Hello there, happy Sabbath.
00:00:02.30\00:00:03.83
Come on in.
00:00:03.87\00:00:05.20
We're about to
meet with the King.
00:00:05.23\00:00:06.57
Hello, I'm Uncle Daniel.
00:00:40.64\00:00:42.30
And we have a special
worship time plan today.
00:00:42.34\00:00:45.17
It's our sincere desire
that these worship times
00:00:45.21\00:00:47.91
will draw you very close
00:00:47.94\00:00:49.71
to our Savior and
best friend Jesus.
00:00:49.74\00:00:52.55
So we welcome you
along with Auntie Leah
00:00:52.58\00:00:55.72
and the children here with us.
00:00:55.75\00:00:57.55
Hello, Uncle Daniel.
00:00:57.59\00:00:58.92
This is just my
favorite time of the week
00:00:58.95\00:01:00.92
because I get to put
00:01:00.96\00:01:02.29
all the busyness
away for the week
00:01:02.32\00:01:03.73
and spend special
time with Jesus and rest.
00:01:03.76\00:01:06.19
Can I say hello to
some children from Tasmania
00:01:06.23\00:01:08.63
who watch A Day with the King?
00:01:08.66\00:01:10.27
Yes, you sure can.
00:01:10.30\00:01:11.63
Who are they?
00:01:11.67\00:01:13.00
Michaela, Eli, and
Hannah from the Sheffield area.
00:01:13.03\00:01:16.20
Hello.
00:01:16.24\00:01:19.07
We'd love to hear from you
00:01:19.11\00:01:20.71
and find out a little about you.
00:01:20.74\00:01:23.28
Do you have any good new stories
00:01:23.31\00:01:24.71
you'd like to share with us?
00:01:24.75\00:01:26.25
Well, why don't you email us
at the address on the screen?
00:01:26.28\00:01:30.59
Alesha, would you
please say a prayer for us?
00:01:30.62\00:01:34.19
Sure.
00:01:34.22\00:01:36.39
Dear, Father in heaven,
00:01:36.42\00:01:38.36
thank You for caring
for us during the past week.
00:01:38.39\00:01:42.33
Please forgive us
where we have let you down.
00:01:42.36\00:01:47.57
Please give us a fresh start
this Sabbath, in Jesus name.
00:01:47.60\00:01:52.01
Amen. Amen.
00:01:52.04\00:01:54.18
Thank you,
Alesha. That's all right.
00:01:54.21\00:01:55.98
Auntie Leah, do you have
a special gem for us today?
00:01:56.01\00:01:59.15
I sure have.
00:01:59.18\00:02:00.68
But first,
00:02:00.72\00:02:02.05
let's briefly review
what we've discovered
00:02:02.08\00:02:04.09
on our treasure
hunt for Bible gems.
00:02:04.12\00:02:06.62
These help us
understand prophecy.
00:02:06.65\00:02:08.86
The Bible explains itself.
00:02:08.89\00:02:10.93
We don't need to
go outside the Bible
00:02:10.96\00:02:12.79
to interpret prophecy.
00:02:12.83\00:02:14.50
Many prophecies have
already been fulfilled.
00:02:14.53\00:02:17.17
This should encourage us
00:02:17.20\00:02:18.63
and give us
confidence in the Bible
00:02:18.67\00:02:20.34
as the divine word of God.
00:02:20.37\00:02:22.60
All the messages in the Bible,
including prophetic messages,
00:02:22.64\00:02:26.07
are given to point us to Jesus
00:02:26.11\00:02:28.11
and all that He's done for
us and continues to do for us.
00:02:28.14\00:02:31.65
The most important point
00:02:31.68\00:02:33.18
to remember about Bible prophecy
00:02:33.21\00:02:35.45
is that it points
to the work of Jesus
00:02:35.48\00:02:37.52
as our Savior, our
helper, and our best friend.
00:02:37.55\00:02:41.52
And the most amazing of all,
he has sent a special message
00:02:41.56\00:02:44.89
just to you in these last
days of this earth's history.
00:02:44.93\00:02:48.56
Jesus offers you
an amazing opportunity
00:02:48.60\00:02:51.33
to serve Him.
00:02:51.37\00:02:52.70
Let's find out our Bible gem.
00:02:52.73\00:02:54.94
Bailey, would you please save
00:02:54.97\00:02:56.60
a very special
gem we have today?
00:02:56.64\00:02:58.57
Sure.
00:02:58.61\00:03:00.58
Wow, look at that.
00:03:00.61\00:03:02.41
How amazing!
00:03:02.44\00:03:03.88
I hope the
loveliness of this Bible gem
00:03:03.91\00:03:06.18
reminds you of Jesus.
00:03:06.21\00:03:07.95
Bailey, what's
the Bible reference?
00:03:07.98\00:03:10.15
Acts 2:17 and 18.
00:03:16.42\00:03:19.53
Bethany, would you
please read that for us?
00:03:19.56\00:03:22.66
"'And it shall come to pass
in the last days,' says God,
00:03:22.70\00:03:25.83
'that I will pour out
My Spirit on all flesh.
