Category: Nehemiah

Ask Not for Justice, but for Forgiveness

Nehemiah 13 and Malachi 1-4

Devotion by Telva Elwell (SC)

Oh, how Nehemiah must have wished for a happy ending.  Jerusalem seemed to have been on the right track. The people were singing songs of praise and worship as they marched on the newly rebuilt wall of Jerusalem.  Joy filled the streets of Jerusalem and the hearts and souls of the people.  Fast forward to the future by about 11 or 12 years, and during that time the people had jumped off the wall and were up to their eyeballs in the filth of sin and rebellion to God and His laws.  Nehemiah had gone back to Shushan to his previous position, but when he heard the news of the sad state of affairs in Jerusalem, he returned to Jerusalem once again.  How could things have gone so terribly wrong?

If Nehemiah had prepared a list of things the people were doing wrong, it would have looked something like this.

Things you are doing wrong:
Nehemiah 13
  1.  You are mixing it up with outsiders like the Ammonites, and Moabites, who are enemies.
  2. You are allowing Tobiah to live in a large room in the temple.  Eliashib, a high priest, has given him a room because one of his relatives was married to Sanballat’s daughter, and Sanballat and Tobiah were friends.  (I know, it’s a bit confusing.  But we all know who Sanballat and Tobiah are, and this just can’t be good.)
  3. Tobiah is literally living in a room of the temple dedicated to the storing of the offerings used by the Levites.  (Umm, not good.  Where are the offerings kept now?)
  4. Where ARE the offerings?
  5. You are allowing your daughters and sons to marry people from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab, which you promised NOT to do.  Many of their children even speak foreign languages.
  6. You have stopped paying taxes!  You have stopped giving tithes and offerings to the priests and can’t even provide wood for the altar. (13:32-39). (Guess that is why “room” previously used for storage and offerings had opened up for Tobiah in the temple.)
  7. You are working and selling on the Sabbath, which you promised not to do! (10:31).
  8. Need I continue?
Signed:  Nehemiah

Sounds like Nehemiah had his work cut out for him.  Apparently so did Malachi, the prophet.  Malachi’s words against the people of Israel sounded hauntingly similar to Nehemiah’s words when describing the sins of the people of Israel.

Things you are doing wrong:
  1. You doubt the love of God (Mal 1:1-5) (see also Deut. 6:4,5).
  2. The priests are cheaters who offer polluted, lame, sick and blemished offerings to God (1:6-14).
  3. You divorce your wives then marry pagans (2:1-16).
  4. “You have wearied God with your words saying, everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them” (2:17-3:6).
  5. You are thieves.  You are keeping your tithes and offerings (3:1-8).
  6. “You have spoken against God by saying that it is vain to serve Him, and what is the profit of keeping His commandments? You call the arrogant blessed” and say that “evildoers prosper”. (3:13-15)
  7. You ask, “Where is the God of justice?” (2:17)
        Signed:  Malachi, the Prophet

What Israel did not realize was that they did not need justice as much as they needed forgiveness.

Whereas Nehemiah took a more hands on approach to the problems, even to the point of throwing furniture, hitting and cursing certain men, and pulling hair from their heads (Neh 13:25), Malachi would debate them, beginning with an accusation, then Israel would dispute that accusation, but in the end, God would have the final word. 

Israel demanded to know “Where is the God of justice?”  What they wanted was justice for their wicked enemies and they wanted it now. They claimed that “everyone that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He is pleased with them” (2:17). How can a just God do such things?

And so, God Almighty responded! “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come. (3:1) He then asked a question: “Who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?” (3:2) For “He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver” (3:2,3) “So I will come to put YOU on trial…says the Lord Almighty.” (3:5).

This is not where Israel expected the debate to go. They wanted God to deal with their enemies now. Instead, Malachi is telling them that they need to be cleansed and purified now.

 “Return to Me, and I will return to you.” (3:7) Will they accept that cleansing?   Will they return to Him?  Will they accept His forgiveness? Oh, how Nehemiah and Malachi must have longed for the people to return to God, and “to assemble with fasting, and with sackcloth and earth upon them.  And for the seed of Israel to separate themselves from all strangers, and stand and confess their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers”, as they did when the wall was rebuilt. (9:1-2).

Hope and a Promise

God, the God of Justice, assured them that He will take care of the evil ones.  “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.  But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.  And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.  Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,”’ says the Lord Almighty. (4:1-3) But for Israel it depended upon them deciding now which group they belonged to—the arrogant and evildoers, or those who revere His name.

 “Return to Me”, He pleads.

 He then ends with this promise: “I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  And he will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents” (4:5).

