Beholding Yeshua in Ezra–Nehemiah
A journey through bricks, brokenness, and the longing for a true King
Three months before our third child was born, I flipped through my Bible, trying to decide which book to read next. We had experienced quite the rollercoaster over the last three years, as my husband had transitioned from full-time ministry to corporate America. We had no idea where God was leading us next.
My husband, Michael, sat across from me as the pages of the book of Ezra fell open. “Hey babe, when was the last time you read through Ezra?”
King Yeshua: Son of Man in Daniel
As a child and teenager, I often scratched my head whenever I read a story in which Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man. I mean, wasn’t Jesus God’s Son? Why would He call Himself a Son of Man? It wasn’t to clarify His humanity but something much deeper.
In fact, of all the books in the Old Testament, by using this seemingly innocent “nickname” for Himself, Jesus was explicitly pointing to EXACTLY who He was and is whenever He used it. Beyond the famous lion’s den and fiery furnace narratives, did you know that we can undoubtedly behold King Yeshua—Jesus—in the pages of Daniel? The people around Jesus at the time would have immediately understood what He was doing.
Daniel is often perceived as a book filled with inspiring tales of faithfulness and courage. The connection between Daniel’s "Son of Man" and Jesus’ self-identification is particularly intriguing.
Yeshua in the Writings: Esther
I’ve always been fascinated by the Book of Esther. It’s a story that feels like it could have been written for today—full of political intrigue, unexpected reversals, and a heroine who has to decide whether to risk everything for the sake of her people. What I love most about it, though, is how Yeshua is hidden in its pages. Just like God's name is never mentioned, yet His presence is unmistakable. Yeshua is there, woven into the very fabric of the story.
The Ecclesiastic King
Inside a little blue-gray bungalow on Alexander Street in Clay Center, Nebraska, around 1986 or so, Ann read her daughter the story of King Solomon in 1 Kings 3:1-15 when he asked God for wisdom. She read, starting in verse 5, while her daughter sat in her pajamas, holding her favorite stuffed polar bear.
“In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”
Solomon’s Prayer
6 Then Solomon said, “You have shown great faithfulness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great faithfulness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it isthis day. 7
King Yeshua in Lamentations
Her words caught me completely off guard. I had absolutely no words for the sorrow that immediately flooded my heart. And at the end of the call, I asked if I could pray with her. Instead, I wept. I could barely form the words to pray for my dear sister in Christ, even when I knew that Jesus has her. Even though I know, I will see her again someday, whether healing finds her in this life or in the one to come. My head knows these things. But my heart takes a bit to reconcile it all. Perhaps “a bit” is too short. Overcoming hardship, sorrow, trauma, and unjustifiable pain sometimes take years, even a lifetime.
But my head immediately went to Jesus and his response to Lazarus’ death (John 11). He knew what was happening with his friend, yet He chose to prolong his current trip and wait to head to Bethany. HE knew that Lazarus had passed. His head knew it…. But His heart? His heart wept when he was confronted with the actual reality of His own grief.
The King in the Book of Ruth
The book of Ruth is often labeled as a love story, but to see it merely as a romantic tale misses the depth of its message. The book is raw and powerful in ways that will astonish the reader. The first time I read the verse (3:7b) as a teenager, I thought, “Man! This woman is so bold!” What woman sneaks into a man’s workplace and then lays down at his feet while snoozing after his shift is over?
King Yeshua in the Song of Songs
I have a very vivid memory of the first time I read Song of Songs. Between the ages of 4th through 6th grade, I was sitting on a hard wooden pew on the far left side of the church with the rest of the youth group. As the minister preached, my best friend Kendra and I thumbed through those chapters, horrified at first, then giggling, plastering our hands over our mouths at several points. We were beyond floored that “those kinds of things” were in our Bibles: God’s Word.