00:03:25.87\00:03:28.30
Your sons and
daughters shall prophesy,
00:03:28.34\00:03:30.47
your young men
shall see visions,
00:03:30.51\00:03:32.44
your old men shall dream dreams.
00:03:32.47\00:03:36.34
And on My menservants
and on My maidservants,
00:03:36.38\00:03:39.11
I will pour out My
Spirit in those days
00:03:39.15\00:03:41.22
and they shall prophesy.'"
00:03:41.25\00:03:43.08
Did you hear that?
00:03:43.12\00:03:44.59
Who did God say
00:03:44.62\00:03:45.95
He would give
the prophetic gift to
00:03:45.99\00:03:47.76
in these last days, our day?
00:03:47.79\00:03:50.36
Sons and daughters,
menservants and maidservants.
00:03:50.39\00:03:55.26
Are you a son or daughter?
00:03:55.30\00:03:56.93
Yes.
00:03:56.97\00:03:58.30
The term
maidservants and menservants
00:03:58.33\00:04:00.84
refer to young
women and young men,
00:04:00.87\00:04:03.30
teenagers like
Daniel and Ellen White
00:04:03.34\00:04:06.11
who chose to follow
Jesus with all their heart.
00:04:06.14\00:04:09.18
Think about this.
00:04:09.21\00:04:10.55
What if God wanted you to
share a message with others?
00:04:10.58\00:04:13.92
Would you be
obedient and ready to do that?
00:04:13.95\00:04:16.75
Can you say with Isaiah,
00:04:16.79\00:04:18.49
"Here I am. Send me."
00:04:18.52\00:04:20.79
During these Sabbath hours,
00:04:20.82\00:04:22.69
think about what
you might need to do
00:04:22.72\00:04:24.66
to get ready for such a
role if God called on you.
00:04:24.69\00:04:27.93
So remember, stay close to God.
00:04:27.96\00:04:30.30
You never know if
He will choose you
00:04:30.33\00:04:32.23
to be His messenger
with a special dream
00:04:32.27\00:04:34.77
or vision to
bless and help someone.
00:04:34.80\00:04:37.44
Thank you, Auntie Leah.
00:04:37.47\00:04:38.81
What an amazing prophecy
00:04:38.84\00:04:40.41
and what a
privilege to be a part
00:04:40.44\00:04:42.14
of sharing the gospel.
00:04:42.18\00:04:43.88
Do you want to help
Jesus share the good news
00:04:43.91\00:04:46.51
about His soon return?
00:04:46.55\00:04:48.12
Yes. Yes.
00:04:48.15\00:04:49.52
Uncle Daniel, Braedan
is here to sing with us.
00:04:49.55\00:04:52.25
Yes, he is.
00:04:52.29\00:04:53.62
Welcome, Braedan.
00:04:53.66\00:04:54.99
Thanks, Uncle Daniel.
00:04:55.02\00:04:56.36
Hi, everyone.
00:04:56.39\00:04:57.73
Now I hear that
you're going to be
00:04:57.76\00:04:59.09
looking at Nehemiah
today in your Bible study.
00:04:59.13\00:05:01.03
This song is
about what Nehemiah said
00:05:01.06\00:05:03.47
to the people who
were trying to distract him
00:05:03.50\00:05:05.43
from building the wall.
00:05:05.47\00:05:06.80
And it's called "I'm
working for the Lord."
00:05:06.84\00:05:09.44
Oh no, I can't come down
00:05:13.14\00:05:16.81
No, no, I can't come down
00:05:16.85\00:05:20.08
Was Nehemiah's cry
while rebuilding Zion's wall
00:05:20.12\00:05:24.29
Oh no, I can't come down
00:05:24.32\00:05:28.09
Oh no, I can't come down
00:05:28.12\00:05:31.79
No, no, I can't come down
00:05:31.83\00:05:35.10
I'm working for the Lord
We are building up His kingdom
00:05:35.13\00:05:39.37
Oh no, I can't come down
00:05:39.40\00:05:44.21
Braedan, can we please
sing "Remember the Sabbath"?
00:05:44.24\00:05:46.68
That's a great choice.
Let's sing it together.
00:05:46.71\00:05:49.58
Looking forward, looking back
00:05:53.18\00:05:55.25
We're going to keep on track
00:05:55.28\00:05:57.55
Looking forward, looking back
00:05:57.59\00:05:59.62
We're going to keep on track
00:05:59.65\00:06:01.96
Looking forward to salvation
Looking back on God's creation
00:06:01.99\00:06:06.93
We'll remember we're
to keep God's Sabbath holy
00:06:06.96\00:06:12.33
Looking forward, looking back
We're going to keep on track
00:06:12.37\00:06:16.77
Looking forward, looking back
00:06:16.81\00:06:18.87
We're going to keep on track
00:06:18.91\00:06:21.24
Looking forward to salvation
Looking back on God's creation
00:06:21.28\00:06:26.35
We will worship our
Redeemer every Sabbath
00:06:26.38\00:06:33.09
Braedan, can we sing
"Give your heart to Jesus"?
