People of the Promise: Exile & Return – Lesson 26

 

Nehemiah 9-10

The Confession – Nehemiah  9

The people gathered together for fasting and dressed in sackcloth and ashes.  This showed an outward sign of mourning.  Sackcloth was like burlap.  It was a sign showing their complete poverty of spirit before God.  They separated from all foreigners, demonstrating a commitment to follow God’s commands and to avoid the influence of other cultures.  It was also a direct command from God to not intermarry with those who worshiped other gods.

They confessed they were sinners and that they came from sinful ancestors.  They confessed the sins of their forefathers.  They worshiped and prayed out to God.  They praised Him as Creator of the heavens, the earth, and the seas.  They remembered the promise God made to Abraham and his descendants.  They remembered and praised God who delivered Israel from Egypt and provided for them in the wilderness.  Yet their forefathers were arrogant and stiff-necked and didn’t obey God’s commands.  They remembered that God was gracious and merciful.

We see the many attributes of God in this chapter: 

God is great and glorious.

He is righteous, merciful, and faithful. 

He keeps His promises.

He always provides.

He is compassionate.

He is slow to anger.

He is sovereign and controls all things.

He is just and good.

The people still felt like they were not free.  Even though they were living in the promised land, they felt a sense of bondage.  They were living under the king of Persia’s rule.  They felt like slaves in their own country because they had to give much of their harvest to the foreign king.  They were not experiencing the full blessings God had promised. (Neh. 9:36-37)

Principle: With confession and repentance we receive God’s forgiveness and realigns our lives with God’s will.

The Agreement – Nehemiah 10

The people made an agreement with God.  Nehemiah listed 84 men who signed the agreement.  In the agreement they promised to obey all the laws of God.  They promised to not allow their sons and daughters to marry the people who belonged to other nations.  They promised to not buy or sell any goods from foreign nations on the Sabbath or any holy day.  Every 7^th year they promised to not work the land and to cancel all debts.

If they broke their oath with God, they would face consequences, including curses, exile from the promised land, and destruction.

The people sealed their binding agreement with God by signing their name.  Today God’s people are sealed when we accept Jesus as our Savior.  We are marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. This guarantees our inheritance and our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Eph. 1:13-14 and Rev. 21:17)

It was essential for God’s people to separate themselves from surrounding peoples in marriage and in celebration of the Sabbath to prevent the influence of pagan practices.  God knew if they intermarried, they would turn away from the one true God and worship false gods.

We should maintain purity in our personal life.  We should honor God in our thoughts and actions and get rid of impure thoughts.  We should pray and study our Bible daily for strength to overcome temptations.  We should watch what we participate in including movies, TV shows, books, and anything that promotes impure thoughts.  We should lead by example for our children and build healthy relationships in our home and workplace.

The Israelites promised to maintain the service in God’s temple.   They were to bring meat and grain and their tithes and offerings to the temple.  They should not neglect the temple.

The practical purposes for this separation were to preserve the unique identity of the Jewish people and not dilute their faith and customs.  The spiritual purposes were to recognize God’s authority and to renew their commitment to His laws.  It was an act of repentance, the mourning over past sins, and seeking of His blessings.  They wanted to restore their relationship with God.

Principle:  By putting God first in our lives, we ensure our priorities are aligned with His will.

Next week we will continue our study in Nehemiah.  -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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People of the Promise: Exile & Return – Lesson 25

 

Nehemiah 6:15 – 8:18

The Wall Completed – Nehemiah 6:15-19 – 7:3

The wall was completed in just 52 days.  When the enemies heard about its completion, they were afraid and lost their self-confidence.  They recognized it was built with God’s help and that He was the ultimate source of strength and success.

Can you imagine?  There was no equipment like cranes or bulldozers to move away the debris.  There  were only people doing this huge project and in a short time - less than 2 months.  It was God’s hand at work.

Nehemiah continually faced opposition.  Tobiah used letters to intimidate him by using his allies to spread slander.  God’s enemies never give up.  Satan know how it all ends, but he is persistent and never gives up.

Nehemiah’s next step after the wall was rebuilt was to set the doors in place and appoint gate keepers, singers, and the Levites.  He put his brother Hanani and Hananiah the commander of the citadel in charge, because he was a man of integrity and feared God.  The gates were to be opened only during the day and closed at night.  He added bars to the gates and appointed residents as guards.

