David Bahn – Reflections

Today’s readings: Luke 2-4, Psalm 119:1-24

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Luke 4:31-37

And Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, ³² and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. ³³ And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴ “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” ³⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. ³⁶ And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” ³⁷ And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

The beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry is marked with beauty and wonder. Angels rejoice at his birth. Shepherds worship him. Anna and Simeon greet him and his parents in the temple, honoring the child and giving witness to the momentous event of his birth. Later, Jesus and his family visit the temple, where Jesus remains behind when his parents leave because he “must be in [his] Father’s house.” At his baptism it is made clear: The Holy Spirit descends on him, and his Father expresses his clear endorsement. He is God’s Son, with whom the Father is well pleased.

But it won’t take long for Satan to interject himself into this beautiful picture. He realizes what is at stake. He desires to take down Jesus and thwart God’s good plan. First comes the temptation. Satan attacks what has just been declared about Jesus. Is he truly God’s Son? “If you are the Son of God…” Can he prove it? And then comes the lie – for Satan is the great deceiver. He offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world if only Jesus will worship him.

Jesus rebukes Satan and remains faithful to his Father and committed to his mission. But even after passing that test, the challenges continue. A man with the spirit of an unclean demon confronts him. Remarkably, the demon knows exactly who Jesus is: “I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus silences him and drives the demon out of the man.

I don’t suppose we would think that saving the world would be an easy task. It shouldn’t surprise us that the devil meets Jesus head-on in the wilderness and that demonic opposition confronts him as his ministry begins. But it does strike me that the devil must be either very angry or very desperate – or both.

They say, “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape,” but it seems the devil is doing that and more.

Jesus, however, does not take the bait or feel the need to prove himself. He meets Satan’s temptations with God’s Word and rebukes the demon, commanding it to come out of the man.

Jesus will not be deterred. In fact, that’s what we see at the end of this chapter. Jesus tells the people, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And so he did. And so he will continue to do. For he came to preach the good news of God’s reign and rule – a reign and rule of grace and truth, in which we may live by faith in him forever.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

Click the image below to watch the Bible Project video for the first half of Luke’s gospel. Or click this link: https://bibleproject.com/videos/luke-1-9/

Today’s readings: Malachi 3-4, Luke 1, Psalm 118

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Malachi 3:1; 4:5–6

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

^4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ⁶ And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Luke 1:16-17, 76-79

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷ and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    in the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The readings above barely scratch the surface of prophetic allusions and promises that are picked up in Luke 1 and beyond in the ministries of both John the Baptizer and Jesus himself. Consider these:

Malachi 3:1a — I will send my messenger to prepare the way → John (Luke 1:17, 76)
Malachi 3:1b — The Lord is coming → Jesus
Malachi 3:2–3 — He comes with refining fire → Jesus as the coming one who purifies and judges
Malachi 3:6–7 — Return to me → John calls Israel to repentance and prepares a people for the Lord
Malachi 4:1–2 — The sun rises with healing → Luke’s identifying Jesus as the “sunrise…from on high”
Malachi 4:5–6 — Elijah will come and turn hearts → John comes “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17)

It’s almost as if Malachi’s closing words erupt with prophetic promises. But then come 400 years of silence! Why was God silent? Why don’t we have more witnesses from those years pointing to God’s faithfulness, humanity’s need for a Savior, and prophets calling Israel back again and again to God?

One answer has to do with the timing of God, as Paul says in Galatians 4:4–5: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” And that’s probably all we need to know. But we’ve already read in Daniel 10 how things are occurring behind the scenes, such that history doesn’t always unfold as neatly and fluidly as we might wish.

But it does unfold according to God’s purposes. And here we get a dramatic glimpse into the ways and means of God’s grace. These beautiful prophecies – along with their fulfillments recorded just in Luke 1 – amaze me. I can’t get over how God inspired Malachi to put forth these promises that are so clearly seen coming to fulfillment in the promised births of John and Jesus.

It’s not only that we’re finishing up with the Old Testament with its accounts of delightful and dramatic events, tragedies of sinful proportions, long lists of names, and prophetic exhortations and promises. It’s that now Luke opens with such expectant words as he begins his “narrative of the things that have been accomplished” in the days of John and Jesus. It’s as though Malachi is saying, “Just you wait!” And God is saying, “Now is the time.”

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

Click the image below to watch the Bible Project video for the first half of Luke’s gospel. Or click this link: https://bibleproject.com/videos/luke-1-9/

Today’s readings: Malachi 3-4, Luke 1, Psalm 118

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Malachi 3:1; 4:5–6

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

^4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ⁶ And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Luke 1:16-17, 76-79

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷ and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    in the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The readings above barely scratch the surface of prophetic allusions and promises that are picked up in Luke 1 and beyond in the ministries of both John the Baptizer and Jesus himself. Consider these:

Malachi 3:1a — I will send my messenger to prepare the way → John (Luke 1:17, 76)
Malachi 3:1b — The Lord is coming → Jesus
Malachi 3:2–3 — He comes with refining fire → Jesus as the coming one who purifies and judges
Malachi 3:6–7 — Return to me → John calls Israel to repentance and prepares a people for the Lord
Malachi 4:1–2 — The sun rises with healing → Luke’s identifying Jesus as the “sunrise…from on high”
Malachi 4:5–6 — Elijah will come and turn hearts → John comes “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17)

It’s almost as if Malachi’s closing words erupt with prophetic promises. But then come 400 years of silence! Why was God silent? Why don’t we have more witnesses from those years pointing to God’s faithfulness, humanity’s need for a Savior, and prophets calling Israel back again and again to God?

One answer has to do with the timing of God, as Paul says in Galatians 4:4–5: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” And that’s probably all we need to know. But we’ve already read in Daniel 10 how things are occurring behind the scenes, such that history doesn’t always unfold as neatly and fluidly as we might wish.

But it does unfold according to God’s purposes. And here we get a dramatic glimpse into the ways and means of God’s grace. These beautiful prophecies – along with their fulfillments recorded just in Luke 1 – amaze me. I can’t get over how God inspired Malachi to put forth these promises that are so clearly seen coming to fulfillment in the promised births of John and Jesus.

It’s not only that we’re finishing up with the Old Testament with its accounts of delightful and dramatic events, tragedies of sinful proportions, long lists of names, and prophetic exhortations and promises. It’s that now Luke opens with such expectant words as he begins his “narrative of the things that have been accomplished” in the days of John and Jesus. It’s as though Malachi is saying, “Just you wait!” And God is saying, “Now is the time.”

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

Click the image below to watch the Bible Project video for the first half of Luke’s gospel. Or click this link: https://bibleproject.com/videos/luke-1-9/

Today’s readings: Malachi 1-2, Psalm 117

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Malachi 1:2-5

“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob ³ but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” ⁴ If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the LORD of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’” ⁵ Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the LORD beyond the border of Israel!”

Malachi is the last prophet of the Old Testament era and offers some interesting questions and answers between God and the people of Judah. God speaks of his love for his people, then offers a look into their hearts, asking rhetorically, “How have you loved us?” The LORD is pointing out the real issue between himself and the people of Judah. They really didn’t believe God loved them. They were not confident of the goodness of his gifts. They did not trust that he had their good at heart – or even, if so, whether God’s gifts were truly the best.

I’m reminded of Martin Luther, who for some time struggled with God. “Love God! I hated him,” he is supposed to have said. He did not believe that God truly loved him. He was not convinced that God’s goodness could be his. All he knew was that he was a sinner and, as such, stood under the judgment of God. He could read Malachi 1:4 and believe it applied fully to him: “The LORD of hosts says, ‘They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called “the wicked country,” and “the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.”’”

It would be some time before Luther discovered the kindness and grace of God, his gift of righteousness – justification – and was freed from guilt and shame. And though he grew to love God, he never forgot his need for God’s mercy and grace.

This is the stuff of faithfulness before God. We never stop needing God’s mercy, because we never stop being sinners this side of eternity. And God is ready to receive us when we repent and come to him through our Lord Jesus Christ. Malachi will make this point and more in the chapters to follow. He will expose deep-seated sin, challenge faithless disobedience, and condemn false religion. He does so because false religion rests on false hopes and can offer no true salvation.

We may sometimes wonder whether God loves us when we face difficult situations, give in to temptation, or fail to live up to God’s commands. We may even try to make it on our own. But God’s love does not finally rest on our circumstances, our performance, or even the strength of our faith. He is the one who saves. He is the one who forgives. And he has made his love unmistakably visible in the life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus – a love that has reached far beyond the borders of Israel to embrace people of every nation, including you and me. When we wonder, “How have you loved us?” God points us to Jesus.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

Click the image below to watch the Bible Project video for Malachi. Or click this link: https://bibleproject.com/videos/malachi

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Today’s readings: Nehemiah 13, Psalm 116

Nehemiah 13:4-14

Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, ⁵ prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. ⁶ While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king ⁷ and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. ⁸ And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. ⁹ Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

¹⁰ I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. ¹¹ So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. ¹² Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. ¹³ And I appointed…treasurers over the storehouses…and their duty was to distribute to their brothers. ¹⁴ Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, he discovered that many of the reforms the people had promised to keep were already unraveling. First, Eliashib the priest had given Tobiah – one of Nehemiah’s longtime opponents – a room in the temple intended for offerings and supplies. Second, the people had stopped providing tithes for the Levites and singers, forcing them to return to their fields to support themselves. Third, the Sabbath was openly disregarded as people worked and conducted business.

Finally, Jewish men were again marrying women from the surrounding nations, and some of their children could not even speak the language of Judah. Israel was again allowing the faith and identity of the next generation to be swallowed up by the surrounding culture. What especially incensed Nehemiah was that the people had specifically promised God that they would not do these very things.

So while I have to chuckle when Nehemiah reports that he pulled out the hair of some of the offenders, I get his frustration. Leave them for a while and the reforms begin unraveling. But I also shake my head in sadness. After everything God had done for them, they were returning to the same patterns of unfaithfulness. It’s a wonder Nehemiah didn’t pull out his own hair!

I love Nehemiah. There are so many great leadership insights in this book. Leadership begins with a burden – Nehemiah’s heart is broken by Jerusalem’s condition, and he takes that burden to God in prayer. Burden becomes vision when joined with belief: something must be done, and with God’s help something can be done. He enlists others, perseveres through opposition and distraction, and courageously confronts what threatens the mission. Through it all, he knows that “the good hand of [his] God was upon [him]” (Nehemiah 2:8).

But here is the greater lesson. Rebuilding the walls – necessary as that was – could never solve Jerusalem’s deepest problem. Nehemiah could rebuild walls, restore worship, confront sin, and even pull hair! But he could not change the human heart.

Nehemiah begins with broken walls, but by the end we discover that Jerusalem’s deepest problem was never its walls. The walls could be rebuilt. The human heart needed something far greater. And so does ours.

That is where Jesus comes in. He did not come merely to straighten us out or give us another set of reforms to keep. He came to deal with the sin within us. Jesus took our rebellion, wandering, and broken promises upon himself and carried them to the cross. There he won our forgiveness, and through his Spirit he gives us new hearts and calls us again to faith and faithfulness.

Nehemiah could rebuild the walls around God’s people. Jesus came to rebuild God’s people from the inside out.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Nehemiah 10-12, Psalm 115

Nehemiah 12:27-43 (selected verses)

And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.

And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.

And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall. . . .

The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people. . .

So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God. . . .

–Nehemiah 12:27, 30–31a, 38a, 40a, 43

The wall around Jerusalem had been rebuilt—despite threats and ridicule from Sanballat and other detractors. The danger had been real enough that some worked on the wall while others stood ready to defend them.

But now that was behind them. The people had rededicated themselves to faithfulness to God’s covenant. They had heard God’s word, confessed their sins, and wept in repentance.

And now they celebrated.

Two great choirs made their way along the wall from opposite directions. Levites and priests joined the procession. There was singing and thanksgiving, cymbals, harps, lyres and trumpets. Nehemiah tells us, “God had made them rejoice with great joy.” Even the women and children joined in, and “the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.”

Their joy was rooted in something deeper than a rebuilt wall. Israel was rediscovering its identity as God’s chosen people. They remembered the God who had delivered their fathers from slavery in Egypt and brought them into the Promised Land. They had returned after decades of exile. The temple had been rebuilt. Jerusalem’s wall had been restored.