 As for us, just like Israel, it all depends upon taking accountability and confessing our sins because He is faithful and just and will forgive. (1John 1:9)

Reflection Questions

  1. Did jealousy play a role in the sins of Israel?  If so, does it still play a role in our lives and sin today?
  2. Why do you think it was so easy for Israel to fall back into sin repeatedly?  Were they sincere when they walked the wall of Jerusalem singing praise and thanksgiving?
  3. Do you find it difficult to stay away from sin?  Why?  Can you relate to Paul’s struggles in Romans 7:7-25? In what ways?
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Joy in the City

Nehemiah 11-12 and Psalm 126

(saving Nehemiah 13 for tomorrow)

Devotion by Telva Elwell (SC)

The wall and the gates of Jerusalem had been rebuilt. (Nehemiah 6:15) Leadership and positions of service had been filled. Israelites were moving in to occupy the city of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 11) The stage was set for a celebration!

It was time!

The dedication of the wall of Jerusalem attracted people to come to Jerusalem to be present for the dedication of the wall of the city.  What a huge crowd that came that day!  The Levites came to celebrate the dedication with gladness, thanksgiving, and singing.  Cymbals, harps, and lyres were played in great celebration.  In addition, singers came from the areas around Jerusalem, and other surrounding areas.  The singers had even built for themselves villages around Jerusalem.  The priests and Levites purified themselves and the people.  All the celebrants were spiritually prepared and excited!  Let the celebration begin! (12:27-30)

Nehemiah then brought the singers and musicians up onto the wall.  What excitement must have stirred through the crowd when they mounted that wall that many thought impossible to rebuild!  The city must have exploded with songs of praise and thanksgiving as Nehemiah instructed one half of the singers to sing songs of praise, accompanied by the blast of trumpets and other instruments created by David, the man of God.   He sent them to march south on the top of the wall, along with Ezra the scribe.  As they marched, they sang loudly with whole hearts overflowing with praise.  Likewise, the second choir was sent to march north on top of the wall, along with Nehemiah.  They sang and worshiped and praised the great God who had done mighty works in Jerusalem.  The two choirs then met at the house of God where they gave thanks and presented sacrifices to their great God. They rejoiced! “For God had made them rejoice with great joy. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.” (v. 43)

One of the Songs of Ascent was probably song.  Psalms 126, one of those songs, has such meaningful words for such an occasion as this:

“When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing; then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.  The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.  Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

Yes, the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away, but how that joy must have stung for some.

Throughout the celebration of praise and thanksgiving to God, this message was being seen and heard by those outside the congregation of the Israelites.  There were a few familiar faces and names of people among the foreigners who probably wanted to hide in embarrassment.  And it was all because of the completion of the work at Jerusalem on the 25th day of Elle (6:15).  “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” (6:16).  Even their enemies and naysayers believed that what they were hearing with their ears and seeing with their eyes, was indeed proof positive that God was with Jerusalem and that He had caused the wall and gates of the city of Jerusalem to be restored! (Ps. 126:2)

Flash back several weeks earlier when word spread throughout the region that the wall was being rebuilt. Sanballat and Tobiah were up to their mischief trying to discourage and hinder the work of the Jews in rebuilding the wall.  They teased; can these feeble old Jewish men even build these walls themselves?  Will they sacrifice? They knew it would take more than a few prayers to rebuild the wall.  Could they even finish it?  They laughed at the materials they were using, calling the stones rubbish, because they were broken and burnt.  They jeered, “How could anyone build anything out of trash?” (4:2) And yet, they built it!  There it stood on this great day of dedication after its completion. So, with God even feeble old men can accomplish great things!  Yes, they were able to finish the wall with God’s help!  Even burnt stone dug from the rubble could become a strong wall!  Sanballat and Tobiah probably heard the praise, the trumpet blasts, the loud songs of worship that day and cringed. But what may have been worse was seeing the wall standing strong, and the people standing strong and thankful upon that wall—that very wall that Tobiah declared would fall in a heap if even one fox went up on to the wall. (4:3). This was just what Nehemiah prayed to God to do…to “turn their taunt on their own heads” (4:4). What a testimony to God and the power of prayer!   Now a multitude of people stood upon the wall and sang out praises to the One true God for the whole world to hear!

What are you doing to make sure that your wall stays strong, and that songs of praise to the One true God can be heard in your part of the world?

Reflection Questions

  1. What is praise?  How important is expressing praise in your prayers to God?  What things do you praise God for?  Is there a relationship between expressing praise to God and feeling joy in your life?
  2. What is the difference between praise and thanks?  Or are they the same thing? Do you share your thanksgiving and praise with others?
  3. What did Paul mean when he said, “In all things give thanks?  (1 Thess. 5:18) Does giving thanks remove fear and worry from your life? How do you incorporate giving thanks in your life when you feel overtaken and undone by loss or grief?
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Amazing Grace

Nehemiah 8-10

Devotion by Telva Elwell (South Carolina)

This chapter, Nehemiah 9, contains the longest prayer in the Bible.  No, prayer is not a contest, but sometimes it takes a lot of words to get things off your chest.  Other times it only takes a few words to speak your heart to God.  When Jesus hung on the cross, he only needed 10 words— “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  But in Nehemiah’s day in Jerusalem, it took a lot of words to get everything out so that God’s people could express their forgiveness and experience restoration.

And so, they prayed.

Sometimes we need to express our heart in different ways.  In Nehemiah 9 it is written that the people expressed their sin, their shame, and their remorse in many ways.  They fasted; they wore sackcloth and ashes.  They threw handfuls of dirt on their heads; they separated themselves from others; they confessed their sins along with the sins of their ancestors. They even signed a binding contract promising obedience to God.  All of these things were important, but it was what they expressed from their hearts that was probably the most meaningful. Often those feelings are expressed without words, but with tears. Peter remembered Jesus’ prophesy, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times,” and after his third denial, Peter “went out and wept bitterly” (Matt 26:75). (See also Rom. 8:26). Tears speak a language our tongues cannot.  Nehemiah understood.

When Nehemiah received the report from his brother, Hanani, that the Jewish remnant was in “great trouble and disgrace” and that “the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire…he sat down and wept…” (1:3.4)

And then he prayed:

“I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family have committed against You. We have acted very wickedly toward You. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws You gave your servant Moses.” (1:6,7)

As I read this prayer, I noticed that these people acknowledged failing their God six times, by disobeying and betraying Him.

  •  “Our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. (9:16)
  • “They had made for themselves a golden calf and said, “This is your God…” (9:18)
  • “They were disobedient and rebelled against You and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets…and they committed great blasphemes.” (9:26)
  • “They did evil again before You.” (9:28)
  • “Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments but sinned against your commandments.” (9:29)
  • “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.” (9:35)

And six times they came crawling back, probably wrapped in their sackcloth and covered with dirt and grime.  Each time they acknowledged the goodness and greatness of God!

  • “But You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.” (v17)
  • “You in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness.” (v19)
  • “Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing.” (v21)
  • “According to your great mercies You gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.” (v27)
  • “Many times, You delivered them according to your mercies.” (v28)
  • “Nevertheless, in your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God.” (v31)

He did not forsake them.

 But when will He despair of their sins and wickedness?  When will God decide He has had enough?  When will He turn His back on His people?  When will He turn His back on ME?  When will He stop listening to MY prayers of confession?  Never.  Because that is who He is! He is “a forgiving God, slow to anger and abounding in love.” (9:17) “Nevertheless, in your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them for You are a gracious and merciful God.” (9:31).

“For He will never leave you or forsake you,” (Duet.31:8) NEVER. So, every time that you mess up and dishonor God, pray.  Because God forgives.

 Every time.  

Reflection Questions:

  1. The people choose to fast when they prayed.  Have you ever fasted when you prayed?  Did it ever change the experience for you?  If you have, what kind of occasions do you think are appropriate for fasting and praying? 
  2. Why do you think the Jews acknowledged God’s greatness and mercy in their prayer of forgiveness? 
  3. Remember Judas’ sin of betrayal of Jesus and later his suicide?  Did he show signs of regret?  If so, was that the same as confession?  Do you think the outcome would have been different if he had confessed, as the Jews did, and then acknowledged the mercies of God?  Or was he just too depraved?  Did he feel he was beyond being forgiven? Was he too ashamed?  Have you ever felt that way?
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Slinging Trash

Nehemiah 4-7

Devotion by Telva Elwell (South Carolina)

Have you ever been ridiculed, called embarrassing names, laughed at, or pretty much just made to feel like you just wanted to crawl in a hole?  Suppose you were doing something important and putting your whole heart into it. Did you want to throw your arms up in the air and give up? If this has happened to you, you are in good company. The weapon of ridicule has been around for a long time. Remember the Day of Pentecost when the disciples were called “drunks” (Acts 2:13), and later when Paul the Apostle was called a “babbler” (Acts 17:18).   Those doing good and important things may feel ashamed or discouraged and thus abandon their work.  Sadly, many times ridicule does work, but not in the case of the Apostles, Paul, or even Nehemiah.

You might ask, why do people resort to such hurtful behavior?  The answer is simple: They have no other weapons.  They may “sling trash” simply to be mean or hurtful, or they may be trying to discourage you from your good work. Such was the case of Nehemiah. Let’s look at how he responded to the ridicule he experienced.

Nehemiah had given up a lot to go to Jerusalem, but he was on a sacred mission.  He was going to do the impossible and rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and rebuild the gates.  If he had submitted a resume for this job, he probably would not have gotten the job.  After all, he was a cupbearer. A cupbearer, for goodness sake!  He was not someone who was handy with building tools and blueprints.  He was the perfect candidate to receive ridicule and fail.  If Paul was a “babbler” and the other apostles were “drunks”, then Nehemiah was a “babbling drunk” — except for the fact that he was getting the job done.

Sometimes seeing someone accomplish a task, especially a huge task, makes people angry, fearful, and jealous.  Enter Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem.  (Neh. 2)  These three musketeers had a mission also, and it was in direct conflict with the mission of Nehemiah.  If this was a play, they were the discouragers and naysayers.  They heard about the mission to restore Jerusalem and were determined to oppose the work.  And they began immediately.  Nehemiah had just given the peptalk to his workers when these three discouragers showed up.  Nehemiah reports, “they jeered at us and despised us”, then they asked, “What are you doing?  Are you rebelling against the King?” (2:19) Their tactic was ridicule and then tossing in seeds of doubt and false accusation for good measure.  How would Nehemiah respond? How should he respond?

Nehemiah’s choices were: One: ignore the ridicule or, Two: Debate with the men and try to convince them that they were wrong.  Nehemiah chose neither.  He simply told them like it was. He told them (1) The God of Heaven will make us prosper. (2) His servants will arise and build. (3) You have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem. (2:20).  For a while Nehemiah’s words to them seemed to work.  The Jews were able to accomplish much and build back the gates of Jerusalem. (chpt 3).  But do you really think that the three musketeers were done?  If so, think again.

Sanballat and his foolish friends found it necessary to somehow end the work of the Jews in Jerusalem because they feared them and what they might do to them.  If Jerusalem was made strong, they would be weak (and less wealthy). Seeing the gates of Jerusalem being rebuilt caused them fear and anxiety.

So, once again, Sanballat and his sidekicks took out their childish games playbook and began calling the Jerusalem builders names.  They attempted to taunt them by calling the workers “feeble” implying they were miserably weak old people.   They continued their name calling by implying they were also stupid people because they were building a weak and worthless city wall. Tobiah undoubtedly thought he was funny and clever when he suggested that the wall was so weak that if a fox walked on it, the wall would tumble to the ground.  (4:1-3) Truthfully, many of the builders were discouraged, but they persevered. 

 Nevertheless, Nehemiah prayed, “Turn back their taunt on their own heads.” (4:4) Eventually, their taunts will come back to haunt them, just as Nehemiah prayed.

 “So, they built the wall…” (4:6)

Sanballat and his buddies continued to attempt to hinder Nehemiah’s work on the wall by various means, but at each turn their attempts were met with defeat.  Nehemiah continued to lead the work, and he ignored the childish mischief.  The insults, the rude name calling, the ridicule—the trash slinging failed to work! 

“So, the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days!” (6:15)

The next time you feel you are being pursued by troublemakers as you do the work that God has given you to do, remember Nehemiah.

 And remember 52 days.

Reflection Questions

  1. Have you ever been the victim of someone’s unkind words?  How did those words make you feel?
  2. How did you respond?  Did you throw unkind words right back at them?  What is the best way to respond?
  3. Do you think Nehemiah responded properly?  If he had responded by returning insult for insult, arguing, debating, or giving up the work, how would the builders have felt and responded?  How would the trash slingers feel?
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Ask Me if I Care

Nehemiah 1-3

Devotion by Telva Elwell (South Carolina)

When someone says, “Ask me if I care”, it is generally said in a sarcastic manner, leading us to believe that this individual does not care.  “Why would I care about that?”  (That situation does not affect me.)  “What’s the point?” (Nothing is going to change.) “I have better things to be concerned about.”  (My life is more important.)  “My life is good, so why should I worry about someone else’s troubles?” (Let everyone take care of their own business.) I bet every one of us has said or thought these things at least once in our lives.  I know I have, and sadly, I felt justified in feeling that way.

