to bless His priest, Zerubbabel. Once again, God gives His people HOPE amid His corrections. It’s like He is saying: “I am with you. This is going to be amazing. Trust me. Let’s get busy now and rebuild my home. I will help you!”

My God Shot is this: God will use all the delays and obstacles in life to grab our attention. Sometimes, it’s to grow our trust in Him. Sometimes, it’s to get our attention about the way we have been living life. Always, it’s to engage our hearts. He’s a God after our own hearts. He wants His people to be after His.

Day 263: Read Zechariah Chapters 1-4

My Takeaways:

Today’s reading was super intriguing with Zechariah’s visions!

Once again, this time with a different prophet, God is encouraging His people that this exile is headed to a good place—a place of restoration. God promises prosperity once again to His city of Jerusalem. I love the part where God spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who questioned him how long God would withhold mercy from Jerusalem. (I bet Zechariah was wanting to hear that answer!)

I love how God promised revenge to those who hurt His kids and put them in exile.

I love how God said He would be a wall of fire around Jerusalem and His glory would be displayed within it!

I love how He said, “Whoever touches you touches the pupil of my eye.”

And I love the part where Joshua was standing in filthy clothes before the angel (possibly Jesus) and Satan, accusing Joshua of all his sins and iniquity.

But, the angel told Joshua to take off those filthy clothes—that he would give him new clothes. Then, God commissioned Joshua to walk in His ways.

You guys, that’s what Jesus does—He takes away all of our filthy rags of sin and washes us clean with His sacrificial blood. He paid the price and shut Satan up.

But, the problem is this: too many times we listen to Satan. That accuser holds us back so much in life when we listen to him. Oh friends, anytime we give way to his accusations and lies, we diminish the voice of God in our lives.

So many small God Shots today—but the overarching theme is still the same: God is encouraging His kids: “This exile is headed somewhere good—a place of prosperity and peace. Trust me. I am about to take your dirty clothes and give you clean ones to walk in my ways. It’s about to get better.”

Day 264: Zechariah Chapters 5-9

My Takeaways:

Here’s what stood out to me in today’s reading:

God uses metaphors and imagery much with Zechariah! Pictures can say 1,000 words, and these images could certainly do that! I am sure they run deeper than the time we have to talk about them. But, flying scrolls that represent punishment, horses that represent power, a woman who represents idolatry all grabbed my attention for sure!
Fasting. The fact that people question if they should still do this shows us their hearts: not repentant. It’s more of a duty than an act of a grieving or repentant heart. This one I get. For 10 years, I have been fasting regularly. I originally started it at one of the hardest seasons of my life, and I kept up the habit because I feel it’s been powerful in my spiritual life. But many times, I go through the motions without involving my heart—without the praying and petitioning. It’s something to check mark off of my list. A duty. So, when I read God’s question: “Did you really fast for me?” I definitely got convicted. It’s whatever religious acts we do—do we really do them for God? Or just to check mark them off the list?
God commissions His people to not be afraid and to let their hands be strong! They need to live out their love for God and His standards for living in such a way, other people from other nations will come and seek God!
Jesus! We have a Jesus sighting today in chapter 9!

Today’s reading ends with hope. God assures those with hope will experience Him! I love His question in chapter 8: it might be impossible for you all….but is it impossible for me?!

Nope. Nothing is. Many times, we can put God in a box and keep Him there. It’s safe and predictable. But, God will not be kept there. He has plans to blow us away with His grace and love. Plans to do the impossible in His kids’ lives. The key to experiencing this? Obedience and a relationship with Him. A heart that seeks Him.

Day 265: Read Zechariah Chapters 10-14

My Takeaways:

I think I need to be more learned talking about the deeper symbolism of these future events described.

My favorite part was Chapter 10: the restoration of God. I loved it.

Ask for rain, God will provide.

God’s people will come together as warriors in battle, and they will fight because God is with them.

God will strengthen them.

God will have compassion on them.

He will answer them.

Their hearts will rejoice.

God will call out to them and they will come—they will be just as numerous as they once were.

