Sunday School Lesson for March 27, 2022 - Free Because of The Lord: Printed Text: Deuteronomy 8:1-11 NLT; Background Scripture: Deuteronomy 8 NLT Devotional Reading: Deuteronomy 8:1-11 NLT

 

Unit 1: Liberating Passover (Pesach)

Key Verse:

Deuteronomy 8:11 NLT

 

11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.

 

 

Hold God’s Word close, and He will hold you closer…

 

 

What you need to know

 

We’ve learned from prior studies that ‘Deuteronomy’ is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew word ‘Devarim’, the Hebrew title for the fifth Book of Moses. Both titles carry significant meaning. The Hebrew title means ‘the fifth Book of Moses’. The Grecian title, Deuteronomy means ‘The Second Reading’. Deuteronomy then, is the second reading of the Law of God given to Moses. Why “second’ reading? Because all of the people of Israel who had left Egypt and escaped into the desert were dead. All except Moses,  Caleb, and Joshua. And God was not going to allow Moses to cross into the land of Promise, He would only see it from afar.

This second reading was for all of the children or grandchildren of those who had wandered in the wilderness and had died there because of their disobedience to God. This second reading of the Law of God by Moses was to serve as a primer for the children of the children of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. This fifth Book of Moses is a collection of sermons delivered by Moses that would serve as instructions for living within the promises of God. The journey through the wilderness was over. This was about how to occupy the space God has given. This was about how to live.

The Lesson

Deuteronomy 8:1 NLT

 

1 “Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.

 

Verse one of today’s lesson begins with a promise: “Obey and Prosper!” These were words to live by. They still are. The principles established by the Law of God set guidelines for our vertical behavior, how we respond to God. It set forth the guidelines for worship. These commands also establish our horizontal behavior, how we treat one another. As Christians, if we can get these two things right, God promises that He will take care of the rest. Blessing comes from God.

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:2 NLT

 

2 Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.

 

Moses' second instruction here is for the children of Israel to remember. They were tasked to remember life in the desert. They did not have Egypt in their ‘bones’. However, they did have memories. Memories of the desert. The desert is unforgiving. It is full of strange, dangerous creatures that offer little in the way of sustenance, they only offer pain and or, death. Even the plants (cacti) are dangerous. All of their parents died there. Surely, not all of them died from natural causes. 

And yet, their children survived the desert. They were hardened because of it. They were humbled because of it. The lessons of the desert are simple. Respect the desert and live. What these children learned in the desert was how deeply dependent they were on God. We sing songs about God being ‘God on the mountain’, and ‘God in of the valley’. What the children of the desert learned was that God was ‘God of the desert’ as well. Beloved, we’ve all experienced dry, desert winds in our lives. Trust God. His Name is Jehovah-Shammah, God, who is There. He is never not watching you!

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:3 NLT

 

3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

 

God provided for their most basic needs: water and food. He gave them water from the Rock. He gave them manna (bread) from the heavens. In all of this, God showed Himself to be mighty to His people, well worthy of their … worship. God distinguished Himself as their Protector and their Provider. God led them. He led them by the cloud during the day and by fire at night. For forty years, God never failed them. No, these children did not have Egypt in their bones. All they had ever known in the desert was… God.

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:4 NLT

 

4 For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell.

 

The desert is unforgiving. The dust storms, the heat, the lack of resources make for a bleak, sparse existence. Yet, for forty years, these children witnessed a miracle of sustenance. Their clothes, shoes included, did not wear out. Additionally, these children, for forty years, were the very picture of health. They did not just subsist. They thrived in the desert. They thrived under the mighty hand of God!

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:5 NLT

 

5 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.

 

How exactly does a parent ‘discipline’ a child? They watch them. They watch their tendencies and their behavior. As the child grows and learns, the parents disciple their children, teaching them right from wrong. The parent rewards good behaviors and punishes errant behavior. Sometimes, the parent does nothing except watch, allowing the child to receive either reward or discipline from the experience set before them, all the while lovingly protecting them from some greater harm. 

Then, there are times when a parent has to set firm boundaries for their children, giving very stern verbal instruction, including warnings against certain behaviors. In all of this, the over-arching motive of the parent is always grounded in love. Good parental discipline comes from a place of love. How can it be any other way with God? Beloved, God is Love!

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:6 NLT

 

6 “So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him.