00:06:33.12\00:06:35.86
That's a great
song to finish off with.
00:06:35.89\00:06:37.56
Let's sing it together.
00:06:37.59\00:06:38.93
Give your heart to Jesus
00:06:43.10\00:06:46.30
He is calling you
00:06:46.33\00:06:51.24
Give your heart to Jesus
00:06:51.27\00:06:54.41
He is calling you
00:06:54.44\00:06:59.31
Give your heart to Jesus
00:06:59.35\00:07:02.45
He is calling you
00:07:02.48\00:07:07.42
Give Him your heart today
00:07:07.46\00:07:13.09
Give your heart to Jesus
00:07:15.16\00:07:18.53
He is calling you
00:07:18.57\00:07:23.47
Give your heart to Jesus
00:07:23.51\00:07:26.54
He is calling you
00:07:26.57\00:07:31.45
Give your heart to Jesus
00:07:31.48\00:07:34.58
He is calling you
00:07:34.62\00:07:39.45
Give Him your heart today
00:07:39.49\00:07:46.09
Thanks, Braedan.
00:07:46.13\00:07:47.46
I love singing
songs about Jesus.
00:07:47.50\00:07:49.56
It's time to join Dr. John
for another amazing true story.
00:07:49.60\00:07:54.57
Hello, boys and
girls. I'm Dr. John.
00:07:54.60\00:07:56.50
And it is so good
to have you again.
00:07:56.54\00:08:00.21
And hello to all
the boys and girls
00:08:00.24\00:08:02.08
watching right around the world.
00:08:02.11\00:08:05.21
You know, way across in America
00:08:05.25\00:08:07.52
in the Appalachian Mountains,
00:08:07.55\00:08:09.42
there was a group of people
who used to meet for worship
00:08:09.45\00:08:14.19
every Sabbath.
00:08:14.22\00:08:16.56
And they were so poor,
they didn't have a church.
00:08:16.59\00:08:20.80
And every week, they would say,
00:08:20.83\00:08:22.56
"I wish we had a church."
00:08:22.60\00:08:24.53
They had to hire a hall.
00:08:24.57\00:08:27.04
And they had to
put the chairs out,
00:08:27.07\00:08:28.70
and then they
had to pack them up
00:08:28.74\00:08:30.11
every Sabbath the same,
00:08:30.14\00:08:32.67
who got no money.
00:08:32.71\00:08:35.51
And then one day,
00:08:35.54\00:08:37.91
a little old lady
came to the pastor.
00:08:37.95\00:08:40.42
And I'm gonna put
on the pastor's hat.
00:08:40.45\00:08:43.18
And she said, "Pastor,
00:08:43.22\00:08:45.72
I'm not very rich.
00:08:45.75\00:08:47.16
But I've got a
little block of ground
00:08:47.19\00:08:50.83
and there is just enough
room to put a church there."
00:08:50.86\00:08:55.10
And the pastor
said, "You are so kind."
00:08:55.13\00:08:59.27
And, you know, they
saved up their money,
00:08:59.30\00:09:02.20
and they built the church
00:09:02.24\00:09:04.87
on the little block
of ground in one corner
00:09:04.91\00:09:08.04
because the rest of the block
00:09:08.08\00:09:11.98
had a great big
mountain of dirt.
00:09:12.01\00:09:16.99
And they said that we can
just get the church in there.
00:09:17.02\00:09:21.39
And they were looking forward
so much 'cause next Sabbath
00:09:21.42\00:09:25.96
was going to be
their very first time
00:09:25.99\00:09:28.96
they worshiped
in their new church,
00:09:29.00\00:09:31.70
and they were really excited.
00:09:31.73\00:09:33.40
The pastor was
standing outside the church.
00:09:37.44\00:09:40.71
And he was just painting
00:09:40.74\00:09:43.21
and making sure
everything looks good.
00:09:43.24\00:09:46.05
And the car stopped and out came
00:09:46.08\00:09:51.85
the building inspector.
00:09:51.89\00:09:54.66
Now the building inspector
did not like Christians.
00:09:54.69\00:10:00.20
And he said, "I've
come to inspect the church."
00:10:00.23\00:10:04.43
And so he went inside
and he looked at the doors.
00:10:04.47\00:10:08.17
He made sure that
they opened and shut.
00:10:08.20\00:10:11.91
And he said, "Maybe I
can find something wrong
00:10:11.94\00:10:13.58
with the windows."
00:10:13.61\00:10:14.94
So he rattled the windows.
00:10:14.98\00:10:17.65
"Maybe there's not a
fire escape exit sign."
00:10:17.68\00:10:20.42
So he looked around,
00:10:20.45\00:10:22.72
everything was right.
00:10:22.75\00:10:25.12
He was looking for trouble.
00:10:25.15\00:10:27.92
And so he said,
00:10:27.96\00:10:32.16
"Where are you
going to park the cars?"
