Nehemiah 8 -- An Important Sequence

I once heard Greg Matte preach on this chapter.  He pointed out the relevant timing (it was the Jewish New Year – a time for introspection), the relevant location (at the Water Gate – where their spiritual thirst would be quenched), and the relevant leadership present (Nehemiah and Ezra with the people).

My commentary summed up what the people were feeling:  “When God’s people get away from loving, reading, and obeying the Word of God, they lose the blessing of God.  If we want to be like fruitful trees, we must delight in God’s Word …”  They had to understand the Word before they could rejoice in it.  The people actually had problems rejoicing because they became so convicted of what they hadn’t been doing.  But Ezra read them God’s Word and God transformed their minds (their understanding), their hearts (rejoicing), and their will (obeying).

No one back then had personal copies of God’s Word.  When Ezra brought out the nation’s copy of the Word of God and opened the scroll, the people immediately stood up in honor of the Word.  They remained standing for hours as he read and explained it.  This continued for a week.

Hearing the Word convicted the people of their sins, and this caused great mourning.  But they’d just celebrated the annual Day of Atonement, when God had dealt with their sins!  They should therefore have been celebrating and rejoicing in His forgiveness.  “It is as wrong to mourn when God has forgiven us as it is to rejoice when sin has conquered us.  The sinner has no reason for rejoicing and the forgiven child of God has no reason for mourning,” my commentary said.

Once we’ve been convicted, repented, and God has forgiven us, we not only are to rejoice.  We are also to obey God’s Word.  Here, they were just in time to do that with the Feast of Shelters, which included sharing food with others who didn’t have much.  “The mind grows by taking in, but the heart grows by giving out.”  This balanced their lives.

Father, thank You for a fresh dose of conviction.  I needed it.  Thank You for the joy it brings in spite of the sadness I feel when I realize I’ve disobeyed.  Please grow my obedience and my joy and lead me to celebrate Your love and mercy and grace in my life!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Nehemiah 7 -- Nuggets Hidden Under The Numbers

As I began reading, I wondered just what I’d get out of this long list of names, but as always, God is faithful!  From my commentary, He pointed out “three important steps that must be taken by any leader in order to protect the people and the work that has been done:  Enlisting leadership, establishing citizenship, and encouraging worship.”

Nehemiah looked for and found men with two wonderful qualities:  they were faithful to God and they feared God.  Their greatest ability was their dependability, my commentary noted.

Nehemiah also had to appoint guards, for what good are walls and gates without someone to make use of them?  My commentary says the message for us today is “If God’s people don’t protect what they have accomplished for the Lord, the enemy will come in and take it over.  Paul’s admonition must be heeded:  ‘And having done all, to stand.’”

Finally, leaders are dealers in hope, it said, and God had a message of hope for the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants:  “The righteous can rebuild what has been torn down and start over again … God keeps accounts of His servants … The Lord is able to keep His work going … No matter how discouraging the situation might be, God is able to accomplish His purposes if we will trust Him and do His will.”

Father, don’t let discouragement set in.  I need it kept at bay in all areas of my life.  Continue to be my hope, and help me to be hope to others.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Nehemiah 6 -- Seeing the Attacks for What They Were

The walls were finished and the gates were hung.  Nehemiah’s enemies therefore had to try a different angle of attack.  My commentary noted four strategies Satan used in attacking Nehemiah, which he still uses today:

First, it was compromise:  “We will help you work.”  It was time for the enemies to join Nehemiah’s group and then try to take over.  “Once the enemy gets a foothold in a ministry, he starts to weaken the work from within … leaders must take care that they cooperate with the right people at the right time for the right purpose, otherwise they may end up cooperating with the enemy … When you invite the devil to join your team, expect him to change the rules and the goals, and expect to be defeated.”

Nehemiah had three convictions that kept this from happening:  “He knew they were lying and wanted to kill him, he was convinced of the greatness of the work God wanted him to do, and the Jews had nothing in common with Sanballat, so there could be no basis for cooperation,” my commentary said.

Second, it was slander:  “We will tell everybody about you.”  The enemies accused Nehemiah of sedition, of fomenting a rebellion.  How did Nehemiah handle that?  “He simply denied the reports, prayed to God for strength, and went back to work.  He knew that his character was such that no honest person would believe the false reports.  If we take care of our character, we can trust God to take care of our reputation.”

Thirdly, it was threats:  “We will protect your life.”  The enemy tried to tell Nehemiah he was in danger, so he’d go into hiding and be sidelined.  Yet Nehemiah knew that a layman was forbidden from entering the Temple in the law of Moses, and therefore he determined that this was not a message from God.

Finally, it was intrigue:  “We will not give up.”  “Satan is not a quitter, but stays on the field even after it looks as if he has lost the battle.  Many a careless Christian has won the war but afterward lost the victory … If you can’t see Satan working, it’s probably because he has gone underground.  Actually, we are safer when we can see him at work.”

Despite the attacks, Nehemiah persisted, and what he knew, we need to remember – when God begins a work, He completes it.

