Gary Gleans

There are times when we are called to face danger in the work that the Lord calls us to do.  How we face that danger is what demonstrates our level of trust in the Lord.  Ezra was given the task of leading another large group of the exiles back to Jerusalem and to carry back with them large amounts of gold, silver and the items that had been taken from the temple.  It was a long journey and it could have been a very dangerous one.  However, God protected them and they arrived safely at their destination and were able to complete their mission.  It is important that we do not allow our fears of potential danger to keep us from doing the work to which the Lord has called us. EZRA’S PREPARATION OF THE PEOPLE: Ezra’s first task was to gather the group of people who were to return with him.  There were representatives from the different tribes, clans and families that were desirous of going.  However, when he gathered the people together, he noticed that he did not have anyone from the

God restores the nation of Israel to the land that He had promised to them.  God had used the king of Babylon to punish the children of Israel for their sin and idolatry.  They were taken captive and made to serve as slaves for seventy years.  During those seventy years the kingdom of Babylon was overthrown by the kingdom of Persia.  We can see God moving in the hearts of these Persian kings to allow the people to return to their lands, rebuild the temple and the city and the Persian kings paid for all of this building from the treasury.  Now God is using King Artaxerxes to send Ezra and others back to Jerusalem to teach the people and assure that the obeyed the Law of the Lord.  Not only did Artaxerxes permit them to return; he paid for their trip and made financial provision for sacrifices as well as maintaining the needs of the spiritual leaders.  We can clearly see that God not only knows how to use nations to discipline His children; He also knows very well how to use nations and

The providence of God for the work that He desires is an astounding thing.  No matter how much opposition there may be, when the people of God persevere in His work; He provides all that is needed and more.  We must never doubt the ability of God to meet our needs.  This is true in times of abundance, but it is also true in times where the resources are scarce and we do not have all that we think we need.  The truth is that, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we always have everything that we need.  If God has seen fit to withhold some blessing or provision it is because He has determined that it is best for His kingdom and our eternal good to allow us to go through this.  We must learn contentment in the God’s providence. GOD GAVE THE PEOPLE ALL THEY NEEDED TO FINISH THE WORK: When King Darius made a search for the authorization of King Cyrus, he discovered that not only was the work on the temple authorized but that the bill was to be paid by the treasury.  Darius made a dec

Perseverance is fundamental to the accomplishment of any task.  We often mistakenly think that the work of the Lord will go smoothly and be easy to accomplish.  The truth is that difficulty is a common companion of ministry.  The world in which we live is opposed to the work of the Lord.  Satan is diametrically opposed to purposes of God.  Unfortunately, our own sinful hearts are often set against the desires of our Lord.  We must come to expect suffering, persecution and discouragement in our service and then be determined by God’s grace to persevere.  The leaders of the people who returned to Judah had been deterred from their job due to the interference of the other surrounding nations.  However, they did not quit; after letting the dust settle, they started up construction once again. THE PEOPLE WERE CONSISTENT IN THEIR DETERMINATION: The people had returned to Jerusalem with a clear mandate from the king and from God.  This was not a popular mandate with the other people of t

Opposition is always to be expected when the work of the Lord is being accomplished in this sin cursed world.  It comes in many forms and in many ways, but we can be sure that it will come.  The work of rebuilding the temple started with great joy, determination and unity of purpose.  However, this was not an easy or a quick task.  The reality of the situation was that it was a long, difficult and dangerous job that the other inhabitants of the region did not want to happen.  Whenever we set out to serve the Lord, we must recognize that there will be opposition.  We are serving on enemy territory and Satan will always do all that he can to distract us, threaten us, discourage us and put an end to all that we are trying to accomplish.  In many ways, opposition should encourage us, as it is an affirmation that we are doing the right thing for the glory of the Lord.  We see two distinct strategies that were used to oppose Ezra and the work he had come to do. OPPOSITION COMES IN THE F

Priorities are fundamental for us to establish in our lives and ministries.  They determine both what we do and how we serve.  As the families return to Judah from the captivity, they have several different priorities that need to be taken care of.  They need basic shelter for their families but they also need to keep in mind that they had come back for the purpose of building the temple.  It is easy for us to become distracted from the task at hand by our own personal comfort.  The leaders were not going to allow this to happen.  The people built temporary shelters for their families and then started to do the work for with they had come. THE PEOPLE BUILD AN ALTAR ON WHICH THEY CAN WORSHIP: The first priority that the people had was for them to build and altar on which they could offer sacrifices for their sin and gather for worship.  The temple was not the first priority, worship was.  The people realized that they could have a place of sacrifice and worship even before the buil

Details are important to the Lord.  There are times when I wonder why there are so many details recorded in Scripture that seem to be meaningless to us today.  As we read through the list of the number of sons of the families of Israel that returned from exile, we recognize far less than half of them and we really don’t care a whole lot about how many from each family returned.  That may be just the point.  God does know every name on this list and every name of the forty two thousand people represented in those numbers.  Not only does God know all those names and numbers, He also cares deeply about every single one of them.  He also knows and cares about every single one of us.  That is the wonder of knowing and serving our sovereign and loving Lord. THE FAMILIES OF ISRAEL RETURNED TO THE LAND: There are many names listed in this chapter of many families and the number from each family who decided to return.  However, it is important to remember that Cyrus permitted anyone who wa

The hand of God moves over the hearts of the kings of this world to accomplish His will.  Jeremiah had prophesied the length of the captivity that Judah would experience.  That time had come to a close so God moves the heart of the king.  There is no need for us to fear the circumstances of our lives; rather we should trust in His sovereign control.  We may not understand His plan or His methods, but we can trust in His faithfulness and goodness in all of the circumstances of life. CYRUS FULFILLS THE WILL OF GOD: Even before the captivity had begun, Jeremiah had been shown the day when Cyrus would be used to restore Judah to the land and rebuild the temple.  Cyrus is a pagan king who God uses to fulfill His will in the world.  God is all wise and all knowing He determines the best way for His purposes to be fulfilled.  That purpose included the judgment of Judah in captivity, but it also included their restoration through the reign of Cyrus.  No matter how crazy the political situ

God’s sovereign control over the nations of the world is clearly evident through the history of the nation of Israel.  He is never taken by surprise and He always takes His Word very seriously.  Just before the nation of Israel entered the land, God spoke to the people through Moses.  He promised that they would be blessed if they would obey the Word of the Lord.  However, God also promised that if they would not obey the Lord and start worshiping the idols of the land to which they were going; they would be taken captive and removed from the land.  Unfortunately, that warning did not keep the people from idolatry and God kept His Word.  We must not play with the promises of God.  He is very patient and may allow generations to go by before He judges, but He will judge.  He has promised to return to this earth and judge every person on the face of the earth.  The result of this coming judgment will be eternal based on whether or not we have trusted Christ.  In God’s sovereign timing H

The result of obeying the Word of God will always be worship.  Josiah had been seeking the Lord and purifying the land of its idolatrous practices and then He discovered the Word of God as he was cleaning the temple.  The result of his reading the Word of God was genuine repentance that led to worship and praise of the Lord.  God’s Word is a mirror that shows us the sin in our lives it exposes our hearts and shows us our need of forgiveness and grace.  God’s Word also reveals the hope that He provides for forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus.  God has constantly revealed in Scripture that there is hope for forgiveness of sin that is found in the cross of Christ.  Hope is what spurs our hearts and stirs our minds to worship.  The truth of God’s word should always reveal our sin, His provision and then promote our worship. JOSIAH KEEPS THE PASSOVER: Josiah’s Passover celebration was even greater than the one that his great grandfather Hezekiah had celebrated.  He organ

Tenderheartedness is one of the most important qualities that we can develop in our lives.  God looks for men and women who have responsive hearts that are sensitive to Him and His Word.  Josiah was a king that had a tender and sensitive heart and he truly sought to obey God throughout his entire life.  When he knew that something was right, he did it with all of his heart and sought to live in a way that was pleasing to God.  He started to reign as a young boy, so he was ignorant of many of the sins of his people and the will of the Lord.  However, as he grew up, he learned about the sins of His people and the commandments of the Lord.  He responded to this knowledge in humility, repentance and a resolve to do what was right.  God blessed Him because of his obedience and sensitivity. JOSIAH PURIFIES THE LAND: Josiah was only 8 when he became king, so there was not really a lot that he knew or cold do.  However, as he began to grow he began to seek the Lord for wisdom and understo

