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Strong Tower Radio

Steven Conway

A Story Within a Story

Fresh manna fell to the ground as a gift from God while the Israelites were in the wilderness.

It was fresh from the ovens of heaven, baked by the master baker himself.

How the Israelites must have anticipated the taste and the smell of each morning's delivery.

Just like the Israelites, you too can now experience the taste and the smell of fresh manna.

Today, you'll be listening to Stephen Conway, pastor of the Troy Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Let us bow our heads together for prayer.

Father God, thank you that you are still speaking to your people.

Thank you that there is something in us that longs to hear from you.

Something that needs guidance and direction, something that needs comforting in the midst of affliction and difficulty and challenges.

Lord, we praise your name for so ordering things that we would need this time with 1 another and with you, because it does something for us and honestly, we don't know where we'd be without you.

So Father, as we spend time again in your word and as we continue our journey through this day, We've already studied together in Sabbath school and I heard the little children singing their songs and I know that your heart was warmed.

Now I pray, Father, that you would continue and speak to our hearts yet again.

There are things in the Bible that I ask myself questions about.

I hope you all have those types of things in the scriptures that you ask yourselves questions about as well.

You read in the Bible and you say, okay, what does this mean?

Or how could God do this or do that or on and on.

1 of the places is in Luke chapter 24 and this is a foundational passage of scripture I believe for anyone who's a student of the scriptures but I love it and I'll tell you what my question is this is Jesus convening speaking with 2 of his disciples who are on the road to Emmaus.

Then he said to them, O foolish ones and slow of heart, to believe in all that the prophets have spoken.

They were explaining to Jesus as though he didn't know because they didn't recognize who he was.

They were explaining to him about everything that had just happened.

They were explaining why their countenances were down, why they were sad.

Jesus says, O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory.

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Now my question has often been, how did Jesus expound on himself from the Old Testament scriptures?

We know they were just walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus and Jesus, we're not told exactly where he meets them, so it could not have been 5 or 10 hours worth of explanation, and yet Jesus was able to go into the Old Testament scriptures because that's all that existed and Jesus was able to draw things out of the scriptures that spoke to his existence as the Christ, as the Messiah, and how he would suffer.

In Daniel chapter 9, verse 25, our scripture reading, the Bible says, Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be 7 weeks and sixty-two weeks.

The street shall be built again in the wall even in troubless times.

We've been journeying through the book of Nehemiah and I wanted to go forward and backtrack at the same time because I wanted you to understand that what we are reading about in the book of Nehemiah is connected to the fulfillment of a prophecy.

And I'm gonna explain this to you momentarily, but here in Daniel chapter 9 verse 25, the angel Gabriel is explaining something to Daniel and he's giving him a broader understanding of a much larger prophecy that Daniel had a vision of in chapter 8, the 2300 day prophecy, he's explaining when it's going to begin and explaining the judgment of Daniel's people, the Hebrews.

But he notes that the time is going to begin from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem.

This was literally the winding of a clock, so to speak.

It was the beginning of a countdown that would end with the coming of the Messiah.

And there's other portions of this prophecy, but the coming of the Messiah is the key and the aim.

From the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be 7 weeks and sixty-two weeks, the street shall be built again and the wall even in troubless times.

So Nehemiah in trying to complete the building of the wall in some sense is trying to see the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Now this prophecy is not fulfilled by Nehemiah.

Nehemiah in fact comes on the tail end of this prophecy because the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes I the first in the year 457 BC.

Now maybe if you are, well I'm not going to take for granted that you remember everything we've talked about, but you should be a little bit startled because it is this same Artaxerxes I who would ultimately give Nehemiah the permission he needed to return to Jerusalem and complete the wall.

Artus Ertzi the first gives the command in 457 BC.

You can actually read what is contained there and you'll find it in Ezra chapter 7.

Nehemiah and Ezra are companion books of the Bible, but the decree he gave is recorded in Ezra the seventh chapter.

So why then does Artaxerxes need to write letters to allow Nehemiah to go and complete the work that he himself had already made a decree should be finished?

Well, I don't have anything else for you this morning, but we're going to talk to you about why Nehemiah needed letters.

Interestingly enough, Nehemiah, okay yeah yeah we'll get there, in Ezra chapter 4.

Now remember, 457 BC, Artaxerxes I gives a decree, a command, that Jerusalem should be restored and rebuilt.

This is not to be confused with the temple at Jerusalem being restored and being rebuilt.

That command or that decree was given by Cyrus.

But this is for the rebuilding and restoration of the capital city, Jerusalem.

When Ezra and those who go with him in 457 BC arrive at Jerusalem and begin to rebuild the wall and its city, Ezra Chapter 4 gives us insight into why the king who had given the decree would change his mind.

This is a copy of the letter that they sent him to King Artaxerxes, from your servants, the men of the region beyond the river and so forth.

Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem and are building the rebellious and evil city and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations.

Let it now be known to the king that if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king's treasury will be diminished.

Now, because we received support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king's dishonor.

Therefore, we have sent and informed the king.

In other words, king, you know, we're looking out for your best interest.

And it's only because of our concern for you that we are actually sending this communication to you.

And we're asking you that search be made in the book of the records of your fathers.

You will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause the city was destroyed.

We informed the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the river.

The king sent an answer to Raham, the commander, to Shemshi, the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria and to the remainder beyond the river peace and so forth.

The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me.

And I gave the command and a search has been made.

And it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.

There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the region beyond the river, and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them.

Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.

Take heed now that you do not fail to do this.

Why should damage increase to the hurt of the Kings?

Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rahim, Shemshai, the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews and by force of arms made them cease." Wow.

Artaxerxes gives a decree and Ezra and a number of the Jews leave and go back and begin to work on the walls and the city of Jerusalem.

But then the rulers of the province write and send letters back to King Artaxerxes and they say, We understand you've sent these people here, but you don't know who they are and you don't know their history We suggest oh king that you look into the history of these people And this city and you will know that they are hard-headed.

You will know and find that they are rebellious.

And if you allow them to continue on with this work, ultimately your kingdom will suffer.

So King Artaxerxes has a search made and everything that had been levied as accusations against Jerusalem and its inhabitants was true.

And Artaxerxes writes a new set of letters and says, stop the work immediately.

And so they take this letter and they go to Jerusalem and they hold it up and they say, stop by order of the king.

And I imagine that Ezra and his family, how could the same king who gave us permission to be here say that we should stop?

And then by force of arms, they began snatching the workers down and beating down the work that they have completed to the point where when Nehemiah receives the report in chapter 1, says that the gates had been burned down with fire.

What were you like as a little boy or a little girl?

How do you think you have fared as a parent?

How have you fared as a spouse, a husband, a wife?

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