Nehemiah 13 – Ownership

It’s never really sunk in for me the significance that after the wall was finished, Nehemiah left Jerusalem to regain his post with King Artaxerxes. I knew he left, but hadn’t realized that he left without expectation to return and be in charge. That would be hard. To work so hard, oversee such a massive project, then leave it. Much less to leave it and hear of it’s fading back into the dark.

Our nature is to invest of ourselves in something and automatically feel like that effort gives us right of ownership. This is a real problem for those of us in Christian leadership. But Nehemiah knew that the wall project was not about, nor was it for him, it was about and for God.

“Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.” – Nehemiah 13:14

His leaving does not lesson his significance or the importance of his leadership role. Nehemiah still had a responsibility to speak into the path the people had taken. And he called out on God to protect his leadership investment.

We cannot control others. We can speak truth to them. We can set the example. But we cannot determine their steps. What we can do is ask God to bless our efforts based on our faithfulness. If our hearts are in the right place, if we look at God’s work as God’s work and not ours, Nehemiah shows us that this is a fair request.

Four times Nehemiah requests that God remembers his faithfulness. And in his final statement he asks God to not only remember, but to “remember him with favor.”

The amazing thing about our God is that not only does He allow us to ask him to remember our faithfulness, in the same prayer, He gives us the right to ask him to remember our trespasses no more. That’s humbling. Thank you Lord.

Nehemiah 12 – Call & Response

There were those who volunteered, those who were “drafted”, and those who came as leaders to this new city. But let’s not forget, it was a new city that wasn’t so new. It was in shambles and needed to be rebuilt. It had a new wall, but the city was starting over.

In chapter 12 we see the people doing two things that are related to one another. First they were dedicating their way and second they were giving thanks. They dedicated because they saw God as God. They gave thanks, although their new homes were nothing, because they saw God at work among them. They weren’t giving thanks because they just moved into the coolest condo in downtown Austin. They gave thanks because they had hope. They gave thanks because they knew their current situation was a part of a journey that brought Glory to God.

Their response was to come together, dedicate all that they were and they had to God, and give thanks through song. They were sure to assign great men to lead this task. At least four times in Chapter 12 we see this response mentioned. I’m reminded today of this priority. King David was a worship leader. He stripped down and danced naked before the Lord. Sometimes we act as if worship plays a secondary role and is less primary to our spiritual development journey. We might admit it or agree with that, but if we were to somehow watch a video of us “worshipping”, most unbiased viewers would agree we weren’t laying it all out there as a response to a Holy and all powerful God.

“The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and also Mattaniah, who, together with his associates, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them in the services.” – Neh. 12:8-9

And in it they somehow found great joy. It was a joy from God. And it was their strength.

“And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.” – Neh. 12:43

Makes me wonder why we gather each week. We should, no doubt. It has both OT and NT biblical precedence. The gathering is every bit as important as the sending. In Nehemiah 12, there is no doubt it was about a response to what God was doing and the opportunity to commit personally and as a people to His Glory. It was truly about exaltation.

God I pray for this heart of worship abandonment. I pray that we love your gathering because of its inherent opportunity to express thanks together. I pray that we keep it about you and your Glory. I pray that we keep it an expression of thanksgiving in response to your greatness.

Nehemiah 11 - Business Time

God doesn’t give such a task without reason. He doesn’t hand out jobs just to waste our time. We can be sure that He is up so something. He certainly did not put it in the hearts of his people to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem only to let it immediately fall again to foreign armies. So what was required? They must take residence there.

Their leaders were not only among the people, they made the sacrifice to be there first.

“Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. The people commended all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 11:1-2

This truly was a sacrifice. The nation literally gave a tithe of their people, of their sons and daughters, of their brothers and sisters, of their neighbors and friends to this city of God. Yet much more was required of those in leadership. It was good that the leaders of the people set the example by living in Jerusalem. Leaders must set the pattern by their lives. They had no right to expect the people to live in Jerusalem if they themselves were not living there.

And all who lived there were blessed. Verse two tells us that the people “commended” all who volunteered to live there. The word for commended is the Hebrew word, “Barak”, which means to bless or congratulate together.

