Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing…on the seals are the names of Nehemiah the governor….the priests….the Levites….the chiefs of the people….and the rest of the people….all who have separated themselves….(v.9:38-10:28a)
….all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his rules and statutes. (v.28b-29)
We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. (v.30)
And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. (v.31)
We will also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. (v.32-33)
We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground….to the house of the LORD….the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the first of our dough, and our contributions, and to bring the Levites the tithes from our ground….We will not neglect the house of our God. (v.34-39)
Summary Points
-We will pursue honest, right, God-honoring relationships.
-We will honor God in all our business dealings. Put God first.
-Our identity as God’s people is vital. We will not neglect the house of our God.
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22 “And you [God] gave [Israel] kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess.
Genesis 13:14 The LORD said to Abram…, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.
24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies.
27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer.
Dueuteronomy 28:15-36 (paraphrase)
“if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God… the Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies… and you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually… a nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors”
27b And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies.
29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey.
Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?
30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them.
35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.
38 “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.
Takeaways:
Set up reminders of the things God is doing and has done
We have a God worth praising. Find these characteristics of God in scripture:
• He is faithful.
• He is merciful.
• He is caring.
• His love is steadfast.
• He is just.
• He keeps his promises, to our earthly benefit and detriment (his discipline).
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When God’s people are constantly exposed to Scripture and Spirit Led Instruction & Interpretation… amazing things happen! The principals found in Scripture guide us: Truths about God & US. The story God tells in His Word brings a response by His Spirit. The response is important but don’t miss exactly what the story tells us about God.
STORY & RESPONSE…They had been soaking in God’s Word [Torah / Pentateuch]
THEY GATHER AND FORM A COMMUNAL BOND AROUND GOD’S WORD…God’s Word – Repentance / Confession – Praise – Sacrifice…They form / reform Community Based on His Name…BY HIS WORD !
This is the end of The Festival of Tabernacles / Booths / Sukkot
shelters was to commemorate the time the people of Israel lived in the wilderness for 40 years sustained by God alone.
Last Week…
And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths… And there was very great rejoicing. And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he [Ezra] read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule. ~ Neh. 8:17-18 [Lev. 23:33-36 & 39-43]
Nehemiah 9:1-21 [ESV]
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
Time for the feasting to end and the full impact of God’s Word to have it’s effect
Everyone participated [Important factor]
They fasted [self denial to create dependance on God]
Sack cloth & dirt on the head [show of contrition and humility]
They separated themselves from all foreigners [set apart = Holy]
They confessed their own SIN… AND the community / nation’s SIN
They Got real with God’s Word! It prepared them for this solemn assembly…
3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.
3 Hours: Sanding and listening to the Book of The Law: The Pentateuch [1st 5]
3 Hours Confession & Worship
The Levites led the prayers of confession & worship [Emotional & Active]
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said,
Levites = Ministers / Worship Leaders….in both list who comes 1st?
Here is how the rest of the day is going to go…
THIS WEEK PREVIEW:
2nd: Declaring What He Has Done
3rd: How His People Have Failed Him
4th: Recognition of God’s Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness
NEXT WEEK PREVIEW
5th: People Fail Pt. 2
6th: God’s Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness AND Judgement / Exile
7th: Repentance / Ownership & ‘Re-Covenanting’
Here is what is declared by the ‘Leading Levites’
“Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You are the Lord, You alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You.”
Posture of Honoring…’Standing Up’ for something [Wholehearted / Whole Bodied]
1st statement about God: Self-Existent / Eternal [both ways]
Based on Who God IS, HIS Name, is to be blessed, glorified, exalted, praised…
2nd statement about God: The TRIUNE God alone created & preserves ALL!
Because THEY know the fullness of YOUR creation, all heaven worships YOU
They Declared Foundational Truth about God [From HIS Word]…Now His Story of God’s personal relationship with His people
7 “You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before You, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept Your promise, for You are righteous.”
9 “And You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for You knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers.
Quick synopsis of the ‘Egypt Years’… the ten plagues up to Passover
‘Our fathers’ was Moses & Aaron and they were representing Yahweh
You made a Name for Yourself, as it is to this day.
Yahweh distinguished Himself as the one and only God of the universe
The Name God made for Himself among people of the world: Omnipotent
11 You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and You cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters.”
No one could have even imagined the idea of what God did [Creative]
There was one group of people God protected and another HE destroyed
The archeological evidence has been found, it happened
12 “By a pillar of cloud You led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.”
Once the Egyptians were no longer a problem there was the natural world
Every day the pillar of cloud protected them from the sun & heat
Every night the pillar of fire kept them warm & safe
These are no shabby miracles…they demonstrate God’s care for His people
13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and You made known to them Your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses Your servant.”
The coming down…condescending to the level of His people for RELATIONSHIP
God’s Ways, Will & Rules are the best possible thing for us: Right, True & Good!
They mention only one of all the commandments Sabbath [balance]
They place great importance on the Law of Moses [synopsis is ok but…]
15 “You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and You told them to go in to possess the land that You had sworn to give them.”
God supernaturally fed them and produced water…
God proves He takes care of His chosen people that walk with Him in relationship
God says: Go take this great land, I have promised it to your ancestors…
16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey Your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that You performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.”
Instead of dealing with the truth about God they presumed wrong things of Him
They forgot what God had done
They wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt…How about you?
“But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your god who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies,”
God people declare God’s character!
He kept his part of the covenant relationship with them… even when they did not
Worst possible open rebellion!
19 “You in Your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.”
Even after ALL the evil things they did, God STILL continued to care for them!!!
The generation that rebelled did not enter but their children did
PRINCIPAL & APPLICATION
Constant exposure to God’s Word releases great joyousness & solemness. A Biblical relationship with Christ as His disciple is a balanced life of both.
Model Christ’s balance and share the joy & seriousness of life. [Jn. 1:14 & Rom.12:15]
PRINCIPAL & APPLICATION
Constant exposure to God’s Word in community will leads to humility before God that brings confession & worship. Scripture should lead us in our approach God.
Develop a habit of Word based Confession & Worship. [Ps. 139:23-24 & Hosea 14:1-2]
PRINCIPAL & APPLICATION
Constant exposure to God’s Word shows us how personally and supernaturally God protects and cares for His people in relationship. God promises to care for those He calls to be His people.
Trust God to provide rather than your planing and resources. [Philippians 4:12-13]
PRINCIPAL & APPLICATION
Constant exposure to God’s Word reminds us of our stubborn disobedience to God’s revealed expectations. Our need for ‘SELF’ is proven to be destructive.
Honestly hold Yourself to God’s standard not the world’s. [Romans 12:1-3]
PRINCIPAL & APPLICATION
Constant exposure to God’s Word shows us over and over again what a graceful, merciful, forgiving and loving God He is. He is bigger than our sin, just as He has always been!
Develop a habit of thanksgiving for God’s Grace in Christ. [1 Thess. 5:16-18]
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And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns. And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly (both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood <6 men> on his right hand, and <7 men> on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also <13 men>, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.
Summary Points:
– The church is the body of Christ. Not “my”, “your”, or “our” church. We belong to Him. He paid for us. He demands we submit to His authority as revealed in His Word.
– Obedience is practiced and learned. When you hear from God, obey promptly.
– There are many things the church should not attempt to do or to be, but one thing we must excel is this……read the Word, preach it, teach it, explain the text and the context, and exhort one another to live in its truth.
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The construction of the structure is complete, now the real Kingdom Building begins. God’s people have returned from exile, they have rebuilt the walls and gates…What now? Does God just want us to be physically secure and that is enough? Or is that not what really matters to him? I believe He wants more for His people.
He wants to build things in His people and build other people with His people. What does God want to build in your life? What does He want to build in others with you? We can be Material & Labor!
Do you have a VISION of the life God wants you to live? What He wants to build. Kingdom building is ultimately about people, God’s People. This passage immortalizes thousands of people who responded to God’s call to Go! They surrendered their lives to become building materials for God [Potter & clay]
Nehemiah 7 [ESV]
1 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed.