00:10:32.19\00:10:36.16
And the pastor said,
00:10:39.33\00:10:41.80
"We'll park them
out in the street."
00:10:41.84\00:10:45.11
"No, you won't.
00:10:45.14\00:10:46.78
You must have a car park.
00:10:46.81\00:10:48.64
You will not open your church.
00:10:48.68\00:10:51.75
You will not worship there
until you have a car park."
00:10:51.78\00:10:56.05
"We haven't got a car park."
00:10:56.08\00:10:58.25
"Too bad.
00:10:58.29\00:10:59.62
Goodbye."
00:10:59.65\00:11:00.99
"Oh, please."
00:11:01.02\00:11:02.36
"No!" And he went away.
00:11:02.39\00:11:04.23
And the pastor was so unhappy.
00:11:04.26\00:11:06.53
And he said, "We'll
have a prayer meeting."
00:11:06.56\00:11:09.10
And all church got together
00:11:09.13\00:11:10.90
and they prayed for three hours.
00:11:10.93\00:11:13.90
And then they said,
00:11:13.94\00:11:15.54
"We will open our
church on Sabbath,
00:11:15.57\00:11:17.97
God will do a miracle."
00:11:18.01\00:11:19.97
And the pastor
was standing outside
00:11:20.01\00:11:22.14
and a truck stopped.
00:11:22.18\00:11:23.78
And out came a
man with a dirty hat,
00:11:23.81\00:11:26.92
a rough face and overalls.
00:11:26.95\00:11:28.88
And he said,
"Are you the pastor?"
00:11:28.92\00:11:31.99
"Yes, I am."
00:11:32.02\00:11:35.22
"I need some dirt.
00:11:35.26\00:11:36.69
You've got a big pile of dirt.
00:11:36.73\00:11:39.03
Can we have it?"
00:11:39.06\00:11:40.40
"Oh, yes, you can."
00:11:40.43\00:11:41.90
"I'll pay you for it."
00:11:41.93\00:11:43.26
"Will you really?"
00:11:43.30\00:11:44.63
"I'll pay you lots of money.
00:11:44.67\00:11:46.07
And I'll turn it
into a car park."
00:11:46.10\00:11:48.17
"Oh, really?"
00:11:48.20\00:11:50.31
And so he called his men,
00:11:50.34\00:11:52.37
and they got the
bulldozers and the trucks,
00:11:52.41\00:11:54.48
and they shifted all the dirt.
00:11:54.51\00:11:56.91
And the pastor was watching.
00:11:56.95\00:11:59.51
And the foreman was there.
00:11:59.55\00:12:01.38
And when it was all finished,
00:12:01.42\00:12:04.72
there was a car park
00:12:04.75\00:12:06.19
and there was a proper
road and painting and lights.
00:12:06.22\00:12:10.99
And the pastor
said, "Thank you so much.
00:12:11.03\00:12:14.36
God has answered prayers."
00:12:14.40\00:12:17.50
And the builder
said, "You're welcome."
00:12:17.53\00:12:20.24
And on Sabbath, the pastor said,
00:12:20.27\00:12:23.20
"Welcome to our new church.
00:12:23.24\00:12:26.37
God has blessed us.
00:12:26.41\00:12:28.21
We have faith to
move a mountain."
00:12:28.24\00:12:32.41
And that is what God loves.
00:12:32.45\00:12:34.72
He loves people who
have faith to move mountains.
00:12:34.75\00:12:39.15
Thank you, boys and girls.
00:12:39.19\00:12:41.46
Welcome to our Bible study.
00:12:41.49\00:12:43.06
Got your Bible ready?
00:12:43.09\00:12:44.79
Chemiah, would you please pray
and invite God's Holy Spirit
00:12:44.83\00:12:48.33
to be with us as
we study our Bibles?
00:12:48.36\00:12:50.67
Sure.
00:12:50.70\00:12:53.13
Dear Jesus, thank
you for our Bibles.
00:12:53.17\00:12:55.57
Please send your
Holy Spirit to guide us.
00:12:55.60\00:12:58.04
In Jesus' name, Amen.
00:12:58.07\00:12:59.91
Amen.
00:12:59.94\00:13:01.51
We had a lot of twists and turns
00:13:01.54\00:13:04.28
in our intriguing Bible
story last week, didn't we?
00:13:04.31\00:13:07.62
Who was the queen
in last week's story?
00:13:07.65\00:13:10.25
Esther. Yes.
00:13:10.29\00:13:12.02
And what did Queen
Esther do that was so important?
00:13:12.05\00:13:15.62
Esther saved the Jewish people.
00:13:15.66\00:13:17.39
Yes.
00:13:17.43\00:13:18.76
Those who decided not
to return to the homeland
00:13:18.79\00:13:21.86
under the decree of
King Cyrus and King Darius
00:13:21.90\00:13:25.37
faced their own
mountains of difficulties
00:13:25.40\00:13:27.80
just like Zerubbabel did
00:13:27.84\00:13:29.44
when rebuilding the
temple of Jerusalem.
