Like Joshua, God is FOR us, God Works Through Humans

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Ah – Joshua the story speaks to the people working the Lord’s intentions – the Lord is powerful – we work for Him (whether we know it or not)…  I pray to be knowing it – and knowing Him – and working not in our element but in our (my)chemistry with the others around us. What a blessing to have friends to share with – yes…

I know that I myself am called to be an encourager – that is good for us to know and can grow in that – but also see that when placed in a position to help, hug, hollar, who knows – that is my job to do…  And love people – and “People who need people” – we can clearly see people whom the Lord uses to further His plan – sharing His love – being the difference in someone’s life….  

At the funeral that I just attended yesterday, so many spoke about the “captain charisma” joyfulness of our friend’s son – really someone who changed other’s lives. And yes it is so sad – as this young man passed away suddenly at just 35 years – apparently God knew the timing… The first to give the eulogy was a friend who told of how Justin came into his life at the right time and when he was struggling and this new friendship brotherhood brought life and wit and adversity like a brother (quoting proverbs 17:17) for good – and brought purpose into his life/scene everyday. This gentleman spoke so emotionally eloquently about their relationship. Others spoke of the amazing glue that this “captain charisma” was holding each group together where he was. We were in sorrow but in joy to know this young man. We pray for the family as they all struggle with this loss. “Unfailing Love” and “Amazing Grace” – oh the holy spirit goosebumps I had to hear strum the guitar and to sing…  Ah – my church family I am so grateful…

Also yesterday I heard of a church friend who passed in her 60s, with early dementia – ah so sad – she was such joy…  She especially was joy for her grandkids… JOY is in our sharing with her life and sorrow in her passing as we loved her in our women’s retreat group – and my connection with her started years ago when we stepped into then our new church and she toured us and introduced us around… with her also being one of the first people I was able to share my awakening with, 10 years ago now. 

And wonderfully yesterday I gathered with women whom I shared the table with at a “Walk to Emmaus” weekend many years ago – and we caught up for our 44th (yes 44th!) visit (either in person or virtually) – missed our other table mate and send hugs and love and prayers her way…  It is SO good how God gives us family… We love even though we don’t always see each other… 

It is SO good to have brothers and sisters in Christ – who understand us or at least try to understand and help and correct and support….

So – God works through humans for good – and even “brothers for adversity” scripture comes after the Proverbs 17:17 part of “A friend loves at all times”...

And in Joshua? Well even though I have not read this book on Joshua (yet) from author Steven Lennox – I know from the sense of a leader instilled in Joshua by God, chapter 1 – the FEAR NOT passage – that we are to work WITH God – for God – by God – and not be afraid or discouraged – because God goes with us – and especially we are to go meet the people we are to meet – and to be that glue and that joy and that friend and that family and that

Let us all be courageously the glue of the Love of the Lord and spread it not thin but thick – because God makes endless opportunities to love…  and we work for Him… Courageously!!!

Amen

Joshua 1:6-9 God says: “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. … Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Like Joshua, God is FOR us – God Keeps His Promises

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God Keeps His Promises – yes that is a truth that I can appreciate – and one that is a section title in the new book I ordered from Amazon about JOSHUA – by Stephen Lennox – the sermonist who delivered the very meaningful sermon to my ears and life fears at the time – “FEAR NOT” Dr Lennox said – which God said – which Joshua heard – which the author of the book of Genesis heard – which we are all to hear – which I hear.

God is FOR us – and God keeps His Promises – I mean we realize that He kept and keeps our biggest one of Grace and Mercy with Jesus saving our souls – so why wouldn’t He keep all the other little and big promises too – like Jeremiah’s there is a plan for you – and all those promises of taking care of us that Jesus used even the birds to demonstrate and the flowers who are splendidly dressed so why should we worry what we wear let alone eat – and eat we do of His Bread of Life…

So, if God is for us – well, why would we worry – but we can WORK and put our negative energies into something creative or at least not destructive…

Last Thursday I went late to drop off some boxes that my work folks had created and decorated from a project to celebrate kids in the Foster system. I stepped late into the unknown BIG building and prayed that I would be OK dropping them off and clearing out just that much more of a section in my packed car. Especially to get these kids these treats…  We want to connect the blessings we have with the well wishes for them and thank the people who do the amazing tasks of taking care of these children. God is FOR us and for sure God is FOR these children and there are many agencies who look after children.