It was probably an ordinary day in the life of Nehemiah, if there was such a thing for Nehemiah.  After all, he was the cupbearer for a powerful king.  He stood in his presence every day, making sure his needs were all taken care of. It was a cushy job with a lot of perks and great benefits. Lucky Nehemiah, right?   But along comes his dear brother, Hanani, to visit Nehemiah.  It was good to see him, I am sure, but Nehemiah’s life was about to be upended in an unexpected way!  Perhaps foolishly Nehemiah inquired about the Jews (his people) who had survived the exile and the condition of the city of Jerusalem, expecting good news or maybe a simple answer like, “Oh, things could be better” with a shrug of the shoulders.  End of discussion.  Instead, what he heard was, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame.  The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” (1:3).  Was this Nehemiah’s problem?  After all, it had happened a while ago and now Nehemiah had a great position with the King and lived 800 or more miles away from all of that. Kind of like, out of sight, out of mind. How easily, and perhaps justifiably, Nehemiah could have wished them the best and continued living his happy life.  Who would have blamed him? We would have done the same. Right? Deep inside, Nehemiah might be thinking, “Why would I care about that?”

Instead, however, as soon as Nehemiah heard their words, he “sat down and wept and mourned for days and continued fasting and praying before the God of Heaven.” (vs 4) It is hard to deny the fact that Nehemiah was filled with sorrow and empathy.  But does he really care?  How far will this caring take him?  What can he really do anyway, being that he is working for a powerful king in Persia many miles away from Jerusalem?

Nehemiah could not let it go.  He had to do something. This is where it got tricky for Nehemiah.  He could not just say, “I can’t do anything to help.”  He could not just say, “My work in the palace is more important.”  He had to do something.  So, he went to the King to get his permission to take a leave of absence and to go to Jerusalem. That was the tricky part because the King had every right to refuse his request. Through the work of the Lord, however, the King granted him permission.  Then, because he was ill-prepared to rebuild the wall of the city, he would have to figure out how to accomplish that, and how to lead the band of survivors in that task.  Nehemiah was willing to leave the safety and comfort of the palace for living in a ruined city.  He did so, without excuses as to why he could not build the wall and gates of Jerusalem, and he did it in 52 days because of his faith in the God of Heaven! He did it because he cared.

It is safe to say that we will never be faced with such a monumental task.  Such a task comes seldom, and only to a man like Nehemiah.  But we are faced with important tasks, nonetheless.  People are hurting, they have needs, they need a gentle hand, a listening ear, they need someone to pray for them and with them, or maybe your church has a Sunday School class without a teacher.

We are not Nehemiah, but we can be like him.

We can care.

Reflection Questions

1. Are there times when it is okay to genuinely not care?  Are caring and doing inseparable?  Are there times when it is okay not to help?  Does that mean you don’t care?

    2. What are your first thoughts when you are asked to help with something important?  Do you first think about all the reasons that would make you unable to help? Are all those reasons real or just excuses?  Or do you first consider the ways/solutions that would make you able to help? Is prayer part of your process?

    3. How would have things turned out if Nehemiah had decided he really didn’t care or simply did not want to help?

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    Praise His Name – and Follow Him

    OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 12-13

    POETRY: Psalm 149

    NEW TESTAMENT: John 20:19-23

    Just so you know how much of a rebel I am… I spent my tween years secretly dancing in my basement to the new DC Talk cassette tape, questioning why such a powerful kinesthetic connection with God was forbidden. At the church I attended at the time (not associated with our General Conference), dancing was considered a sinful act;  a few years later they started allowing limited choreography to Christian songs called “interpretive movement,” which was really just dancing with a much less scandalous name. While I definitely agree that mainstream secular dance is often inappropriate, there are so many ways we can glorify God through dance with these bodies he has given us, and Psalm 149 encourages us to dance and sing before the Lord! I love the story of King David’s wife Michal lashing out in anger because he was dancing in the streets, but his reply was simply, as the Crowder song paraphrases, “I’ll become even more undignified than this!” (see 2 Samuel 6:22). David unabashedly praised God by dancing with abandon because he loved God so much that he just couldn’t hold it in! 

    I bet there was a lot of dancing and praise at the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem, too! There were choirs and instruments, and “the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away” (Nehemiah 12:43). Then Nehemiah returned to his work with the king. However, when Nehemiah returned a while later, he found many people straying from the laws they had so very recently vowed to keep. Among the offenses was that Tobiah (remember him? A sidekick to the antagonist Sanballat from earlier in this book?) had been allowed to live within the temple, occupying one of the sacred rooms. This could perhaps be likened to elevating Tobiah above God or allowing a wolf to dwell among the flock. Nehemiah took care of that problem when he returned! Then he purified everything and helped the people recognize the ways in which they were not – but should be – following God. 

    I can’t help but wonder if Nehemiah felt like the people would never get it or that all his work was futile, like herding a hundred cats or tidying up a play room full of busy snacking toddlers. I wonder if Nehemiah felt defeated by the end of the book. And yet, he faithfully completed the work that God called him to do, so the rest was left in God’s hands. Likewise, sometimes it feels like a never-ending task to keep focused on God, to clear the impure thoughts and actions from our hearts and minds, to stay away from temptations that threaten to overpower us. But we must continue focusing on God and the work he has given us to do in this particular season while encouraging others to do the same (Hebrews 10:25)! 

    The book of Nehemiah concludes abruptly with a simple plea, which can also be our supplication as we strive to live for God each day: “Remember me with favor, my God.” 

    -Rachel Cain

    Reflections: 


    That temple-dwelling abomination seems foreign to us, but consider this: if our bodies are temples (I Corinthians 6:19-20), what unholy things are we permitting to occupy the sacred places of our hearts and minds? What Tobiahs are we allowing to influence us – those seemingly innocent thoughts or behaviors or relationships that will ultimately threaten our relationship with God, or are taking the place of God in our priorities and hearts? The reading in John today reminds us about the Holy Spirit, God’s power and guidance, that will help us follow Him; pray that God will show you what Tobiahs are in your life and that His Spirit will give you the power to make necessary changes. 

    Here is a neat article that discusses the ending of Nehemiah, along with how the book could be a foreshadowing of the Messiah and more: https://jesusplusnothing.com/series/post/nehem13

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    Promises

    OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 10-11

    POETRY: Psalm 148

    NEW TESTAMENT: John 20:10-18

    Promises. 

    I started learning about our cultural acceptance of the flexibility of “promises” when I was young: the revocability of a promise made with little crossed fingers, the lack of sincere meaning behind most promise rings given between teens, the recurring empty assurance that I could be Mario instead of Luigi the next time my friend and I would duel on her original Nintendo. 

    Promises matter, from a pledge on the playground, to a contract with a company, to sacred words at a wedding. Unfortunately, we live in a shattered world laden with insincere, neglected, and forgotten promises. 

    In Nehemiah, the Israelites came together to commit once again to following God. “The rest of the people…now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord.” (Neh 10:28-29) As we discussed yesterday, throughout history, the Jewish race had been in a wild, cyclical, on-again, off-again relationship with God. That which began with Jacob/Israel as a beautiful tapestry of covenant between Almighty God and his chosen people became interwoven with heartache, death, defeat, and slavery. But they vowed that, this time, they would follow God! (Spoiler alert: they would disobey yet again before this book even ends.)

    God’s love to his people was a covenant, not a contract. A contract is a promise that one party will uphold their end of the agreement as long as the other side fulfills their responsibilities, while a covenant is a promise no matter what. God remained faithful even when his people were unfaithful, but they still had to face the consequences of their behavior. This covenant, originally for the Hebrews, has been renewed through Jesus to include the Gentiles as well. I am so grateful that we can all share in the hope God offers through Jesus! 

    Our family strives to emphasize the importance of keeping promises. My husband Dan can often be heard reciting, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no” (Matthew 5:37). My 7 year old, when feeling slighted by an unmet expectation from his older brother, will object, “But your word is your promise!” Even children can understand the potential detriment of dishonored vows. 

    As my son Gideon and I read from the Jesus Storybook Bible every night, he echoes the beautiful phrase that describes God’s covenant love in many of the stories: God’s “never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love.”

    Today, may you rest in the promise of God’s covenant love while you continue to seek Him in all you do. 

    Similarities in today’s other readings: 

    Psalm 148:6b: “God made a law that will not be broken.” God is a faithful God! 

    John 20: Mary met the resurrected Jesus for the first time! His death and resurrection are amazing fulfillments of God’s prophecies and promise! 

    -Rachel Cain

    Reflections: 

    * Create your own phrase to describe God’s covenant love, like the one I included from a children’s Bible above. Praise God for his covenant love! 

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    Stop the Slow Fade!

    SEEK & SHARE

    OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 9

    POETRY: Psalm 148

    NEW TESTAMENT: John 20:1-9

    “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction… it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation…”

    ~ President Ronald Reagan. 

    Reagan spoke these famous wise words during his inaugural address. It was a call for the country to not take our freedom for granted, to continue fighting to keep our freedom alive.

    That reminds me of the instructions following the Shema, a major tenet of Jewish faith and our faith, found in Deuteronomy 6. The Shema states: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” 

    Those words are super important, but is that the end? Is that all we need to know and do? A big, resounding NO! Immediately following these core words, we are instructed to pass along our faith deeply to the next generation and embed it into our daily rhythms: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

    If I am interpreting this scripture correctly, it seems like we are supposed to be thinking and teaching about God, like, all the time, right? We need to be in a state of constant communion with God not only in our own hearts, but also sharing that with our children and others around us. 

