The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ezra 1:1-6, “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3 ‘Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.

4 ‘And every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.'”

5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

6 And all those about them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle, and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering.”

I don’t know what kinds of plays high schools utilize these days, but what I remember of the plays we used to give in high school had to do with a bit of mystery. Sometimes, there were voices that sounded offstage or from behind a curtain. You could hear the voices but had not the slightest idea of whose voice it was. Sound strange? Well, looking back, a lot of what we did in those days was strange.

In some respects (and especially in our current time), Ezra is giving us a sound of the Voice of the LORD, coming, as it were, from beyond God’s curtain.

Cyrus was king of Persia, known to us today as Iran. (How times change!) At that time, it was Cyrus who proclaimed that the LORD — the God of Heaven — had given him all the kingdoms of the earth and had appointed him to build the LORD a house in Jerusalem of Judea.

When anyone assesses that the LORD has put it in his heart to do something for Him, he would do well to attend immediately to the task. The Israelites could have protested. Cyrus himself could have ignored the LORD’s Voice. Yet doubtlessly, His Voice was a clarion call that required immediate attention.

Have you and I not heard a similar voice, setting forth the LORD’s call for action? It may have been a call for monetary funds for a needy missionary. It may have been to shovel snow from the driveway of a neighbor. It may have been a call to prayer for a far-off friend or a friend in a nearby hospital.

Whatever the Voice, it is summoning us “to battle” in the Name of the LORD. Instead of complaining (Why did He call on me?), He gives us the opportunity to work, guided by His Holy Spirit in bringing to pass an event that would be to His ultimate glory.

What has been His call to you? What has been your reply? Have you not assessed His calling as something remarkably beneficial to you? Such a call is to your benefit if you’ll only give it some thought. It is always to our benefit that He even notices us – even more so when we discover His calling. Listen! He’s calling you right now!! He’s asked for you! How will you answer Him? What will your answer be?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Nehemiah 2:1-8, “And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.

2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.

3 And I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?”

4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

5 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time.

7 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah,

8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.”

The passage above gives us insight into the relationship of Nehemiah and his king, Artaxerxes. It also emphasizes the importance of the LORD in both of their lives. Additionally, this passage teaches us the primacy of adherence to the things of the LORD.

The teaching here demonstrates the value of the LORD’s guidance of His people. There is no fundamental difference for us today. We are to value and adhere to the laws of our nation while simultaneously adhering to the teachings of our LORD in Holy Scripture. If the laws of any nation are not in line with Scripture, we should legally work to bring them into line. The LORD blesses nations that adhere to His Word, and He has the means of punishing those nations that rebel against Him.

The primary means of bringing any nation into agreement with the principles of the LORD is prayer and adherence to His Word.

“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:13-14).

May we each and every one prayerfully adhere to His Word.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

2 Kings 1:1-8, “Now Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

2 And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, ‘Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.’

3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?”

4 “Now therefore thus says the LORD, ‘You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ Then Elijah departed.

5 When the messengers returned to him he said to them, ‘Why have you returned?”

6 And they said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.”‘

7 And he said to them, “What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?”

8 And they answered him, “He was a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins.” And he said, ‘It is Elijah the Tishbite.'”

We are not given all of the specific aspects of King Ahaziah’s fall through the lattice in his upper chamber, except that it either brought about or was attributed to his illness. He then sent messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, asking whether he would recover.

As Ahaziah’s messengers returned more quickly than expected, they were called to account for their swift return. They reported that they had met Elijah, and when the king sent warriors to meet them, Elijah proved who he was by calling fire down from Heaven — fire that proved he was a servant of Almighty God.

We, who are saved, have an advocate in the LORD! All of our needs reside in Him. Satan is clever and powerful; however, his power cannot extend beyond the will of the LORD! Our yielding to the will of Almighty God is the secret of all our successes. There is no failure whatsoever in Him. What may appear as failure is there to draw us closer to Him. Is the LORD working in your life? Are you yielding to His will? His will will be done. Get on the LORD’s side today!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

I Kings 1:5-10, “Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, ‘I will be king.’ So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him.

6 And his father had never crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man; and he was born after Absalom.

7 And he had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and following Adonijah they helped him.

8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.

9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants.

10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.”

There’s an old idiom that pleads, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” It dates to the mid-16th century; therefore, Adonijah could not have known it—at least, by that name. Nevertheless, he boldly stated, “I will be king,” and proceeded to go forth with the process.

Adonijah’s attitude is partially his father’s fault. David had never denied Adonijah anything he wanted. Now, ill and on his deathbed, David is unable to correct his son! Why cannot parents see that a refusal to deny everything a child wants only exacerbates an ongoing, stubborn selfishness in the child?

Some anti-Semites should read Biblical history without prejudice! “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’ (Ps. 122:6)—and then recognize that to stubbornly oppose Israel’s occupation of her land is to blatantly oppose Almighty God!

Unfortunately, the problem of anti-Semites is still with us. May we understand the problem and allow the LORD to do for us what they denied Him to do for them.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

2 Samuel 1:1-12, “Now it came about after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David remained two days in Ziklag.

2 And it happened on the third day, that behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and dust on his head. And it came about when he came to David that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

3 Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

4 And David said to him, “How did things go? Please tell me.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”

5 So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely.

7 “And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’

8 “And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’

9 “Then he said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and kill me; for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me.’

10 “So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him.

12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.”

In many ways, this account of the death of Saul and Jonathan is quite normal. When we are faced with situations that could result in death, they often do. I have sympathy for this young man. Were we faced with a similar situation, we might have done the same thing.

David, on the other hand, had often suffered from the jealousies of Saul, who on more than one occasion had seriously endeavored to kill him. Probably, some of us would have responded to the young man’s report, would have said, “Well, he deserved it” or “had I been in this young man’s position, I would have killed him myself.”

Yet, Saul was their king, and Jonathan was David’s close friend. It is the responsibility of the LORD, who had positioned Saul as king, to remove him if He so willed. That is something we need to keep in the fore of our minds. Not everyone who is positioned as a leader (parents, teachers, pastors, etc.) will always require of us what we are willing to give. Yet, they are the leaders, put into various places by the LORD for our ultimate benefit.

The Scriptural passage above does not tell us, but we can only imagine that this young man wept with David and his associates, knowing that the LORD had noted it all. And so it is and should be with us when we find ourselves in a similar situation.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom