February 7, 2011 - Blessed be the LORD, who put such a thing into the heart of the king.
"...for the good hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezra 7:9-10 (ESV)"
To study, to do what you learn and to teach it. That should be our goal as well. What would happen in my life if I took even one hour, which is not much considering how much time I spend doing what I want or buying stuff I don't need, just doing the first part. I really need a change, I should give it a try. Where to start?
I did look up the kings of Persia during Ezra's time and found this:
Name Date of Reign Relationship to Israel
Cyrus 559-530 B.C. Conquered Babylon. Established a policy of returning exiles to their homelands. Sent Zerubbabel to Jerusalem, financed his project, and returned the gold and silver articles that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple. He probably knew Daniel.
Darius 522-486 B.C. Supported construction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Xerxes (Ahasuerus) 486-465 B.C. Was Esther's husband. Allowed the Jews to protect themselves against Haman's attempt to eliminate their people.
Artaxerxes I 465-424 B.C. Had Nehemiah as his cupbearer. Allowed both Ezra and Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem. Tyndale Handbook of Bible Charts and Maps.
Seriously... I sound like a broken record but how can we doubt that God will do what He wills and will provide for it.
I have been painting some little cards. Here are two:
