1 Chronicles 9:1-4 - All Israel
was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel. The
people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of
their unfaithfulness. Now the first to resettle on
their own property in their own towns were some Israelites,
priests, Levites and temple servants. Those from Judah, from
Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem were: Uthai son of Ammihud, the son
of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah.
The people of Judah were punished for their
unfaithfulness to God…but just like it was prophesied in Jeremiah…they were
allowed to return to their homeland after about 70 years. They left the land of their captivity…wiser
from the lessons God taught them while he had their attention….while they
couldn’t run from his discipline.
They returned to a broken Jerusalem…torn
down by the wars that captured their families.
It must have been a bittersweet walk back into town…their hearts full of
joy and gladness for their release….but reality seeping into their souls as
they saw the destruction of their homes …and the devastation of the temple.
They had to rebuild their lives on an old
foundation…scared by war and the memory of how they had left God out of their
lives. If they were to survive...they had to quickly put the past behind them…and
focus on the work that needed to be done. They had to focus on the present…make
plans for how they were to replace the important things they would need to
survive.
A huge number of Levites returned with them….and
divided the tasks of rebuilding the temple…so that people could worship God
once again. They reestablished the temple according to the rules Moses had
written down…focusing the people’s hearts and minds and souls back on the one thing
that would help them get through this hard time.
It reminds me once again of how broken our
lives are from the tragedies God allows in our lives. Every day I read about a new one God has
allowed somewhere in the world. And whether the hardship was caused by our own
decisions…or allowed in our life to teach us something God needed us to know… we
simply can’t stay broken. We must
rebuild the brokenness ….focus on God…and allow him to show us the new
blueprint for rebuilding what he needs to be there to use us to build his
kingdom.
I can tell you from experience that the
rebuilding process is not easy…or fast.
God’s been twisting my mind and heart and soul into new understandings of
who he is and what he needs from me for 4 years now. It is a daily process…one day at a time…one
Bible lesson a day….and I if I continue to put him first…this will continue for
the rest of my life.
Father…thank you for this story of
rebuilding…and restoration. Help me to
always remember that you are working on changing me into what you need me to be
…so you can use me to spread the truth of your gospel. Help me to never listen to satan …when he
tries to remind me of my scars…and tell me I can’t do what you have called me
to do. Give me courage …and wisdom of
the scriptures you open up to my heart every day…so that I can quote them when
he tries to deceive me. Help me focus on you father…so that I can always draw
on your strength and power to achieve exactly what you put me here on Earth to
do. Amen.
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