Integrity was important because there must be trust among the workers to ensure cooperation and unity in building the wall.  There must be accountability and honest communication for success.

Principle:  There is power in perseverance in seeing our tasks through to completion.

A Census Ordered – Nehemiah 7:4-73

It was important to take a census of the people.  Jerusalem was large but there were few people and had not built permanent homes for themselves within the walls.  So God prompted Nehemiah to register all the people of Jerusalem and make a genealogy.  He found a book with the names of those who had been in the 1^st to return from exile.  It was the same list as in Ezra 2.  There were 42,360 listed. 

It was important to take a census to verify ancestry and lineage and the fulfilling of prophecy.  It insured the identity and purity of the priesthood and allocation of the land and resources.  It served as evidence of God being faithful in His promises to restore the people after the exile.

Nehemiah received guidance from God.  He received specific instruction how to manage the city gates and register the people.  He assembled the nobles, officials and the people to be registered by genealogy.

Verses 63-65 - Some priestly families searched for their genealogy records but were not found so they were excluded and considered unclean and barred from priestly duties.  Mixing with the nations is the cause of them losing the certainty of their nationality.  It was important to establish genealogical records to be eligible for specific roles.  It also emphasizes the maintaining of purity and adherence to God’s covenant of setting apart Israel as God’s treasured possession and making them a holy nation.  This covenant pointed to the Messiah who would be a descendant of David.

Once Christ died and rose, believers were tied to His lineage and not the world’s.  We are now co-heirs with Christ. (Rom. 8:17).

Principles:

Effective leadership is crucial for maintaining order and achieving goals.

We must be watchful and protect what is valuable, whether it be our faith, family or community.

Unity in purpose and faith can lead to great accomplishments.

Our spiritual heritage in Christ is a foundation that guides us in our journey.

We are called to manage and support the work of the Kingdom.

Together we can achieve more than we ever could alone.

Regular worship keeps us connected to other believers and gives us a spirit of gratitude and purpose.

Spiritual Renewal –Nehemiah 8

The people told Ezra to read to them the Law of Moses.  Ezra stood on a high platform and read the book.  The reading was accompanied by explanations to help them understand.  They responded with praise by lifting their hands and then bowed and worshiped with their faces to the ground.  He read from daybreak till noon. 

It is interesting that God was already working in the people’s lives for them to ask Ezra to read His Word.  Then as soon as he opened up the book, the people stood up showing respect and honor for God’s Word.  His Spirit was working even before the Word was read.

Some churches stand today when the Bible is read.  I remember many years ago when I was in school everyone stood in reverence when Scripture was read.  We also showed reverence when entering a room or someone was praying.  It was a sign of respect.  We stand when we recite the pledge of allegiance or when the national anthem is played to show respect for our country.  The Bible doesn’t command that we stand, but we should show respect and honor for His Word.

They wept as they listened and understood the words, because they recognized their past failures to obey God’s commands.  He instructed them to not to mourn or weep because this was a day for rejoicing not weeping.  It was the 1^st day of the 7^th month; a special feast day called the Feast of Trumpets.  He said the joy of the Lord is your strength.  Then Nehemiah sent them to their homes to eat and drink and told them to share with the poor.

The next day the people discovered in the law that they were to celebrate the Feast of Booths for 7 days.  They were to live in booths and spread His Word throughout their towns and in Jerusalem.  So they went into the hill country and brought branches to build make-shift structures or booths.

They celebrated for 7 days, called the Feast of Tabernacles.  They build these temporary living structure on the roofs of their houses, in the courtyards, and in the squares of the city.  This feast was all about remembering how God had blessed and provided for Israel in the wilderness during the Exodus.  The Book or the Law was read each day of the feast.

Principles:

There is power when believers gather together.

We must show respect for God’s Word as the ultimate authority in our lives.

God’s Word gives us joy and strength.

God gives and equips leaders to build up the body of Christ.

God’s Word leads us to recognize our sins and to seek His forgiveness.

We should celebrate God’s faithfulness in our lives.

Obedience to God brings blessings and fulfillment.

Daily reading and studying of Scriptures nourish our souls and keeps us aligned with His will.

Resources:

Bible.org

Biblehub.com

Next week we will continue our study in Nehemiah. -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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