Ezra 6:19-22 Complete Jewish Bible
19 The people from the exile kept Pesach on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20 For the Cohanim and L’vi’im had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. So they slaughtered the Pesach lambs for all the people from the exile and for their kinsmen the Cohanim and for themselves. 21 The people of Isra’el who had returned from the exile and all those who had renounced the filthy practices of the nations living in the land in order to seek Adonai the God of Isra’el, ate [the Pesach lamb] 22 and joyfully kept the feast of matzah for seven days; for Adonai had filled them with joy by turning the heart of the king of Ashur toward them, so that he assisted them in the work of the house of God, the God of Isra’el.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
With the new Temple comes renewed and remembered celebrations.
The timing could not be more perfect as in the time of Moses, there is time to remember, time to recall the ancient instructions, prepare for Passover again.
The Temple is finally finished and dedicated.
“And this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king” (verse 14).
The next month in the calendar is Nissan, which God proclaimed as the first month of the year for the Torah. Passover is to be observed on the 14th of Nisan.
Following the Jewish calendar can be confusing to those of us who do not use it in our daily lives.
There are actually two calendars for the Jews.
The religious calendar and the secular one. In the religious calendar, as stated earlier, Nisan is the first month.
In their secular one Nissan is the seventh or eighth month.
It changes depending on if there is another month added to realign the calendar with the phases of the moon.
The point here is that their Temple was dedicated less than a month ago.
The priests and Levites had just completed their ceremonial cleansing for the dedication so they have little to do to be clean for the upcoming Passover, other than staying ‘clean.’
This year there will be no need to delay Passover as Hezekiah had to.
Israel also invited others who wanted to celebrate the Passover with them.
There would be no exceptions this year for those who were not clean.
Hezekiah, his first year to renew Passover, asked God to pardon all those who attended who had not taken the time to cleanse themselves prior to the event.
They were allowed to eat the Passover with Israel that year.
This year ALL were clean that partook of the meal.
There was also a smaller crowd so the priests and Levites could keep up with the demand.
This would be the first of many Passover celebrations observed in the new Temple.
Gone were pomegranates and ornate chains but here was a new commitment to the Lord.
This temple would serve as a place for the people of Israel to meet with their God up until the time of Jesus.
He Himself would grace its courts.
Check out GotQuestions.org regarding Zerubbabel.
God doesn’t require that His people exhibit the greatest outward decorations and appeal. He only requires that they focus their hearts on Him.
He can use the beggar on the street as easily as He can use the executive in the boardroom.
All He asks for is their willingness to submit to Him, in whatever He calls you to.
Truths That Remind Us It’s Never Too Late to Change
Hebrews 13:5-9 Complete Jewish Bible
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money; and be satisfied with what you have; for God himself has said, “I will never fail you or abandon you.”[a] 6 Therefore, we say with confidence,
“Adonai is my helper; I will not be afraid —
what can a human being do to me?”[b]
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke God’s message to you. Reflect on the results of their way of life, and imitate their trust — 8 Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today and forever.
9 Do not be carried away by various strange teachings; for what is good is for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods. People who have made these the focus of their lives have not benefited thereby.
With every botched career move, failed relationship, and deferred hope, we hear that same old familiar, accusatory whisper. “It’s way too late now.”
Did you go through a killer divorce?
Good luck finding someone at 40 with three kids in tow.
Didn’t get that promotion?
Just be happy where you’re at.
Another loan rejection?
Did you really think this time would be different?”
Death to that voice.
It’s never too late to overcome.
To think and act differently.
To see that dream become reality or overturn long years of regret.
There are no time constructs or limits in God’s Kingdom, so we need to stop believing the symphony of lies and focus on His truth.
Beginning with the best one.
#1: God Never Gives Up
God is the giver of second, third, and 1,000 chances.
He never stops believing in us, and time is irrelevant for Him.
He knows our dreams because He’s the one who imparted them within our minds and hearts when He created us.