The security guard hit the wrong button on the elevator and I found myself on the 4th floor not 5th – and in a school open welcoming space with not one soul – and I wondered if this was the right place and if I should just leave the boxes – I decided to start to write a note – and luckily blessedly three people came by just then and redirected me (and used their badges) to the next floor up. Whew – and there was a person still there – and the boxes were delivered – whew.

I found that TRUST and that security was beneficial and comforting – then again seemed TOO trustworthy for my actions even though I know there were cameras everywhere….

But isn’t that true of God too – He trusts us – He certainly sees us like better than those cameras – and He can reach out to us too – and send help. I wonder if we all could just remember that He watches us all the time and try our best…

I wonder…

I hope…

I pray…

God keeps His Promises – one of them is to WATCH us!

and LOVE us.

AMEN

Realizations of Jesus-Rescue Experiences, Sharing the Saves NOT the Causes… Joshua “Fear Not”

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“Fear not”, is the catchphrase of my moments, ever since I listened to an Ocean Grove sermon on Joshua chapter 1. In the moments after that Sunday service, I was able to share the short 30 second version of the “rescue” of Jesus to me sinking in fear that occurred a few times in my life now – I did not share the causes (especially because they are not relevant now, THANK GOD) but shared the RESCUE reality, the feeling of that recovery, that realization that Jesus is ALWAYS with us. 

Most importantly, I try to revisit the saving feeling NOT the sinking feeling. I also remember to describe the rescue not the reasons for the sinking because that is like dredging up old stuff that especially I don’t need to dredge up for myself nor make gossip for those times in my life that I have now moved on from. Share Jesus rescue experiences, not the causes, at least not in a 30 second meet and greet. In other times, sure – when it is pertinent. Jesus saves are ALWAYS pertinent. 

“FEAR NOT” as in Joshua, Joshua 1, the is Lord telling Joshua (taking the lead after Moses to cross the wandering people into the promised land by way of the overflowed Jordan River) to pay attention and do what he is asked and to not waiver, and “FEAR NOT, I am always with you”…. TRUE, God is always with us – and directing us – oh if only we understand and try to step out NOT in irrational fear but in DRAWING NEAR…  Like the Godspell lyrics: “Day by day – Oh Dear Lord -Three things I pray – To see thee more clearly – Love thee more dearly – Follow thee more nearly – Day by day”…

When I experienced irrational fear – those couple times over the past 10 years – it is this image of what I drew that I have immortalized in photo and in heart – it is simply stick figures but my mind fleshes out the emotions and the rescue and the realization of Jesus reaching for me and me reaching to Him – drawn as stick figures – it reinforces that “He saved me then – He will save me again” feeling…  And the background information is so important to me as it would be in any people’s struggles – their triumph by way of God. And yet it is not the pain but the power of God which is to be remembered more.

Yes in life,  one has to keep a good grip on Jesus’s hand… having stress is between you and Him, He helps the resolution but also He helps how we handle stress to move forward…. if Jesus says “give it to Me”,  He REALLY means it! If a particular stress re-occurs and continues to re-occur – if that stressor does not go away – well, we especially need to keep listening to Jesus’s help. 

It is crucial that I re-live Jesus’s saving moment more than I relive the sinking stress that caused me to reach to Him… Remember the saving feeling.. I pray to not lose grip of His Hand… His save is the physical moment of “You were running a good race, who cut into you to stop you from obeying the truth”. The truth is that we are still in the race…  The truth is Jesus.

