Revival in the Law

What does God desire?

Obedience

Following the Torah

Mercy over sacrifice

God’s people, were supposed to be a great Kingdom, living on earth as it is in heaven, living as if God was their king, they failed. The root of their civilization was built on the words of Cain rather than the words of God. The words of Cain, I am not my brothers keeper. It all stems from their in Genesis.

But God does no leave humans their in the mud on their own, No, starting with Abraham, in the OT, God reaches down into the filth in the mud we live in , in order to progressively pulls us out and shows us the way. God gets his hands dirty in order to heal and love his people.

We follow a God, who became our sin, this redemption this restoration this revival, is what God is all about, and it is perfected and brought to fulfillment in the cross, but God was in this business for a long time and especially in the OT.

There is a story in the Gospels in the life of Jesus and Jesus was walking the streets and see a blind man, and Jesus was gonna heal him but for some reason he does something strange, he does not heal him automatically, but he reaches down in the mud on the road, and puts the mud on the blind mans eyes, but this only partially heals him, he can see but not color and he can barely make out shapes, but then jesus take water, cool clean water, and washes the blind mans eyes, then the man can see fully, then the man, can see Jesus fully. Why did not jesus just heal him, why did Jesus have to reach in the mud?

When God came to earth in human form, When Jesus Emmanuel walked, he did things to show us what God is like. When reading the OT, it seems that God does things and commands things that don't make sense, why did not he just heal them immediately, why did not he just give Israel good kings, that would never lead them astray, he certainly had the power, why did not God do _________ it would have been some much simpler.

I know not why, I know not why

But we do know we serve a God, who is in the redeeming business, and he is willing to humble himself, reach down in the mud, and pull us out of our sin.

He does this to show us the way of Christ, to progressively, and over time, condition our hearts for revival.

God does this in the Old Testament and he does this in the book of Ezra.

We are going to be picking up in chapters 7-8.

In this story, the Israel was overthrown, invade besieged, it was conquered, and a majority of the Israelite, were taken as exile into their co conquering country to serve as exiles and slaves, some Israelite stayed, but a lot left. overtime and through the work of God, those who were taken captive were permitted to return to their homeland, rebuild their cities and rebuild the temple!