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This blog focuses on encouraging women to enjoy refreshing, intimate times with the Lord in the Word. Hopefully, it will inspire personal study and spiritual growth as we go.
This blog also invites discussion over Bible study and some other wonderful Christian disciplines available to us in our spiritual growth!
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Aug. 18, 2008
Nehemiah 1 (Part 2)
Posted in Study: Nehemiah
I'll just apologize now. It's been quite the week for me. If you have read my other blog, you may know we've had a little bit of an emotional crisis in the house. It also happened to be my privilege to serve on our worship team this weekend. So, things were gearing up pretty fast by Thursday (the day I planned to post the following entry). Alas, I hadn't finished this, so I kept it until now.
Well, here we are again. I've had a bit more time to study, so I thought I would put down the next installment of our exploration into Nehemiah. I did want to say one more thing, though, before I continue. Please know this is far from exhaustive in nature. This study is what God shows me as I study along. I share it with you, and I hope it is a springboard to something God will do in your personal, intimate time with Him in the Word. I would hope that, as God shows you new things, that you might feel free to share that here, too. We sure could bless each other in wonderful ways, don't you think?
You'll notice that my lovely friend began working on the rest of chapter one in the comments of Part One, so please take note of her thoughts that are so wonderfully fresh. :')
As always, let's pray before we ever consider opening up the Word of God and studying it. If for no other reason, we are asking our Counselor and Teacher, the Holy Spirit, to take His rightful place as Lord of this study process.
Sweet Holy Spirit, it is to You we come at this time, seeking to be counseled by Your wisdom and taught by Your teaching heart. Soften us to Your teaching and precious guidance. Let us keenly hear with a fresh heart and ears what You have for us today. We love You! Lead on, Spirit. Lead on!
As we begin today, I'm hoping to move along a little more quickly, with hopes of ending chapter one with a wrap up. Let's see how we do today. "The best laid plans of mice and men" and moms. . . . (Where in the world did that quote come from anyway?)
At this point in the story, we are aware of a few things. We know Nehemiah is in the citadel of Susa (the winter capitol of the Persian Empire). We know God's people are scattered, yet a few have been able to return to Jerusalem. We know that it has been (how many?) years since people arrived, yet the walls of Jerusalem are still broken down and the gates are still burned. There has been no concerted effort to reconstruct the city.
Immediately, we get a good glimpse into Nehemiah's response to the news he's received from his visitors reporting the events taking place: "I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven" (Neh. 1:4). Nehemiah deeply feels the plight of the people!
Friends, may I have a heart-to-heart with you on something? As the church in America, do our hearts still break and mourn for those who mourn? How do we, as the body of Christ, respond when we hear news of our brothers and sisters in Christ going through difficult seasons? In a day and age when it is more common to hear news consolidated into sound bites of 15 seconds or less per story . . . when we see our news on a home page with a picture, headline, and short blurb and quickly click to the next url . . . when we tend to hear of someone's trouble, promise to pray for them (later), and quickly forget to return to that thought . . . how are we doing as a Church? (Slowly and quietly stepping down from the soap box.)
Beloved friends, I think Nehemiah's example is one to strongly consider. He wept. He mourned for days. He fasted. He prayed. This is a complete mind, body, spirit, and soul investment in the plight and disgrace of God's people. (Let's just ponder that for a moment.) He was not with those people, experiencing their hardships. He wasn't seeing the destruction daily as his eyes scanned the horizon. He wasn't even experiencing the overwhelming discouragement the people faced as they lived outside their demolished city. Time, distance, and his life of comfort and ease could have allowed him to dismiss it. Maybe he could even just blame the people for being lazy.
After all, that may be what gets in our way, personally. Many of us would say we just can't get that invested in everything, lest we be more like weeping Jeremiah sitting in a puddle all the time. I say it's possible we might need to look just slightly more like Jeremiah or Nehemiah when it comes to the people of God . . . and maybe the people who are not the people of God yet. (Whoops. Where'd that box under my feet come from?) I'd say, in conclusion on this topic, perhaps we might examine this Godly example just a bit. Pray about it. Is God leading you to consider a softer, more invested heart?