 

At the end of the day, we have a choice. Will we remain conformed to the world or will we allow ourselves to be transformed by the Word of God? As Christians, we hold to having had an experience with the living God. We are ‘Born Again’ by having believed the Gospel; that Christ died for us so that we might have peace with God through Him. What then is required of us, as newborn babes? Peter instructs us in this way:

 

1 Peter 2:2-3 NLT

 

2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

 

Beloved, we have only but, tasted of the goodness of the glory that God has placed before us. Our charge is to continue in His Word so that we might continually grow in the knowledge of Christ and in the great grace that He has provided. Our pursuit of God through His Word should result in a reverent awareness of God in our daily lives by the unction of the Holy Spirit (vertical worship) and a love and genuine concern for the people within our metron, our sphere of influence (horizontal relationships).

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:7 NLT

 

7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. 

 

Beloved, today is filled with so much promise. As the Hebrew children listen to Moses’ sermon, their thoughts are filled with thoughts that can only be half-imagined. They will be brought into a place that must sound like a dream, a place with an abundance of water. Water everywhere. Water in pools, water in streams, water gushing from the hills and from the valleys. Water just bubbling up from the ground. Imagine what impact, just that sentence alone, must have had on a nation of people who had only, ever experienced an excruciatingly arid, wearisome existence of the desert. 

Behold, the fingerprints of God! Be reminded that the Rock from which water was provided to the Hebrews in the desert was a typology of Christ. Water is representative of the Word of God. What Moses is sharing with the children of Israel is a vision of the Promised Land with some very unique features. Everywhere you look, there’s water. Everywhere you look, you see the Word. Everywhere you look, you see God’s fingerprints! The work of God’s mighty hand is immediately before them. The place that He has prepared for them … is just on the other side… of the Jordan. Beloved, when you want to see the fingerprint of God, open your Bible.

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:8 NLT

 

8 It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig-trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. 

 

God’s provision begins with His Word. Immerse yourself in God’s Word and you’ll find that all your needs will be met. Immerse yourself in His Word and you will find that He is faithful. He will provide. Immerse yourself in God’s Word. You’ll find that If He is with you, He’s more than the whole world against you. God has prepared a place of plenty for His people. He gave them bread from Heaven in the desert. How much more will He bless them in the Land of Promise? In a place that God has imprinted with His nature, how can the Zoe kind of life not be produced? Life out of Water. Life out of the Word of God. Life; abundant and full of glory comes out of immersion in the Word of God. 

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:9: NLT

 

9 It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills.

 

Verse nine intimates that not only is food provided in an unlimited supply, but that there are a variety of natural resources. Resources promote both growth and advancement. The presence of stone indicates that there are resources available for the building of cities, for the building of a great nation. The presence of copper and iron means that the Hebrews have the metal needed to arm themselves as well as make technological advancements necessary to elevate them in the eyes of the many peoples around them. Not only would they occupy territories where homes were built, but fields were also cultivated and yielding crops. Yet, God also delivered them into a place where there was room for growth, exceedingly and abundantly above what Moses’ audience could imagine. God intended that the nation of Israel would someday become the greatest nation in the world. A light to all others. All of the ingredients were in place…

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:10 NLT

 

10 When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

 

With all that Moses had previously described, it was imperative that the Israelites, these children of the desert would be ever thankful. God desires worship; true gratefulness, from a pure heart. They must never forget, neither before a feast nor after, that it was God who was actively providing for them. Every moment of every hour, we should emote thankfulness, from a pure heart and a clear conscience. Gratitude should govern or motivate our every action and thankfulness should follow every residual thought.  We are Blessed. We must always acknowledge the Blesser, our Father, God!

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:11 NLT

 

11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. 

 

In closing, Moses commanded the Hebrews to actively remember … God. They must never forget where God brought them from. He tempered them in the furnace of the desert, hardening them into a steely reflection of Himself, a peculiar people. He made for Himself a holy people, consecrated by His holy Word, baptized by the fire of the Ruach Ha'Kodesh, the literal ‘breath’ of God, the Holy Spirit. This second generation of Hebrews, born in the desert, hold this second reading of the Book of the Law close to their hearts. The closer they held to God’s Word, the clearer the impression of His fingerprints on their lives. The same is true for us Beloved. The more tightly we hold to God’s Holy Word, the clearer and more distinguished are God’s fingerprints on our lives. 

 

Selah,

 

wb

 

 

Joshua 1:8-9 NLT

 

8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.”

 

Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT

 

18 Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

1 Peter 2:9-10 NLT

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[g] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

10 

“Once you had no identity as a people;

    now you are God’s people.

