His Faithful Love - Ezra 3: 10-13

Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast. The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, Ezra 3: 10-13. In this passage of Scripture, the author describes the reaction of the returning Jewish exiles from Babylonian captivity once they completed the foundation of The Second Temple in Jerusalem, and teaches us how to respond to the blessings we receive from God. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I direct you to my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for some additional information.

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "His Faithful Love." I read from Ezra 3: 10-13. All quotations are from the New Living Translation and are used with permission.

10 When the builders completed the foundation of the LORD’s Temple, the priests put on their robes and took their places to blow their trumpets. And the Levites, descendants of Asaph, clashed their cymbals to praise the LORD, just as King David had prescribed. 11 With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the LORD:

“He is so good!

His faithful love for Israel endures forever!”

Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the LORD because the foundation of the LORD’s Temple had been laid.

12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. 13 The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance.

Following a decree by King Cyrus of Persia in 538 BC, the Jewish exiles were permitted to return to Judah in order to build a temple for God in Jerusalem. The foundation of the Second Temple was to be laid upon the foundation of the First Temple, or Solomon's Temple, which had stood for approximately 400 years until it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in the siege of Jerusalem. The completion of the foundation was an occasion of great emotion, both sorrow and weeping by the old and joy and rejoicing by the young. All agreed; however, as they sang this song with praise and thanks to the LORD,

“He is so good!

His faithful love for Israel endures forever!”

Once again, God had redeemed and blessed His people! This song was not a new song! The Jewish people sang this song as King David brought the ark to Jerusalem, King Solomon dedicated the First Temple, and King Jehoshaphat marched into battle against the armies of Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir. The phrase, "His love endures forever," is repeated 26 times in Psalms 136. To us as onlookers, we might call this song the national anthem of the Jews! I believe we can learn some things about the response of the faithful Jews to God. We wholeheartedly agree that our God is so good, His faithful love endures forever, and we should praise Him for all the blessings we receive from Him. One thing we know for sure, we would not be having this conversation had it not been for the faithful love of God that endures forever. He asked His Son to suffer and die on a cross that we might be redeemed from sin and its consequence, death. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember Jesus and His faithful enduring love for us. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, You are good, and Your faithful love endures forever. That's why You saved us from sin and death—it's not because we deserved it. And because of the love of Your Son for us, He was willing to endure the rejection of His people, and the pain, suffering, and death in the cross. In yet another great feat, You raised Him to life from death and give life to all who name Him as Lord and Savior. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have some questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!