I love the details of Nehemiah's response to the plight of the people. He prays. But, more specifically, he prays "before the God of heaven" (Neh. 1:4b-11b). Don't miss this. He is very specific in naming the God of heaven. Sometimes I know why things are, and sometimes I need a little help. A little Walvoord and Zuck is always a good thing:
"The God of heaven" is a title of God used nine times in Ezra . . .--more than any other Bible book--and 10 times in other exilic and postexilic books . . . Elsewhere in the Old Testament that phrase occurs only four times (Gen. 24:3, 7; Ps. 136:26; Jonah 1:9). It points to God's sovereignty. He is the One who made heavent (Gen. 14:19, 22; 2 Chron. 2:12; Ps. 115:15), who is in heaven (Deut. 4:39; 1Kings 8:30, 39, 43, 49; Ecc. 5:2), and who reigns from His throne in heaven (Isa. 66:1). Though Cyrus was a monarch over an extensive empire, Yahweh is far greater for He rules from heaven.
(The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord/Zuck; John A. Martin, "Ezra 1")
I've left out some of the citations in this quote for simplicity sake. In reading the commentary in Walvoord/Zuck on Nehemiah, I was referred to Ezra, so I have given you that information. I hope it is fruitful and beneficial.
Notice in a day and age where sovereignty confusion must have been rampant in the remnant of God's people, see how Nehemiah is not confused. He knows exactly to whom he prays. This is even more interesting, considering what he will be doing next. Take note of his intimate time with God now, in advance of the following events. This might be a wise reminder to us all as well. Our first place to run under the most challenging circumstances (our own or those of people around us) simply must be to our heavenly Father! He runs immediately to the Ruler of all things, the Sovereign God, the God of heaven.
Read the prayer. See the parts of it that my friend mentioned in her comment on the last installment of Nehemiah 1. The model for prayer certainly is there! Notice, too, that this is intercessory prayer at it's best. He is reminded of who this God is, who the very special people are for whom he prays, and he doesn't forget to pray for himself in the end.
Just a little thought for you. How about a little "home work" in the prayer area? Consider studying the example of the prayer. Try to see how God is moving in the heart of Nehemiah as he prays. Think of how you might benefit from taking a lesson from Nehemiah in your prayer life.
- For whom will you pray?
- When will you pray for this person or group?
- How often and how long will you support this person or group?
No, you don't have to answer these questions here in the comments. But, it might be interesting for us to take a moment and select someone or a group for whom we will intercede. No ideas? How about . . .
- Children
- Family members (who know or don't know the Lord personally)
- Your church (pastor, leadership, elders, members, etc.)
- Your school (daily guidance, relational harmony, pointing toward the God of heaven)
- Your local public schools (protection, the Christians and non-Christians there)
Just some thoughts.
So, how are we liking Nehemiah now? ;')
I love you all! Be blessed as we go through this book. May the God of heaven speak to you in the quiet of your heart as you study.
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Posted by Anonymous
Aug. 25, 2008 - Nehemiah 2
~How amazing it is to know that we can have that much faith to give God the glory! Yet do we really "trust him?" We are doing HOPE in our Sunday school, just reading about Thomas in John 29:19-31. Could you have "faith" like Thomas or could you have the "faith of a mustard seed?"
Lets think about that....faith and trust? If you were in his shoes or a like example could you have that faith? Nehemiah DID!
Remembering that when you are doing the work of GOD; you will have great opposition! Nehemiah did! Sanballat and Tobiah were extremely upset! They have taken over the land and ruled it as they seen fit. Nehemiah was the third group whom returned from exile, to come and "try" to rebuild. Only he planned his actions quietly not boasting.
~Planning his actions, verses 11-17. WOW! If this is not a clear way of how we should act in our lives today! We know that we do not always take the days as Nehemiah did to overlook everything before jumping into a project! The Bible says that he "inspected" everything for days before telling anyone. He even did it at night to avoid talk...even on foot... Then when he did talk with his group he explained the plan of action with such vigor and enthusiasm that they jumped up and started right away!
~When someone is being led by God to accomplish "HIS" requests, to announce with such vigor and sight for the new plan completion...this bleeds into your workers ...which then you all work as a team! No strife, just a great uniform team for God! Yes, he still had opposition....Nehemiah just laid that at the foot of God...never to carry it around.
~Pondering thought: do we do that? Do you do that? or do you pick it back up again?
Sanballat and Tobiah were so afraid because Nehemiah was not just anyone; but the Kings personal adviser and cupbearer. So they tried everything to stop this process!
Just leaving on the note that: "Often God will use one person for a vision and others to turn it into a reality. When we encourage and inspire others, we put teamwork into action to accomplish God's Goals." How priceless is that! Truly Priceless!
Okay someone else's turn!
Just some of our thoughts ...we hope that you enjoy! We still await eagerly for other thoughts!
In agape love,
some students trying to do the will of God!