THE LORD SPOKE (July 10)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Ezra 5-6

Ezra 5:1 - Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet...prophesied...in the name of the God of Israel....

We have three historical books (Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther) and two prophetic books (Haggai and Zechariah) from what is called the "Persian Period" in the history of the Ancient Near East. We get a glimpse in this chapter of the tensions whirling around the province of Yahud at the beginning of the return from exile. Tattenai (governor of Trans-Euphrates) and Shethar-Bozenai, (a Persian official?) are interested in putting a quick stop to the project of rebuilding the Temple. They compose a letter of complaint to King Darius and quote to him a response that they'd elicited from Zerubbabel, Sheshbazzar, and Jeshua.

Notice how carefully the letter from the Judean elders phrases things. They don't directly mention Solomon because the memory of his dominance in the ANE was still too fresh. Instead, they call him "a great king of Israel". They are careful to refer to the Babylonian destruction and captivity because the Persians had also fought against the Babylonians. They skip over the initial Persian dominance and go straight to King Cyrus' decree that allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem (see II Chron. 36:24 and Ezra 1:2-4). They emphasize how Cyrus himself designated the leadership and authorized the return of the Temple utensils. Then they respectfully request a reconsideration of their permit.

During all this, the two prophets were busy and "the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah" (6:14). What a different pair they were:

Haggai - From August 29 until December 18, 520 BC, Haggai preached a series of messages to stir up the people to resume work on the Temple. Three and a half months! His message of condemnation awoke the people from their lethargy (have you ever been there?) and made them look back to the promises of God that had brought them to that point in the first place.

Zechariah - From 520 to 480 BC, Zechariah taught and encouraged the people to live with eternity's values in view. Forty years! His message of encouragement got the people through the building project (have you ever tried one of those?) and helped them look forward to the coming Messiah who made all such effort worthwhile.

We need both kinds! Some people learn better from one and some from the other. There are times when I need a blood-and-guts preacher to tell me straight out where I'm wrong and not pull any punches. And there are times when I don't need that. What I really need is a kind advisor who will put his arm around my shoulder and give me some wise counsel, encouraging me to press on. Three and a half months of hard-punching preaching and forty years of soft, encouraging teaching. That's probably just about the right balance but both are needed. Even Jesus fashioned a whip once and drove people off the Temple Mount so they would hear His message. We don't easily forget His parables and teaching but I'll bet the people in Jerusalem that day never forgot the sting of the whip either. God give us some more men like Haggai and Zechariah.


New Testament: I Timothy 1

They weren’t called “Pastoral Epistles” until a commentary by Paul Anton first used the term in 1726. It’s not a bad term but “missionary epistles” might be more appropriate since Timothy and Titus were sent by Paul to Ephesus and Crete to establish and strengthen local churches. Timothy probably called them “I & II Paul”!

The letters are full of “sound doctrine” with instructions on how to confront controversies and refute false doctrine. The emphasis is on godliness. Together, they provide instruction to:

I. PROCLAIM THE TRUTH (I Timothy) - Declare the Good News
II. PROTECT THE TRUTH (II Timothy) - Defend the Gospel
III. PRACTICE THE TRUTH (Titus) - Do Good Works

It appears that Timothy had grown somewhat discouraged in what he was facing at Ephesus. There were some heretical teachers that needed to be stopped. There were problems in worship practices, especially involving some of the women. And there was need to enforce better qualifications among the leadership. Paul urges him to stick it out (I Tim. 1:3). Paul’s encouragement centers on three aspects:

1. a pure heart ➔ present motives
2. a good conscience ➔ past actions
3. a sincere faith ➔ future goals

The flip-side of that is to say that an impure heart produces a guilty conscience which results in a phoney lifestyle. Paul says that “the goal of this command is love” (I Tim. 1:5). That has to be, first of all, a love for God but it shows up in a love for God’s people and for God’s work. Timothy is directed to be relentless in this struggle. It’s a constant battle and he needs to “fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience” (I Tim. 1:18-19).

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master’s will.

Arm me with watchful care
As in Thy sight to live,
And now Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
And still on Thee rely,
O let me not my trust betray,
But press to realms on high.