00:13:29.47\00:13:32.37
About 70 years
00:13:32.41\00:13:33.78
after the first
exiles returned to Jerusalem
00:13:33.81\00:13:36.58
and after
Esther's time as Queen,
00:13:36.61\00:13:39.08
Artaxerxes longer
madness came to the throne.
00:13:39.11\00:13:42.68
During his long rule,
00:13:42.72\00:13:44.05
King Artaxerxes
showed considerable favor
00:13:44.09\00:13:47.02
to God's people.
00:13:47.06\00:13:48.39
He had two Jewish friends
whom he trusted completely.
00:13:48.42\00:13:52.19
These were Ezra the scribe,
00:13:52.23\00:13:54.23
and Nehemiah,
the king's cupbearer.
00:13:54.26\00:13:56.97
Through his association
with these God-fearing men,
00:13:57.00\00:14:00.00
he learned about
the God of heaven,
00:14:00.04\00:14:02.20
and he recognized that
God had given their men
00:14:02.24\00:14:04.94
a special work to do.
00:14:04.97\00:14:07.11
Now Ezra, a very skilled scribe,
00:14:07.14\00:14:10.15
lived among the Jews in Babylon.
00:14:10.18\00:14:12.68
Do you know what a scribe does?
00:14:12.71\00:14:14.12
He writes things.
00:14:14.15\00:14:15.48
Yes, Ezra
collected all the scriptures
00:14:15.52\00:14:18.22
he couldn't had copies made
00:14:18.25\00:14:19.99
so that the people
everywhere could read them.
00:14:20.02\00:14:22.42
There were no printing
machines in those days.
00:14:22.46\00:14:25.26
They copied the
scriptures carefully by hand.
00:14:25.29\00:14:29.10
Ezra worked tirelessly
to revive people's interest
00:14:29.13\00:14:32.53
in the scriptures.
00:14:32.57\00:14:33.90
He also talked
freely with the king
00:14:33.94\00:14:35.70
about the power of God
00:14:35.74\00:14:37.44
and the divine
purpose in restoring the Jews
00:14:37.47\00:14:39.74
to Jerusalem.
00:14:39.77\00:14:41.18
In a letter to Ezra in 457 BC,
00:14:41.21\00:14:44.58
King Artaxerxes issued
the third and final decree
00:14:44.61\00:14:48.78
for the
restoration of Jerusalem.
00:14:48.82\00:14:51.52
Open your Bibles to Ezra 7:13.
00:14:51.55\00:14:55.49
And would you please
read that for us, Bethany?
00:14:55.52\00:14:59.63
"I issue a decree
00:14:59.66\00:15:01.00
that all those of
the people of Israel
00:15:01.03\00:15:03.26
and the priests and
Levites in my realm,
00:15:03.30\00:15:05.43
who volunteer to
go up to Jerusalem,
00:15:05.47\00:15:07.37
may go with you."
00:15:07.40\00:15:08.90
God put it in the king's
heart to be very generous.
00:15:08.94\00:15:12.54
He gave Ezra gold and silver,
00:15:12.57\00:15:14.74
and the people in
priests in Babylon gave money
00:15:14.78\00:15:17.21
to help with the many expenses
in rebuilding Jerusalem.
00:15:17.25\00:15:21.02
Most importantly though,
00:15:21.05\00:15:22.78
this decree
restored to the Jewish people
00:15:22.82\00:15:25.45
the legal right to self-govern.
00:15:25.49\00:15:28.02
Let's read verse 25.
00:15:28.06\00:15:29.72
Thanks, Caleb.
00:15:29.76\00:15:31.09
"And you, Ezra,
00:15:34.23\00:15:35.56
according to
your God-given wisdom,
00:15:35.60\00:15:37.83
set magistrates and judges
who may judge all the people
00:15:37.87\00:15:42.87
who are in the
region beyond the River,
00:15:42.90\00:15:45.31
all such as know
the law of your God
00:15:45.34\00:15:48.08
and teach those
who do not know them."
00:15:48.11\00:15:51.11
The King also made it unlawful
00:15:51.15\00:15:53.31
to require taxes
from the Jewish priesthood
00:15:53.35\00:15:56.28
who served in the temple.
00:15:56.32\00:15:58.09
The king also instructed Ezra
00:15:58.12\00:16:00.06
to teach God's
laws to the people.
00:16:00.09\00:16:02.62
Before heading out on
the journey to Jerusalem
00:16:02.66\00:16:05.33
accompanied by
2,000 Jewish exiles,
00:16:05.36\00:16:08.56
Ezra prayed for
God's protection.
00:16:08.60\00:16:11.43
There were robbers along the way
00:16:11.47\00:16:13.13
who could steal the
silver and gold they carried.
00:16:13.17\00:16:16.00
The king would have
sent soldiers with them
00:16:16.04\00:16:18.07
to protect them,
00:16:18.11\00:16:19.44
but Ezra had told the king that
00:16:19.47\00:16:21.24
God would take care
of those who served Him.
00:16:21.28\00:16:23.85
Ezra also took
several copies of every book
00:16:23.88\00:16:26.95
that the previous
prophets had written.
