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September 27th

The bible reading today is in Nehemiah chapters 6 and 7.

What do I see God doing in our reading today? I see Him “Keeping His promise”. The promise He gave to their forefather Jacob, when he was scared and feeling alone and wondering about the future....“Behold, I am with you and I will keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭28:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God brought these Judean exiles home, just like He promised, back to the land that He gave them. Many rejoiced, but most continued in their despair.

“God help us to lay hold of your promises and believe... every day...leaving the results and timing up to You by faith.”

God was with them in Babylon. Just like He promised Jacob, that He would be with them and keep them wherever they would go. God watched over the Judean exiles. He kept them, just like He promised. Just like the good shepherd who watched over his father’s flock, even when he moved his sheep from one mountainside to another.

God was keeping His promise, not just to Nehemiah, but to all of the beaten-down Israelis of faith. The people saw and heard the promise giver in Nehemiah. Their faith was boosted and lifted up for the work ahead with God.

In our reading I also see God teaching His kids. God could have miraculously erected the perfect wall around Jerusalem all by Himself. He parted the Red Sea all by Himself. He fed 3 million Israelites in the wilderness by sending mana and quail from heaven...all by Himself. God quenched the thirst of three million wilderness wanderers by a river of water that came forth from the rock of Horeb in the desert...all by Himself.

So why did He use the exiles to rebuild Jerusalem and the wall around them? God was wanting more than the city restored, He wanted spiritual fellowship restored with Him and with each other.

Look at the houses going up, the Temple going up, the wall going up, what do we see? Men, women, children working together on a God-given assignment.

What was God teaching them? He was teaching them that the best medicine for “their depression” was a good workday. Everyone didn't do the same work, but everyone had a work to do. They were working together on something greater than themselves. They were working on something that God was building.

Oh, friends, the wall went up in 52 days because friends and families worked together to do the job. May the Lord help us to see the church this way. God is at work and invites us to work together on His God-sized assignments...the work is energizing and a reward in itself. But the fellowship of the saints during the work of the Lord is priceless!

What happened next gives us more insight into why God was using families and friends to do the work of this ministry in Jerusalem....“Now Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall...” So Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem instigated a plan to stop the work on the wall around Jerusalem.

Think about it...they weren't just trying to stop the Judeans’ work on the wall. In reality they were taking on God...what a mismatch.

Do you see it? When we are working together on God’s assignments, whatever comes against us, is coming against Him, and He is the Captain of undefeated angel armies. That’s some kind of construction superintendent!

They started out by pretending to be neighborly. But Nehemiah saw right through it. So Nehemiah simply gave them a nod and kept on working.

Nehemiah probably knew some history on these guys...they had been bullying the returned exiles for years. But I think there is another reason why Nehemiah would not be persuaded to leave the wall for some R&R with the unscrupulous politicians of the region.

Nehemiah looked around at the workers on the wall...some young...some old...but all were giving their all to finish the wall. So Nehemiah boldly said...”I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

Nothing was going to distract Nehemiah and his people from the work God gave them to do...“Not my will but yours be done Father”....not Nehemiah...but Jesus...praise God that he would not be distracted from his assignment...the cross for you and me!

Have a great day!