    Nehemiah 9 describes Israel’s repentance, return to faith, and reinstallment of their covenant in a religious and legal document. Throughout the chronicle of their rebellion, they remember God’s covenantal love: “You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (v 17). They realize, though, that it is because of their sin that they are presently enslaved under Persia. 

    We can’t let the next generation forget! This happened too many times in Israel’s history, and it continues to happen with us. Oh, sure, we don’t intend to not grow our relationship with God and teach our kids to do the same, but there’s just so much vying for our attention: school and work and sports and sleep and Netflix. It’s a slow fade, a side effect of busy-ness and forgetfulness and complacency, but ultimately it’s an abdication of our responsibilities as followers of Jesus. However, it is vitally important, in our farm-out-all-our-chores-to-someone-else culture, that we don’t assume someone else will teach our children about Jesus, someone else will share the love of God with our restaurant server, someone else will volunteer to meet the needs of our local church and community, someone else will…

    We are called to be seeking and sharing about God from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed, whether we are at home or in another place. We are especially commanded to teach “them” to our children. (“Them” refers to commandments, but I think it means even more than that; I think it includes knowing and loving God enough to WANT to follow his commands, and passing that depth of understanding and passion onto the next generation.) 

    In Nehemiah 9, with the Feast of Tabernacles fresh on their minds, the people were still  remembering their history of being slaves in Egypt, then finding freedom, and then following a cycle of rebellion and enslavement… rinse, lather, repeat. After their work with Nehemiah, they were hungry to return to God and understand the scriptures. Again, this is why the Shema and the instructions following the Shema are important – we can’t let the next generation forget who God is and what He has done in our lives! 

    If we really peer outside our Christian bubbles, we will see a hurting and perverse world that is far from God. But it doesn’t have to stay that way! You can greatly influence your existing circle. Evangelist Gypsy Smith shared the secret to revival: “Go home. Take a piece of chalk. Draw a circle around yourself. Then pray, ‘O Lord, revive everything inside this circle.’” Start with yourself; renew your own relationship with God. Teach your family, and learn to follow Him better together. Then you won’t be able to keep it all inside! 

    Connections to the other readings: 

    In John, the disciples discover the empty tomb, but they seem confused about the whole event. Though Jesus had told them he would rise again, they didn’t fully understand until it really happened. Like the nation in Nehemiah longed to be free from Persian rule, Jesus’ peers wanted to be free from Roman rule. When Jesus didn’t save them in the way they wanted, they turned on him because they did not understand that Jesus was saving them in an even better, eternal way! 

    Psalm 148 is a song of praise! The people in Nehemiah praised God for his faithfulness throughout this chapter. 

    -Rachel Cain

    Reflections: 

    *Listen to this encouraging song. Be intentional to start a revival in your home and community today! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlQQcQc0eHU

    *Read the Psalm as a prayer of praise and gratitude to God. 

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    Joy to the World!

    OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 8

    POETRY: Psalm 148

    NEW TESTAMENT: John 19:38-42

    Joy to the World! The Lord is come. Merry Christmas!

    I never really considered Nehemiah as a Christmas devotional, but today’s reading actually fits in quite nicely! We read today about the Israelites finally being reintroduced to the Scriptures after completing the wall. They had forgotten who they were, and as the Torah was read to them, they cried – perhaps they were sad that they had not known this all of their lives? The Levites asked them to stop mourning and instead go celebrate by eating and drinking together. “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Neh. 8:10). 

    As the people heard and understood more of the scriptures, they learned about the Feasts: God-ordained parties that had long been ignored or forgotten! Realizing that they were near the appointed time to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as Sukkot or Feast of Booths) and eager to reconnect with their roots and their God, they quickly gathered branches to create temporary shelters. The booths/sukkahs that they created to remember their ancestors’ wilderness wanderings following their escape from Egyptian slavery were also a tangible reminder of their recent history living in a tumbledown city, which caused a renewed appreciation for their newly rebuilt Jerusalem. I can only imagine the overwhelming feeling of God’s faithfulness they experienced! The restoration of the wall led to a restoration of the Jewish people and their faith. 

