Sayre Woods Bible Church

5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.  7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.

There is so much to consider in Nehemiah 8. In many ways it teaches us how to worship together corporately…or at least what some of the key elements are of a “worship service.”

Ezra opened the Book. Worship is fed by the Word of God. It is great if you can have a worship service that is energetic, emotionally moving, informative, and creative, but if it is not grounded and tied to God’s truth then it is a waste of time and energy. Jesus emphasized this in John 4 when He said that we must worship God in spirit and truth (4:24). It is truth that sets us free (John 8:32) and sets us apart as God’s people (John 17:17).

Ezra praised the Lord…all the people lifted their hands…bowed down and worshiped the Lord. Ezra did not just speak about God. He knew God. He loved God. And he praised Him. He spoke God’s Word from his heart. The people were also engaged, seeking the Lord through His Word. They responded with both joyful adoration and humble submission. A truly powerful worship service must be led by Spirit-filled people and received by Spirit-filled people.

They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being taught. The goal is to communicate God’s Word effectively and clearly. If people do not understand, then what is the point? We come together to hear God. If the message is unclear, then the response is confused or contrived. As Paul says in 1 Cor. 14:9, “Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will be just speaking into the air.”

Verses 9-10 are also interesting. After the people hear God’s Word, they start weeping. The implication is that they are convicted by the words and realize that they, as a people, have not been obeying it. Then the leaders intervene and say, “Don’t weep. This is a special day. Today let’s celebrate. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength!” Pretty cool. The weeping is good. It lets us know that we are taking God’s Word seriously. But God doesn’t want us to stay here. God wants to turn our sadness into joy. God’s Word breaks us to remake us. His goal is never to crush us with sorrow or guilt. His goal is to get us to confront sin so that we can experience His joy. Sin is what crushes us not God. Satan is the one who accuses us over and over not God. God’s Word is to be like medicine on a wound. It stings for awhile but heals in the end.

But the medicine must be applied to have any effect. That’s why we need a church committed to teaching and communicating God’s Word effectively and creatively. And we need a church committed to receiving and responding to God’s Word humbly and joyfully. Lord, give us both at Sayre Woods!

As Christians, we are to display the qualities of leaders even if God has not called us into a leadership position. In Nehemiah 1-2, we are given a paradigm as to what a godly leader looks like.

1. A godly leader has a concern for the people and purposes of God.

“…Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.” (1:2)

“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days…” (1:4)

“Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses…” (1:8)

Nehemiah’s did not ask about Jerusalem and the Jews just to make small talk with the visitors from Judah. It is clear that Nehemiah, like Daniel, knew the Scriptures and the prophecies about the Jews’ return to their homeland. His despair at the bad knews came from both a genuine concern for the well-being of his countrymen, and a knowledge that things were seemingly not going according to God’s plan laid out in Scripture. Nehemiah’s rise to action flowed not from a self-seeking, power-hungry spirit, but a spirit that was seeking to obey God and care for his people.

2. A godly leader prays before he acts.

“…and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (1:4)

Nehemiah did not rush into action upon hearing the bad news about Jerusalem. In fact, about 4 months passed between his hearing of the news in chapter 1 and him approaching the king in chapter 2. These 4 months were not time wasted, but rather time spent in prayer discerning what God would have him do. Martin Luther is credited with saying, “I have so much to do today that I should spend the first three hours in prayer.” It is our nature (especially for men) to try to spring into action and DO something to solve a problem. Often, it is best to pray about a situation before acting on it.

3. A godly leader uses his position in life to his advantage.

“Now I was the cupbearer to the king.” (1:11)

“…wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. So the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.’ Then I was very much afraid.” (2:1-2)

As the king’s cupbearer, Nehemiah had unique access to the one person with the authority to move his plan along, and Nehemiah (and God) used that to his advantage. The fact that Nehemiah was afraid of the king’s question means that he probably had not planned to approach the king in this way, but he recognized that God had given him an opportunity, and he seized the moment to exploit his position.