Today, after recalling that memory, I plan to teach my children about the beauty of God’s love letter to us through the pen of King Solomon. How awesome is it that we have the dream of every love-starved man and woman written down in black and white in the pages of our Bible—a relationship that only some are blessed to know? When reading through Song of Songs, I ask myself, “Has humanity become love-starved? Could that be why there is such a focus on quick “love” from cell phone applications like Tinder or such a thing as “one-night-stands?”
King Jesus/Yeshua in the Book of Job
To me, the book of Job is one of the most challenging narratives found in all of Scripture. In our humanness and limited understanding, the depth of the storyline is difficult to reconcile. Job endures unimaginable loss—our worst fears became his reality. Yet somehow, through his suffering, a greater story unfolds. Beneath the grief and unanswered questions, we see a thread of redemption woven throughout his story. Job’s story is not merely about suffering; it is about hope. It points us beyond itself to the ultimate Redeemer, Jesus Christ. And in many ways, Job’s story is our story, too.
THE SHEPHERD KING: YESHUA
Growing up in Nebraska, it is no surprise that I found myself trailing behind my Dad, Roger, in hundreds of corn fields in my lifetime. My Dad is a retired agronomist and crop scientist who has dedicated his life to wanting to "feed the world." Although that was his passion, he sometimes found himself disheartened when farmers monetized their crops for ethanol or other means. So, at a crucial moment, our family bought a small acreage outside of the small town I'd grown up in, and he began a new hobby: sheep.
YESHUA: KING OF THE SABBATH
The Sabbath, or Shabbat, is one of the most beautiful gifts given by God to humanity. From the beginning, it was set apart as holy, a day of rest and reflection to draw closer to the Creator. The Sabbath is more than a commandment; it’s an eternal instruction—a declaration of identity and purpose. It reminds us of who we are as God’s children, and who we are not. In Yeshua, the King of the Sabbath, we find its ultimate fulfillment, wrapped in the peace He left for us.
Learning to Pray God’s Word When Our Own Words Fail Us
It was late summer in Colorado, and I’d spent the last few months exhausted. But like the “good mom I was trying to be,” I would walk to our community pool with Titus, who was 18 months at the time, at least once a week. Michael, my husband, had been giving me a hard time lately, “Why aren’t you taking him to the pool more?” as I was a stay-at-home mom, and Titus begged me almost every day to walk him to the pool to swim. (He was a pretty cute kid and could puppy-dog-eyes like the best of them!) But I was exceedingly tired until it dawned on me, “I think I’m pregnant!”
I remember how giddy I was and how many pregnancy tests I had taken to share the news with Michael. I’d painted “I’m a Big Brother” on one of Titus’ favorite green onesies and prepared a “pregnancy test bouquet” (thanks, Pinterest; but it's so weird now that I’m typing it) to surprise Michael.
The King is Born: Hope in an Unexpected Arrival
As we celebrate the birth of Christ, it’s easy to become numb to the familiar message found in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 2. The nativity story is so well-known, so well-trodden, that we might wonder: What more can be said? (A lot, actually.) But perhaps the real “Behold” moment of Christmas isn’t about gaining fresh insights—it’s about the posture of our hearts. It’s about making room for Jesus in a way that transforms us.
King Yeshua in the Torah
A Thread Woven From Beginning to End
Many people approach the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy) as if it is merely a historical or legal document with no connection to Yeshua (Jesus). They believe that Yeshua is strictly a New Testament figure, disconnected from the foundation of Scripture. But nothing could be further from the truth. They perceive Him as a figure solely of the New Testament. Yet, Yeshua’s presence is intricately woven throughout the Torah. From the creation of the world to the final words of Moses, the Messiah is revealed in profound and sometimes hidden ways. When we read the Torah with eyes to see, we encounter Yeshua as the heartbeat of the story from the very beginning. He is present, revealing the heart and plan of God long before His incarnation in Bethlehem.
The Goodness of God: John & Revelation
When we speak of God’s goodness in our lives, how often do we allow this simple truth to deeply reside in the crevices of our hearts and settle into our everyday lives where it matters most?
