Listen to the Vision

I have been going through the Book of Ezra, and today was meditating on the fifth and sixth chapters. In these chapters the Jewish nation re-begins rebuilding the Temple and is blessed by king Darius. ow what is interesting is that the king before, Artaxerxes demanded that the Jews stop building. They did, but re-began under Darius. He doesn't only bless their building, but gives money and goods to aid them in their mission. All this is cool, but what took out of these readings can be found in four verses, Ezra 5:1, 2, 11, and 6:14.

What are these verses? You will need to look them up yourself because I am to lazy to cut an paste them for you, but you may be able to infer them from the rest of this blog.

Why did Israel begin to build again, after being forced to stop. Because the Prophets had a vision. God told them to re-start. Once the vision was given to Haggia and Zechariah, they communicated it to Israel, who promptly began building. And what were the prophets doing while the building was going on? Were they lifting with the rest of the men? No, they were supporting them. I will say it again; They were Supporting them.

What does this mean? I think it means that they continually re gave the vision. They were constantly lifting up the people, encouraging them, and reminding them what they were working for. They were always recasting the vision- the vision they received from God.

Next in our story of these prophets they are asked by whose authority they build, and their first appeal is that they are servants of God. They were obedient to the vision. they could have stopped until they were given the okay, or not build out of fear, or asked before they built, but they didn't. They began building and casting the vision from God, and then relied on their obedience to Him to save them. They could have appealed first to the earthly authority they had been given generations ago (and eventually they do, but only as a supporting argument). The first reason given as to why the build is that they are servants of the God of heaven and earth.

Finally we find that later the prophets are continuing to prophesy, and the people are prospering because of it. The people are not prospering because of all the wealth and protection offered by Darius. They are not prospering because of their hard work. They are prospering because of the prophets prophesying.

What does this mean. I believe it means that they prophets were listening to God, he was giving them more of the vision, they the took this to the people, who obeyed out of reverence for God, and they were blessed because of it.

Notice something though. They were not prospering because of the old vision, but because the Prophets continued to prophesy. This is not to say that the vision had changed, from God's perspective, but rather more was being revealed. Now when the next step was revealed, the people could have followed to the next level, or stayed where they were out of fear of the unknown. They chose to go where the vision would take them, and they were blessed because of it. They were allowed to prosper. They would not have prospered had they stayed where they were, because God was already at the next level. He had moved on, and they need to stay with Him.

I have a few more observations about his in general. Now, I am stealing this teaching, but the job of a prophet was threefold in the Bible. They received the vision from God. The communicated the vision. And then they protected the vision I think all that can be seen in these chapters.

First, the prophets were told to restart building the Temple. Next the people built it. And finally when there was opposition to the building, they continued to build, appealing to the authority of God.

Now it is really easy to see how they got the vision. But we are never told that the communicated the vision, but they must have for work to start on the building. Not only that, but they must have communicated it very well, since they themselves were not building with the rest, but only encouraging the workers. People were not mad that the prophets were not building because they had sold God's vision so well. The people saw their role in the vision, as well as Haddia and Zechariah's role. Not only that, but the prophets continued to communicate the vision to people., and the people prospered because of this.

No where do we see the prophets defending the vision to Israel. Now there may have been opposition at first to begin building. Remember the last king told Israel that he would destroy them if they rebuilt the Temple. Surly some people remembered this. But the Prophets do not defend the vision to these people- they communicate it. Because they communicated the vision effectively, the people hopped on board. Where they still afraid for their lives? I am sure some of them were, but they caught the vision, and nothing could stop that.

Now the prophets did defend the vision. Don't get me wrong. But they defend it to OUTSIDERS.

So that is my goal now. Communicate the vision. Of what you ask, of Concert Ministry and Sunday Morning Ministry at Mercyhouse- Amherst. I need to learn how to communicate it to the insiders, to the church, and not defend it. Seeing as I am defensive by nature, God needs to work a few miracles in me for this to happen, but I think he has already begun. I hope to communicate the vision to you next time. Until then, may the peace of God rest upon you.