God will strengthen them and they will march in His name.

Isn’t this beautiful? Nothing can compare to the restoration of God, friends. It’s significantly better than we can think or imagine.

We also have more Jesus references.

And we have this line:

“I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer them. I will say ‘They are my people.’ And they will say ‘The Lord is my God.’ “

Isn’t this painful yet beautiful? It’s the full cycle that is aimed at restoring our hearts to God. I have been refined many a time in my life. It’s never been fun, but always been worth it.

Day 266: Read Esther Chapters 1-5

My Takeaways:

For such a time as this.

Please forgive me—I adore this book and do love a good story! I had time to write a bit more today. Bear with my storytelling as I share my God Shot.

Oh friends, I love this book! I love the storytelling around it. Can’t you imagine the extreme nature of the king’s lavish party? Different golden goblets? Each guest had a personal attendant? Gold and silver couches? Mosaic pavement? Marble pillars? This sounds like Solomon’s house!

And here’s kicker: no limits on alcohol. Period. The one rule was NO RULES! Whether Xerxes was a generous king or that he was strategically getting his people‘s adoration and support, it was a drink-a-thon like no other!

Until he calls for his Queen…this stunning beauty—whom Scripture says is beautiful not once but twice—refuses. Can’t you hear the thud of the king’s golden goblet as it hits the floor upon hearing this? I am willing to bet he’s not told “no” very often.

I admire this lady. The men were drunk and she was beautiful. Most likely, she knew this situation wasn’t going to go well for her. After the king consulted his advisors, they assure him this will be a problem for all women of the kingdom will start standing up against their men! Out of respect for all men in the kingdom, the king must use Vashti as an example.

And she was disposed of. (I always wondered what happened to her….killed? Removed? Exiled? We’ll never know this part of the drama.)

The sovereignty of God comes into play here, friends. This opens the door to a kingdom-wide search for the next Mrs. Xerxes. While this sounds like an amazing year-long pampering for our virgins—it truly is setting them up for a lonely life. Imagine it: you are taken from your family, perhaps 12-14, prepped for spending one night with the king…and staying in his harem for the rest of your life. There are so many women, it’s doubtful you get a call-back.

And enter the beautiful Esther…an orphan adopted by uncle Mordecai, both of Jewish descent. Both keeping their lineage quiet.

And God uses His people here in a dramatic way. Esther wins the favor of the king and becomes his wife. Mordecai overhears a plot to kill the king and informs Esther. The plot is foiled and Mordecai goes unnoticed and unthanked. In fact, he refuses to bow down to the king’s second in command—Haman. Haman decided to not just target Mordecai, but ALL Jewish people as a result—so he tricks Xerxes into an edict to get rid of all Jewish people. Phew! Loads of action here.

Upon hearing the news, Mordecai expresses his sorrow by weeping in the public square…Esther tries to get him to stop by sending her servant with clothes. (It was kind of like, “Pull yourself together! This looks embarrassing!”) That’s when Mordecai informs her: “Jews have been targeted. We need your help. You will be targeted. If you say silent, help will come elsewhere, but your father’s family will be wiped out.”

Don’t you love Mordecai’s faith here?! Though he doesn’t mention God’s name directly, you know he has faith. He knows God will step in. But, he also knows that God has allowed Esther to be queen for such a time as this.

It is then that Mordecai sees this young lady may have been put into such a position, such as this, to stand up and save her people. And though she is hesitant to rise up and say something—she does. She does something God’s people do when they desperately need God’s help: they fast.

And so our heroine, a young girl who’s very apprehensive about approaching the king, gets some holy courage and does just that.

Whether she was too scared the first time she approached him or whether she wanted to “butter him up”, she is getting ready to step in and say something as Haman is getting ready to hang Mordecai for his disrespect.

God is in the details, even when His name isn’t. He is putting all the pieces into place to save His people from annihilation into a foreign country.

Intense?

Dramatic?

Oh yes, but He is there amid it all stirring up His people’s hearts for Him. And He uses a young girl—put into a big position, hesitant to stand up for her people—to do it. This is SO GOD!