4. A godly leader gives proper respect to those in authority.

“I said to the king, ‘If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you…’” (2:5)

Nehemiah gave honor to the authority God had placed over him even though the king was a Gentile. We are to do the same to the leaders in our government even if we do not share their religious or political beliefs. Nehemiah’s respect for the king may have been a reason why the king looked favorably on his cause.

5. A godly leader has a specific, detailed plan.

“So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. And I said to the king, ‘If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.’” (2:6-8)

When I was growing up, I knew that if I wanted to go out with friends, I would need to tell my dad all of the details: where I was going, who else was going, what adult supervision there would be, what time I would be home, etc. I quickly figured out that I was more likely to receive permission if I had all those details worked out before I went and asked my dad if I could go. Nehemiah does a similar thing here. He had all the details worked out, and gave the king a definitive plan of action. People will put their time, effort, and money behind a plan that is well-thought out and detailed. Yes, God may step in and change our plans, but that does not mean we should never make any.

6. A godly leader is careful with whom he shares information.

“And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding.” (2:12)

“The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.” (2:16)

One of the effects of living in a democratic society is that everyone thinks they have the right to know everything. Even in a church (especially in one where the congregation makes decisions), people think they need to know everything the leaders do. Such a situation, however, is not always practical. Leadership at times is privy to information that needs to stays confidential. In Nehemiah’s case, the fact that he was facing opposition made it necessary to be tight-lipped. He may not have known who he could trust to keep his confidence. Such discernment about sharing information is a quality to be aspired to.

7. A godly leader stands firm in the face of fear and opposition.

“So the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.’ Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, ‘Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?’” (2:2-3)

“But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, ‘What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?’ So I answered them and said to them, ‘The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.’” (2:19-20)

Nehemiah had every right to be afraid of the king question his mood. Displaying negative emotions before the king was a capital offense. Yet Nehemiah boldly explained himself to the king and requested his assistance. The opposition he faced as the rebuilding began is reminicent of the opposition faced by Noah when he was building the ark. Nehemiah was seen as conducting a fool’s errand according to human perceptions, but he was confident in the knowledge that he was peforming God’s will. If we are living according to God’s will and God’s word, we will undoubtedly face opposition from the world. It is our response to that opposition that betrays how confident we are in God’s plan and promises. May we stand firm in the knowledge that if God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31)

I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. (Romans 15:30-32)

Paul ends chapter 15 with a urgent prayer request. “Pray for me that I will be rescued from unbelievers in Jerusalem, be accepted by the believers in Jerusalem, and eventually come to Rome with joy.”

Paul knew that his mission of mercy to Jerusalem was dangerous. He was a former Pharisee now preaching a gospel of grace to the Gentiles. He was considered a traitor and a blasphemer by the religious establishment in Judea. To go back to Jerusalem was risky. A prophet named Agabus had even warned Paul that his journey back to Jerusalem would lead to his imprisonment (Acts 21:10-14). But Paul felt compelled to deliver a financial gift to the saints in Jerusalem. He wanted to help bridge the gap between Jews and Gentiles…show the Jewish believers how much the Gentile believers loved and appreciated them. It was a mission of mercy and hopefully of continued reconciliation.

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem he was welcomed warmly by the Jewish believers there. However, eventually he was arrested after a group of Jewish unbelievers created a ruckus around him. He spent the next few years facing court trials, murder plots, lonely nights in prison, and a host of other problems.

So in the end Paul’s pray for safety in Jerusalem was not answered….or at least not answered in the way Paul expected…which raises some interesting questions.

1. Was Paul simply being stubborn and disobedient in insisting on going to Jerusalem despite the warnings he received?
2. Did the Roman believers fail to pray faithfully?
3. Did God simply answer “no” to Paul’s prayer?

Whatever the case, it is obvious that not every prayer is answered in the way we want or expect. Paul prayed to be rescued from unbelievers in Jerusalem. He even enlisted other believers to pray toward this end. And God chose to act in a different way. God had a different plan.

What is interesting is that the last part of Paul’s prayer was answered. Paul’s ultimate goal was to make it to Rome. Of course, he was hoping to make it to Rome as a free man with freedom to interact with the Roman believers and travel around Rome preaching to whomever would listen. Instead, he got a free trip to Rome as a prisoner and spent at least two years in Rome under house arrest chained to a Roman guard. It wasn’t what Paul expected. It wasn’t what Paul wanted. It wasn’t what Paul would have planned. It wasn’t what Paul prayed. But God used it.

Philippians is written while Paul is under arrest in Rome. And in Philippians Paul begins to explain how God took an unanswered prayer and turned it into something good. While in prison, Paul had a chance to interact and impact people he would have never had a chance to meet apart from being arrested (Philippians 1:12-13). Paul made his plans, but God directed his steps.

Today we have the benefit of seeing Paul’s life in perspective. However while Paul was going through things day to day I am sure he doubted and struggled at times. Why didn’t God answer my prayer? Why did He allow this to happen? Why did He stick me in prison when I could be out preaching His Word to others? What is God up to? Is He even listening?

In the end I think Paul learned (and would teach us) that prayer is not trying to get God’s will to align to our will but rather learning to align our will to God’s. Your kingdom come. Your will be done… Or as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane…O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will (Matthew 26:39). That is the most difficult and the most powerful prayer to pray.

Lord, teach me to trust You when my prayers are not answered and when circumstances in my life do not turn out the way I want.

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. (Romans 14:17-19, NLT)

Romans 14 is such a good practical chapter. It is a good companion to 1 Corinthians 13. If most local churches could paste 1 Corinthians 13 and Romans 14 into their constitutions, post them on their walls, and implant them in people’s hearts then it would probably resolve a lot of the issues that crop up. Most church conflicts do not revolve around core doctrinal issues but rather over personality differences, methodology, and personal convictions.

Paul reminds the Roman believers that at the heart of God’s kingdom is not what foods you eat or what day your worship service is held on (apparently the hot button issues of Paul’s day). These are side issues, areas of personal conviction and preference. Instead at the heart of God’s kingdom is living a life of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

How do you know you are living in the Spirit?

You pursue righteousness. You seek to please God in your actions and attitude. You avoid “wild parties, getting drunk, adultery, immoral living, fighting, and jealousy” (Romans 13:13). Why? Not because of some legalistic standard but because of a desire to avoid those things which harm our testimony before others, harm our own bodies, and harm our relationship with God.

You pursue peace. You “aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” You seek to be a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9). You keep short accounts (1 Cor. 13:5). You confront sin with humility and gentleness (Galatians 6:1). You work hard to maintain unity with other believers, even those that bother you (Ephesians 4:1-3). And you seek to display an attitude before others that is “peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).

You pursue joy. Joy isn’t a given in the Christian life. It has to be fought for, sought after, doggedly chosen in the face of trial, frustration, and distraction. C.S. Lewis once said that “joy is the serious business of heaven.” I think he meant that joy is not some afterthought of Christianity or a nice cherry on the top of what is really important. Joy is essential to the Christian life. It is a fruit of the Spirit. It flows out of the heart of God. It is often our very strength…the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Ever tried to live the Christian life without joy? It quickly becomes drudgery. You become critical, tired, edgy, angry. You start blaming God, blaming others, blaming the government, blaming the church, blaming your spouse, blaming everybody for your misery. Joy is not something dependent on your environment; it is dependent on the Holy Spirit filling your heart. When the joy is gone, check your spiritual engine…something has gone awry. Maybe it’s time to repent, reconcile, renew your mind with God’s truth not the world’s garbage, relinquish some cares into God’s hands, rest in His grace and sovereignty. This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

When you pursue righteousness, peace, and joy, when you allow yourself to be filled with the Holy Spirit, then “you will please God and other people will approve of you too” (Romans 14:18). Whoa. Living rightly, seeking peace, and learning to rejoice. This is what it means to please God. This is what shines the light of Jesus. This is what displays the fruit of the Spirit. This is what draws others to us. This is what brings real blessing in life.

Lord, fill me with Your Spirit. Give me Your joy. Help me to be an agent of peace. Keep my mind, mouth, heart, and hands pure before You. May I be a blessing to others who cross my path today.

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Verse 22-23 really stand out to me. I love God’s law with all my heart but there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. There is a war going on inside of us. I am sure you have felt it and still feel it today. There is a part of us desiring to do God’s will and another part of us pulling against this desire, pulling us back, enticing us toward sin, paralyzing us with fear. As James says, Why are there quarrels and conflicts between us and others? Because we are at war within ourselves (James 4:1). The fight that goes on in our souls often spills out and affects others. Our anger and frustration at others flows out of the anger and frustration that abides in our hearts.

O what a miserable person I am! Paul is not trying to be depressing. He is being real. Anyone who has tried to live a pure life and to keep their eyes from lust and temptation…anyone who has tried to conquer selfishness and truly love others with a sacrificial, sincere love…anyone who has tried to stop fear or anxiety or a crippling addiction…anyone engaged in the battle with sin knows exactly what Paul is talking about. The battle is so difficult at times that one is tempted to throw in the towel, to give in and give up. Of course, when we do, we find ourselves more miserable than before. Sin’s pleasures only last a season.

Where is the only solution? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. It is in the arms of grace, through the power of the Spirit of God, that we are able, day by day, to grow in holiness and love. The answer is not in our own strength but in God’s. Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Each day we must seek the filling of the Spirit, choose righteousness, renew our minds, embrace grace. And along the way we need other brothers and sisters in the Lord to encourage us on the journey.

Lord, help me to avoid the clutches of sin and walk in Your holiness and love today. 

5 For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Sometimes we just need a simple reminder of God’s love. The Christian life can get complicated at times….or perhaps it is better to say, we can complicate the Christian life at times. We get caught up in side issues, in ministry busyness, in relational struggles, in lists of responsibilities, in feelings of frustration and failure…and in the midst of all that the beauty and wonder of God’s love is lost. Romans 5 is a good reminder of God’s love.

Romans has slapped us in the face with the reality of our sinfulness. We are all sinners and we all fall short of God’s righteousness. On top of that, there is nothing we can do in our strength to correct the problem. Our heart is incurably selfish and corrupt. We need a full transplant not just more exercise and a few doses of Plavix. Our situation seems pretty dire until we read Romans 5.

God demonstrates His great love for us in that we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The highest human love we have ever seen or heard about is someone dying for a friend or for an especially good person. These stories grip our hearts and imagination because we recognize the enormity of the sacrifice. I think of the love of my sister Jill who was willing to accept the struggles and pains of cancer, even to death, if it meant that her faith in the midst of the fire would cause my father to humble his heart, turn his eyes toward God, and trust in Christ as his Savior. I think of Memorial Day and the countless men and women who gave up their lives for the benefit of the citizens of this country. These are the highest examples of love and sacrifice that we can think of….except when we think of Jesus Christ. He willingly died, not for good people, but for those who were eager to crucify Him, for those who had turned their backs on God, for those who would rather go their own way…for us.

If God has shown us that kind of love, then we have no reason to doubt His love now. We can trust His heart. He is a good God…a God of kindness, mercy, and grace.

We can trust His heart when we go through trials. God will ultimately use even the tragic things in our lives for our good (Romans 5:3-5).

We can trust His heart when we fall into sin after salvation. If Christ died for us while we were sinners, how much more will He keep us now that we are His sons and daughters (5:9-10).

We can trust His heart when we consider the countless number of people in the world who have never heard the gospel. Adam’s sin brought condemnation to all mankind, but Christ’s righteous act has brought the offer of salvation and grace to everyone (5:18-19). We may not know how it works or how God will sort it all out in the end, but we can trust His heart. He is a good God.

And because He is a good God, we can rejoice. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. God has showered us with His grace, saved us by His Son, saturated us with His Spirit, and embraced us as His children, as His friends. There is reason to rejoice.

Lord, in the midst of the busyness of the day, may I stop long enough to remember Your love and Your grace and find reason to rejoice.

27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 3:27-4:3)

In Romans 1-3, Paul basically wants to prove one point–we are all sinners. No one stands in some special class of people. No one is spiritual on their own. No one is inherently good. No one escapes the corruption of sin.