THANK YOU LORD AGAIN for the save… AMEN


So, to follow up on the sermon from that Sunday, I started listening to the morning bible hours on recordings, Joshua chapters explained. It is so wonderful to have a direct connection to the people who inspire us and also encourage them that their teachings hit a right nerve… Dr Lennox speaks in plain enough sharing of the deep meanings and makes this chapter accessible to us learning. Here is day 3 Wednesday the 30th as a video link, starts at the section of the teaching at minute 18:

AMEN…


FROM the rescue: Here is the writing I wrote 10 years ago just after I drew that sketch:

Yesterday after stressing about a really bad situation on and off for a couple of weeks, I was stressing awful… Yikes, my stress was thru the roof that very instant!!!! But WOW, how Jesus calmed it….I won’t tell you what those stressors were, but this was my text message to a friend immediately after my heart was released from that pain….. The stressor didn’t go away, but giving it to God made all the difference…

“Wow, I was just feeling so stressed this morning and it caused a real physical heart heaviness feeling, but it’s now GONE due to a refocus on Jesus…. stress pen chewing, gum, and I ate my lunch early, no help, stressing my heart SO heavy…. And so a friend came into my office, she is a good Christian friend and I was able to explain to her this tremendous stress feeling (and what caused it)… And then I explained that often when I was feeling under a storm I would ask Jesus to come back into my boat… when I (like Peter) reached my hand up, out of the water while sinking, that I could re-focus…. So while telling her this, I actually motioned up, reaching for Jesus with my hand and grabbing HIS… And I am not kidding, my heart felt such instant relief!!!!! It was amazing, instant relief, the heaviness gone!!!!! WOW!!!!! Good God!!!! Thank you Jesus for this peace!!!”

I told another friend about this amazing release feeling and she said “Welcome back into the boat!”

PEACE


Joshua 3 NIV – Crossing the Jordan

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.


Joshua 1:1-11 NIV Joshua Installed as Leader
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”

“SEEK ME”, Faith Flourishes in Ocean Grove

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I knew it was the best opportunity to ‘escape’ to Ocean Grove, NJ. 

I wanted to know that I allowed myself ‘a decompression day’ from everything – which still allowed me to be connected (my new cellphone works great) and be in the super duper frame of mind to look for the presence of the Lord. AND THE BEACH TOO… plus excited that my friend joined me, she has moved so it’s good to see her when I can, this was her first visit here so I connected her with this gem of Ocean Grove, ‘God’s Square Mile’…

Driving 7am, started my day with catching up with one of the recordings of an online sermon from a great church – the pastor had a message about Joshua 1, Faith and Obedience… “Don’t just listen to God, DO WHAT HE SAYS”… and then after a great moment sitting on the beach at 8am (with a great parking spot) writing my morning blog, and attending half of a boardwalk church 9am service with a guest missionary sharing on college campus ministry, I made it up to the great Auditorium with revival vibes, met my friend for 1030am service, and guess what? the scripture was for the sermon? Joshua 1… WOW, it’s like God chased me to have me hear these messages and scriptures and connect with the people also who needed to hear… If there’s nothing else in my life, and there is, I know that the Lord makes me a connector of people… 

I nestled into what I figured would likely be a different take on Joshua 1, “FEAR NOT”, but fear not I was thrilled with the amazing message, structured in his own way, he was a natural speaker and leader and had the funny story at the beginning to engage the group… (about the hallmark movies, and I immediately sent his sermon link YouTube version to a couple friends who are hallmark movie junkies)…

FEAR NOT! I highly recommend his sermon, it touched my life and my friend’s life and I will tell you the punchline of not the joke but the message: “the opposite of fear is not courage, but FAITH…” the sermonist spoke about irrational fear, how that is evil and overtakes us, whereas the Lord gives us natural, healthy fear, that keeps us safe, but we have to be weary of that catastrophic irrational fear… 

I had to go up to the sermonist after and share my photo of my stick figure of when Jesus pulled me out of the water from some irrational fear… Yeah – and he was able to chat with my friend as well – very nice opportunity to chat… 

Well, also ran into old friends of mine and someone I consider a new acquaintance friend of mine – she runs the bookstore Hub and we chatted about blogs last time after I wrote one on her wifi (and my phone was broken but I got to log onto my laptop inside and outside her store at the beginning of vacation at the beginning of July) – and this time (end of July) she recognized me and we chatted again – it is good to meet Godly people – she wrote a children’s book about the spiritual history of Ocean Grove – using Genesis 1:1 as the Founders did – and this was founders day week – and camp meeting week…  It is – life is – the world is – our faith is – all started by God – because IN the beginning was God.