00:16:26.98\00:16:29.45
That was much of what
we call the Old Testament.
00:16:29.48\00:16:32.29
His goal was to place God's word
00:16:32.32\00:16:34.59
in the hands of
the people of Israel.
00:16:34.62\00:16:37.13
When he arrived,
00:16:37.16\00:16:38.49
he began a
careful cleanup of the sin
00:16:38.53\00:16:40.20
that had invaded
the lives of the Jews.
00:16:40.23\00:16:42.93
One major event
was separating the Jews
00:16:42.96\00:16:45.17
from the foreign
women they had married.
00:16:45.20\00:16:47.64
These foreigners
worshipped idols,
00:16:47.67\00:16:50.01
which was the heinous
sin that led the Israelites
00:16:50.04\00:16:52.51
into captivity
in the first place.
00:16:52.54\00:16:54.98
Ezra taught the people
God's Word for some time.
00:16:55.01\00:16:58.38
God blessed Ezra's labors
with the spiritual revival
00:16:58.41\00:17:01.25
among the Jews in Jerusalem
and surrounding Judaea.
00:17:01.28\00:17:04.99
Meanwhile,
00:17:05.02\00:17:06.35
back in King Artaxerxes' palace,
00:17:06.39\00:17:08.19
Nehemiah, another
Jew who loved God,
00:17:08.22\00:17:11.33
was working as
the king's cupbearer.
00:17:11.36\00:17:14.06
Sai, do you know
what a cupbearer does?
00:17:14.10\00:17:17.50
He tastes and
drinks the king's food
00:17:17.53\00:17:21.10
to test if it has poison in it.
00:17:21.14\00:17:23.20
Yes, that's right.
00:17:23.24\00:17:24.57
A very dangerous
job, don't you think?
00:17:24.61\00:17:27.11
Well, every
mealtime, you risk dying.
00:17:27.14\00:17:30.28
But Nehemiah did his job
cheerfully and faithfully.
00:17:30.31\00:17:34.25
One day, Nehemiah heard
00:17:34.28\00:17:35.65
that the
rebuilding work at Jerusalem
00:17:35.68\00:17:37.49
had almost ground to a halt.
00:17:37.52\00:17:40.12
He prayed earnestly
00:17:40.16\00:17:41.49
and asked God to open up the way
00:17:41.52\00:17:43.69
if he was meant to go
and help rebuild Jerusalem.
00:17:43.73\00:17:47.03
Nehemiah was so sad
00:17:47.06\00:17:48.63
and by the news that
even the king noticed.
00:17:48.66\00:17:51.57
The king's servants
were to always look happy
00:17:51.60\00:17:54.70
in the king's presence
00:17:54.74\00:17:56.20
or he might order
them to be put to death.
00:17:56.24\00:17:59.44
Let's find out what happened.
00:17:59.47\00:18:01.74
Turn to the book of Nehemiah,
00:18:01.78\00:18:03.81
the next book in
the Bible after Ezra,
00:18:03.85\00:18:06.95
and we'll start with Bryce
00:18:06.98\00:18:08.85
and will read Nehemiah 2:2 to 5.
00:18:08.88\00:18:12.75
Bryce, could you
please read verse 2?"
00:18:12.79\00:18:16.59
"Therefore the king said to me,
00:18:16.62\00:18:18.93
'Why is your face sad,
since you are not sick?
00:18:18.96\00:18:21.96
This is nothing
but sorrow of heart.'
00:18:22.00\00:18:24.13
So I became dreadfully afraid."
00:18:24.17\00:18:26.43
And, Chemiah, verse 3.
00:18:26.47\00:18:27.80
"And said to the king,
'May the king live forever!
00:18:30.64\00:18:33.68
Why should my face
not be sad, when the city,
00:18:33.71\00:18:36.68
the place of my
fathers' tombs, lies waste,
00:18:36.71\00:18:39.71
and its gates are
burned with fire?'"
00:18:39.75\00:18:43.72
And, Jireh, verse 4.
00:18:43.75\00:18:45.09
"Then the king said to
me, 'What do you request?'
00:18:48.12\00:18:51.86
So I prayed to
the God of heaven."
00:18:51.89\00:18:54.60
And, Sai, verse 5.
00:18:54.63\00:18:56.73
"And I said to the
king, 'If it pleases the king,
00:18:56.77\00:19:00.07
and if your servant has
found favor in your sight,
00:19:00.10\00:19:03.51
I ask that you send me to Judah,
00:19:03.54\00:19:06.21
the city of my fathers'
tombs, that I may rebuild it.'"
00:19:06.24\00:19:10.01
King Artaxerxes kindly agreed.
00:19:10.05\00:19:12.71
So about 13 years
after Ezra went to Jerusalem,
00:19:12.75\00:19:16.05
Nehemiah journeyed there.
00:19:16.08\00:19:18.32
The king also provided
Nehemiah with official letters
00:19:18.35\00:19:21.22
and soldiers to
protect him as he traveled.
