{"id":238,"date":"2021-11-24T22:24:18","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T22:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=238"},"modified":"2021-11-24T22:24:22","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T22:24:22","slug":"thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=238","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord according to the directions of King David of Israel.  They sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying,<\/em> \u201cFor He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.\u201d  And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.  (Ezra 3:10-11, NASB)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States.  I don’t know about you, but I have a great deal for which to be thankful.  In the passage above, we see a time in the history of ancient Israel in which the people took time to give thanks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The southern kingdom of Judah had been conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.  Jerusalem had been destroyed, to include the Temple.  Most of the people of Judah who hadn’t been killed had been exiled throughout the Babylonian Empire.  As had been prophesied, the exile lasted for 70 years.  Meanwhile, Babylon was conquered by the Persians.  King Cyrus of Persia had given permission to the exiles of Judah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.  The foundation laid eventually became the Second Temple, or Zerubbabel’s Temple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ezra image, found at Verse by Verse Ministry, versebyverseministry.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The people of Judah were thankful to be back in their Homeland, the land God had promised to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.\u00a0 They were thankful to be back in God’s Town, Jerusalem.\u00a0 And they were thankful to have laid the foundation for God’s Temple, where Yahweh could dwell among them.\u00a0 The people sang, praised the Lord, and gave thanks that the Temple foundation was finally in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Thanksgiving Day, I’ll give thanks for many things:\u00a0 For my wonderful wife Sue; for three great children and their terrific spouses; for 12 wonderful grandchildren;\u00a0for friends who keep in touch and pray for me; for the people who take excellent care of me;\u00a0for being born in and having had the honor to serve the greatest nation ever founded by God; and most of all, I’m thankful that the Creator of the Universe had regard for me, a sinner, and sent His Son to die for my sins, to take the punishment I deserve, and because He did, to be able to look forward to an eternal, heavenly home in His presence!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Freedom from Want,” by Norman Rockwell, 1943<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve, and beyond measure.\u00a0 I thank Him that I have the breath of God each morning when I am awake.\u00a0 If you can read this, you have reason to be thankful, and praise God.\u00a0 Praise Him from Whom all blessings flow!\u00a0 Have you accepted God’s most precious gift of salvation through the blood of His Son, Jesus?\u00a0 I have ALS.\u00a0 I’m thankful for the hope God has given me because of Jesus!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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