Louise Gevers
this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. Ezra 7:6, NIV
There is something wonderfully satisfying when all the pieces of a puzzle finally fall into place, and the picture is complete – especially with those challenging puzzles that have no picture to follow for clues. I was persevering through one, once, when my nephews came to visit; with their fresh, young eyes they saw key pieces that I hadn’t, although the pieces had been there all along, and before very long the ‘bigger picture’ became apparent, rewarding endurance with an ‘Aha!’ moment.
God’s ‘big picture’ of salvation grew bigger and broader with Jesus’ coming to earth, fulfilling the many prophecies foretelling His coming, while His teachings confirmed His person and His presence from the very beginning. Isn’t it a delight to find these ‘Aha!’ moments as we read the Bible, and suddenly realise how people are connected, and its significance, or find a prophecy fulfilled, that broadens our understanding and makes our faith grow?
Ezra, in our verse today, distinguished from the many others at that time, is one such connection. His lineage went right back to Aaron, Moses’ brother; but that wasn’t the only reason that “the hand of the Lord his God was on him”. Not only did he read and teach God’s commands, but he believed them, resulting in him living a life of integrity, discerned by the king, winning his favour – “The king had granted him everything he asked” – and becoming key in God’s promise to the exiles being fulfilled.
The now well-known promise God had made to Israel, through Jeremiah, of having, “plans to prosper [them] and not to harm [them], plans to give [them] hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11) literally saw their captors sending them back to their rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, carrying offerings that they, themselves, had provided, along with the precious temple objects they’d carried away as spoil seventy years before. What an “Aha!” moment!
Though a captive in exile, Ezra continued to worship God faithfully in that foreign land, with a pagan people; and on return to Jerusalem, he continued, unchanged, faithfully devoting himself to restoring worship and making reforms. While there, Artaxerxes addresses him respectfully in a letter as, “Ezra the priest, teacher of the Law of the God of heaven.” (Ezra 7:12)
Ezra’s integrity remained intact throughout and his bond with God never wavered, despite whatever happened in his life; unsurprisingly, he only glorified God for what He had “put into the king’s heart …[God] who has extended his good favour to me before the king and his advisors and all the king’s powerful officials.” (Ezra 7:27-28) What a difference for good a person with integrity can make when they revere God.
We don’t need to be Ezra to be used for His good purposes; each of us is a precious piece in God’s big picture, created to make a difference and be ready when He calls. Jesus said, “Blessed… are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”(Luke 11:28)
Prayer: Lord, help me to hear Your Word, and obey, and know Your blessing. Amen
Louise Gevers
Hierdie Esra het opgetrek uit Babilonië. Hy was self 'n skrifgeleerde, kundig in die Wet van Moses wat die Here, die God van Israel, gegee het. Die koning het alles wat hy gevra het aan hom gegee, omdat die Here, sy God, se hand oor hom was. Esra 7:6, 2020-vertaling
Dit is baie bevredigend wanneer al die stukkies van 'n legkaart finaal in plek val en die prentjie voltooi is – veral met daardie uitdagende legkaarte wat nie 'n prentjie as leidraad saamgee nie. Ek was op 'n keer besig met so een toe my nefies kom kuier het. Met hulle vars, jong oë, het hulle sleutelstukke raakgesien wat ek nie het nie al was die stukke altyd daar. Kort voor lank het die "groter prentjie" duidelik geword en so is uithouvermoë met 'n aha-oomblik beloon.
God se "groter prentjie" van verlossing het en duideliker geword met Jesus se koms na die aarde. Dit het die vele profesieë vervul wat na sy koms verwys het, en deur sy leringe het Hy sy persoon en teenwoordigheid van die begin af bevestig. Dit is so 'n plesier om, wanneer ons die Bybel lees, hierdie aha-oomblikke te ontdek – wanneer 'n mens skielik besef hoe mense met mekaar verbind is en die betekenis daarvan, of sien hoe 'n profesie vervul is. Dit alles verbreed ons begrip en laat ons geloof groei.
Esra, waarna vandag se teksvers verwys en wat van vele ander mense van daardie tyd onderskei kon word, was een so 'n skakel. Sy voorgeslagte het so ver terug as tot by Aäron, Moses se broer, gestrek, maar dit was nie die enigste rede hoekom "die Here, sy God, se hand oor hom was" nie. Nie net was hy 'n skrifgeleerde wat God se Wet onderrig het nie, hy het dit ook geglo, wat tot gevolg gehad het dat hy 'n lewe van integriteit gelei het. Hy is deur die koning wie se guns hy gewen het, uitgesonder – " Die koning het alles wat hy gevra het aan hom gegee" – en hy het 'n sleutelrol in die vervulling van God se belofte aan die ballinge gespeel.