The most important truth to remember when being tempted to quit going after a dream or goal is that God never quits on us.
He’s always working for our good, always there for strength, and never gets discouraged by our failures, setbacks, or snail-like progress.
Whether you’re attempting to finally get healthy, rebuild your marriage, or to restore a broken part of yourself, He won’t give up on your efforts, so don’t let the enemy convince you otherwise!
Consider asking God to increase your faith that He can and will finish a good work in you.
Psalm 138:7-8 Complete Jewish Bible
7 You keep me alive when surrounded by danger;
you put out your hand when my enemies rage;
with your right hand you save me.
8 Adonai will fulfill his purpose for me.
Your grace, Adonai, continues forever.
Don’t abandon the work of your hands!
Whether it’s an entrepreneurial venture you’ve been chipping away at for years or a bad habit you have been half-kicking for decades, it’s simply not too late.
Choose to believe that every morning brings new mercies, pressing in with prayer, trust that God’s timing will always be just exactly right.
Lamentations 3:21-24 Complete Jewish Bible
21 But in my mind I keep returning to something,
something that gives me hope —
22 that the grace of Adonai is not exhausted,
that his compassion has not ended.
23 [On the contrary,] they are new every morning!
How great your faithfulness!
24 “Adonai is all I have,” I say;
“therefore I will put my hope in him.
This truth leads us to the next truth.
#2 Sometimes the Wait Feels Like Eternity
In today’s instantly gratified world, we want quick results.
We’ve prayed every day for a year now, Lord.
What’s the holdup?
But sometimes God’s “slowness” can be a blessing.
He may be allowing us to sit in the pain or growing process (think cocooned caterpillar) until we’re refined, prepared, and positioned for the right time.
Take relationship struggles, for example.
Heart lessons can be learned, and revelations can be had during the long process of working through a difficult marriage.
When it comes to personal ambitions, what if we’re not quite mature enough for the influence/following/success we have been praying for and working towards…just yet?
It’s easy to mistake God’s slower pace for ambivalence or even abandonment.
It can feel utterly defeating when we still haven’t seen a dream or years of toil come to fruition, but God is faithfully working in the meantime.
When struggling to believe God’s ability or even desire to help us change, the enemy would love for us to believe one of three lies:
God’s forgotten about us.
He’s punishing us.
Or he’s just plain ambivalent towards us.
Maybe God’s trying to “test us” to see if we’ll crack, backslide, complain, etc.
All lies.
Consider viewing perceived delays and elongated struggles as His desire for perfectionism instead.
Crow’s feet and laugh lines aside, one of the truest perks to aging is seeing so many “waits,” and unanswered prayers come to fruition in ways I would never expected in a million years.
Hebrews 11:1-2 Complete Jewish Bible
11 Trusting[a] is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see. 2 It was for this that Scripture attested the merit of the people of old.
Romans 15:1-6 Complete Jewish Bible
15 So we who are strong have a duty to bear the weaknesses of those who are not strong, rather than please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor and act for his good, thus building him up. 3 For even the Messiah did not please himself; rather, as the Tanakh says, ‘The insults of those insulting you fell on me.’[a] 4 For everything written in the past was written to teach us, so that with the encouragement of the Tanakh we might patiently hold on to our hope. 5 And may God, the source of encouragement and patience, give you the same attitude among yourselves as the Messiah Yeshua had, 6 so that with one accord and with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
When you’re tempted to feel like it’s just too late, try to shift your focus to expectation, thanking God ahead of time for the change you’re believing and striving for. This will increase your faith and convert anxiousness to hope.
#3 Our Mistakes Cannot Hinder God’s Plan
Romans 8:28-30 Complete Jewish Bible
28 Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose; 29 because those whom he knew in advance, he also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; 30 and those whom he thus determined in advance, he also called; and those whom he called, he also caused to be considered righteous; and those whom he caused to be considered righteous he also glorified!
