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October 2 - Ezra 6 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean. Here it is, Wednesday, it's the
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  2nd of October and here we are, ready to keep on doing what we
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  do every day, reading a chapter of God's word on this day, the
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  International Non Violence Day. Yep, today is actually Mahatma
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  Gandhi's birthday. Happy birthday Gandhi, although
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  it's a bit late for him. But today we celebrate and
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  remember the incredible work that he did, not raising a fist,
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  not inciting violence by bringing about change through
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  dedication, through discernment, through presence, through non
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  violence. And we have an incredible God
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  who just in the same way believes about bringing change
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  by transforming people's hearts. 1 by 1 and well, this story that
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  we're reading is the perfect example of that.
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  As their enemies try to come against them, rather than
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  fighting them off, they just buy their time.
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  They wait for God to transform the hearts of those with the
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  authority so that they can continue to do God's work.
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  Yes, certainly Gandhi does not have a monopoly on non violence.
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  We worship a God of restoration and a God of wholeness, so let
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  us hear the story of that God reaching out to help his people
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  rebuild their homeland after their time in exile.
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  As we read together Ezra chapter 6 soaking, Darius issued orders
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  that a search be made in the Babylonian archives, which were
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  stored in the treasury. But it was at the fortress of
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  Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found.
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  This is what it said. Memorandum In the first year of
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  King Cyrus's reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple
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  of God at Jerusalem. Let the Temple be rebuilt on the
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  site where the Jews used to offer their sacrifices using the
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  original foundations. It's height will be 90 feet and
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  it's width will be 90 feet. Every three layers of specially
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  prepared stones will be topped by a layer of timber.
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  All expenses will be paid by the royal treasury.
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  Furthermore, the gold and silver cups which were taken to Babylon
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  by Nebuchadnezzar from the temple of God in Jerusalem must
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  be returned to Jerusalem and put back where they belong.
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  Let them be taken back to the temple of God.
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  So King Darius sent this message.
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  Now, therefore, Tatanai, governor of the province West of
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  the Euphrates River, and Shetha, Bozanay and your colleagues and
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  other officials West of the Euphrates River, stay away from
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  there. Do not disturb the construction
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  of the Temple of God. Let it be rebuilt on its
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  original site, and do not hinder the governor of Judah and the
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  elders of the Jews and their work.
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  Moreover, I hereby decree that you are to help these elders of
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  the Jews as they rebuild this Temple of God.
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  You must pay the full construction costs without delay
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  from my taxes collected in the province West of the Euphrates
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  River, so that the work will not be interrupted.
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  Give the priests in Jerusalem whatever is needed in the way of
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  young bulls, Rams and male lambs for the burnt offerings
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  presented to the God of heaven, and without fail, provide them
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  with as much wheat, salt, wine and olive oil as they need each
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  day. Then they will be able to offer
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  acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the
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  welfare of the king and his sons.
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  Those who violate this decree in any way will have a beam pulled
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  from their house. Then they will be lifted up and
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  impaled on it, and their house will be reduced to a pile of
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  rubble. May the God who has chosen the
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  city of Jerusalem as the place to honour his name, destroy any
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  king or nation that violates this command and destroys this
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  temple. I, Darius, have issued this
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  decree. Let it be obeyed with all
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  diligence. Tatanai, governor of the
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  province West of the Euphrates River, and Shetha, Bozani and
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  their colleagues complied at once with the command of King
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  Darius. So the Jewish elders continued
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  their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the
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  preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, son of Ido.
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  The temple was finally finished as had been commanded by the God
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  of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, the kings
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  of Persia. The Temple was completed on
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  March 12th during the 6th year of King Darius reign.
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  The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the
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  people of Israel, the priests, the Levites and the rest of the
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  people who had returned from exile.
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  During the dedication ceremony for the Temple of God, 100 young
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  bulls, 200 Rams and 400 male lambs were sacrificed and 12
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  male goats were presented as a sin offering for the 12 tribes
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  of Israel. Then the priests and Levites
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  were divided into the various divisions to serve at the Temple
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  of God in Jerusalem as prescribed in the Book of Moses.
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  On April 21st, the returned exiles celebrated Passover.
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  The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were
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  ceremonially clean. So they slaughtered the Passover
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  lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests
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  and for themselves. The Passover meal was eaten by
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  the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and by the
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  others in the land who had turned from their corrupt
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  practises to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.
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  Then they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for
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  seven days. There was great joy throughout
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  the land because the Lord had caused the king of Assyria to be
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  favourable to them, so that he helped them to rebuild the
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  temple of God, the God of Israel, our Father.
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  You are the God, the God not just of us, the God not just of
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  your people, but the God of all. You rule all people, you rule
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  all parts of our world, and in fact, you rule every corner of
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  our universe. And Lord, still, somehow you
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  manage to be this intimate God who loves us and is present to
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  each of us right now, here today, and at the same time, the
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  most magnificent, enormous God of the universe.
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  We just cannot wrap our heads around this reality, but we know
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  it's true. And we see that here in today's
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  reading, that you are not only the God of us, your people, but
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  the God of everything. And so we worship you with the
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  greatest reverence that our humanity can muster, to say that
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  you are holy and supreme above all else.
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  And we love you and we worship you.
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  And we want nothing more than to stand in all of you with our
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  arms raised high, with you, our precious and eternal God before
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  us. So we worship you and pray all
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  of these things in the name of your dear Son Jesus, Amen.