Keeping Commitments - Nehemiah 11 to 14

It is very important for anyone to keep their commitments. Breaking a commitment is equal to being untruthful and there is a commandment directly related to this sin. My father would very proudly tell you that his word was his bond; I believed him because there was evidence of it in his daily life. We need to look for a moment at the word “word” and see what it really means. Christ said, “I am the “word” the ‘truth’ and ‘light.’ The trinity is ‘one’ and Christ is the ‘word’ therefore the ‘word’ of God is actually a part of the God head. We know that Christ was saying that the Bible was the word, therefore when we give our word; it is as if we have laid our hand on the bible and made our promise. It is imperative that we keep our word—to both, our fellow man and to God.

You will not have to stretch your imagination very far to realize that the Israelite people have been up and down in their relationship to God more often than some elevators travel up and down in a business building. They were down in sin and disobedience when they went further down into Egyptian bondage. They traveled up in the exodus—back down when they arrived at the Red Sea—their safe crossing of the sea put them on top—but their water ran low and they went down—God provided water and up they came—their food ran low and they were down complaining—the manna came and they were up—Moses stayed on Mt. Sinai too long and they built a golden calf to worship…that’s pretty low, causing Moses to lose his patience and he broke the tablets of stone. This should picture what I mean by their ups and downs.

This pattern of Jewish actions extended from the beginning of life in the Garden when Adam and Eve had everything perfect until the days of Noah and the Ark when the world was destroyed by water. To the best of my knowledge of the bible, there are no exceptions: Every time the Israelite nation/nations were on top of the mountain—prosperous and happy—they disobeyed God, and started down. When they could not endure any longer, they would call out to God—repent of their sins and beg for forgiveness. Then our loving God forgave them and immediately their land was blessed, they regained their position in the land of milk and honey, and soon were on top of their mountain again.

Look at the title of our study for today: KEEPING COMMITMENTS and you will see the connection. Throughout Jewish history there was always a remnant that remained obedient. There were always a few good men that held true to God’s law. Six of these faithful men have been the leaders that stand out in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which covers the return of the exiles to Jerusalem, and I will use them as the examples we should follow as we commit to be faithful in our worship and work.

Zerubbabel was the first of the four. Exiles in Babylon were there seventy years, before they were allowed to start returning to their homeland in 538 B.C. There were about 50,000 in the first group that returned under the committed leadership of Zerubbabel, and they were to start the rebuilding of the temple. Opposition arose and the work stopped. This group received encouragement and leadership from Haggai and Zechariah; then they returned to their work and completed the temple in 516.

Eighty years after Zerubbabel returned, Ezra returned to the land in 458 B.C leading the second group of exiles. He found the temple was completed in 516 B.C. with the people on top of their mountain. However, the second thing he found was that in just that short time of 58 years the lives of the people were in shambles. They were already disobeying the law that forbids intermarriage with foreigners. Never-the-less, Ezra kept his commitment, prayed for help and saved the spiritual future of the nation.

Nehemiah led the third group of exiles back to rebuild the wall around the temple. He completed the wall in 445 B.C. just thirteen years after Ezra’s return. We have covered his commitment to the rebuilding of the wall in the last few lessons. Nehemiah became the business leader while Ezra continued in his quest to furnish the religious leadership. Twelve years after the wall was completed Nehemiah returned to his home in Babylon and remained there only one year, returning in 432.

On his return Nehemiah took charge of the political and city management problems in Jerusalem. One of their problems was exactly the opposite of the problems in our large cities today. We have too many people in the cities—and they had too few people that wanted to live in Jerusalem. Many of the Jewish exiles that had been captured and carried away did not return. In fact the number of exiles that returned was few in number compared to the population of Jerusalem during Solomon’s reign as king. Many of them had established homes and businesses and could not afford to return. The new wall was built on the foundation where the old wall had stood and so the encompassed area was the same size as it was before being destroyed. Some of those who had returned already owned property in the country, outside the city wall, and they wanted to go home.

As a starter, Nehemiah required all city leaders to live inside the wall, and then he encouraged all that would to voluntarily move inside the wall. The city was still too sparsely populated so those living outside the wall cast lots and ten percent of these had to move inside. Nine out of ten families were allowed to live outside if they wished.

The first part of chapter twelve names the Priests and Levites that accompanied Zerubbabel back to Jerusalem. It was always important for the Israelites to keep an accurate count on their people. First they needed to know that the families were kept pure and free from marriage to heathen people; this prevented enemy nations from getting a foothold in the Jewish nation. But the most important reason for them to keep an accurate census was that they wanted to make sure they could trace the new messiah [yet to come] back to Abraham through King David.

The last part of the chapter, beginning with verse twenty-seven, gives a vivid description of the dedication of the new wall. Two huge bands and singers were organized to lead the march. One band went to the left with half of the people following in the parade. The second band went in the opposite direction with half of the people including Nehemiah, following them. Some have wondered where they got all the expensive musical instruments. They were among the captured wealth that was taken to Babylon at the time of the fall of Jerusalem. The king of Ceria released three groups to return, and in each case he allowed them to bring the things they would need, so most of the instruments had belonged to King Solomon when he built and supplied the temple.

The final reforms made by Nehemiah are recorded in the last chapter. You should remember back in our study to the time the great revival took place when the Law of Moses was read and explained. That is the incident being referred to here in the first verse. “All who were of foreign decent” refers to the Moabites and the Ammonites, two nations that had always been bitter enemies of Israel. It is recorded in Deuteronomy 23 that neither of these nations could ever be admitted into the temple. This had nothing to do with prejudice or discrimination because the same book states clearly that God loves all people; he allowed foreigners to make sacrifices for their sins. At the same time he is determined to protect his people against any nation who is set on the destruction of his people. I believe that the only hope we have for a better tomorrow in the Middle East will have to come form God as he continues to protect his people in that area, and around the world.

The reason is not known, but Nehemiah had to return to Babylon in 433 BC and was gone from Jerusalem one year, returning in 432. When he returned, he found that Tobiah had been assigned to the room where food, grain and even offerings and incense were stored. Remember—Tobiah—was one of his worst enemies and tried to prevent the reconstruction work. There were many other problems that had arisen during his one year’s absence, and he used his authority and strong will to see that the operations in the temple area were carried out according to the demands of the law.

Nehemiah believed in KEEPING HIS COMMITMENTS! His life story provides many principals of effective leadership that are just as valuable today. He accepted a responsibility that had a purpose in mind and never allowed anything or anyone to defeat his purpose. He was honest and straightforward with everyone and they knew where he stood. He stuck with the truth as verified by the law even when it made his job more difficult. He lived above approach and let his life speak for his humility and determination. In the beginning and at the end and daily as he worked he was in prayer to God to lead him and finally to bless him for his work.

It is lonely at the top! President Truman said “The buck stops here,” and what he meant was that there is no one else you can go to above me. It is my responsibility! As Superintendent of Schools for twenty-seven years, I have been there. More than one time I have wished that I could trade places with a teacher that had a serious problem. A place of leadership appears glamorous at times, but is often lonely and thankless and filled with pressures to compromise standards and values. Nehemiah learned and taught us that there is no success without risk of failure—there is no reward without hard work—no opportunity without some criticism…and no leadership without trust in God. Have you made one or more commitments?
If so, you have an opportunity and an obligation to do what you promised.

Valuing Every Life - Psalm 139:1-24

You say, “I will start tomorrow.” When you make this statement you have just committed your life’s most valuable asset [time] to the most devastating word in the English language, tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. If you have finished eating your breakfast and have not prayed or read your daily Bible lesson [should have done both] that is procrastination and procrastination is the second most dangerous word. Now, here is a sincere request, and it is very important. Open your Bible now and read the 139th Psalm. It is imperative that you always read for yourself what the Bible says about any subject in consideration. Each person must learn to rightly divide the word [that is to know what it says and means] in order to show him/herself approved in the sight of God.