Once you received no mercy;

    now you have received God’s mercy.”[h]

Sunday School Lesson for March 20, 2022 - Free to Celebrate: Printed Text: Ezra 6:13-22 NLT; Background Scripture: Ezra 6:13-22; Leviticus 23:4-8 NLT Devotional Reading: Ezra 6:13-22 NLT

 

Unit 1: Liberating Passover (Pesach)

Key Verse:

Ezra 6:16 NLT

 

16 The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile.

 

 

When God is your All in All, worship is everything…

 

 

What you need to know

 

 

Four deportations (the exile to Babylon):

 

605 BC: Jehoiakim surrenders to Nebuchadnezzar and is forced to pay tribute. Selected royalty and state officials including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are taken away to Babylon. This is the first exile. Daniel 1:1-7

 

598 BC - 597 BC: Jerusalem beseiged by Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiakim killed. His son and successor, Jehoiachin reigned for three months, then was carried into exile into Babylon. This was the second deportation to Babylon. 2 Chronicles 36:6-11

 

587 BC - 586 BC: King Zedekiah was executed by Nebuchannezer and the third deportation to Babylon occurs. The Temple is razed. 2 Kings 25

 

582 BC: The fourth and final deportation occurs as a result of the murder of the acting Governor of the province, Gedaliah. Jeremiah 41- 43

 

—-----------------------------------------------

 

Four returns: (The return from Babylon)

 

539 BC: Babylon is defeated by Persia under King Cyrus. Isaiah 48:14

 

538 BC: The first and second returns to Judah occur under Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel respectively by order of King Cyrus of Persia. Ezra 1:8, Ezra 2:2

 

537 BC: Rebuilding of the altar and laying of the foundations of the Second Temple (Ezra 3:10)

 

537 BC: Temporary cessation of work on the Second Temple due to interference by Israel’s enemies Ezra 4

 

520 BC: Resumption of work on the Second Temple during the reign of King Darius of Persia. Ezra 4:24–6:14 

 

516 BC: The rebuilding of the Temple is complete during the reign of King Darius of Persia. Ezra 6:15

 

458 BC: Ezra leads the third return of exiles to Judah during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Ezra 7- 8

 

445 BC: Nehemiah leads the fourth (last) return of exiles to Judah during the rule of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Nehemiah 1-2 

 

445 BC: Repair of the wall completed in 52 days in that same year and subsequently dedicated afterward. Nehemiah 6 through 13 during the rule of King Artaxerxes of Persia.

 

 

Prelude

Ezra 6:6-8 NLT

6 So King Darius sent this message:

“Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River,[b] and Shethar-bozenai, and your colleagues and other officials west of the Euphrates River—stay away from there! 7 Do not disturb the construction of the Temple of God. Let it be rebuilt on its original site, and do not hinder the governor of Judah and the elders of the Jews in their work.

8 “Moreover, I hereby decree that you are to help these elders of the Jews as they rebuild this Temple of God. You must pay the full construction costs, without delay, from my taxes collected in the province west of the Euphrates River so that the work will not be interrupted.

To briefly recap last week's lesson, King Darius issued a decree providing Tattenai, the then-governor of the Trans-Euphrates region detailed instructions on the support of the effort of the Jews toward the completion of the building of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. With the decree in hand and the weight of the consequences of failure as motivation, Tattenai and his governors returned to Jerusalem. That is where we begin this week’s lesson.

The Lesson

Ezra 6:13 NLT

13 Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues complied at once with the command of King Darius.

As stated above, Tattenai and his governors, now armed with clear, concise instruction from the king, made haste to comply with all that the king commanded. Darius’ edict had the effect of liberating the governor from the weight of making a wrong choice. The recovery of the original edict from Cyrus plus Darius’ decree made it clear that the full authority of the kingdom of Persia was behind the rebuilding of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. It was an imperative of the Kingdom.

 

 

Ezra 6:14-15 NLT

 

14 So the Jewish elders continued their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. 15 The Temple was completed on March 12,[a] during the sixth year of King Darius’s reign.

 

And so, with the blessing of the king and the continued encouragement from the men of God sent to preach the Word of God to them, the Jews completed the work of rebuilding the Temple. According to scripture, all of this was due to the edicts of three kings, Cyrus, Darius, and at a much later date, Artaxerxes. The writer here (Ezra) conflates two different completion narratives here: the completion of the Temple at Jerusalem in 516 BC under the leadership of Zerubbabel (a messianic figure) and the completion of the wall of Jerusalem some seventy-one years later in 445 BC under the leadership of Nehemiah, recorded in the Book of Nehemiah, with the completion and associated celebration recorded in chapter 10. Let me park here for a moment…

The events surrounding the rebuilding and dedication of the Temple happened well before Ezra was born. Seventy years after the dedication of the Temple, Ezra journeyed to Jerusalem in order to bring… revival. Apparently, over time, the Temple had fallen into a state of disrepair. Ezra’s mission was to restore the Temple to a state of beauty and to bolster and revive worship throughout Israel. However, over time, Ezra hit a dry spell. It would be thirteen years before Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and assist in a third revival of real worship in Israel. 

