In Nehemiah, we have a scene of the dedication of the rebuilt Jerusalem. This isn’t just any simple celebration though. We read about a scene that is elaborate, complete with choirs surrounding the city walls. Aaron reminds us that celebration isn’t something to shy away from. It is appropriate to lavishly celebrate what God is…
Chapter 11 of Nehemiah brings the challenge to act like God is in Control. We can be convicted of not doing this in all sorts of areas in our lives. We may read that God will take care of us in Matthew, but immediately spend our entire day worrying about whether or not we will…
Chapter 10 of Nehemiah
Chapter 9 of Nehemiah Assignment: Read Matthew 5 – 7, and especially 6. If you see a command that your life is not in line with, ask God to change you. Consider how you can live differently in order to walk in obedience to Jesus’ teaching, then do it.
Chapter 8 of Nehemiah Assignment: Read Matthew 5 – 7, and especially 6. If you see a command that your life is not in line with, ask God to change you. Consider how you can live differently in order to walk in obedience to Jesus’ teaching, then do it.
Chapter 7 of Nehemiah: The wall is completed. Many of us finish a big project and run into a “Now What?” moment. Sometimes our identity can be tied up in the project and we suddenly feel a loss of purpose when this is removed from our life. Instead, we need to remember to find our…
Chapter 6 of Nehemiah:The wall has been completed and they’re working on the gates. So Israel’s enemies from the surrounding areas make three attempts to destroy Nehemiah or destroy his effectiveness. First they invite Nehemiah (four times!) away from the protection of Jerusalem to their own territory to “talk.” Nehemiah replies with wisdom, “I’m engaged…
In chapter 5 of Nehemiah’s memoirs, all outside obstacles to rebuilding have been surmounted. It’s then that the people cry out against one another, because of usury and worse by the nobles and priests. Nehemiah answers the cries, first by allowing his anger to subside, then rebuking those taking advantage of their fellow Jews. His…
In chapter 4 of Nehemiah, the wall-builders begin to face significant opposition. They’re weary and discouraged, and political enemies from the surrounding regions are preparing to stop the work with brute force. Nehemiah responds with tremendous wisdom, calling on the community to sacrifice for each other in a way that prefigures the loving attitude Jesus…
In leading the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls God used Nehemiah to redirect the trajectory of a whole people nationally and spiritually. From an engineering perspective, a political perspective or even a human resources perspective, what Nehemiah managed to do was nothing short of amazing. And yet like anything else, that wall went up brick by brick,…