Today in Nehemiah chapter 9 we read the wonderful prayer of the Levites! This prayer is a fantastic overview of God's grace and discipline to the Israelites.
Today in Nehemiah chapter 10 we read the vows of the people, including these in verses 30 & 31: "We promise not to let our daughters marry the pagan people of the land, nor to let our sons marry their daughters. We further promise that if the people of the land should bring any merchandise or grain to be sold on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we will refuse to buy it. And we promise not to do any work every seventh year and to cancel the debts owed to us by other Jews." Related to the concept of the Sabbath in our modern world today, I recently came across a nice review of Bruce Ray's book titled "Celebrating the Sabbath: Finding Rest in a Restless World." Has anyone read this book? Reviews? Anyone have any other good books about the Sabbath you can recommend in the Comments section below? Thanks. How are you doing with taking a Sabbath?
Worship God: Today's readings reminded me of Casting Crowns song "Praise You in This Storm:"
We have powerful readings in Nehemiah today! Just to frame up for us the date of these readings, in chapter 8 verse 2 we are reading about October 8, 444 B.C. Verses 2 & 3 today tell us: "So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the scroll of the law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people paid close attention to the Book of the Law."
You'll note in verse 2 that we read about Ezra for the first time in the book of Nehemiah. And of course we just recently read the book of Ezra. Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries. Ezra was a priest and scribe - a religious leader - whereas Nehemiah was the governor - not a member of the religious establishment nor a prophet. However, it's important to note that Nehemiah was a layman who was very devoted to God! Nehemiah pursued God's will in a secular world. Do you suppose that you and I could learn something for our lives today from Nehemiah's devotion to God as a layperson? As a layperson, are you living your life fully devoted to God and pursuing God's will? Let us live like Nehemiah encourages us to live in chapter 8 verse 10 today! "Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" What do you think Nehemiah meant here by saying the joy of the Lord is your strength? Today, in your life, is the joy of the Lord your strength? If not, will you pray to know the joy of the Lord as your strength?
Worship God: Chris Tomlin does a nice job quoting from Nehemiah 8:10 - for the joy of the Lord is our strength! - in his song "Holy is the Lord":
Today in Nehemiah chapter 3 we read about the Israelites involvement in the various segments of the wall of Jerusalem being rebuilt! Below is an image by C.F. Vos titled "Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem":
It is great to see Nehemiah's strong character in today's readings! As governor, he could have taken full advantage of collecting food allotments from the people. But he didn't, as he knew these allotments would have been a burden on them. Then, Nehemiah sticks to leading the people in the goal of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem - which was an incredible feat that was pulled off in less than 2 months through God's grace. And this is a wall that was down for 150 years! Is there anything you can apply to your life through today's readings about Nehemiah? Are there areas of your life where perhaps you are taking advantage of a situation you shouldn't? Is there a goal in your life that you're not moving on that you should? Will you pray to God like Nehemiah did in 6:9 - "But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands.""
Below is an image of Nehemiah in chapter 6 verses 4 through 7: "Four times they sent the same message, and each time I gave the same reply. The fifth time, Sanballat's servant came with an open letter in his hand, and this is what it said: "Geshem tells me that everywhere he goes he hears that you and the Jews are planning to rebel and that is why you are building the wall. According to his reports, you plan to be their king. He also reports that you have appointed prophets to prophesy about you in Jerusalem, saying, `Look! There is a king in Judah!' You can be very sure that this report will get back to the king, so I suggest that you come and talk it over with me."
Worship God: Today's readings reminded me of Rich Mullins' song "Creed" with the great line of "I did not make it, though it is making me:"
Below is an image for Ezra chapter 9 verses 1 through 3: "But then the Jewish leaders came to me and said, "Many of the people of Israel, and even some of the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the other peoples living in the land. They have taken up the detestable practices of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons... To make matters worse, the officials and leaders are some of the worst offenders." When I heard this, I tore my clothing, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down utterly shocked." And then a wonderful prayer of repentance from Ezra on behalf of the Israelites comes forth in the remainder of chapter 9 today. When is the last time you prayed a prayer of repentance? Should we pray prayers of repentance regularly?
We have some powerful readings in Ezra chapter 10 today, as we read about people publicly confessing their sin! An image is below for verses 10 through 12 - "Then Ezra the priest stood and said to them: "You have sinned, for you have married pagan women. Now we are even more deeply under condemnation than we were before. Confess your sin to the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do what he demands. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from these pagan women." Then the whole assembly raised their voices and answered, "Yes, you are right; we must do as you say!"
Today we begin the book of Nehemiah!
Author: Nehemiah Date: Fifth century B.C. Content: The book of Nehemiah continues the story begun by Ezra and deals with life in the restored community. The major point of Ezra is the rededication of the Temple. The major point of Nehemiah is the rebuilding of the city walls of Jerusalem. The book begins by explaining the need Jerusalem had for protection that walls would give. This is followed by a discussion of how the walls were build in spite of numerous problems both in the community and outside of it. A national day of repentance was called for and the project was completed. Theme: The main theme of this book is the sad fact that people are slow to learn the lessons God wants to teach them. The Israelites had been carried into captivity because of their sin, but now the very same problems rose again. The people were neglecting worship, prayer, and Bible study, not to mention the fact that they were treating each other unjustly. But God in his patience continued to send his messengers to them to offer salvation and pardon. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 8-9) More commentary on the book of Nehemiah is at this link:https://bible.org/article/introduction-books-ezra-nehemiah
Below is an image from today's readings from Nehemiah chapter 1 verses 3 & 4 - ""Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been burned." When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven."
Today in Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 17 we read “Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I am fascinated by the rebuilding of the Temple that we read about in Ezra and now the rebuilding of the Walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah. The thought of rebuilding is something that I think each of us needs to meditate upon at times. I believe that over time in our lives we unfortunately can tear things down. Things that need rebuilding. Perhaps we have torn down our faith in some way. Perhaps our love for God. Perhaps our connection to a church community. Perhaps our relationship with a family member. Perhaps our service to the poor. Is there an area of your life that is in need of rebuilding? Will you meditate upon your life and begin to rebuild in that area? Will you pray to God for strength in rebuilding in that area and will you allow his Spirit to lead you? I pray you will be encouraged by our readings this week in Nehemiah as you read about the Israelites rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. And I pray you will begin rebuilding the things in your life that have perhaps tumbled down over time!
Worship God: Today's readings reminded me of the song "Bring the Rain" by MercyMe:
We have great readings today in Ezra about the completion of the second Temple! Note that this second Temple, which was completed on March 12, 516 B.C., is the same Temple that existed during Jesus' ministry. This second Temple was then destroyed by Roman armies in 70 A.D. This second Temple was a lot smaller than the first Temple built by Solomon. And less ornate. And the big thing of course was that this second Temple did not have the Ark of the Covenant nor the tablets of the Law, as these were believed to have been destroyed when Nebuchadnezzar burned Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Nonetheless, the completion of the second Temple was a great cause of celebration for the Israelites who had returned from exile!
Worship God: Today's readings reminded me of the old childhood song "His Banner Over Me Is Love:" :)