Men of all ages have wondered and asked questions like: “Who is man that God should be concerned about him? The question this lesson will attempt to answer is: “Why has God always placed the highest of value on every life? Part of the answer is found in Psalm 139; therefore it impossible for you to fully understand how and why God values every life as it is discussed here unless you read Psalm 139.

As your teacher, I will always tell you what I believe and it will be the truth in so far as I am able to ascertain the truth. I am subject to make an honest mistake; therefore you need to study your Bible along with any written commentary. I humbly submit that I am a finite [extremely limited] human being and am studying and trying to tell others a few minor details about an infinite perfect God. [God has absolutely NO LIMITATIONS.] Richard Sibbes asked how man can comprehend God; then answered his rhetorical question by saying, “We shall apprehend Him, but not comprehend Him” The first and most important expression of his unlimited love for you and me is found in John 3:16. For God loved the world so much, that he gave his only son as a blood sacrifice for each and every person on earth. The creator is bigger than anything he is able to create. By faith, I believe that God created everything that is—and that includes the ‘stuff’ that everything is made of. For example, Genesis says that God created man from the dust of the earth. So, where did dust come from? The answer is that it came from the earth—so where did the earth come from? The answer is that God created it. So, what is the stuff he used to make the earth? IT WAS. Why. Because of the great I AM. In order to be a Christian, one absolutely must have faith. You must believe that the Bible is the true word of God.

Where did God come from? He had no parents and he had no former place of abode; therefore, He did not come. He was, is and will always be God. If there ever was a point or place when time began…God was there. When Moses told God that the Pharaoh in Egypt would want to know where he got his authority…then he asks God what he should tell Pharaoh. God’s answer was; “Just tell him that I AM sent you. So, what are God’s limitations? He has none. How big is God? No one knows…but he is bigger than his creation. Things may be larger than scientist think they are—but they have given us some numbers that are mind-boggling.

Scientist say that the universe is so big that if you could find a rocket that travels at the speed of light, it would take you 500 billion years to fly around the outside perimeter—you would be traveling 186,000 miles each second. The diameter of the sun is 864, miles while the earth’s diameter is only 25,000 miles and that means that the sun would hold 1,000,000 planets the size of the earth. One of the stars has a diameter 100 million miles larger than the orbit of the earth around the sun.

Sun light requires eight and a half minutes to reach the earth…however it requires more than four years to reach the nearest star which is 24 trillion miles from earth. Our galaxy called the Milky Way contains billions of stars—many of them are larger than the sun. Astronomers believe that there could be millions of galaxies. It is difficult just to think about this; it is impossible to understand. It easy to believe [trust] that God is bigger than all of the above. [The numbers in last two paragraphs were taken from Holman’s Old Testament Commentary on Psalm, 139—2006.]

Now, I want you for just one moment try to trace ever process that takes place from inception to death in the physical body of each being. God created each and every person even before he/she was conceived. He knew their names, what they would do, where they would live, even every hair on each head was counted. All of this and I will ask only one question. How could “I AM” be GOD if he did not Value Every Life? David is the only person in the Bible referred to as a man after God’s own heart. I think this is true because David had great faith, but his greatest attribute was his study of God’s creation and he talked and sang to God constantly for years out under the stars with his sheep. We were created to love, worship, praise and work for God. In the 139rh Psalm, David lets us know how big he thinks God really is—and the truth is that he is bigger, better, more powerful, more knowledgeable, stronger, etc. than the human mind can comprehend.

