One of the greatest blessings of being saved is having Jesus Christ as your High Priest. No longer must you go to a man to confess your sins and ask forgiveness, but you can approach the throne of grace with boldness through the shed blood of our High Priest.

The people return to the building of the temple and continue with determination in the face of renewed opposition. However, because of their obedience, God turned the opposition into assistance.

The first return is a trip into the fog. They do not know exactly what will greet them. They do not fully know the condition of the land. The journey of hundreds of miles will take them weeks to complete. Yet they go because they have a higher purpose in mind. They go to rebuild God’s holy temple and to reestablish the true worship of God in God’s chosen city of Jerusalem. They go also to replant the land given to their father Abraham.

The Jews had been taken captive because of their disobedience. Here, they return to the Promised Land and begin to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They begin with the Temple—the place of worship. Later, Ezra restores spiritual purity to their obedience. Finally, Nehemiah rebuilds the walls for protection.

The story follows Israel as a nation. However, the nation can be used as a type of an individual. As in the case with Israel, an individual can receive the word of God, become a child of God, and then rebel against His commandments. An individual can reject God’s judgment against their sin and make things even worse. Hebrews 12:5-11 can help you make this comparison. Follow the story of the rebellion and punishment of the nation of Israel as if they represented one person.

The story in this chapter shows us that God will judge sin and He will defend His honor. We know that God often delays to judge man for sin (Ecclesiastes 8:11). However, this should never be taken as weakness or lack of conviction. God delays punishment in order to give men a longer time in which to repent. The goodness of His forbearance should lead to repentance (Romans 2:4).

As the Laodicean church age draws to a close, and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ draweth nigh, the predicted departure from the truth of God is occurring at an ever increasing pace.

Through the cleansing of the Lord, Isaiah is made ready to accept the call to go tell the people of Israel the message of God. As you study this lesson, carefully consider what the Lord has to teach you.

Clothed with humility (1Peter 3:3-4); as pride is the primary and base sin (1Timothy 3:6), so humility can be seen as the primary and base virtue (Proverbs 15:33).

Deuteronomy 8:8 names seven products that come as blessings in Israel. This article brings out the typology of the wheat, barley, vines, figs, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey.