This message is continued from The Bugle, our email newsletter. To receive The Bugle, enter your email in the Subscribe box on this page!

History does help us!  If we fail to see the history, we will repeat the history. We need to learn from this. I prodded the young people that shared this morning. I wanted to hear them say that they’ve learned something that will help them going forward. I hope that you learn something going forward and you’ll be able to say, “You know… I learned from that group, from different ones in the Bible. David, Jeremiah, and others, so that I don’t have to go through what they went through.” I would that America would learn some lessons. Then, we wouldn’t have to repeat these things.

In that process, we go back to 605 BC. You might ask, “What’s that for?” Well, from there through the tenth century we see some periods of time with Israel where there were rises and falls. We see how, in many cases, Israel went into Babylon and went into destruction. I’m going to pick up three different times that Israel was taken captive by Babylon. When I get to the end of this, you’re going to get the message. You’re going to understand why God had me speak on this.

History records that King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah on three different occasions. He was the Babylonian dictator, the vicious and wicked king. In the first invasion Daniel was taken captive to Babylon. The second time Ezekiel was taken captive. And then, in the third invasion of Babylon, Ezra and Nehemiah were taken captive. We follow the story and see the sequence that three different times they went through these captivity moments where Israel would go back to Jerusalem, restore worship, restore the culture and the temple of Solomon, and they would go back to doing this. In Nehemiah’s day they went back and rebuilt the wall that had been torn down. Ezra came and preached the Word for the first time.

I love what you read in Ezra 8:21-23. I have quoted it a number of times. It’s a great scripture because Ezra was given the responsibility to bring Israel out of Babylonian captivity and go into Jerusalem again. He had to go on a certain course because he was bringing a lot of people and they were coming out of bondage. They had their animals and all their stuff. It says in verse 21 that they took a time and fasted and prayed and humbled themselves for direction. Boy! Is that important! I’ve said that over and over. We must learn to get our direction from God. I thank God for the doctors and the scientists. I thank God for the president and the governors. But I need to understand that my God will still speak to me. And, it bears witness to what they’re saying, so that if what they’re saying is not true, I know how to pray for them. It doesn’t mean that I have to run away from them. I just know how to pray so that God will turn their hearts.

There is more to this message! You can watch it on YouTube at RockCCBaltimore!