    A few months ago on a pleasant autumn evening, my family huddled with hearty bowls of soup under a makeshift tent (ok, so it was really just old bedsheets haphazardly pinned to the clothesline in the shape of an A by my Littles, but it’s the thought that counts!) in our backyard while we retold the story of Moses leading his people out of slavery only to wander in the desert and sleep in sukkahs – temporary dwellings – for 40 years until they were ready to enter the Promised Land. This God-ordained fall Feast of Tabernacles, which has been celebrated for centuries among the Jewish people, is a rich way to remember God’s faithfulness in the past (providing literal and metaphorical shelter for his people until they entered their Promised Land) and His promised hope for the future (the Kingdom). Through burps, unrelated laughter, and all the other chaos that occurs when doing almost anything with a small mob of children, we briefly discussed the parallels between Moses awaiting the Promised Land and Jesus awaiting the Kingdom through my best novice attempt to honor some of the traditional celebrations. (I encourage you to look more into the feasts and celebrate them, even at a basic level, with your family and friends!). 

    Through my studies of this feast, I learned that Jesus was likely born around the time of Sukkot, which could be another reason why (in addition to the census) the area near Jerusalem was so full with travelers. As the Jewish nation celebrated their humble past, our Savior and King was born nearby in a humble dwelling, ushering in a new beginning. As many of us celebrate CHRISTmas today, we thank God for the gift of His son, Jesus. Merry CHRISTmas! 

    Notes about the other passages:

    In Psalm 148, the writer begs everyone and everything, large and small, to praise the LORD! The people of Jerusalem were definitely praising God for the completion of the wall and the restoration of their faith. 

    John 19:38-42: Jesus was born around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, but he died just before Passover, another important feast in which the Jewish people celebrate God’s provision when He led them out of slavery in Egypt. 

    -Rachel Cain

    Reflection:

    • Consider ways to renew your relationship with God and Jesus, such as celebrating the feasts, to help revive your joy and faith. 
    • During what times in your life has the joy of the LORD sustained you with supernatural strength? 

    This is a music video of one of my favorite songs about JOY. How will you let God’s true joy be your strength in spite of whatever you’re facing

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    Knowing God

    OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 6-7

    POETRY: Psalm 147

    NEW TESTAMENT: John 19:28-37

    What is one thing that you just adore, something that, when people see it, they think of you? For me, it’s manatees or anything cheery yellow (preferably not a yellow manatee!); when my kids draw a picture for me, their masterpieces regularly feature one or both of those things. When I see libraries, LEGO, monkey bars, and giraffes, I automatically think of my four children, respectively. And I can almost always predict what my husband will choose from a menu before I even hear his order: the most diverse combination of tastes ever imagined in one entree, or anything pumpkin – preferably together. 

    My family is my tribe. We know each other so well that, when given choices to make for one another, we often don’t even need to ask the other which they would choose. 

    Nehemiah knew God well. He was in such deep communion with God all day long for much of his life that sometimes he didn’t even need to take time to think about how to respond in tricky situations. Prayers are woven into the narrative of his book, nonchalantly immersed within the historical account; Nehemiah’s heart was so aligned with the heart of God that the next step was clear and he was able to answer quickly and confidently.

    Sanballat and Tobiah, who had been conspiring to sabotage the wall-erecting project all along, attempted a new approach – requesting a “friendly” meeting in another town. Four times they invited Nehemiah to join them, and four times, suspecting a sinister scheme, Nehemiah replied, “I am doing a good work and I cannot come down!” (6:3) When that attempt failed, they made false accusations against him, threatening his reputation and leadership. Nehemiah prayed that God would strengthen his hands (verse 9). Then the antagonists hired a prophet – a spiritual leader – to give contrary advice to Nehemiah, but guess what? Nehemiah was so in tune with the One True God that he didn’t even need to pray about it or stew in confusion about this prophet’s words; he was so confident in God’s laws and the work God had called him to do that he already knew what God’s response would be. This potentially confusing situation did not derail him; he saw right through the deception and kept focused on God’s instruction. 

    I want to be so in tune with God on a regular basis that I can confidently make the right choice when trials and confusion come my way! 

    Here are correlations between our other passages and Nehemiah: 

    Psalm 147:2  “The Lord loves the righteous, and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” The plans of the wicked were definitely frustrated in today’s Nehemiah story! 

    In the John reading today, Jesus died and was buried – a very sad day for his followers. But we now know that was the beginning of something much more wonderful: the fulfilling of a promise, the forgiving of sins, the saving of humanity! Likewise, the residents of Jerusalem who have experienced the death of their faith, dreams, and security, will be experiencing renewed joy, faith, and wonder with the rebuilding of their city.

    -Rachel Cain

    Reflection: 

    • How well do you know God? Do you know HIM, or know ABOUT Him? What steps can you take to know him better today? 
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