The nation of Judah continues to go through ups and downs in their walk with the Lord as they follow their kings who seem to be alternating between godliness and godlessness.  Hezekiah was one of the best kings who reigned in Judah, but his son, Manasseh was one of the worst.  It is interesting to note that had Hezekiah died when the Lord had said he would instead of begging for the extra fifteen years; Manasseh would have never been born.  Hezekiah’s failures as a king were all during those extra fifteen years.  We would do well to except the Lord’s plans for our lives instead of thinking that we know what is best.  However, the story of Manasseh is not all bad and, in reality, is better than many other kings.  While so many kings started well but finished poorly; Manasseh, started very poorly but he finished well.  In reality all of us start poorly, but God is gracious to set us free from sin so that we might be liberated from our captivity in sin through the work of Christ. MAN

One of the blessings of obedience is the provision of God in our lives.  He blesses us in so many ways when we live in obedience before Him.  However, one of the dangers of being blessed by God is the pride that these blessings can foster in our hearts.  King Hezekiah was one of the most obedient kings in the history of the nation.  As a result of His obedience He was greatly blessed by God in so many ways.  However, he became proud as a result of the blessings of God in his life.  This attitude brought the punishment of God upon his life.  Fortunately, he recognized his error and humbled himself before the Lord.  We must constantly check our hearts for pride that endangers our walk with the Lord.  The blessings of God should humble us because we are constantly aware of our own unworthiness. HEZEKIAH RESTS IN THE LORD WHEN HE FACED ADVERSITY: Even though Hezekiah was a faithful and obedient king, he still faced adversity and was threatened by the king of Assyria.  We must not thin

One of the hardest things to do in our spiritual walk is to maintain a vibrant and consistent relationship with the Lord that is growing.  Typically we will have an experience with the Lord in which we are impacted and we make commitments to Him, but then with the passing of time we end up letting those commitments slide and before long we have slid back down into the old patterns of our lives.  Hezekiah has just celebrated a massive Passover in Jerusalem with the people from Judah as well as many people from Israel.  However, this was more than just an isolated experience, God was at work in the hearts of his people and they continued to serve the Lord faithfully long after the celebration.  There are a few keys that contributed to the longevity of this revival in Judah.  We would do well to follow these examples. THE PEOPLE BROKE THEIR IDOLS: Once the people had experienced the true worship of God, as they celebrated the Passover; they realized that their idolatry had to go.  Th

When we experience the blessing and forgiveness of God, it is only natural that we want to share it with others.  Hezekiah has cleansed the temple and re instituted the sacrificial system in Judah as well as reestablished the worship of the Lord on a consistent basis before the Lord.  Now he wants to celebrate the Passover with his people as he seeks to obey the commandments of Scripture.  However, he wants to include the entire nation and not just the tribes in Judah.  He calls all twelve tribes to come and celebrate in Jerusalem.  When we have good news, we want to share it with others.  That is really what evangelism is all about.  We know the path of forgiveness and how we can be free from sin.  God calls us to share that good news with all the nations of the world.  We have a great reason to celebrate and our joy should be contagious as we spread the fame of Jesus to the ends of the earth. HEZEKIAH EXTENDS AN INVITATION FOR PASSOVER TO ALL OF ISRAEL: The ten tribes of Israel

Just when it seems like the spiritual life in Judah was at its lowest and darkest point, The Lord raised up Hezekiah as king.  He was married to the daughter of the prophet Zechariah and his heart was fully dedicated to the Lord and doing what was right before the Lord.  When he took over as the leader of the nation there was so much that needed to be done to restore the people to the Lord and lead them in revival before the Lord that it must have been difficult to decide where to start.  He started where every revival has ever started; with the restoration of worship.  His father had polluted the temple with filth and idolatry.  The people were living in rebellion against the Lord and the priests and Levites were prohibited from doing their job.  Hezekiah started right off from the beginning to make huge changes on his very first month as king.  When we recognize sin around us; we need to spring into action and strive with all that we have to follow the commandments of the Lord.