The final aspects of ‘The Wall & ‘The Gates’ were now completed
The people who will facilitate worship are put in place
The physical structure is necessary, but people make it work
2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do.
Why does the Governor, Nehemiah, put these two guys in charge?
Leadership of God’s people starts with integrity and a proper view of God
The leadership of God’s people is always spread around
Nehemiah was returning to Persia
3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”
Tighter than normal control of when you can enter or exit the city
The newly formed city / community was vulnerable and needed extra security
Once again Nehemiah makes security a community wide deal [Why?]
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families.
The need was to populate the city…God is always growing His people
Registration would provide for the return of family property in the city
I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there: 6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 7 in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):
The people God who believed what was predicted in Jeremiah 29:10-14
Only names listed were families from ‘The Province’ surrounding the city
God lists the names of the men was led the return from Persia
“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you My promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” ~ Jeremiah 29:10-14
Then under the heading: ‘The List of The Men Israel’ [also found in Ezra 2]
This is going to be very close to the list found in Ezra 2
UP-DATED LIST?
God remembers His followers, the 30,000 or so who left Persia
I want to stress how much God cares about everyone who steps out in faith for Him
Verses 8-38 list 40 distinct families without specific duties [25,406 people]
Verses 39-42 list the Priests [4 families 4,289 people]
Verses 43-45 list the Levites, Musician & Gatekeepers [10 families 360 people]
The 1st 40 families listed didn’t even have a particular ‘Temple Job’
These people were inspired by God’s vision for their life! [counter culture]
Then you have the Priests, they were 1/6 of those who returned, LEADERSHIP
Levites = specialized ministry support, admin for priests [1 levite per 40 priests]
Musicians = worship leaders
Gatekeepers = Hosts / Body Services
Verses 46-56 list the Temple Servants [32 families]
Verse 57-60 list the descendants of the Servants of Solomon [10 families]
Total of Temple Servants & descendants of the Servants of Solomon [392 people]
These were families who for generations embraced their role as ‘Servants’
There is a satisfaction in serving the Lord in simplicity, without upward mobility
61 The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers’ houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642 people.
Undocumented… Not in the register but here in Scripture!
We have their town and family names
These people wanted to obey God even if they were not officially included
63 Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). 64 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor [Zerubbabel?] told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.
They didn’t have the proper documentation to be ‘priests’ but God lists them
A High Priest could use the Urim & Thummin to hear from God about it
V. 66-69: The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their 7,337 male and female servants, and they also had 245 male and female singers. There were 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
All the previous people listed only add up to 30,457…
The only names given were the people of the province of Judah
Judah’s territory was most of the surrounding area of Jerusalem, but not all
You have foreign servants & foreign singers…they had to import singers…
Not a lot of animals for 42,000 people
70 Now some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work.
In Ezra 2 it is specific: they gave freewill offerings for the House of God
Here it is more general, ‘The work’: wall, gates and the Temple surroundings
Communal Giving / shared condition
All gave to the treasury then leadership spent it as consensus
The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests’ garments and 500 minas of silver. 71 And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.
Darics were gold pieces used by the Persian empire: ¼ oz of Gold
Basins were for ceremonial washing
Priest’s garments were a very detailed uniform and quite costly [Shared Use]
Minas of sliver were approximately one pound bars of sliver
Notice the numbers…vs Ezra 2:69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments. [Two Different Offerings?]
73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns. And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.
The nation of Israel is ‘Re-Constituted’
They they are ready to live as God’s people… they need to know how
Why are all of these people listed here and in Ezra chapter 2? Individuals matter to God…each and every one… A personal, intimate, relational God.
BIG IDEAS
God is always focused on the on-going ‘people part’ of kingdom building projects.
God desires His new building projects to have shared leadership and high security.
God calls His people to various roles in the ‘Building’ but they all matter. [He Knows]
God calls His people to sacrifice financially to fund Kingdom Work.
God calls His people to live in relational, worship based community centered on Him.
APPLICATION
What is God currently building in YOU?
What role can YOU play to share leadership & protect our Body?
Why does God record the financial giving in scripture here and elsewhere?
What is your vision for a life surrendered to God in worshipful, relational community?
