Day 261 (Ezra 4-6, Psalm 137)

FROM TODAY’S RECAP:
- Video: Haggai Overview
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[DonZimmerman]

Sometimes God seems relentless in not making it easy to follow Him. When the disciples got in the boat after Jesus fed the 5, 000 (Matt 14:24), they go straight into a storm—after obeying Him to get in the boat! And in Ezra, Zerubbabel and the returned exiles encounter opposition as they are obeying God’s decree to rebuild. Why doesn’t He pave our paths for us, and smooth the way when we follow Him? I suppose that He knows that I need to be dependent on Him and see His hand at every step, because my instinct is pride when I’m given success. And God’s people—finally—respond in worship and humility with Passover when God helps them overcome adversity. “I never told you it’d be easy; I told you to obey!”

[jeffandvikipendergrass]

God caused the scroll of King Cyrus' decree to be found (Ezran6:2) and stopped the opposition to the rebuilding of the temple. Not only was the opposition stopped, but those opposing were required to fund it (Ezra 6:8-10). This makes me laugh. What a sense of humor our God has! 😂

[micheleponderbunny]

I love your sense of humor, imagining these ancient people "hopping on the googler"!😂😂 And as you were talking about your God shot I got chills, because I have had bad things turn out for good so many times in my life! You also used one of my favorite two word statements of faith: "; but God." Doesn't matter what comes before the semicolon, put "but God" after it and he changes everything!❤

[jamessmith]

This has been my favorite video yet! The way you told it made it make so much sense. God is so good even when we are not! He doesn't give up on us. Even when his people turned from him and did evil, he still pursued them and knew they would turn back to him but all for his glory! Wow! He is where the joy is!

[AnchoredinHIM]

Thank you for being so loyal to helping us understand the text in which we long to know better. It's always comforting to remember that He can take evil and darkness and use them as a redemption story. Only He can do that- praise Him.

I can't help but remember the lyrics that say, "you took what the enemy meant for evil and you turned them for good, and you turned them for good!" We already know that He has victory and the battle belongs to Him. Praise Him for His faithfulness!

[DoyinsolaEgbewande]

I loved when Tara-Leigh said " if the enemy had not stopped them from building the temple they would have built from their pockets" but our all knowing God allowed the enemies lead God's people to his provision for them. He is indeed where the Joy is!!!

[BobbieBland-fj]

Aloha, praise the Lord and good morning BR family. Thanks, TL for another great day reading, understanding, and sharing God's word. Nahum 1:7, "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust him". He is where the JOY is!!!

[beechannel]

This was so good. I really enjoy these stories. God always has our back!

[phyllisburen]

I agree God takes lemons and makes lemon aid for each of us if we pray to Jesus and keep our eyes on Jesus because HE is where the JOY is!!!

[fratboytrey]

“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭137‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My Godshot, I love hearing the humility from the writer, acknowledging that they don’t want any blessings God has given them, if they forget God. How beautiful!

[valeriewhite]

To God be the Glory bible Family He's where the Joy is ❤💯👍🏾

[karenevans]

Day 261
Ezra 4-6
Psalm 137
The temple rebuilding came to a halt for about 15 years. The enemies of the Israelites wrote letters to the officials, confusing them with the situation and the building.
Chapter 5
Prophets come to encourage the people. The leaders rally the people to start rebuilding.
Chapter 6
King Darius finds that King Cyrus told the people to rebuild the temple and build it 6xs bigger. Even to have it all paid for from the treasury.
Here I see God moments.
He is so powerful.
I see Romans 8:28 at work
Only God could have taken the enemies plans and flipped them around.
Only God could move on the heart of an enemy king to decree that His people could rebuild the temple.
Only God could make the enemy itself pay for His temple to be rebuilt.

Also here is the sorrowful yet beautiful cry of the distress and heartache of the people in exhile. Many have made into a song.

Psalm 137:1-4
“By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”

[Mickeyfsc]

What a great session. Thanks for this Tara Leigh

[alexpfeiffer]

The sound on this one is really low. I have my volume on everything turned all the way up and I can barely hear it. I've also noticed the the audio levels of the intros/outros are much louder than the rest of the video for most of these. I love this series and hope this gets fixed!

[CotishaMcNair]

I absolutely love your sense of humor I really love TBR and I love TLC God is where the joy is. God is truly faithful

[chewy]

I can’t help but notice that King Darius was the same king that saw Daniel delivered from the lion’s den. He seems to have been changed from that experience so that God could use him to be a witness to the nations and to get the temple built.

[dorimatneychromechasers]

God is working all things together. He has a plan and it will be fulfilled. We don't know the future, but we can trust that we are in God's hands.

Look at how remarkable it is that King Cyrus, NOT an Israelite, but the leader of a nation that killed and destroyed most of them, would issue a decree to help the Israelites rebuild the temple AND return the gold previously taken before the old temple was destroyed. GOD IS WORKING! His miracles are everywhere.

"In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,
[5] Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God." Ezra 6:3, 5 NIV

[Queenweezy]

Great video. But please fade out the intro before TLC starts talking

[marykayk]

Im so happy to have moved on from Ezekiel.

[heidevoglis]

The volume is so low.Try watchimg it on YouTube on TV. Thank God for closed captions. 😂