Ezra’s despair at what he encountered upon his return is evident in the tone of his writing in chapters nine and ten. What Ezra encountered must have been a post-apocalyptic, dystopian nightmare where the Jews who had returned from the exile were still living amongst the rubble of a city and land that had been razed some one hundred and forty years earlier by King Nebuchadnezzar. I am reminded of a movie some years back; “The Book of Eli”, where the title character, played by Denzel Washington, happens upon a post-apocalyptic city, whose inhabitants cannot regain a foothold on civilization because of the barbarism that has beset the land. Jerusalem must have been something like that when Ezra returned. It took the combined effort and leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah to eventually bring about the complete revival and restoration of Israel as a civilized, fully functioning entity. The completion and rededication of the wall represent the rebuilding and restoration of the infrastructure required to make Israel a thriving, modern nation. Current world events surrounding the destruction of the country of Ukraine paint a picture of what could occur if, in the aftermath of the crimes being committed against the Ukrainian people by the ruthless dictator of Russia, Vladimir Putin, the world does not assist in the rebuilding of the nation. The people of Ukraine would be forced to subsist amongst the rubble and destruction. These were the conditions that Ezra returned to. His conflation of the events surrounding the edicts of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes reflects his gratitude to King Artaxerxes and to God for being a vehicle for, and a witness to the eventual restoration of the nation of Israel. Back to the lesson…

 

 

Ezra 6:16 NLT

 

16 The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile. 

 

Truly this was a wondrous time. It had been seventy years since God’s people had been able to properly worship in the Temple of God. Seventy years! In fact, the Jewish exiles had been back in Israel proper and Judah for twenty years, but their attempts to complete the rebuilding of the Temple had been frustrated in that period of time. It had only been in the last four years under the leadership and authority of King Darius that the Jews had been able to bring the effort to completion. So much blood, sweat, and tears were infused in the rebuilding of the Temple. This day was the culmination of the hopes, dreams, prayers, and prophecies of so many who had gone on before this day. It’s no wonder that there was this eruption of joy and celebration amongst all of Israel on this wonderful day!

 

 

Ezra 6:17 NLT

 

17 During the dedication ceremony for the Temple of God, 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 male lambs were sacrificed. And 12 male goats were presented as a sin offering for the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

The dedication of the Temple included the sacrifice of some seven hundred animals: bulls, rams, and lambs. The magnitude of this offering is comparable to the offering of one thousand burnt offerings that were made during the dedication of the first Temple constructed under Solomon’s reign. Considering the poverty of the people of the area at the time and the fact that they were not self-governed, but rather, a vassal-state to the Persian empire, the magnitude and effort cannot be overstated. Truly, it is indicative of the willingness of the people of Israel to give all that they had in worship to God. And, according to scripture, they gave…cheerfully! Selah!

Additionally, during the dedication, twelve male goats were offered. They were offered on behalf of all of the twelve tribes of Israel. In effect, the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin along with the Levites who served in the Temple which made up the nation of Judah before the exile to Babylon, plus the ten tribes that made up the northern kingdom of Israel, also known as the region of Samaria in that day. According to scripture, when the Assyrians exiled the northern kingdom, their tactic was to export the inhabitants to foreign territories and import foreign captives into the territory. This contributed to the corruption of religious practices in Israel and the dilution of the strength of Israel’s Jewish culture. The offering of the twelve lambs served as an official act of legally re-incorporating all of the territories of Samaria and Judah under the God of Heaven as one nation and one people: Israel! 

 

2 Kings 17:24-29 NLT

 

24 The king of Assyria transported groups of people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and resettled them in the towns of Samaria, replacing the people of Israel. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 But since these foreign settlers did not worship the Lord when they first arrived, the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

26 So a message was sent to the king of Assyria: “The people you have sent to live in the towns of Samaria do not know the religious customs of the God of the land. He has sent lions among them to destroy them because they have not worshiped him correctly.”

27 The king of Assyria then commanded, “Send one of the exiled priests back to Samaria. Let him live there and teach the new residents the religious customs of the God of the land.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria returned to Bethel and taught the new residents how to worship the Lord.