“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you My promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” ~ Jeremiah 29:10-14
Three themes – (v1-14) attack, (v15-16) victory, (v17-19) endurance
6 Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm.
3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.
5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand.
6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. 7 And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.”
8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” 9 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.
10 Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.”
11 But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” 12 And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me.
14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
17 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.
Summary:
There is victory in Jesus
Avoiding your God-given responsibility is to sin
To not be led astray, we need to know the scripture
Sin has consequences that can come back to bite you, but it’s not the end of the story
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Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.
I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them. And said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunt of the nations our enemies? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerses the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.
Summary Points
-We must fix our eyes on Jesus to maintain a high view of the faith and the church.
-Our conduct (good or bad) is an advertisement to the world. The world reads us, not the Bible.
-Nehemiah was an example to the flock; like our elders must be. We need your prayers to walk in integrity; to give you an example to follow.
-Nehemiah asked to be remembered. Praise God, He forgets our sin but He remembers our works!
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This is an amazing passage about how we kingdom build / disciple build… in the face of opposition. We follow the example found here in Nehemiah: we employ Trust & Wisdom!
Trust & Wisdom: This is how we conduct Biblical Spiritual Warfare. If we want to build Kingdom things we will have to do it thru opposition [warfare]
3 Basic steps we follow when conducting Spiritual Warfare found in this chapter:
#1: It all begins with the RECOGNITION OF OPPOSITION
Because Satan & His minions don’t take a day off…
#2: Constant PRAYER TO PREPARE
Asking God to do what He will to do
#3: ACTING WITH WISDOM to do what we can do
Defensive and Offensive modes of living [Christ Following]
Trust & Wisdom…We get such models of Spiritual Warfare from Scripture
Here is what our text will show us today: The building has begun…the initial excitement dissipates… reality sets in. People start to get discouraged, doubt begins to be voiced, rumors start spreading. How does the building process go forward? God’s people prepare with prayer, trusting God to do what He will do. Then as they trust God, they wisely prepare what they can do…Leadership rallies everyone to the plan because it is a ‘God Given Plan’. Nehemiah leads God’s people to trust their God and act with wisdom.
So let’s join the story in chapter 4 of Nehemiah..
Last Week:
But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious. They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves. ~ Nehemiah 4:7-9 [NLT]
Nehemiah 4:10-23
10 Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.”
The workers from outside the city begin the grumbling
‘There is no end in sight to the work’…It seems like ‘eating an elephant’
But maybe there is some other thing that is really the problem…
11 Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.” 12 The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!”
Nehemiah knew what the enemy was saying because it was well known
People working on the wall lived next to those who were opposed to building
They were seeing the preparations that were being made to attack the builders
The builders were outnumbered and outflanked / surrounded by enemies
13 So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows.
It was wise to stop work for a moment to organize security [priority]
Security was organized on the same model labor on the wall was: community
Weapons for different kinds of combat: distance, intermediate & close
They prepared for everything they could
14 Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”
Nehemiah double checked his preparation
Then he addresses the issue of fear
Then he reminds them God who Yahweh ‘the Lord’ IS
Then he encourages them to fight for their family & future
15 When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. 16 But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail.
Again they know how the opposition reacts [they are like bullies]
But you still need to be ready for the bully to throw a sucker punch
Attitude of being alert…NOT of FEAR
The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. 18 All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.
Leadership shows it’s support for people who raised important issues
Both sides came together trusting God and being prepared for opposition
He is initial alarm system to be duplicated [trumpet]
19 Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!”
They needed a practical way to make a call to arms
The sounding of trumpets was big in the history of God’s nation Israel
They are ready but they are trusting God to win the battle
21 We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. 22 I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day.
Regular vigilance, not when people have time or when it is convenient
Spiritual warfare is a daily deal
Leadership thinks safety first…AND productivity increases because of it!
23 During this time, none of us—not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.
Leadership sets the example of being extra vigilant
Nehemiah and his people covered for others while they ‘freshened Up’
The people did their part & believed what they were doing was God protected
KINGDOM BUILDING PRINCIPALS
People get discouraged when the hard work of the project becomes reality.
Opposition to Kingdom Building is coming…it is just a matter of when and how.
