DCLM Daily Manna Wednesday 12 April 2023
TOPIC: Joyful Saints
Text: Ezra 6:16-22 (KJV)
16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.
17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat,
22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
KEY VERSE:
“And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.”
(Ezra 6:22)
DCLM Daily Manna Wednesday 12 April 2023 MESSAGE
Charles Spurgeon said, “There is a marvellous medicinal power in joy. Most medicines distasteful; but this, which is the best of all medicines, is sweet to the taste, and comforting to the heart. This blessed joy is very contagious… Holy joy will oil the wheels of your life’s machinery. Holy joy will strengthen you for your daily labour. Holy joy will beautify you and give you an influence over the lives of others”.
In our reading today, two separate events brought joy to the heart of the saints. First was the dedication of the temple and the second was the observance of the Passover. Cyrus had allowed the first set of exiles to return to Israel for the purpose of rebuilding the temple. But intrigues and hostility of some people delayed the project for about fourteen years until it resumed under Darius. Under the leadership of Zerubabbel and Joshua and with the support of two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, the abandoned work was eventually completed. The completion of this project brought a lot of joy to the heart of the people.
With the temple completed, the leadership focused on the observance of the Passover feast. As was rightly done with the dedication of the house of God, the Passover was also observed with decorum. People separated themselves from filthiness and they joyfully observed the feast for seven days.
The Lord delights in the joy of His children. The Israelites understood this clearly and therefore were able to rejoice in the things that enhanced their close relationship with God. That they could worship again in the temple and observe the Passover gave them joy. You too must be joyful today because of the sacrifice of Christ our Passover Lamb. No negative situation should dampen your joy in the Lord today.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: No matter how bad and sad the world becomes, God will never cease to supply joy to His people.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 9-10
