Good Morning John,
I wanted to send you my “Ezra 7, Revisited”.
I have been translating Ezra for our Bible translation group, and I came upon chapter 7 yesterday. As I was reading it, it occurred to me that it was about US! A parallel, if you will. So I started substituting words and phrases (like we did in Psalms) to make it contemporary – where we live. It was so interesting to do that… and when I got going on it (what I’m sending is as far as I got), I just burst out crying. It was a good cry, and a sad cry. For a few reasons. First, because we have been so blessed through your work, and God’s mercy on us. But secondly, I think, because I know what’s coming in the Ezra story – God’s children will NOT be entirely faithful, and that saddened me.
But just knowing what we are a part of left me with a cry of joy – that is chapter 7. People in the ancient world probably could have cared less what was happening to this little nation, or in Jerusalem. But the King was involved. To God, this was the biggest news on the planet. (Sometimes I wonder if we don’t think less of what God has done for us than HE does, but that’s a whole other story!) We don’t know God’s purpose for appointing us to do what we are doing, or where it all is going, it seems. But it also seems to me that what God has done and is doing with us is bigger than we ever could imagine.
Anyway, attached is my “Ezra 7, Revisited”. There was a lot more that could be said, from this chapter, a lot more parallels, but this is a humble start.
Gary