Die nou baie bekende belofte wat God deur Jeremia aan Israel gemaak het, "... planne van voorspoed, en nie teenspoed nie, om aan [hulle] 'n toekoms en hoop te gee" (Jeremia 29:11) het letterlik daartoe gelei dat hulle ontvoerders hulle teruggestuur het om die tempel in Jerusalem te gaan herbou, en saam met hulle was offerande wat hulle self voorsien het, asook die kosbare tempelvoorwerpe wat sewentig jaar tevore saam met die ballinge weggevoer is. Wat 'n aha-oomblik!
Alhoewel in ballingskap, het Esra voortgegaan om God getrou in daardie vreemde heidenland te dien en met sy terugkeer na Jerusalem, het hy onwrikbaar en getrou aangehou om hom toe te wy aan die herstel van die aanbidding van God onder die volk. In 'n brief verwys koning Artasasta na Esra as "die priester, kenner van die wet van die God van die hemel." (Esra 7:12)
Esra se integriteit het onaangeraak gebly en, ongeag wat in sy lewe gebeur het, is sy band met God nooit verbreek nie. Dit is dus geen verrassing dat hy aan God alleen al die eer gegee het vir wat Hy "... in die koning se hart gelê het ... en wat aan my sy troue liefde bewys het voor die koning en sy raadgewers en al die magtige amptenare van die koning ..." (Esra 7:27-28) Watter verskil ten goede kan 'n mens met integriteit nie maak wanneer hulle God eerbiedig nie.
Ons hoef nie Esra te wees om vir God se goeie doel gebruik te word nie. Elkeen van ons is 'n kosbare stukkie in God se groter prentjie, geskape om 'n verskil te maak en gereed te wees vir wanneer Hy ons roep. Jesus het gesê: "... waarlik gelukkig is hulle wat die woord van God hoor en dit onderhou.” (Lukas 11:28)
Gebed: Here, help my om u woord te hoor en te onderhou, en u seën te ontvang. Amen
Louise Gevers
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Psalm 32:7, ESV
There are many comforting and uplifting psalms in the Old Testament that we go to in times of trouble, to read quietly, and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us, and lead us as we seek to know how to handle our challenge, and inspire us in the way forward. Some psalms speak directly into our situation, while others, that we stumble onto, we realise, reflect an exact experience we’ve had.
Recently, this struck me; a psalm that I’ve known well for many years, contained a direct reference to an experience I’d had, and is where our verse today comes from. I’d emerged from a car accident in which my little car had been spun around several times and then turned over on its side, with me still strapped in it. Finally, as I got out, unscathed, and started to walk, I was surrounded with joyful “shouts of deliverance” and knew that God had indeed been “my hiding place” and had “preserve[d] me from trouble.”
I believe that those joyful shouts erupted from people who rejoiced in God, and celebrated His might in rescuing a person from the horrendous scene they’d witnessed; people, who, as they walked to work, knew the living out of this psalm, and walked off gratified for having witnessed God’s deliverance.
If we read Psalm 32 prayerfully and mindfully, it’s possible to see that there’s actually an insightful recipe for happiness in it: “Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned. Happy is the one whom the LORD does not accuse of doing wrong and who is free from all deceit.” (Psalm 32:1-2, GNT)
Happiness is not something we’re born into, it’s something we cultivate in our response to life and personal experience, and is often the fruit of making good choices, regardless of circumstance.
The psalmist describes a time when he was “worn out from crying all day long” his strength “completely drained” when he felt that God was punishing him “day and night.” (Psalm 32:3-4, GNT) Regardless of what we believe, wrongdoing can never leave us feeling light-hearted, whether it’s our own sin or that belonging to others. How does the daily news make you feel? Whether it’s considerable or little, sin will affect us, steal our happiness – and that of others – and destroy our life if left, unabated.
The psalmist reveals his solution: “Then I confessed my sins to you; I did not conceal my wrongdoings … and you forgave all my sins.” (Psalm 32:5, GNT)
Acknowledging and confessing sin frees anyone’s spirit, not just the psalmist’s, and, whatever the circumstances, experiencing and accepting forgiveness will feel like the world is fresh and new.