Sometimes, it’s tempting (and easier) to give up rather than endlessly hoping and praying for change.
I’m not sure about you, but the cumulative sum of my bad decisions, lack of discernment, and utter life failures could carpet the largest of planets.
Even so.
God causes everything to work together for those who love him, whether we deserve it or not.
If this truth is good enough for heroes of the faith like Paul, who had killed a Christian or two before writing most of the New Testament, it’s good enough for me.
Lamentations 3:22 says, “His mercies are new every morning.”
Translation:
It doesn’t matter if you’ve now accrued two divorces under your belt: You can become relationally whole.
If you’ve crawled back to that vice, God isn’t keeping count of your slip-ups.
Lost your temper with our kids (again) after you swore you’d be more patient?
God can and will give you the spirit of self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23 Complete Jewish Bible
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things.
It just takes your allotment of God’s time.
Yes, there are instances when God instantly delivers us or brings an answer, but most times, it’s one baby step-by-baby step experience with Jesus at our sides.
#4 If We’re Not Dead Yet, It’s Not Too Late
In this youth-obsessed culture, it’s common to feel pressured to achieve, overcome, and accomplish all our life’s goals before age 40 or even 30.
I remember hitting 35 and feeling so disappointed that I hadn’t fulfilled my dream of marriage before 40.
I eventually did, eight years later, but I remember wondering why on Earth I felt so panicked.
I often reflect on Joel 2:28-32,
“In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”
Why would God bless older people with dreams if it’s ever too late for dreams to be realized?
Think of all the people who were legitimately old, let alone past 30, when God had just started his “good work” in them.
Sarah had a baby at 90 after she’d given up hope.
Hannah and Elizabeth’s barren wombs dry as desert sands until God gifted her with a baby, and Ruth is estimated to be 40 years old (very old for the time) when she married Boaz and conceived a son, and we all know about Abraham.
We shouldn’t allow this frenetic, achievement-based culture convince us it’s ever too late to experience change.
Not knowing if we’ll ever become better versions of ourselves can be scary and unsettling.
But God knows the struggle, and he’s faithful.
And from all I observe about Jesus in the Bible, He was never in a rush.
God’s in it for the long haul.
He sees the big picture and understands what it really takes to grow.
He wants the best for us, is 100 percent committed and invested in our growth.
After all, He’s the one who imparted our talents, abilities, and passions in the first place.
Why wouldn’t He see them to fruition?
When we learn to trust God completely, we will be more confident and more peaceful while we allow Him control to work everything for your good.
You are not the exception to Philippians 1:6: “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Amen!
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit ….
Praying …
Psalm 19 Complete Jewish Bible
19 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
2 (1) The heavens declare the glory of God,
the dome of the sky speaks the work of his hands.
3 (2) Every day it utters speech,
every night it reveals knowledge.
4 (3) Without speech, without a word,
without their voices being heard,
5 (4) their line goes out through all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he places a tent for the sun,
6 (5) which comes out like a bridegroom from the bridal chamber,
with delight like an athlete to run his race.
7 (6) It rises at one side of the sky,
circles around to the other side,
and nothing escapes its heat.
8 (7) The Torah of Adonai is perfect,
restoring the inner person.
The instruction of Adonai is sure,
making wise the thoughtless.
9 (8) The precepts of Adonai are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The mitzvah of Adonai is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
10 (9) The fear of Adonai is clean,
enduring forever.
The rulings of Adonai are true,
they are righteous altogether,
11 (10) more desirable than gold,
than much fine gold,
also sweeter than honey
or drippings from the honeycomb.
12 (11) Through them your servant is warned;
in obeying them there is great reward.
13 (12) Who can discern unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from hidden faults.
14 (13) Also keep your servant from presumptuous sins,
so that they won’t control me.
Then I will be blameless
and free of great offense.
15 (14) May the words of my mouth
and the thoughts of my heart
be acceptable in your presence,
Adonai, my Rock and Redeemer.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 