Hidden in My Heart

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32; NKJV)

Telling the Generation to Come

Psalm 78:1-4; NKJV

1  Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
 
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
 
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
 
4 We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

Lest We Forget...there must be...

1.  A recitation of the righteous acts of the I AM

2.  A rigorous warning of past mistakes

3.  A never-ending emphasis on the marks of identity of the faithful

Motive

Zechariah 7:4-7; NKJV

4 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 

5 "Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me — for Me? 

6 When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?  

7 Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?'"

Jehovah's people had been going through the motions.  They had fasted,but they had fasted for the wrong reasons.  They did not fast for Jehovah, to draw closer to Him.  They fasted because they thought the act itself pacified Him.  He longed for them to draw near to Him.

Let us worship and serve Jehovah with the right motive:  "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8; NKJV).

Zechariah 6:12-13

Zechariah 6:12-13: NKJV

12 Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying:

"Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the LORD;
 
13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD.
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both."'

1.  The Messiah would sit on His throne.

2.  The Messiah would be a priest on His throne.

3.  The Messiah would rule on His throne.

Jesus is a priest on His throne.  He is a priest in Heaven.  His throne is in Heaven.





Hebrews 4:14-16; NKJV

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

Consider Your Ways!

"Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts:  Consider your ways!” (Hosea 1:5, 7; NKJV)

Those who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon had been busy building their own houses while Jehovah's house lied in ruins.  Jehovah raised up the prophet Haggai to tell His people that they needed to think about what they were doing.  

Jehovah raised up the Apostle Paul to tell us the same:  “Examine…test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Two Lessons from Ezra 4-6

1.  Opposition to the people of God will come.

“Now when the adversaries” (Ezra 4:1)
 
“did me much harm” (2 Timothy 4:14)
 
“suffers as a Christian” (1 Peter 4:12-19)



2.  True joy comes from our GOD.

“Jehovah made them joyful” (Ezra 6:22)
 
“My joy may remain in you” (John 15:11)
 
“joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17)

Read Ezra 1-6 and trust in your God and Father to work all things together for your good and His glory!

A Chronology of the Return from Captivity

There were three waves of deportation to Babylon (606, 597, & 586 BC) and three returns from Babylon.

1.  1st return led by Zerubbabel (Ezra 1-6, 538 BC)

Ezra 1-6 covers the period from 538-515 BC

Haggai (520 BC) and Zechariah (520-470 BC) worked during this time

The book of Esther takes place from 483-473 BC between the first and second returns.

2.  2nd return led by Ezra (Ezra 7-10, 457 BC)

3.  The 3rd return was led by Nehemiah (444 BC)

Nehemiah covers the period from 444-425 BC

Malachi (432-425 BC) worked during this time

As we read the Scriptures about the return from captivity let us be encouraged that our Redeemer lives!

Job 19:25-27; NKJV

25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
 
26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
 
27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

Hidden in My Heart

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32; NKJV)

As Was His Custom

Daniel 6:10; NKJV

"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days."

1.Knelt down on his knees – changed his posture
2.Prayed – He simply talked to Jehovah
3.Gave thanks – gratitude
4.Made supplication – asked for help

MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN

MENE – could be the monetary "mina," or a participle meaning "numbered." Its repetition produces the sense "thoroughly numbered.”  Jehovah had set limits on Belshazzar's kingdom.

TEKEL – could be a monetary unit corresponding to the Hebrew shekel, or a participle meaning "weighed."

UPHARSIN – could also be a monetary unit, a half-mina or half-shekel, or a plural participle from the verb paras, "divide," meaning "and divided."

The Message:  Belshazzar's kingdom had been numbered for destruction. The king himself is weighed and found wanting. The kingdom was to be taken away and given to the Medes and the Persians.

Daniel 2 and the Four Beasts of Daniel 7

—Head of Gold – Lion

—(Babylon) 612 – 539 BC

—

— 

Chest & Arms of Silver – Bear 

—(Medo-Persian) 539 – 331 BC

—

— 

Belly & Thighs of Bronze – Leopard

—(Greece) 331 – 146 BC

—

— 

Legs of Iron with Feet Mixed with Iron and Clay – The 4th Beast

—(Roman) 63 BC – 476 AD

Psalm 137

Psalm 137:1-4; ASV

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

2 Upon the willows in the midst thereof we hanged up our harps.

3 For there they that led us captive required of us songs, and they that wasted us (required of us) mirth, (saying), sing us one of the songs of Zion.