00:19:21.26\00:19:23.99
He even gave
Nehemiah a letter for Asaph,
00:19:24.03\00:19:27.00
the keeper of the king's forest.
00:19:27.03\00:19:29.06
Asaph was ordered to provide
00:19:29.10\00:19:30.77
as much timber as
Nehemiah asked for
00:19:30.80\00:19:33.27
to build the
city walls and gates
00:19:33.30\00:19:35.30
and for his own house.
00:19:35.34\00:19:37.37
When Nehemiah
arrived at Jerusalem,
00:19:37.41\00:19:39.67
he secretly rode
around the city by night
00:19:39.71\00:19:42.11
to assess the huge
task of rebuilding the wall.
00:19:42.14\00:19:45.65
And daunted by what he saw,
00:19:45.68\00:19:47.62
he spoke with the
priests, nobles, and officials.
00:19:47.65\00:19:51.05
Auntie Leah,
could you please read
00:19:51.09\00:19:53.12
Nehemiah's proposal
in verses 17 and 18?
00:19:53.15\00:19:56.52
Sure.
00:19:56.56\00:19:58.16
"Then I said to them,
00:19:58.19\00:19:59.76
'You see the
distress that we are in,
00:19:59.79\00:20:02.20
how Jerusalem lies waste
00:20:02.23\00:20:03.80
and its gates
are burned with fire.
00:20:03.83\00:20:05.90
Come and let us build
the wall of Jerusalem,
00:20:05.93\00:20:08.84
that we may no
longer be a reproach.'
00:20:08.87\00:20:11.34
And I told them
of the hand of my God
00:20:11.37\00:20:14.48
which had been good upon me,
00:20:14.51\00:20:16.31
and also of the king's
words that he had spoken to me.
00:20:16.34\00:20:19.71
So they said, 'Let
us rise up and build.'
00:20:19.75\00:20:22.48
Then they set their
hands to this good work."
00:20:22.52\00:20:25.39
So every family was
allocated a section of the wall,
00:20:25.42\00:20:28.92
and they all worked together.
00:20:28.96\00:20:30.73
As before the
opposition was back,
00:20:30.76\00:20:33.40
mocking them and
trying to stop the work.
00:20:33.43\00:20:35.96
One mocked, "Even a fox
could knock the wall down."
00:20:36.00\00:20:39.43
But when their
taunts didn't work,
00:20:39.47\00:20:41.37
Sanballat, a Samarian leader
00:20:41.40\00:20:43.81
tried to lay a
trap to kill Nehemiah.
00:20:43.84\00:20:46.54
Five times he sent
messengers to entice Nehemiah
00:20:46.57\00:20:49.84
to come for talks
in the plain of Ono.
00:20:49.88\00:20:52.45
And five times,
Nehemiah refused.
00:20:52.48\00:20:55.45
Bethany, could you
please read Nehemiah's reply
00:20:55.48\00:20:58.29
in chapter 6:3.
00:20:58.32\00:21:01.09
"So I sent
messengers to them, saying,
00:21:01.12\00:21:03.59
'I am doing a great work
so that I cannot come down.
00:21:03.63\00:21:06.59
Why should the work cease
00:21:06.63\00:21:07.96
while I leave it
and go down to you?'"
00:21:08.00\00:21:10.27
Let's have a look
at our torchlight.
00:21:10.30\00:21:12.13
Mrs. White's writings
in Prophets and Kings,
00:21:12.17\00:21:15.10
page 645, to see
what it shines on this.
00:21:15.14\00:21:19.44
Thanks, Caleb.
00:21:19.47\00:21:21.48
"Amidst great discouragement,
Nehemiah made God his trust,
00:21:21.51\00:21:26.28
his sure defense.
00:21:26.31\00:21:27.65
However, craftily
the plots of Satan
00:21:27.68\00:21:30.59
and his agents may be laid,
00:21:30.62\00:21:32.59
God can detect
them and bring to naught
00:21:32.62\00:21:35.36
all their counsels.
00:21:35.39\00:21:36.99
And response of faith today
00:21:37.03\00:21:38.69
will be the
response made by Nehemiah,
00:21:38.73\00:21:41.53
'Our God shall fight for us,'
00:21:41.56\00:21:43.53
for God is in the work,
00:21:43.57\00:21:45.10
and no man can
prevent its ultimate success."
00:21:45.13\00:21:48.57
Just like Nehemiah,
00:21:48.60\00:21:50.47
the Apostle Paul
was very positive
00:21:50.51\00:21:52.84
even in
distressing circumstances.
00:21:52.87\00:21:55.44
Let's turn to Romans 8:31
00:21:55.48\00:21:57.98
and read the second part
together for our memory verse.
00:21:58.01\00:22:01.12
Okay, let's read.
00:22:04.42\00:22:06.15
"If God is for us,
who can be against us?"
00:22:06.19\00:22:10.49
Amen.
00:22:10.53\00:22:11.86
God prospered their efforts.