What does it mean to live as though God IS good?
Often, we can understand these truths on the surface, but our hearts and minds have not fully embraced what this means for our current reality– that Jesus is the “light of men” and has overcome darkness, both now and in eternity!
The Goodness of God: In Matthew, Mark & Luke
I always knew my calling was to be a wife and a mother. That dream’s first half became reality when my husband and I married. Many tears were shed, and prayers were spoken about our request to become parents. However, I didn’t know I would have to wait ten years into our marriage before I could fulfill the role of mother.
In the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, there is a story about a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years. Can you imagine? The Bible doesn’t say, but did she also have other symptoms along with the bleeding?
As Was His Custom: Repent. Believe. Follow.
It wasn’t until I sat in a discipleship seminar that a lightbulb blazed on inside my soul. It was the realization that Jesus preached the Gospel.
Wait- what? I thought the Gospel was Him.
And it is. Jesus is a BIG PART of it. But there’s more. And when I realized what He preached about, when He was preaching about the Gospel, all the bells and whistles began to sync together into a perfectly harmonized song.
As Was His Custom: Serving
We live in a world preoccupied with greatness. As humans, we follow star athletes, celebrities, artists, and leaders, and we yearn for significance in the individual corners of our own lives. We pursue financial gain, popularity, appeal, and admiration. We seek to be known and praised. We find satisfaction in attention and aspire to feel important in the eyes of others. Throughout history, this obsession has taken many shapes and forms, but it is the same, nonetheless: conquering kingdoms, rising to power, acquiring a following, generating wealth, gaining importance.
When Jesus came, however, He modeled an entirely opposite ambition and aim. Instead of seeking greatness by these standards, Jesus turned our entire way of living on its head, swinging the pendulum to the other extreme. He taught that in His Kingdom, the key to greatness is, in fact, found in becoming less:
Jesus both taught and modeled in His earthly ministry a different objective– Serving is the way of God’s Kingdom.
As Was His Custom: Fellowship Part 2
While the gift of salvation is certainly a personal decision one makes individually, the restoration of fellowship with God opens up the gift of fellowship with His church. Eugene Peterson refers to our association with and participation in the body, the church, as “part of the fabric of redemption.” We can’t separate our fellowship with God from our fellowship with other believers and truly experience the fullness of what Jesus offers. They are inextricably tied, and it is within the context of common fellowship that we experience the fullness of what Jesus came to bring, in community with his Body: his imperfect, beautiful, messy, and beloved church. We see the early church experiencing this same fellowship: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
As Was His Custom: Fellowship Part 1
What comes to mind when you hear the word fellowship? If you grew up in the church as I did, you may envision a potluck dinner after service in the church’s fellowship hall, or perhaps a small group cookout. Fellowship may also spur on ideas of gathering, of togetherness, or simply being with friends and family, within or outside of the church. Fellowship as a whole is a great concept. Who doesn’t want to belong, to be a part of, to have fellow friends and family with whom we share life’s experiences?
In examination of the life of Jesus, he, too, enjoyed the blessings of fellowship. Yet the fellowship he walked in and emulated for us is far more profound than what one may experience simply at a church get-together or gathering with friends. While it certainly can include such experiences, there is so much more. The fellowship seen in and through the life of Jesus is central to His mission, life-altering, and available to each one of us who choose to receive it.
As Was His Custom: Fasting
While we don’t hear much about fasting in our modern faith circles, the power of this singular spiritual discipline is wholly worth pursuing. In my own faith journey, I’ve reaped the profound benefits of fasting and prayer, particularly when seeking direction, to hear more clearly from the voice of God, and to experience a breakthrough in an area of struggle. While I find such a powerful and extensive topic intimidating to write about, I’m eager to illuminate Jesus’ example and teaching in this custom while emboldening each of us to follow Jesus and experience more of Him through this practice.