29 But these various groups of foreigners also continued to worship their own gods. In town after town where they lived, they placed their idols at the pagan shrines that the people of Samaria had built.

 

 

While there is clear evidence that the Jewish exiles from Babylon were originally from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi,  the evidence for the return of the ten northern tribes is less clear. What is known is that in the region of Samaria there remained a remnant of Jews, the poorest or least of each tribe that remained in the land, but that the Assyrian king transplanted vast numbers of foreigners in the cities of Samaria. It was all of these peoples, both Jews and Gentiles who were being incorporated into the once and future nation of Israel.

 

 

Ezra 6:18 NLT

 

18 Then the priests and Levites were divided into their various divisions to serve at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as prescribed in the Book of Moses.

 

It was pointed out to me today that the work of the king is to rebuild, but it is the task of the priest to cleanse; to consecrate a place and a people unto God. This was the task before this newly ordained order of priests; to cleanse and consecrate an entire nation of people from diverse backgrounds and places of origin unto God. Pay attention…

 

 

Ezra 6:19-20 NLT

 

19 On April 21[b] the returned exiles celebrated Passover. 20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. 

 

A month after the dedication of the Temple, the celebration of  Passover (Pesach) was observed. This would have been the first Passover celebration in the newly dedicated Temple. In fact, it would have been the first Passover celebration since the fall of Judah seventy years before. This would have been a very special ceremony, in that it served both as a commemoration of the Exodus of the children of Israel from the slavery in Egypt, as well as a commemoration of the return from Babylon of the Jewish exiles. What then, has transpired is a now, month-long celebration in the after-glow of the dedication ceremony the previous month. Much like what we experience here in America in the space of time from October to January each year, this would have been a time of rest and fellowship that served to refresh and restore the hearts, the souls of all of the people in the region. A time of joy.

 

 

Ezra 6:21 NLT

 

21 The Passover meal was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile and by the others in the land who had turned from their corrupt practices to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.

 

And now, after the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, it is time for fellowship. This isn’t just any ordinary fellowship. This is the Passover meal; the actual remembrance of the meal eaten by the Hebrew slaves as they awaited the passing of the Angel of Death over Egypt, as well as a foreshadowing of communion, the meal instituted by Christ, whereby Christians share in the remembrance of the broken body and the spilled blood of Jesus, which brought us into covenant with the living God and provided eternal peace with God for all who hold to His great Name: Jesus!

Of special note are the participants in this first Passover meal celebrated in the newly incorporated nation of Israel. There were the Jews who returned from the Babylonian exile and… anybody else, including gentiles who were willing to turn away from idolatry and the worship of foreign gods to come to the knowledge and worship of, and the service to the true and living God of Israel: God Almighty! This is so emblematic of the nature of the Church to come, where there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or free, male or female… you know where this goes. This is a real foreshadowing of the Church, where we are all made one in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.! Selah!

 

 

Ezra 6:22 NLT

 

22 Then they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout the land because the Lord had caused the king of Assyria[c] to be favorable to them, so that he helped them to rebuild the Temple of God, the God of Israel.

 

The entire nation carried on in celebration, folding the Passover celebration into the observance of the Festival of Unleavened Bread according to the Law of Moses. This celebration commemorated the crossing through the Red Sea, another foreshadowing of the spiritual experience that Christians incur as they pass through the spiritual birth canal and become born-again believers through faith in Christ. Hmmm… The Red Sea… Hmmm… The beauty of the born-again experience is that there is no going back into the womb. You don’t get born again over and over. It only happens once. God makes it eternal. Hallelujah!

 

Thought to Remember: God’s people live in joyous and celebratory hope!

 

Selah!

 

wb

 

 

Let us remember the people of Ukraine in their time of suffering. What we are observing is cruelty beyond measure by an evil, psychopathic, narcissistic, authoritarian dictator in Vladimir Putin, who is committing genocide against the Ukrainian people. There is no excuse for his behavior in a civilized world. Yet, his behavior mirrors that of so many nations and leaders throughout history, including our own. May we repent for the cruelty suffered by others with our consent in the name of patriotism, or capitalism, or even… Christianity! May we reconsider many of the political positions we embrace for the sake of maintaining our own creature comforts. And may we continue to pray for oppressed people around the world: in Ukraine, Sudan, China, et all,... And we pray that Jesus strengthens us to face every challenge that we encounter and finally, pray for the Lord’s soon return. Watch! Fight and Pray!