And they knew why they were there. Not because they had been so faithful to God, but because God had remained faithful to them.

Their history was filled with sin and unfaithfulness. They had abandoned God’s covenant and turned to other gods. The temple had been destroyed and its sacred vessels carried away. Yet God had not abandoned them. He had brought them home. He had restored the temple and the city. Their celebration was ultimately a celebration of the mercy and faithfulness of God.

At the funeral of our organist, Van Glynn, it was mentioned that his motto was, “All’s well that ends loud.” Van loved to bring out the zimbelstern—a delightful organ stop that sounds tiny bells—for the last stanza of a hymn. His postludes were often loud and glorious.

So at his funeral the organist hit the tutti button. With one button, essentially all the stops come into play and the organ fills the room with sound. It’s the kind of sound especially fitting for Easter.

If ever there were reason to pull out all the stops, it is the victory of Jesus Christ—our Redeemer, Savior, and Lord. He has conquered sin, Satan, and death for us. And unlike Jerusalem’s rebuilt wall, his victory will never crumble. Our celebration rests not on our faithfulness to him, but on his faithfulness to us.

That was finally the source of Jerusalem’s joy too. God had been merciful. God had restored. God had kept his promises.

One day we will join Nehemiah and all the redeemed in praise before God. Until then, every Sunday—whether or not somebody hits the tutti button—we get to rehearse.

And when that day comes, all really will be well. And I suspect it will end loud.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Nehemiah 1-3; Psalm 112

Nehemiah 1:4-11

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. ⁵ And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶ let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. ⁷ We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. ⁸ Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, ⁹ but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ ¹⁰ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. ¹¹ O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Now I was cupbearer to the king.

The night before we were to travel to Los Angeles, I couldn’t sleep. It was April 29, 1992. I got up and turned on the TV. Los Angeles was on fire. Unrest had broken out following the verdict in the trial of four LAPD officers charged in the beating of Rodney King. We changed our flight itinerary to avoid the worst of the danger and continued with our plans, which included a presentation to church leaders there.

We drove past burned buildings and saw National Guard soldiers, firefighters, and police officers in the streets. The sight left quite an impression on both of us.

The following Sunday, we attended St. John Lutheran Church in Orange. The congregation’s youth presented the musical Oh Me! Oh My! Oh Nehemiah! After what we had seen, its account of a damaged city and people working under guard struck us deeply. Later in Nehemiah, some stand guard while others rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, with swords at their sides.

But Nehemiah’s work begins before anyone lifts a stone. When he hears about Jerusalem’s broken walls and gates, he sits down and weeps. He fasts and prays. He confesses his own sins and the sins of his people. And he holds fast to God’s promise to gather his scattered people.

Nehemiah isn’t telling God something God has forgotten. He is praying on the strength of what God has promised. He asks God for favor as he approaches the king. The king grants his requests, and Nehemiah tells us why: God’s gracious hand was upon him.

Nehemiah saw what needed to be done, and he believed it could be done with God’s help. His vision grew from both burden and belief. The broken walls weighed on his heart and gave him a reason to begin. God’s promise to gather his people gave him courage to continue, even when the rebuilding became dangerous. Without that burden, he might never have started. Without that belief, he might have given up.

Yet Nehemiah prayed for more than a repaired wall. He held fast to God’s promise to gather his people and dwell among them. In Jesus, God comes to gather us to himself. He sees our sin and suffering, has compassion on us, and comes to bring us back to God. Through his death and resurrection, we have forgiveness and a hope that no broken wall – or broken life – can take away.

So we can face what is broken without looking away. We can pray, trust God’s promise in Jesus, and take the next step he gives us, relying on his gracious hand, and great promises.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Ezra 8-10, Psalm 111

Ezra 9:5-9

And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, ⁶ saying:

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. ⁷ From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. ⁸ But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. ⁹ For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.

I became good friends with the Episcopal priest while we lived in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He and I would joke about our theological tendencies. He was liberal in his thinking, and I was conservative. When we played golf together, it was even more noticeable. He had a consistent hook off the tee. I had a slice. He went left. I went right. “Yeah,” we’d say, “true to form.”