4 How shall we sing Jehovah's song in a foreign land?











Babylon was not their home.  This world is not our home.  Like them, we are sojourners and pilgrims longing for our home.

Psalm 85:10

Psalm 85:10; NKJV

Mercy and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed. 

Mercy and truth met together at the cross of Christ.  By enduing the great injustice of the cross, Christ's death became the culmination of Jehovah's justice against sin.  Righteousness and peace kissed at Calvary and now there is the majestic hope of salvation.

Out of the Whirlwind

Job 38:1-4; ASV


1 Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge?

3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.

When Jehovah breaks His silence and finally speaks to Job, He rebukes Job for only one thing:  His limited point of view.  GOD avoids the issue of suffering entirely.  Job needed to think about who Jehovah is and who he is in relation to Him.  We do too.

Hidden in My Heart

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32; NKJV)

Job's Mistake

Job 27:2-6

2 "As God lives, who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
 
3 As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,
 
4 My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.
 
5 Far be it from me
That I should say you are right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
 
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;
My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.

Job did not sin in Job chapters 1-2.  But in Job 3-37 he accuses God of injustice.  From his perspective, God was being unfair.  From God's perspective, Job was, in Job's words concerning God, "unique" (Job 23:13; NKJV). 

There was more going on than Job knew.  There is more going on than we know.  Trust and obey.

Job's Fear

Job 23:13-17; NKJV

13 "But He is unique, and who can make Him change?
And whatever His soul desires, that He does.
 
14 For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such things are with Him.
 
15 Therefore I am terrified at His presence;
When I consider this, I am afraid of Him.
 
16 For God made my heart weak,
And the Almighty terrifies me;
 
17 Because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness,
And He did not hide deep darkness from my face.

When Job considered what he knew about God it "terrified him."  He was "afraid of Him."  His fear of Jehovah prompted him to obedience to Jehovah's will.  May it do the same for us...

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; KJV

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

What Job Knew

Job 19:25-27; NKJV

25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;

26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,

27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

May we know what Job knew.

Job 13:15

Satan didn't believe that an image-bearer would "fear God for nothing" (Job 1:9). 

Job proved Him wrong.

"Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him," said the man whom Jehovah offered up to Satan in Job 13:15.

Life Lessons from Job

There is a lot more going on in this world than what we can see (1:6-12; 2:1-7; 2 Corinthians 10:3-4; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8).
 
God is in control…Sovereignty (1:6-12; 2:1-7; 38-42). 
 
Suffering is not always associated with sin (1:8, 12; 2:3, 6). 
 
Satan’s challenge becomes God’s opportunity to build up Job’s life (42:12-16;James 5:11).
 
God’s ways are sometimes incomprehensible to us, but He can be trusted to work things together for our good (1:13-22; 2:7-10; 42:12-16; Romans 8:18, 28; 11:33-36).

The Christ of Job

The Christ of Job: Jesus is the Living Redeemer

Job cries out for a Mediator (9:33; 16:19; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:24).

Job acknowledges a Redeemer (19:25-27; Hebrews 7:24-25).

The book of Job raises problems and questions which are answered perfectly in Christ who identifies with our sufferings (Hebrews 4:15).

Christ is seen in Job as the believer’s Life, Redeemer, Mediator and Advocate.

Read Job and see Jesus, the Living Redeemer!

Hidden in My Heart

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32; NKJV)

The Time of Job

Job lived 140 years after the events of the book (42:16), his life span being close to 200 years.

Job’s wealth is measured in terms of livestock (1:3; 42:12) rather than gold and silver.

Like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Job is the priest of his family and offers sacrifices (1:5).

There are no references to Israel, the Exodus, the Law of Moses or the Tabernacle.

The Chaldeans who murder Job’s servants (1:17) are nomads and have not yet become city-dwellers.

Job uses the characteristic patriarchal name for God, Shaddai (“the Almighty”), thirty-one times (found only seventeen times in the rest of the Old Testament).

The Most High God

•`illay (Aramaic) (il-lah'-ee); corresponding to OT:5942; supreme (i.e. God):  KJV - (most) high (Strong’s).  DAN 3:26; 4:17, 24-25, 32, 34; 5:18, 21; 7:18, 22, 25, 27

•

•'elyown (el-yone'); from OT:5927 (to ascend); an elevation, i.e. (adj.) lofty (compar.); as title, the Supreme (Strong’s).  GEN 14:18-22; PS 78:56

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Jehovah is the Most High God!

(1 Corinthians 8:5)