“It was in these days in the rebuilding of Jerusalem that God asked and important question through the prophet Zechariah: For who has despised the day of small things? (Zechariah 4:10). The answer is, “Many of us have!” But these who offered themselves to willingly live at Jerusalem, so as to take what is small and build it up before the Lord, have decided to not despise the day of small things. (Enduring Word Commentary)”

If such a blessing is reserved for those who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem, there was something special about the challenge of living in Jerusalem.

i. To live in Jerusalem, you had to re-order your view of material things. You had to give up land in your previous region and take up some kind of new business in Jerusalem.

ii. To live in Jerusalem, you had to re-arrange your social priorities, certainly leaving some friends and family behind in your old village.

iii. To live in Jerusalem, you had to have a mind to endure the problems in the city. It had been a ghost town for 70 years, and was now basically a slightly rebuilt, somewhat repopulated ghost town. The city didn’t look all that glorious and it needed work.

iv. To live in Jerusalem, you had to live knowing you were a target for the enemy. There were strong walls to protect you, but since Jerusalem was now a notable city with rebuilt walls, the fear was more from whole armies than bands of robbers. The old village was nice, but not in much danger from great armies.

v. The Bible tells us there is a city coming down from heaven to earth, when God is done with this earth as we know it, and it calls that city New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2). People don’t want to be citizens of the New Jerusalem for the same reasons many didn’t want to be citizens of Nehemiah’s Jerusalem.

I can’t help but think about the sacrifices I’ve made in life for my faith. They seem so small in comparison to what others have made. I’m challenged to not only identify where else these sacrifices should be made, but also how much more I should DELIGHT to dwell “where holy persons and opportunities of spiritual improvement most abound”.

Do we drudgingly move like a first grader getting ready for school on a Monday morning? Or do we pursue, remain, pray, seek or even discover with freshness out of love for the “City of our God”?

“Let us seek first the favor of God, and his glory; let us study to be patient, contented, and useful in our several stations, and wait, with cheerful hope, for admission into the holy city of God.” – Matthew Henry

Nehemiah 10 - Sacred Rites

So once again, the Israelites made a promise. In light and in line with their neglect, here's what they said: "In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it." Promises are a big deal to God. Scripture tells us it's better not to make a promise than to make one and break it. So it would make sense to think them through, especially before we make them to God.

Here are some thoughts from Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 10:

Having covenanted against the sins of which they had been guilty, they obliged themselves to observe the duties they had neglected. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well. Let not any people expect the blessing of God, unless they keep up public worship. It is likely to go well with our houses, when care is taken that the work of God's house goes on well. When every one helps, and every one gives, though but little, toward a good work, the whole will come to be a large sum. We must do what we can in works of piety and charity; and whatever state we are placed in, cheerfully perform our duty to God, which will be the surest way to ease and liberty. As the ordinances of God are the appointed means of support to our souls, the believer will not grudge the expense; yet most people leave their souls to starve.

Nehemiah 9 – Hidden provision

Today's thought comes from a friend. enjoy:

For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. (Nehemiah 9:21)

I remember writing up a safety officer in one of my units for an award one time and putting in the line, “we will never be able to measure the number of accidents that did not occur because of his efforts…”, or something to that effect. Essentially, when someone is vigilant or is doing the right things, it becomes impossible to estimate the number of bad things that didn’t occur. In a similar way when God is looking out for us, providing for us, and protecting us, we lose sight of how much evil and misfortune are kept from us. In this retelling of the history of the Israelites, they attempt to highlight some of the simple things that did not happen to them during their 40 years in the desert. Their clothes didn’t wear out! I’ve got t-shirts that don’t last a year, and here are people wearing stuff in the sun and desert for two generations. This is what I would call God’s hidden provision.

In my life I most associate my vehicle with God’s hidden provision. It’s a 1994 Land Cruiser with 229K miles on it. It’s my daily driver and continues to function well enough to get me wherever I need. Whether it’s a two-day drive to Tucson, or daily commutes to drop my daughter off at school. It has required very little maintenance and has kept us from a car payment for about 8 years. The same holds true for the health of our family and the repairs on our house. I thank God that He has protected us from the illnesses, injuries and accidents that would have really put us in a bind financially.

I challenge us today to remember the hidden provisions in our lives, as the Israelites did, and thank God for his grace.