Nehemiah 11-13 Finishing The Task

Jerusalem’s wall had been completed.  Supposedly Nehemiah’s task was done.  Yet many people were choosing to live outside the city out of fear of attacks from those who did not want a strong, renewed Jerusalem.  It actually took a lottery of sorts to force people to move into the newly-secured city!

A celebration was held, offering the wall itself as a gift to God.  Life had to be restored to the city and what better way to start!  As they read more of the Teachings and discovered just how they’d been disobeying God without even knowing it, their society made the appropriate corrections.

Nehemiah, some would think, might have gone just a little too far in his zeal to set things right in that time, admitting that he argued with those who refused to listen, hitting some of them, putting curses on them, and even pulling out their hair!  And he said he forced some to make promises to God.

We often say that we can’t legislate morality, that godliness must come from a willing heart.  I wonder just how successful those efforts were at changing not just the behaviors, but also the mindsets  of those people.

Father, I thank You for the opportunities You gave me to counsel with those this weekend who came to me to admit failings and seek help in purifying themselves.  I am thrilled with their willingness to change their lives.  Help me to be the kind of accountability partner You desire for them!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford