I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     At this point, we are introduced to Ezra. Ezra traced his ancestry to Aaron, which made him a priest. During the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra decided to lead a group of priests and Levites to Jerusalem. Ezra took this action because he was determined to teach the decrees and regulations of the Law of the Lord to the people of Israel. Ezra had some sort of connections in the court of King Artaxerxes, since he was able to obtain financial support from the King as well as an appointment as governor of the land of Israel. When Ezra assembled his expedition, he discovered that no Levites had chosen to join them. He sent to a community of Levites requesting that they send a delegation to take part in his expedition and they granted his request. Since Ezra lived in a land that promoted religious freedom and tolerance, he worked within the laws of the land to do God’s work.

     Paul tells us that he does not care much for human judgement of his teaching, not even his own. While he believes that what he is teaching is the will of God, he accepts that he may be mistaken on some points. He tells us this to show us that we should not be boastful and hold ourselves up as better Christians than others because we follow the teachings of a particular leader. Everything we have, including the teachings we follow, are gifts from God, so we should not hold one leader up in order to put another down.
     Paul writes to the Corinthian Church about how sure they are that they have it all together. They believe that their worldly success and comfort are indicators of how well they are following God. Paul compares this belief to the hardship he experiences. He says that this is not to tell them that the life they are living is an indication that they are doing wrong, but to warn them of what may be to come.
     Paul concludes this section by telling them that he is sending Timothy to them to guide them. He warns them that some of them have become cocky and taken an attitude of, “Well, Paul isn’t here, so we don’t care what he thinks.” Paul tells them that, Lord willing, he will be visiting them soon. Then they will discover if these cocky men have the blessing of God in their teaching.

     The psalmist tells us that when the Lord favors us, all goes right for us. When things are going well, we have a tendency to forget the Lord and become boastful and take credit for the good God has done for us. If that happens God will turn from us, but if we turn back to Him, He will turn our mourning into joy. We should give thanks to God for all the good things He has done for us and never cease to give Him both credit and praise.

     A ruler who loves the people he rules over and faithfully serves them will rule securely. When one is young, dealing with adversity through physical prowess is a source of pride, but as one gets older one should take pride in finding other ways to deal with adversity. Ultimately, some lessons will only be learned through physical punishment.