A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

Among the last of the Prophets, Zechariah’s writing is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, yet Jews pray everyday at the Wailing Wall for the coming of the Messiah. “Oh blind Guides!” Would God have any obligation to hear such prayers? Or, would he prefer to kindle a fire in the midst of them?

Chapter 1

— the decree of Cyrus the king, to make a proclamation
— charged by God to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem
— Cyrus brought forth the vessels for the Temple of God
— thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver

~ Chapter 2

— and children of Judah who came up out of the captivity
— this includes the children of Tobiah
— is this the same Tobiah, the Ammonite, in the Temple?
— an Ammonite or Moabite should never be in the Temple!

A Study of Chapters 1 and 2 HERE ~ —— ~

Chapter 3

— then stood up Jeshua or Joshua and Zerubbabel
— to build the altar of the God of Israel and offer burnt offerings
— even burnt offerings morning (bō·qer) and evening (ereb)
— they also kept the Feast of Tabernacles
— the new moons and all the set feasts of the Lord

~ Chapter 4

— then adversaries of Judah came to offer in the building the Temple
— Zerubbabel and Jeshua said unto them
— “Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God”
— the Samaritans instigated an order to prevent the building of the city
— and they on pretence also tried stopping the building of the Temple
— hence the rebuilding of the Temple was interrupted

A Study of Chapters 3 and 4 HERE ~ —— ~

Chapter 5

— Haggai and Zecharia the prophets prophesied in Jerusalem
— then arose Zerubbabel and Jeshua or Joshua
— began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem
— the elders asked: ‘Who commanded you to build this house?’
— Sheshbazzar had laid the foundation of the house of God
— a decree had been made by Cyrus to build this Temple at Jerusalem

~ Chapter 6

— then Darius the king made a decree to search the rolls in Babylon
— thus they found the decree, “In the first year of Cyrus the king
— and the golden and silver vessels of the house of God
— even to exert tribute beyond the river for its expenses
— including young bullocks and lambs for the burnt offerings
— and they make a feast of dedication of the house of God with joy

A Study of Chapters 5 and 6 HERE ~ —— ~

Chapter 7

— Ezra, the son of Seraiah, a high priest killed by Nebuchadnezzar
— for Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord
— and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgements
— “Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven”
— minded of their own free will to go up to Jerusalem
— returning of Temple’s treasures, plus some out of the king’s treasure
— re-establishment of various offerings for Temple services

~ Chapter 8

— genealogy of those who went up with Ezra from Babylon
— “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him
— but His power and His wrath is against all those who forsake Him”
— “Ye are holy unto the Lord; the vessels are holy also; and the silver
— and the gold are freewill offering unto the God of your fathers”

A Study of Chapters 7 and 8 HERE ~ —— ~

Chapter 9

— purging of those with mixed marriages continues
— the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites
— the Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites
— when Ezra heard this thing, he rent his garment and mantle
— and Ezra prayed during the evening (erev) sacrifice

~ Chapter 10

— following Ezra’s prayer, the people wept bitterly
— then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites,
— and all Israel to swear that they should do according to this word
— and they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem
— and they make confession unto the Lord God of their fathers
— and separate themselves from their foreign wives

A Study of Chapters 9 and 10 HERE ~ —— ~

~ by Joel on August 26, 2023.

Posted in Ezra, Minor Prophets