Prepare to build with prayer: V. 9 last week & a theme throughout Nehemiah: Prayer!
Act based on God given wisdom born of Prayer / Trust.
Leadership makes sacrifices beyond what it asks of followers.
KINGDOM BUILDING APPLICATION
What can you do to work against things discouraging our Body? [Ephesians 4:1-3]
KINGDOM BUILDING APPLICATION
Have you faced unexpected opposition in the past when you got involved in ‘Kingdom Building’? How well do you recognize the need to prepare with prayer? [Ephesians 6:18]
KINGDOM BUILDING APPLICATION
If we are called to not be afraid of the enemy and at the same time to be wise and prepare, what kind of attitude do we need to bring to our life of Kingdom Building? [Philippians 2:1-11]
THERE IS A LOT TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE!!!
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ~ Ephesians 6:10-13 [NASB 1995]
Today we look at the problems and the prayers of Nehemiah and Jerusalem, and through it we’ll learn more about God’s character, and what God’s people are to do and how to live.
4 1Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.
2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”
4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.
• Turn straight to prayer. Asking for their enemies to face the things they have recently been subjected to.
• A little counter intuitive. Matthew 5:44 “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
• Romans 12:19 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written ‘vengeance is mine, I will repay says the LORD’”
• Their attacks are really aimed at God. They are insulting God’s purposes and plans
6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
• They have a desire and a motivation that has come from God. He sustained them as they worked on the project.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.
• They realize there is a limited window of opportunity to sow confusion and disunity amongst the people of Jerusalem. The walls are closing, they need to act now.
9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.
• But in the midst of these attacks, the danger and the uncertainty, the people prayed. They asked for protection from God.
• Spiritual and physical attack, so there is a response to both
• It is in tandem. They don’t just ask for prayer. They don’t just set up a guard. This two-pronged approach is quite instructive for Gods people
Summary
What should we take away, what are the main things we see in this passage:
Prayer comes first
-it is not an afterthought for Gods people. We see consistent dependence on the lord.
Determination to get it done
-They had a job to do. they got after it. Their confidence was in the lord
The enemy is strategic
-he is cunning and will take advantage situationally.
-Sanballat and Tobiah had a limited window to stop this plan. An attack made sense
God is just
-we need to hate what is evil, not for our sake but for God’s. The people didn’t pray against them because they were an inconvenience, but because it was against the will of God.
Application
Stick to the plan
Similarly, we have a direction and vision. We have been tasked to make disciples; we’ve talked about that several times already in our study of Nehemiah. We should not lose heart either even if it doesn’t look exactly like we would have drawn it up. Sometimes people disappoint us, or they take longer to grow in their faith than we’d like.
But we have to stay determined
Be alert
-learn to identify dangerous times, when you are particularly vulnerable to sin. The enemy will certainly be close, we need to be ready.
Plan to pray
Nehemiah shows us a great example. His personal response as well as the way he leads the people directly to prayer, constantly, is encouraging.
What is your outlook on prayer? Is it a wish list? Is it a therapy session?
-do you spend time listening?
-how receptive are you to Gods answers?
-do you get mad when you see things not going your way?
What are you praying about right now?
-If that’s a difficult question to answer you might want to bring some discipline and intentionality to your prayer life.
“8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8
This is the same God, who hatched a plan to consecrate his people in the city of Jerusalem, to restore them to Godly living, to the lives he wanted for them from the beginning. That same God did that same thing again for us. We can be made new, because our sins have been forgiven.
Isaiah 25:9 “It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD, we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation’”
And Shallum the son of Colhozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David….After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. (v.15,17)
Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent of the armory at the buttress. After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, repaired. (v.19-22)
And the temple servants living in Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel. (v.26-27)
Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate repaired. After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the upper chamber of the corner. (v.28-31)
And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired. (v.32)
Summary points
– You cannot be Christlike and be indifferent to the church, to “one another”.
– Pray & imagine how your family/future family will deployed in kingdom work.
– The work of the Lord involves the people of the Lord, not the world.
– This record and these names are here to remind us that our lives are intimately recorded in God’s library. And the day of accounting is near!
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