We like to categorize and label people. “They’re good. They’re bad. They’re liberal. They’re conservative. They’re religious. They’re pagan.” And the lists go on. The Bible puts us all in one category….sinners. Some of us are culturally acceptable sinners. Some of us are blatant sinners. Some of us are subtle sinners. Some of us are self-righteous sinners. Regardless we all fall short of God’s standard of righteousness. We all have a selfish bent that seeks its own way, its own agenda, its own wants and desires.

Romans 1-3 is not the most promising or uplifting diagnosis of the human condition. It is more like a slap in the face. But there is no way to sugarcoat our problem. There is something wrong with our hearts. We have been corrupted by sin. Love of God and of others has been replaced by a love of self.

So what’s the cure? Many religious people in Paul’s day would say, “Obey the law! Just stop sinning and start living according to the rules and regulations of the law. Eat this. Don’t touch this. Rest this day. Avoid this person. Fast. Pray. Read. Memorize.” It is an appealing solution. It makes things black and white. It appeals to our pride. “I can do it.” And it almost inevitably leads to self-righteousness. “Look at what I am doing…and look at what that sinner is doing…I am obviously on a higher spiritual plane than them.”

Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisees who knew this course of action well, loudly proclaims, “No! It is not by the law that we are made right before God. It is by faith!” The focus is not to be on my works, but on God’s work…not on my righteousness, but on the righteousness of Christ. Faith is all about believing God, trusting God, depending on God, turning to God for that which I cannot obtain on my own. This is the testimony of Abraham. Abraham had nothing to boast about before God. He was a sinner like the rest of us. But he believed God. He trusted in Him. And God gave him the gift of righteousness. This is the wonder of grace.

Does this nullify the law? In other words, does this mean that we can live any way we want now? No! Faith changes us because it brings us into relationship with God. Now we seek to live righteously, not to brag before others, but to please our Savior. Love becomes our motivation not pride. This is the wonder of salvation.

Lord, thank You for saving me. Teach me how to live in Your grace.

We are currently making our way through the minor prophets and are in Zechariah. I admit, this is a hard book to understand! Even some of the commentaries I read have a hard time understanding everything in this book. When you don’t understand something, the tendency is to read over it quickly and move on to other things. This morning I did not do that.

I don’t really understand the significance of the four horses at the beginning of chapter 6…though there is an obvious parallel with the four horses that John will later see in Revelation. Apparently the message here is that God will judge the “north country” (Babylon and other nations that oppressed Israel) and bring peace to that region for His people.

It is the second half of chapter six that caught my interest this morning. Zechariah is commanded to take silver and gold (donated from certain men from Babylon) and make a crown. Then he was to take the crown and place it on the head of Joshua, the high priest, and say…

“ Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
      From His place He shall branch out,
      And He shall build the temple of the LORD; 
      Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD.
      He shall bear the glory,
      And shall sit and rule on His throne;
      So He shall be a priest on His throne,
      And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’  (6:12-13)

Why is this significant? God does not tell Joshua “You are the branch” but rather instructs him to look forward to the Branch that is coming. Joshua is a sign of the future Messiah. This is stated in Zechariah 3:8…”Listen, O high priest, Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come.”  So Joshua is told to Behold the Man! To look forward into the future and see a Man that will branch out with hope, that will build the temple of the LORD, that will bear God’s glory, that will rule over the earth as a priest and a king. This was a significant prophecy because it made clear that the coming Messiah, the Anointed One, would be both a priest and a king. He would forgive sins and rule over the earth. He shall be a priest on the throne.

Who is this Man? His name is Jesus….or Yeshua….Joshua. He would be like Joshua, the commander, who led the people of Israel into the Promised Land and like Joshua, the high priest, the one who restored the captive nation of Israel out of Babylon and back into right relationship with God.

I had never really heard too much of Joshua, the high priest. He is not really emphasized or spoken about. My guess is that the book of Zechariah is too hard to understand to really make it a part of most of our Bible studies. But Joshua, perhaps more than anyone, symbolizes the coming Messiah. He is high priest. He is leader. He is restorer. He is a sign of the One who will grow from the root of David and branch out with hope to all the world.

Lord, thank You for Your Word!