We got to know each other pretty well and soon discovered that at least some of our preconceived notions about liberal and conservative tendencies were a bit overblown.

One thing I especially appreciated about John: he could make good fun of himself. He was actually an adult convert to the faith, and when he let that be known, one of his friends quipped, “I might have known, John, that when you caught religion, you would catch it in its least virulent form!” Virulent or not, his faith was real, and I am thankful to have been his friend.

Ezra, however, would not be accused of catching religion in its least virulent form! His was a deep conviction of his place before God and the responsibility he had to lead God’s people as they returned to Jerusalem. We read of the offerings of gold and silver entrusted to him, which he in turn entrusted to the priests. By today’s precious-metal prices, the silver and gold would have been worth more than half a billion dollars! That’s not a token offering. That’s not just symbolic. It represents an extraordinary devotion to God and his purposes.

And Ezra was equally serious about seeking God’s protection. Rather than relying on an escort from the king, he called the people to fast and humble themselves before God, asking him for a safe journey.

But we see another conviction in these chapters as well. Ezra is deeply convicted of his own and Israel’s sin. Their abandonment of true religion, purity of faith, and faithfulness in keeping God’s ways weighs heavily on him. And those convictions are brought to bear on the people he is leading. He was ashamed and blushed to lift his eyes to God because of this conviction of sin.

This makes me think of Jesus’ telling about the two men who went up to the Temple to pray. One stood proudly before God, touting his religious piety. The other would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus said the latter went home justified.

There are convictions of faith that enable us to stand against the tide of worldly values. And there are convictions of sin that shake us to the core and call us to repentance. We need both. We can thank the Holy Spirit for strengthening us to stand firm in faith—and when our sin is laid bare, we can look not to the strength of our convictions, but to Jesus, who has borne our sin and gives us mercy, forgiveness, and a place to stand before God.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Esther 9-10, Ezra 7, Psalm 110

Ezra 7:11, 13–14, 21, 23, 25, 27–28

This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel: ¹³ “I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. ¹⁴ For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand…

²¹ “And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence… ²³ Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons.

²⁵ “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach.”

²⁷ Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, ²⁸ and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

How do you respond to the grace and favor of God? What do you do when good things happen to you? Sometimes we can legitimately take some credit. We work hard at our job and receive a promotion, a bonus, an award, or some special recognition. We finish a project and receive the accolades of others.

Then there are those good things that come to us through the grace of others. A friend invites you to lunch simply because he wants to reconnect and rekindle a dormant relationship. Or, as happened to us a few months ago—to our complete surprise—a “Yard of the Month” sign appears in your front yard. All we were trying to do was keep the yard looking decent!

But I recall one time especially when good news moved me immediately to praise and thank God. Our son’s medical test was negative. When the alternative is a potentially life-threatening diagnosis, negative is a wonderfully positive word. There are certainly other moments I could name, and I’m sure you could name a few of your own.

I join Ezra as he rejoices before God for the support and goodwill he has received from King Artaxerxes. God had done great things to bring his people back to Jerusalem. He had also preserved them from Haman’s vile plot, as recorded in Esther. That story takes place between Ezra 6 and 7, during the reign of Xerxes, Artaxerxes’ predecessor. Scripture makes no direct connection between Esther and Artaxerxes’ support of Ezra, but the parallel is striking. God’s providential hand is hidden in Esther; Ezra names it plainly: God “put such a thing as this into the heart of the king.”

We may not always recognize God’s work in our lives. Sometimes we may even neglect to acknowledge his providential care or name him outright. Yet he is always at work, upholding all things by his powerful word. And while every blessing may not bring the same rush of emotion, every good gift gives us reason to thank the Giver. So let’s take a page from Ezra. He received the favor of a king, but he saw behind it the gracious hand of God.

We do something very much like that whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer and conclude, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.” The good we receive ultimately points beyond itself to the One from whom every good gift comes.

And nowhere do we see that gracious hand more clearly than in Jesus, through whom God has given us far more than favorable circumstances – forgiveness, life, and salvation. So whether at the end of the day or in the very moment when some unexpected blessing arrives, we can join Ezra in giving God the glory.

Yes! May the name of the Lord be praised!

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.