If there were a hall of shame for the kings of Judah, Ahaz would have to be one of the top candidates for immediate induction.  His father had been faithful all of his life but failed to remove the high places.  Now Ahaz is an example of a king that never did anything to please the Lord.  He was an idolatrous, wicked king that seems to be completely blinded by his sin.  Even though his kingdom suffered greatly, he never repented or even show any sorrow for his sin.  A hard heart is a very dangerous thing and we must be careful not to allow ourselves to become hardened to the Spirit and Word of God to the point that we do not see the error of our ways.  AHAZ WAS A DISOBEDIENT KING: The Law of God clearly forbids any king of idolatry or making sacrifices to God in high places.  Ahaz completely ignores this command and makes idols of metal to Baal and practices every form of idolatry known to man.  He makes sacrifices on the high places; he builds altars to idols and even sacrifices

Every now and then we have an example of a king who was able to remain faithful throughout his reign.  Jotham is one of those examples.  There are no perfect people and there are no perfect leaders and certainly Jotham is not an exception to that rule, but it appears that he was able to serve the Lord faithfully from the beginning to the end of his reign.  Perhaps one of the factors that contributed to this was the fact that he was only king for sixteen years.  His father had likely been faithful much longer than that but his reign lasted more than three times as long.  We are not given information as to why he died in his early forties, but his reign was a success apart from the fact that he did not require that the people follow his example.  He was tolerant of their idolatry and corrupt practices but amazingly he was not influenced by them.  Unfortunately, he was not much of an influence on them either. JOTHAM WAS FAITHFUL: Despite having a short reign, he was faithful to the L

Pride is a terrible sin that seems to infect our hearts and bring us down to ruin.  Uzziah had one of the longest reigns in all of Judah, and he was a great and prosperous king until he became proud and ended up sinning greatly before the Lord.  The blessings of God in our lives should produce praise, not pride; but is seems that our tendency is to claim credit for the works of God instead of honoring Him as we should.  God insists on being the only object of our worship and He blesses those who worship Him in amazing ways.  However, we have a very bad habit of turning the blessings of God in our lives into motives for pride and self-worship.  Problems can be blessings in disguise because they tend to make us depend on the Lord.  Blessings can be dangerous to us because they often cause us to be proud and self-reliant. UZZIAH WAS PLEASING TO THE LORD AND RECEIVED POWER: Uzziah became king when he was only sixteen years old.  Fortunately he had a godly mentor in the prophet Zechari

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  I am not sure who said that first; I just know that it was not me.  However, the statement is proved to be true in the life of Amaziah.  His father, Joash, stared strong but ended in disgrace and he followed in his father’s footsteps.  Both men were taken down by their pride.  Both men were warned by the Lord.  Both men refused to listen.  Both men died in dishonor.  I thank God for my father who has set a great example for me and I hope to be able to follow his footsteps and set an example that is worth of being followed by my children.  There are good examples and bad examples; the question that we need to ask is: which are we? AMAZIAH STRATED IN FAITH, OBEDIENCE AND VICTORY: It is impressive that Amaziah started well after his father had finished so poorly.  He seems to have learned from his father’s mistakes and starts out by following the Word of God.  He avenged his father’s death but did not kill their children i

Joash is yet another one of the many kings in Judah and Israel that started well but did not finish well.  He was a man who was easily influenced by others, which was greatly to his benefit as long as Jehoiadah was alive.  The problems all started after Jehoiada died and he was influenced by evil men who filled him with pride and then led him down that path of destruction and idolatry.  All of us allow different people to influence us at different times in our lives, but we must be very careful about whom we allow to occupy that position in our lives.  God calls us to influence those who are around us and help them follow the Lord. JOASH REBUILDS THE TEMPLE: As a young king, Joash, under the direction of Jehoiada, has the idols of Baal removed from Israel.  He is now a grown man and begins to take initiatives on his own.  He sees that the temple is in great disrepair and so he orders the Levites to collect money for the restoration process.  Apparently the Levites were not doing t