00:22:11.89\00:22:13.60
After lying in
ruins for nearly 90 years,
00:22:13.63\00:22:17.07
6:15 tells us
00:22:17.10\00:22:19.60
they finished
rebuilding the walls
00:22:19.63\00:22:21.64
in just 52 days under
Nehemiah's leadership.
00:22:21.67\00:22:25.97
That's less than two months.
00:22:26.01\00:22:28.14
They also made doors
for all the city gates
00:22:28.18\00:22:31.18
with timber provided
from the king's forest,
00:22:31.21\00:22:33.92
and soon the city was secure.
00:22:33.95\00:22:36.25
This was cause for celebration.
00:22:36.28\00:22:38.55
Ezra read from the
scrolls to the assembled crowd,
00:22:38.59\00:22:41.72
the people wept when they heard
how far they had drifted away
00:22:41.76\00:22:44.96
from following God.
00:22:44.99\00:22:46.63
But the ever positive Nehemiah
encouraged them to rejoice
00:22:46.66\00:22:50.23
as they renewed their
vows to follow God's Word.
00:22:50.27\00:22:53.13
So they praised
God for all He had done
00:22:53.17\00:22:55.50
in restoring
their homeland to them.
00:22:55.54\00:22:58.17
We've been on
quite a long track,
00:22:58.21\00:22:59.74
haven't we?
00:22:59.77\00:23:01.11
In everything we see,
00:23:01.14\00:23:02.48
how lovingly God watches over us
00:23:02.51\00:23:04.68
and is always ready to help us.
00:23:04.71\00:23:06.88
Now here's Matthew
and Calie to remind us
00:23:06.92\00:23:09.72
how to obtain the devotional
00:23:09.75\00:23:11.19
that goes with
today's Bible study.
00:23:11.22\00:23:13.12
What do you want?
00:23:17.36\00:23:18.89
Are you bored?
00:23:18.93\00:23:20.26
Yes.
00:23:20.30\00:23:21.63
Look what I got.
00:23:21.66\00:23:24.90
Whoa!
00:23:24.93\00:23:26.53
Look at that!
00:23:26.57\00:23:28.37
Where did you get this?
00:23:28.40\00:23:30.97
ADayWithTheKing.com.
00:23:31.01\00:23:34.34
Thank you, Matthew and Calie.
00:23:34.38\00:23:36.58
Let's go over our memory.
00:23:36.61\00:23:39.05
You can say it too.
00:23:39.08\00:23:41.15
"If God is for us,
who can be against us?"
00:23:41.18\00:23:45.65
Romans 8:31.
00:23:45.69\00:23:48.42
Now there's a
promise to give us confidence
00:23:48.46\00:23:50.89
that Jesus will deliver
us out of all our troubles.
00:23:50.93\00:23:53.90
You know Jesus has
already proved to us
00:23:53.93\00:23:56.50
that He's stronger than Satan?
00:23:56.53\00:23:58.63
Bailey, what did you
learn about the King today?
00:23:58.67\00:24:01.44
If I keep trusting in Jesus,
00:24:01.47\00:24:03.24
I can get the
victory over my sins.
00:24:03.27\00:24:05.31
Wow, that's so true.
00:24:05.34\00:24:06.91
Victory is promised to us.
00:24:06.94\00:24:08.84
All we have to do is trust Jesus
00:24:08.88\00:24:11.11
and obey His Word
00:24:11.15\00:24:12.51
through the strength
that He freely gives us.
00:24:12.55\00:24:14.42
Just ask.
00:24:14.45\00:24:15.78
It's so simple.
00:24:15.82\00:24:17.35
Uncle Daniel, it's
time for our blessing song.
00:24:17.39\00:24:19.65
Yes, it is.
00:24:19.69\00:24:21.16
May you be a blessing
to someone this Sabbath
00:24:21.19\00:24:24.43
as Jesus has blessed you.
00:24:24.46\00:24:26.90
Ready, everyone?
00:24:26.93\00:24:28.26
May God bless you and keep you
00:24:32.67\00:24:37.81
And fill your heart with love
00:24:37.84\00:24:42.88
May God guide and protect you
00:24:42.91\00:24:48.05
And watch you from above
00:24:48.08\00:24:53.15
And Sabbath after Sabbath
00:24:53.19\00:24:58.33
We greet the day of rest
00:24:58.36\00:25:03.47
The day the King of glory
00:25:03.50\00:25:08.60
has sanctified and blessed
00:25:08.64\00:25:13.84
Goodbye, my
friend, till we meet again
00:25:13.88\00:25:18.98
For another day with the King
00:25:19.01\00:25:23.95
Goodbye.
00:25:23.99\00:25:25.32
Happy Sabbath.
00:25:25.35\00:25:27.32
I know Jesus loves me
because He's blessed me
00:25:35.73\00:25:38.03
with amazing family and friends.
00:25:38.07\00:25:39.73
I know Jesus loves me
00:25:44.67\00:25:46.01
because He keeps me
safe from day to day.
00:25:46.04\00:25:48.68
I know Jesus loves me
because He gave me animals.
00:25:54.12\00:25:57.09