Ezra 6:19-22
Verse 22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.
With the work God had been doing in the priests and Levites, He had set the foundation for helping His people reestablish themselves as a people set apart for Him. They had gone years where they may not have even thought about the Passover or what it meant. It may have been hard for them to think about God being faithful when they were in a land far away under the rule of various kings but now they were back in the Promised Land and the Temple was ready to celebrate God’s faithfulness.
God had promised them He would care for them and there must have been times while in exile they began to wonder when He was going to show up and rescue them. For some of them this time away had been a time God used to remind them of who He is and what He required from His people as they understood this was His discipline. They were faced daily with how ungodly people lived and for those who remembered what it was like in their own land it would have come easily to tell their children of memories of the “good old days.”
The exile was in the past now. God had brought them back and they were ready to get in the pattern of living the life of God’s nation. The priests and Levites made sure they prepared themselves by going through the various required steps of becoming ceremonial clean. When the time of the Passover came they slaughtered the lambs for all who was there to celebrate.
When the people were taken into exile, they weren’t taken to the same area. While they had been in Egypt they were at least in a place where they were all together. One of the joys of pre-exile Passovers had been the coming together from all over the Promised Land to celebrate the festival together as God’s people. These people were gathering, some meeting for the very first time. They may have been introducing the newest members of their family and enjoying hugs from those they weren’t sure they would ever see again. The joy they were experiencing wasn’t all about reconnecting with fellow Israelites, they were also finding joy in God Himself. God had proved Himself faithful yet again by bringing His people back to the land He had promised Abraham.
Making It Personal
Do you miss meeting with God’s people when you are unable to go to church? What do you miss about it? How intentional are you about being with God’s people on a regular basis?
Making It Personal Kids
How much do you miss going to church when you have to miss? What part do you miss? Do you find joy in getting to know Jesus more?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for calling us together with other believers. Give us joy in meeting together to worship You and the desire to grow together in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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