In his ‘new state’ he realises that God’s “loyal people should pray to [him] in times of need …when trouble comes rushing in” (Psalm 32:6, GNT) and listen to his instruction without being stubborn “like a horse or a mule,” then “trust in the LORD …protected by his constant love …” and “be glad and rejoice because of what the LORD has done.” (Psalm 32:9-11, GNT)
Prayer: Father God, true happiness is found in You. Thank you that Your forgiveness sets me free and gives me every reason to rejoice. Amen
Louise Gevers
U bied vir my beskutting; U vrywaar my van nood; met jubelkrete van bevryding omring U my. Psalm 32:7, 2020-vertaling
In die Ou Testament is daar baie psalms wat vertroos en bemoedig en waarna ons ons in moeilike tye wend, hulle in stilte lees en dan die Heilige Gees vra om ons te lei oor hoe om ons uitdagings te hanteer en ons vir die pad vorentoe te inspireer. Sommige psalms het direk op ons situasie betrekking, terwyl daar ander is waarop 'n mens afkom en dan besef dit weerspieël 'n presiese ondervinding wat jy gehad het.
Onlangs het dit my getref hoe 'n psalm wat ek reeds vir baie jare goed ken, 'n direkte betrekking gehad het op 'n ervaring wat ek beleef het, en dit is waar ons teksvers vir vandag vandaan kom. Ek was in 'n motorongeluk waar my karretjie verskeie kere in die rondte getol en toe op sy sy geval het, met my steeds binne-in vasgegordel. Toe ek uiteindelik ongedeerd uitklim en begin loop, was ek omring met "jubelkrete" en ek het geweet dat die Here inderdaad my "beskutting" is en dat Hy my "vrywaar van nood".
Ek glo dat die jubelkrete van die mense op die toneel uit blydskap was omdat die Here deur sy mag iemand gered het uit die verskriklike toneel wat voor hulle afgespeel het. Mense, wat op pad werk toe, iets van hierdie psalm kon beleef en met dankbare harte kon wegstap omdat hulle God se verlossing in aksie aanskou het.
Lees ons Psalm 32 in gebed en met ontvanklike harte, is dit moontlik om te ontdek dat dit eintlik 'n insiggewende resep vir geluk bevat: "Gelukkig is die een wie se oortreding vergewe, wie se sonde bedek is. Gelukkig is die mens vir wie die Here sondeskuld nie toereken nie, en in wie se gees geen bedrog is nie." (Psalm 32:1-2)
Geluk is nie iets waarmee ons gebore word nie, dit is iets wat ons deur ons reaksie op die lewe en persoonlike ervarings kweek. Dit is dikwels die gevolg van die regte keuses wat ons, ondanks omstandighede, maak.
Die psalmis beskryf 'n tyd wat hy "die hele dag gekla en gesug het" en hy "maer" geword het want hy het gevoel dat die Here hom "elke dag en nag" straf. (Psalm 32:3-4, Bybel vir almal) Ondanks van wat ons glo, oortredings kan ons nooit gelukkig maak nie, of dit nou ons eie sonde of die van ander is. Hoe laat die daaglikse nuus jou voel? Of dit nou min of baie is, sonde affekteer ons, dit steel ons geluk – en die van ander – en kan ons lewe vernietig as dit onverpoosd voortgaan.
Die psalmis gee die oplossing: My sonde het ek teenoor U erken; my sondeskuld het ek nie bedek nie ... en U het my sondeskuld vergewe. (Psalm 32:5)
Deur sonde te erken en te bely maak ons gees vry, nie net die van die psalmis nie, en wat ook al die omstandighede, om vergifnis te ervaar en te aanvaar laat die wêreld vars en nuut voel.
In sy "nuwe gemoedstoestand" besef die psalmis dat God se getroue volgelinge "tot [Hom] moet bid terwyl die geleentheid daar is" (Psalm 32:6), na sy insigte moet luister en hulle nie "soos 'n perd, soos 'n muil sonder verstand, gedra nie" en "op die Here [moet] vertrou –troue liefde omring [hulle]" en hulle moet hulle "in die Here verbly".(Psalm 32:9-11)
Gebed: Hemelse Vader, ware geluk is net in U. Dankie dat u vergifnis my vrymaak en my alle rede gee om gelukkig te wees. Amen