Why do men love darkness? It is because light is revealing. Some of us want to keep others in the dark about some of the things we do or say. We want friends. But we don’t want friends that really know us. Have you ever done anything that you didn’t want anyone else to know about? According to David, that is impossible. He said God searched him and knows him and everything about him…when he is sitting and when he gets up. God knows when he is outside and inside, when he is lying down, asleep or awake. He says God knows his thoughts before they occur to him and knows what he is going to say before his lips ever move. God made us and he knows us and he loves us and places great value on each one of us.

I thought I was lost one night in Big Gum Pond, in Raft Creek Bottoms. During the afternoon the water had risen until the creek was too deep to wade. It got black dark, there was a slow drizzle falling, and there was one flash light for four people—the battery died. We were in total darkness, in thick timber with some underbrush and could not move. You know we got home ok, because I am writing this, when I thought I was lost—I was not! God was with me all the time. Read verses eight and nine. God went duck-hunting with me that day and knew exactly where I was.

God values life so much that he stays with each and every person on earth all the time 24/7/52. David asks God: “Where can I go from your spirit?” David said that if he could go to heaven—God would be there; and if to hell—God would be there, so the answer is you and I can not hide from God. And you have never thought one thought—or did one thing—good or bad—that God does not know about…in fact he knew it before you did.

David lived and wrote this Psalm at a time when there were no books, papers, television, college professors, research labs, or powerful telescopes and, to me, there is no doubt about his belief in the creation fact…no, not theory…fact. Please read again verses 13 through 16. Genesis says that God made man in his own image; therefore, he inserts his character into every person. You can not be a true, Bible believing Christian and still have low esteem for yourself if you read and believe the Bible. Oh yes, we sometimes feel that we are worthless, when things do not work out like we expect them to be—maybe in extreme cases one may think that he hates himself because of his failures. If this happens to you, please remember that the Hol0y Spirit is always present and ready to work with you. We should respect ourselves as much as our Maker does. God did not make any junk!
We were made in his image; with his own hands he molded our physical bodies from the dust of the earth and then he gave each one of us life by breathing air into our lungs and his Spirit into our soul. Have you ever seen his Spirit? No. Have you ever seen a soul? No. Do you believe that you have a soul filled with God’s Spirit? How or why do you believe these things exist when you have never seen either one? By faith—we believe!

David is talking directly to God and he said; “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place…your eyes saw my body before it was formed…and all of my days ordained for me were written in your book before I was born.

What would have been David’s fate and the fate of the Jewish people if his parents agreed and his mother arranged for and consented to an abortion? How can anyone read Psalm 139, and still feel that they have a lawful right to take the life of a baby. As far as I am concerned, there is absolutely no argument about the time [age] that an unborn embryo becomes a part of God’s creation. Look again at the print in black in the last paragraph. God knit us together and the first stitch was when the sperm and egg united. God even saw us before we had any form. People, I believe that God created me on the sixth day of creation and placed me in his space to show up on earth the 22nd day of July, 1924. He knew everything about me before I got here, and he knows my destiny for all the time that is in the future.

THOU SHALT NOT KILL! There will be pay day someday for each murder that is committed. Growing up in the early part of the last century I do not remember having any fear for my life. There seemed to always be a sensible reason for any murder that I ever heard about. But, oh, how times have changed. There were somewhere near sixty murders in Little Rock during 2006, and I do not recall even one that seemed to have any justification that even sinful man would excuse. There are many who do not place any value on life today.

Having spent thirty-four years in public education, five years as teacher; two as principal; and the last twenty-seven as Superintendent in schools that ranged from 400 to 7000 students in size it is possible that what I said or did could have affected the lives of 163,000 students. About ten percent of these students had problems in school that ranged from a poor attitude to absolutely incorrigible; and from a minor handicap to wheel-chair cases. A higher percentage of the children came from a one parent home to a home completely unacceptable even to some that had been physically and sexually abused.

For some unacceptable reason our American educational system has not advanced to the state where the life of each child is considered to have the same worth. No two children in school are alike, yet they are expected to succeed or fail under a common curriculum, and it will never be. Children are different [God did not make them all alike] in fact no two are the same. Therefore they can not all be treated the same. Each educational setting should be designed with children who have similar needs and abilities. No teacher should be expected to be successful in dealing with a wide range of problems that may be physical or mental rather than educational.

Some neighbors are rude, arrogant and hard to get along with to the point that others wish they would move out of their neighborhood—but God made him and placed a value on him. Some families have a member with Alzheimer’s disease. The disease robs both the patient and his/her caretaker of their normal life. God made the one with the disease, and values his/her life and as in every case we are obliged to value every life.

Verses 19 to 22 indicates a hatred in David’s heart—but if you will examine these verses closely you will see that he loves God and his ways, and he loves his fellow man…but he hates the way some men act and live. David hates sin and not God and he even despises the decisions some make to ignore God and his plan for their life. David must have had some foreknowledge about what Jesus would teach…and that was that we should love our enemies and pray for those that spitefully use us…and turn the other cheek—but he also taught us to avoid sin, to work against the Devil and go into all the world, preaching and teaching Christ, and to baptize the believers.

Rededicating Lives - Nehemiah 8 to 11

Is there a particular place and time in your life when you were born again? Did you complete all the steps that are spelled out in the different books of the New Testament that everyone must take in order to be born into the new spiritual life of a Christian? In a recent lesson, I gave you a list of essential things you must believe and do in order to be saved. If you know that you are a born again Christian, you have completed the beginning point of a new life in Christ—but you have not completed the race. Your life is still ahead; God now expects you to love, worship and live for him daily. God knows all about our sinful nature and he understands that there will be times when Christians fail in some way—and he established a plan that we can use to regain our sin-free position in his sight—it is simply a sincere prayer of repentance and rededication.

A sinner, lost and undone, can not rededicate their life. The [RE] in front of dedicate means that you are dedicating your life again; you are REdoing something that has already been done at least one time. Accepting Christ is the beginning point and that is our first dedication of our life to Christ. When we sin—and not if we sin—Jesus expects a repentant heart to seek forgiveness and he expects us to rededicate our life to him. I can not give you a perfect plan; a step by step way to rededicate your life. I do know that it is somewhat like being saved in that it is a personal relationship between you and the Lord, and the Holy Spirit will counsel you and help you do what the Lord would have you do.

In every church that I have been a member of there have been a few of the members that heed the alter call during revivals and other spirit filled messages. They rededicate their lives to Jesus either by their actions, by speaking to the pastor, or sometimes by addressing the congregation. Their reasons will vary but it is not my place or your place to condemn their actins in any way…Only God knows the sincerity of their heart. Others may choose to go in private to the pastor or some respected friend and seek guidance in how they can live in a right relationship with Christ. Still others may prefer to go into their secret place, close the door, and talk directly to our Lord and Savior, asking the Holy Spirit to guide them to higher heights and lower depths in their life in Christ. Finally, there are some that seldom pray a prayer, either privately or in public that they don’t ask for forgiveness for their sin or sins of both omission and commission. If this person is sincere in the request they are making for forgiveness then it automatically carries with it the intent to rededicate their life to Christ and do better next time. Jesus Christ is the Lord of ‘second chance’ nothing in a Christian’s life pleases him more than for us to tell him that we will try hard to love him more and not sin against him.

Now we will go to the book of Nehemiah and study the plan for rededication in his day. The one thing you must realize is that these people were still under the Old Covenant and they requested Ezra to bring God’s law to a special assembly and read it to them. They would in turn measure their past actions against the law. It was their rule. They could hear the law explained and it told them where they had committed sin...and they always were guilty because it was impossible for any man to keep the law in a perfect way.

The second thing you must realize is that we are under the New Covenant which has been revealed and explained in the New Testament. It is equally important for us to read, study, or have the New Covenant explained to us. God’s people are no longer saved by the law and making blood sacrifices that only pointed to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Now we are saved by God’s grace through our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Christ did not do away with the law, but he did fulfill the law. This means that the Ten Commandments are still as valid today as they ever were…we are to keep the commandments, not to be saved, but because we are saved; and we are expected to be obedient to his teachings.

Ezra comes on the scene again in the year 444 BC. The last time he was mentioned was in the year 456, and I have not been able to find where he has been for the last twelve years. This is the first time he is mentioned in the book of Nehemiah. More than likely, Ezra made a trip back to his place in Babylon…he may have still owned property back there. In the beginning of the eighth chapter he is called on to bring the Law of Moses into the new city. Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries, working together at this time. Ezra was the priest and scribe and the religious leader, while Nehemiah was governor, the political and administrative leader. In those days the scribe was not only the religious leader but he acted as a lawyer settling disputes—he was a consultant to both the governor and the people. Scribes were the highest educated of all the people so they were called on to teach the law.

You will remember that the people had intermarried and broken the law and were involved in sinful worship when Nehemiah arrived. Now the huge task of Ezra was to bring back to the people the teachings of the Law of Moses and establish it as the law of the land. He probably used the Pentateuch, the first five books of the bible. These were God’s people who had drifted away into sin. They now realize they have made this mistake and they asked Ezra to bring forth the book of the Law and read it to them. [Most of the people were uneducated and could not read…and copies of the Law were limited so that only the scribes had copies.]

This occasion turned out to be an open space revival much like an old time brush-arbor revival in America. Israelites were accustomed to worshipping in connection with their temple, but in this case they built a high platform for Ezra to stand on so he could be seen and heard by the crowd. It took place outside of the temple and this was because Ezra wanted both men and women and children to hear and learn the Law. As you know—if they were inside the temple—there were separate areas for men and women.

Ezra expected both men and women to REDEDICATE THEIR LIVES [which made this an example for us to study today]. The Jewish people had known God every since their ancestors left Egypt. Many times they had drifted back into sin only to be punished. Now this generation that is present are ready to repent of their sins and rededicate their lives to God.

This revival meeting started at daybreak and lasted until noon. There were no pews, and the Bible says they stood up and listened to Ezra and the priest. Do you think that First Baptist members would be willing to stand for six or seven hours to hear the pastor explain the new covenant and what it means to be save by grace through faith? When they heard Ezra read and the priest explain the meanings—they began to weep. He may have been reading from Deuteronomy where the many curses were placed on the people who had violated the Law. At least some of them had committed the same sins and realized that the same kind of punishment could come their way if they did not repent and rededicate their lives to God.

Then Ezra pleaded with them not to weep; instead they should rejoice in the fact that they were given this chance to rededicate to God. He told them that this was a holy day unto the Lord and they should rejoice and not weep...that they should find a new joy in their fellowship with the God of their strength.

The last part of chapter eight explains how they built booths and kept the feast…this was according to the Law. They lived in these booths seven days while they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. This was seven more days of preaching and teaching of the Word. And then on the eighth day Ezra called them back to the open revival grounds. This was some revival! It started on the second day of the month, and on the twenty-forth day of the same month they had the final alter call.

The beginning of the 9th chapter explains how the people gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting ashes or dust on their heads. True repentance and rededication is actually a picture of the acts in redemption. There are three scenes in every act and they are: a] God’s goodness and his love for people, b] people sinning and turning away from God, and c] God’s forgiveness and offer of restoration. The redemption story has three acts also and they are: a] John 3: 16, b] we are all sinners by nature—all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and c] God’s forgiveness and gift of salvation. It appears to me that redemption and rededication are first cousins…and they may be twins.

The people made a covenant and put it in writing and the priest and others placed the seal on it. The first twenty-seven verses of chapter ten is a list of those that sealed the covenant. Was there a difference in the people? Did they change? The rest of chapter ten tells us that they started paying their tithe, observing the Sabbath, and keeping their covenant made with God.

Did they continue to keep the covenant they had made? No. The book says that Nehemiah completed his work there and returned to his home where he stayed for about a year and then he returned and found some things in Jerusalem in bad condition.

If any of us have drifted away from God to the extent that we feel that we should rededicate our life to God now or next Sunday at church…should we do it? Yes. If we do it—does that mean that we will never drift away again? No. The blood of Christ forgives us of our sin, but it does not remove our sin nature. He that says he has no sin is a liar and has no truth in him.

Devising Strategies - Nehemiah 4:1 to 7:73

Any time a person, whether he is president, governor, legislator, or a superintendent, principal, teacher, or pastor, deacon, teacher or just a lay person in the church…any time any of these come up with a new idea to get something good done for the good of society—there will be opposition. Some one will either think that it is the wrong thing to do, or if it is right, he will say that there is a better way to get it done. Very few ever offer a better solution, but they have no trouble condemning the one that has been offered. This is especially true in government and church.

Therefore, if you are ever in the position of leadership that requires your recommendations as a point of beginning, you should be prepared for opposition. If you think your cause is right and believe that it is worth fighting for, then the first thing you must do is DEVISE SOME STRATEGIES that you will use to overcome your opposition. There are two overall strategies…one is positive and one is negative—and to our sorrow most political politicians are far too negative in their campaigns. They would much rather tell us about their opponent’s weaknesses than try to explain their own strengths. Their strategy is so devastating that by the time Election Day approaches, it is sometimes doubtful that either man is worthy of election. Sometimes it is so bad that a better choice than election would be to put them in prison.

When Babylon captured the southern kingdom they took the wealthy, skilled and intelligent as captives with them back to Babylon. They left the unskilled, weak and poor people in Judah. The Egyptians from the south and the Samaritans and Amorites from the north and west moved in and became wealthy and prosperous as they inherited the spoils from the exile. These three nations especially, did not want to see the Jewish nation regain a place of power and strength in that part of the world. They opposed the first two groups that returned to Jerusalem…they tried in many ways to prevent Ezra from rebuilding the temple, and now they are the opposition against Nehemiah and his plans to rebuild the wall of protections around the city.

It appears that Nehemiah tried to keep his journey home and his intentions a secret as long as he could to prevent his opposition from getting an early start in their plans against him. The best evidence that this is true is that after he arrived in Jerusalem he waited until it was dark at night to do the survey of the wall. This required three or four nights because as he surveyed, he was keeping record of the materials that would be needed and estimating the number of workers he would need in each area of the reconstruction. He had this all completed and recorded before he called the people together and apprised them of his plans.

As the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall began, Sanballat [san BAL uht], the governor of Samaria, ridiculed the Jews’ efforts. Tobiah [toh BIGH uh], the governor of Ammon, joined Sanballat in discouraging the rebuilding. Oh, how I wish I could encourage the readers of these lessons to pray more as their very first strategy against any problem that enters your life. That is what Nehemiah did! He saw their objections and obstructive moves as a work against God and he prayed to God and asks him to judge them for their sins. So, in the planning of any strategy, the first step must be taken on your knees—in prayer.

The second step in Nehemiah’s strategy was to let all workers bring weapons to work. One half would stand guard while the other half worked, and then they would switch…which proved to work well allowing rest one half of the time. Even though this strategy worked well to protect the workers, it still caused the work on the wall to slow, and delayed the completion. He developed a warning system that would warn everyone around the city wall if there was an attack in one place—then everyone could rush to the threatened area and protect the building project.

There was one more problem that arose that is so obvious that it could be overlooked. The people that were working full time on this wall were not rich people, they had just made the long trip home which was costly, and their families had to be cared for while there was no income to pay for their needs. Workers that had to borrow money for their families to live had to pay interest. Nehemiah influenced the bankers to lend their money without interest, so the workers could continue their work on the wall. It becomes very obvious that Nehemiah was very clever and successful in his DEVISING OF STRATEGIES.

This last problem came to light just as the wall was being completed and was much more severe than Nehemiah had deemed it to be. The workers reported that they were in deep poverty and some even reported that they had been forced to sell their children into bondage in order to get the money to pay the king’s tribute. Nehemiah not only was distraught, but he became very angry with the way things wee going. Many of the farmers reported that their lenders had fore-closed on their fields and vineyards and those being robbed no longer had a way to make their living.

You should be aware that this temple and the new wall were completely destroyed by the Roman Government in about AD 70. This is the same city and temple that was present in the days of Christ. It is now impossible to trace the exact parameters of the city, however archaeologist have found some of the remaining ruins—quiet enough to prove that it did exist as stated here in Nehemiah.

The sad and horrible conditions of the builders are recorded in the 5th chapter of our study. Some may wonder who was included in this project that was now suffering from the pressures of the surrounding kings. The majority of these people fit into two categories. One, some were wealthy Jews that had gained their wealth while they were in exile and brought it with them back to Jerusalem. A second group was the decedents of the Jews that had returned in the first two waves of returning exiles about 100 years before under the leadership of Zerubbabel and a little later under Ezra. Many of the poor of this day are suffering at the hands of their own countrymen who had become rich. Times haven’t changed much, has it?

This is just one more case where the Jews have rebelled against God. God’s concern for the poor is revealed in about every [maybe every] book in the bible. In Exodus 22:25 Jews were warned not to charge excessive usury [interest]. The books of Moses clearly spelled out the responsibility of the Israelites to take care of the poor. This should stand as a warning to those today that take advantage of the poor—charge high rates—and fore-close on those who can’t pay. The bible is clear. We should treat the poor and needy in a way that it would mirror the love and concern that Jesus has for people.

When his three worst outside enemies, Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the Arab learned that the wall was a success they decided to get rid of Nehemiah. He had the city protected and they could not get in so they sent him word to come to one of their cities in Ono so they could talk to him…they wanted to negotiate…and even more likely wanted to kill him. He did not fall for their invitation. They sent him this same message four times…and when he did not go…the fifth time Sanballat sent his aid with the same message. In this message they accused him of establishing himself as the new king of Judah. Remember that this is the same accusation made against Jesus in order to get King Herod to order him to be killed.
Ono was about twenty miles from Jerusalem. And if they could get him to come down to their meeting…they would have ambushed him on the way…he would have never lived to get to Ono.

This all took place during the time when prophets like Malachi were declaring that the Messiah was coming soon [Malachi 3: 1-3]. His aim was to cause all of the kings of the surrounding area to turn on Nehemiah. Verse 8 says, “I sent him this reply: Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” Verse 9 says: “But I prayed now strengthen my hands.” Most of us would have been ready to give up, but not Nehemiah. He simply prayed that God would strengthen his hands to do the work.

Even the old gal, Delilah, got involved in this matter. One day Nehemiah went to see Delilah's son, Shemaiah, who was in his own home. Shemaiah told Nehemiah that they should go hide in the temple while they talked because he was probably followed and was not safe in his home. Nehemiah somehow knew that this was a trick to get him in the temple…a forbidden place for him, so they could charge him and discredit his loyalty to God.

The completion of the wall was nothing less than another miracle of God. It was completed in fifty-two days—that is less than two months. I am not sure of the exact dimensions of this wall, but one source thinks that it might have taken a modern day contractor at least two years to build it.

The remainder of chapter seven is a genealogy of all that were involved with this work. It is very similar to the one found in Ezra. We should not despair or lose faith because of very minor differences. No two people would make a genealogy of anyone that would be exactly alike, and too, there was nearly 100 years that elapsed between the writing of these two genealogies.

GIVE GOD ALL THE PRAISE AND HAVE A

HAPPY NEW YEAR

DEVISING GOOD STRATEGIES

PS: I am looking forward to August, 2007.