Crystallization-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther
Message Two
Crucial Aspects of Living in the Good Land after Returning from Captivity
in Babylon
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
1 Chron. 16:16-18 The covenant that He made with Abraham, and His oath unto Isaac…He confirmed it unto Jacob as a statute, unto Israel as an eternal covenant, saying, To you I will give the land of Canaan, the portion of your inheritance.
2 Chron. 20:22 And when they began to shout in song and to praise, Jehovah set ambushes for the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were coming out against Judah; and they were struck.
Word of Appetizer
What are some crucial aspects of living in the good land after returning from captivity in Babylon?
- Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of unfaithfulness; thus, those who returned from captivity were to be faithful to God.
- All those who returned to the good land from captivity in Babylon were commanded to know, obey, and worship Jehovah.
- The returning of the children of Israel to the good land signifies the returning of Christians from division to the ground of the church, the ground of oneness.
- The children of Israel who returned to the good land were told to remember the covenant that God made with Abraham.
Spiritual Burden
As believers in Christ, we need to have prayers that express God’s will and our desire to have our personal spiritual border to be enlarged. God wants man’s will to be joined to Him and wants man to be one with Him so that man may express and echo His will back to Him in prayer for His good pleasure.
From 2 Chronicles 20:15-22 we can learn to engage in spiritual warfare by praising the Lord. Praise is the highest work carried out by God’s children. In the church life and in our personal life, we need to offer consummate praise to God.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The history of the people of Israel is a type, typifying the New Testament believers and therefore typifying the church.
Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of unfaithfulness; thus, those who returned from captivity were to be faithful to God.
All those who returned to the good land from captivity in Babylon were commanded to know, obey, and worship Jehovah.
The returning of the children of Israel to the good land signifies the returning of Christians from division to the ground of the church, the ground of oneness.
The children of Israel who returned to the good land were told to remember the covenant that God made with Abraham.
The Experience of Life
When He, with His attribute of faithfulness, is wrought into us, He becomes us, and we become Him in His attribute of faithfulness. Because we are constituted with the faithful God, we must be faithful to Him; our being, our constitution, does not allow us to be otherwise.
Regardless of how good we may be as God’s called ones, we are still sinful. Thus, following the peace offering we need the sin offering. Hallelujah, the problem of sin has been settled! It has been taken away by Christ as our she-goat, as our sin offering. Following this there was the need of the burnt offering, the offering which signifies that everything must be for God (Lev. 1:10)…Christ was all of the offerings that God passed through in making a covenant with His called one.
Practice and Application
As believers in Christ, we need to have prayers that express God’s will and our desire to have our personal spiritual border to be enlarged. Only prayers that are initiated by God and echo what He has initiated have any spiritual value; we must learn to pray this kind of prayer.
Praise is the highest work carried out by God’s children; spiritual victory does not depend on warfare but on praising. In the church life and in our personal life, we need to offer consummate praise to God. Through the Christ whom we have experienced and enjoyed, we need to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. “I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; / And I will glorify Your name forever”.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 The history of Israel in the Old Testament is a big type signifying things to come (1 Cor. 1:11)
(Please illustrate the history of the people of Israel typify God’s people on earth today.)
T2 God’s faithfulness is not according to our natural understanding (2 Tim. 2:13)
(Please illustrate that in allowing us to have troubles, God is faithful in His purpose.)
Day 2
T1 Jehovah God is not only the One who is powerful, but is also the One who draws near to man (1 Chron. 16:8; Exo. 3:14)
(Please illustrate the meaning of the name of God and Jehovah.)
T2 As Jehovah, God is the existing God and the fulfilling God (Exo. 3:14; Exo. 6:6-8)
(Please illustrate the meaning of the name of El Shaddai and Jehovah.)
Day 3
T1 The local ground of the church is basically the unique oneness of the Body of Christ practiced in the local churches (Deut. 12:5; 1 Cor. 1:17)
(Please illustrate what is the local ground of the church.)
T2 The unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ, which is called “the oneness of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3)
(Please illustrate what the first element of the constitution of the church ground is.)
Day 4
T1 Abraham believed God for His promise concerning the seed, but he lacked the faith to believe God for the promise of the good land (Gen. 15:7, 9)
(Please illustrate what the three cattle, which were cut and killed typified when God confirmed His promise by making a covenant with Abraham through Christ. )
T2 The two living birds bear testimony of Christ as the resurrected One living in us and for us(John 14:19-20; Gal. 2:20)
(Please illustrate what the two birds, neither of which was killed, signify.)
Day 5
T1 The prayer of Jabez called on God to enlarge his border (1 Chron. 4:10; Matt. 6:10)
(Please illustrate what are the four steps in all spiritual work.)
T2 God does not want to act alone; He wants man to cooperate with Him (Matt. 6:10; John 15:7)
(Please illustrate why God would not destroy Satan quickly.)
Day 6
T1 Praise is the highest work carried out by God’s children (Psa. 22:3)
(Please illustrate that the highest expression of a saint’s spiritual life is his praise to God.)
T2 Spiritual victory does not depend on warfare—it depends on praise (2 Chron. 20:22)
(Please illustrate how King Jehoshaphat experienced victory in 2 Chronicles 20.)