Ah – the little cottages there and the ice cream and porch of that place and then the beach – ah…  Love Ocean Grove… When I buy the beach tag I consider it a church donation – it is so good to be immersed in the Lord’s blessings there. And the Ocean was low tide and warm enough to take a dip – no real swimming for me that day but book reading – and reading about Peter from “A Fragile Stone” – my beach book – authored by Michael Card the singer – a great read as a book and a great ‘read’ on Peter – how Jesus worked with Peter and also called him friend…  Peter like us fragile and yet strengthened by the Lord and His mission for us.

Ah – time to roll home but not before I took a moment to charge my phone, computer (no I didn’t ever get to work on it – that is OK) and recharge some more faith via singing at the pavilion at 4pm before driving home, the songs I all new – both contemporary and classic and wow it was like the Lord knew to keep me in Praise mode… He did – He does…

Well, enjoy the day and get out there and FEAR NOT – no irrational fear – just day by day, hour by hour, live the life He leads us on..

Oh – the best reinforcement of this all came from my new acquaintance friend at the bookstore – who decided to get thru the roadblock of her blogs and social media and everything marketing by hiring an outside doer company and stay in her creative mode and let them do the marketing – she said she had prayed to the Lord about all her questions of life and direction (“especially at her age” she said – retired a few times from previous paths”  – and THE LORD essentially said to her: “You’ve been seeking answers, NOW SEEK ME”…   

YUP – Seek the Lord first – and let HIM lead…

YUP…

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!



Ocean Grove sermon: “FEAR NOT” starts at the 40minute mark in the link – YES REALLY WORTH LISTENING TO!!!

Joshua 1:1-11 NIV

Joshua Installed as Leader

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”

‘God Bless It! God Bless It!’, Zechariah 4 and More

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Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ 

By God’s spirit I was fine, and my envisionment of treating myself later with ice cream helped, that’s how I got through the MRI chamber entrapment. Oh, tough, but doable. Nice breeze, nice time to rest, best view of lights above looking like sky with tree blossoms. But no music, sad, that might have helped, like in my previous MRI 7 years ago. So 20 minutes STUCK in the tube challenged me twice – pelvic hip scan then lumbar scan – for the pesky hamstring pull. It’s good to have good quality medical care and my socks said it all: “Without the Lab, Your Only Guessing.” Yes, we/I need real data for my health. 

And then, oh no, the fear of coughing, YIKES. You know when you try to stifle a cough and you try to focus on NOT coughing and you can’t help it. TOUGH. I only interrupted twice, had the squishy ball pump to signal needing to pause, and the technician was forgiving. 

I got through it... Yeah… Now, if I had had these visions of Zechariah, I probably would have been quite distracted and puzzling in my 20 minute moments, and then some, WOW… Zerubbabel of Judah rebuilt the temple of Jerusalem in the 500’s BC and is listed in the genealogy of Jesus, and (according to a quick google search and AI algorithms) scholars and non-scholars alike realize that any building up of Jerusalem, Judah-ites and Israelites, allows for Jesus physically and spiritually to come as Messiah, then and again. The prophecy detailed here goes with a plea that Jesus won’t come until the appointments time – depending upon the dedication of these exiled Judah-ites and Israelites back to God. WOW!

It’s OK if these are puzzling images, that’s why God sent angels to explain to Zechariah,  about Joshua and Zerubbabel (examples of listening to God and of Jesus, coming and recoming, of building and rebuilding). We can’t understand everything by ourselves – we can’t move mountains without God – NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT. 

But God Bless It. God Bless It, we can understand Jesus is Lord!

Amen

The Bible Project video helps here:

Zechariah 4-6 NKJV 

Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees

Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?”

So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?

Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘NOTBY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ” [also translated: “God Bless It! God Bless It!”]

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”

Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?”

Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”

The Flying Scroll

I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll. He asked me, “What do you see?”

I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”

And he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.’”

The Woman in a Basket

Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.”

I asked, “What is it?” He replied, “It is a basket.” And he added, “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land.”

Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.

Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me. He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”

Four Chariots

I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black, the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”

The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.

Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north.”

A Crown for Joshua

The word of the Lord came to me: “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak. Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.”