Ezra 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: CHOOSE TO SEE THE UNSEEN

A prisoner carved these words on the wall of a concentration camp: I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine. I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown. I believe in God, even when he doesn’t speak. What eyes could have seen good in such horror? There is only one answer: eyes that chose to see the unseen.

As the apostle Paul wrote, “We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Jesus asks us to make a choice. Either to live by the facts or to see by faith. When tragedy strikes, we, are left to choose what we see. We can see either the hurt or the Healer. The choice is ours.

Ezra 2

 These are the people from the province who now returned from the captivity, exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried off captive. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his hometown. They came in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The numbers of the returning Israelites by families of origin were as follows:

Parosh, 2,172

Shephatiah, 372

Arah, 775

Pahath-Moab (sons of Jeshua and Joab), 2,812

Elam, 1,254

Zattu, 945

Zaccai, 760

Bani, 642

Bebai, 623

Azgad, 1,222

Adonikam, 666

Bigvai, 2,056

Adin, 454

Ater (sons of Hezekiah), 98

Bezai, 323

Jorah, 112

Hashum, 223

Gibbar, 95.

Israelites identified by place of origin were as follows:

Bethlehem, 123

Netophah, 56

Anathoth, 128

Azmaveth, 42

Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, 743

Ramah and Geba, 621

Micmash, 122

Bethel and Ai, 223

Nebo, 52

Magbish, 156

Elam (the other one), 1,254

Harim, 320

Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725

Jericho, 345

Senaah, 3,630.

Priestly families:

Jedaiah (sons of Jeshua), 973

Immer, 1,052

Pashhur, 1,247

Harim, 1,017.

Levitical families:

Jeshua and Kadmiel (sons of Hodaviah), 74.

Singers:

Asaph’s family line, 128.

Security guard families:

Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai, 139.

Families of temple support staff:

Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

Keros, Siaha, Padon,

Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,

Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,

Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,

Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,

Uzza, Paseah, Besai,

Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim,

Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

Neziah, and Hatipha.

Families of Solomon’s servants:

Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,

Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and Ami.

Temple support staff and Solomon’s servants added up to 392.

59-60 These are those who came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. They weren’t able to prove their ancestry, whether they were true Israelites or not:

61 Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, 652 in all.

Likewise with these priestly families:

Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and took that name.

62-63 They had thoroughly searched for their family records but couldn’t find them. And so they were barred from priestly work as ritually unclean. The governor ruled that they could not eat from the holy food until a priest could determine their status with the Urim and Thummim.

64-67 The total count for the congregation was 42,360. That did not include the male and female slaves, which numbered 7,337. There were also 200 male and female singers, and they had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

* * *

68-69 Some of the heads of families, on arriving at The Temple of God in Jerusalem, made Freewill-Offerings toward the rebuilding of The Temple of God on its site. They gave to the building fund as they were able, about 1,100 pounds of gold, about three tons of silver, and 100 priestly robes.

70 The priests, Levites, and some of the people lived in Jerusalem. The singers, security guards, and temple support staff found places in their hometowns. All the Israelites found a place to live.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Today's Scripture & Insight:

Psalm 104:24–35

How many are your works, Lord!
    In wisdom you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.[a]

Footnotes
Psalm 104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.

Insight
Psalm 104 displays some striking similarities to the Egyptian Akhenaten’s great Hymn to the Sun (fourteenth century bc), including depictions of creatures of night and day, provision for beasts and birds, descriptions of the sea and its ships, and the dependence of all creatures on their Creator. But Psalm 104 is structured by the sequence of creation found in Genesis 1: light is produced on day one (Psalm 104:2), the “vault” or “firmament” on day two (vv. 2–4), land and water are separated on day three (vv. 5–9), and so on. The psalm’s connection to Genesis 1 highlights the Creator’s role in creation. While the Egyptian hymn calls for worship of the sun, Psalm 104 calls for worship of the sun’s Maker. It seems the psalmist deliberately alludes to the Egyptian hymn in order to critique it and to make this very point: true worship is offered to the Creator, not the creation.

God’s Footprints
How many are your works, Lord! Psalm 104:24

“I know where God lives,” our four-year-old grandson told my wife, Cari. “Where is that?” she asked, her curiosity piqued. “He lives in the woods beside your house,” he answered.

When Cari told me about their conversation, she wondered what prompted his thinking. “I know,” I responded. “When we went for a walk in the woods during his last visit, I told him that even though we can’t see God, we can see the things He’s done.” “Do you see the footprints I’m making?” I had asked my grandson as we stepped through a sandy place by a river. “The animals and the trees and the river are like God’s footprints. We know that He’s been here because we can see the things He’s made.”

The writer of Psalm 104 also pointed to the evidence for God in creation, exclaiming “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” (v. 24). The Hebrew word for wisdom found here is often used in the Bible to describe skillful craftsmanship. God’s handiwork in nature proclaims His presence and makes us want to praise Him.

Psalm 104 begins and ends with the words: “Praise the Lord” (vv. 1, 35). From a baby’s hand to an eagle’s eye, our Creator’s artistry all around us speaks of His consummate skill. May we take it all in with wonder today—and praise Him for it! By:  James Banks


Reflect & Pray
Where do you see God’s handiwork in creation? How might you point someone to it—and to Him—today?

I praise You for all You’ve made, God! Help me to live in wonder at Your wisdom and goodness today.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Are You Fresh for Everything?

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." —John 3:3

Sometimes we are fresh and eager to attend a prayer meeting, but do we feel that same freshness for such mundane tasks as polishing shoes?

Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself. We don’t know where it begins— it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living— a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God. We say to ourselves, “I have to do this thing or it will never get done.” That is the first sign of staleness. Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale, frantically searching our minds for something to do? Freshness is not the result of obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit. Obedience keeps us “in the light as He is in the light…” (1 John 1:7).

Jealously guard your relationship with God. Jesus prayed “that they may be one just as We are one” — with nothing in between (John 17:22). Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ. Don’t pretend to be open with Him. Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself? If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.

Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.


WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.  My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L

Bible in a Year: Genesis 49-50; Matthew 13:31-58

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
God's in the Personnel Business - #8878

When a member of our family would "shirk" a chore they had at our house, we had a familiar line that we used jokingly. Somebody would say, "Oh, it's so hard to get good help these days." Actually, I first heard that from a friend of mine who said that about trying to find a housekeeper. Now, that wasn't a real heavy issue for us, hiring a good housekeeper. We had a family!

But the saying does have some truth in it. I mean, how do you find the best person for a job: want ads, call an agency, put out a sign, do an interview? Well, it's always a risk trying to match a person with a position. And often we're disappointed, as the worker turns out to be the wrong person for the job. That can happen all too often in God's work, but it doesn't have to if you and I will do our part.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "God's in the Personnel Business."

Our word for today from the Word of God is from Matthew 9; I'll start reading at verse 36. "When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field.'"

Okay, here's what Jesus saw then and what I believe He sees now as He looks at the world you and I live in. There's a desperate need. There's a leadership shortage, and there's a personnel plan. You know what it is? One four-letter word - pray.

He gives here a prayer assignment for you and me. He says, "Ask the Lord of the harvest for the leaders of His choosing." Now, we often tend to pray for those who are already in His work. But often we don't pray for those who aren't in His work who should be. The words of Jesus indicate that God does not call and send these workers without our prayer. The active verb on our part is to pray. We pray - He will send.

The greatest danger of Christian work is that workers go out who have not been sent by God. It was said of John the Baptist in John 1:6, "He was a man sent from God." See, if they've not been sent from God, the work they do is only the work of man no matter how talented they are. There are people in leadership who never should have been. There are people not in leadership who should be. And we are partly to blame. We need to fervently and specifically pray that God will send out His choices, sovereignly matching people with assignments, and that God will weed out those who should not lead His Kingdom.

Maybe you see a leadership need right now in His Kingdom. Well, pray! Focus on that need until God sends His laborer. Maybe you see a leader who doesn't seem to be put there by God. Well, don't gossip. Don't complain! Don't backstab! Pray to the Lord of the harvest. Or maybe God will lay on your heart some man or woman that He wants in His service, and you can quietly pray them from the job they now have to the ministry they should have.

Consider if possibly you're the answer to your prayer, and that the Lord of the harvest is calling you. As inadequate as you feel, He'll use you because you know you're inadequate. It's hard to think of a more important and more neglected prayer task. If the right person gets in the right place, there's almost no end to what they can do.

Sure, it's hard to get good help these days. But prayer to the Lord of the harvest is how it gets done. After all, God is in the personnel business.