Father, we need great discernment as Satan attacks us.  Keep us from believing the lies of the enemy.  Allow us to see the truth behind compromise, slander, threats, and intrigue.  These have no place in Christian service.  Allow us to know what is of You and what is of the devil.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Nehemiah 5 -- Leadership Lessons

Nehemiah became aware of financial abuse occurring within the community of Jews who’d come back to Jerusalem.  A famine was causing foot shortages, higher prices, and predatory lending.  Nehemiah feared God and immediately worked to correct the problem.  “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else,” my commentary said.

Being a godly leader doesn’t always win you points with those you lead.  “Some of the people may not have appreciated their leaders as they should, but that didn’t upset Nehemiah.  He knew that the final assessment would come from the Lord, and he was willing to wait.”

It also mentioned important leadership lessons to take away:  “Expect problems to arise among the people… Whenever God’s work is prospering, the enemy sees to it that trouble begins.  Don’t be surprised when people can’t always get along with each other…. Confront the problem courageously … Every problem that you ignore will only go underground, grow deeper roots, and bear bitter fruits.  Pray for God’s help and tackle the problem as soon as possible…  Be sure that your own integrity is intact.  A guilty conscience will rob you of the spiritual authority you need to give proper leadership…  See in every problem an opportunity for the Lord to work.”

Father, thank you for reminding me that in every situation, it should be You leading and not me.  Help me to let You shine through me, particularly in the difficult times.  Let others know that You are the one at work, not me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Nehemiah 4 -- Ways To Offset Attacks

As work proceeded on the walls and gates, God’s enemies became infuriated.  Their first method of attack was ridicule.  Listening to ridicule can quickly pull us down.  Nehemiah’s response is good for us to emulate.  He didn’t respond to it.  He prayed and asked God to fight this attack.  Reading Nehemiah’s prayers, I was almost about to question his prayer itself, until I read what my commentary had to say:  “We must remember that Nehemiah was praying as a servant of God concerned for the glory of God.  He was not requesting personal vengeance but official vindication for God’s people.  The enemy had blasphemously provoked God before the builders, and this was a terrible sin.”

For us, my commentary said that words from our enemies won’t harm us unless we let them get into our system and poison us, giving Satan a foothold to launch another attack.  “The best thing to do is to pray and commit the whole thing to the Lord, and then get back to work!  Anything that keeps you from doing what God has called you to do will only help the enemy.”

There were also intimidating plots hatched.  Enemies were on all sides of Jerusalem and they hoped the threat of invasion might stop the work.  Nehemiah fought this by arming the workers and posting guards.

The enemy also tried discouragement from Jews living near the enemy and fear of impending attacks.  “Fear and faith cannot live together in the same heart … If we fear the Lord, we need not fear the enemy … We must remind ourselves of the greatness of God … If we look at the problem through the greatness of God, we will have confidence and succeed … It is good to remind ourselves that the will of God comes from the heart of God and that we need not be afraid.”

Father, when I am afraid, remind me that You have given me the answer already – “I trust You, God!”  That trust You taught me has carried me through two international adoptions and many trials over the years.  If You want something done, nothing can stop it if my heart is fixed upon You!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Nehemiah 3 -- Reading Between the Line (And the People)

I’m sure that back when this was occurring, people could have told us much about why so-and-so was working next to someone else, and what was important about the motivations behind where they worked.  Some may have been correct and others wildly off-base, as it can be today.  Forgetting that, we can still gain a lot of insight by what we’re shown here.  My commentary began by mentioning how the residents had little impetus to improve their own homes because, with the walls down, nothing was safe from invasions.  “Over the years, they’d become accustomed to this, content to live with the status quo.”  We’ve got to watch out for that, too!

“The people finished this difficult task (in just 52 days!) because they obeyed the same leader, kept their eyes on the same goal, and worked together for the glory of God.  Neither the enemy outside the city nor the difficulties inside the city distracted them from their God-given task.  Like Paul, they said, ‘This one thing I do.’”

There was much to notice about the people mentioned, but here are just the highlights, according to my commentary:

God uses all kinds of people.

Some people will not work.

Some people do more work than others.

Some people work harder than others.

Finally, it said, “No one person could have accomplished the work of repairing the walls and restoring the gates.  It took leadership on Nehemiah’s part and cooperation on the part of the people.  Each had a place to fill and a job to do.  So it is with the church today:  We must work together if we are to finish the work to the glory of God.”

Father, help each of us to see our own part, assigned by You, that we should be doing.  Help us not to worry about someone else’s, but to trust that You have it all well in hand.  Lead us together to glorify You in all that we do – not ourselves.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Nehemiah 1-2 An Awesome New Look At Prayer

My commentary brought out some wonderful wisdom based on these verses:

“For nearly a century, the Jewish remnant had been back in their own land, and Nehemiah could have joined them, but he chose to remain in the palace.  It turned out that God had a work for him to do there that he could not have accomplished elsewhere.  God put Nehemiah in Susa just as He had put Esther there a generation before, and just as He had put Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon.  When God wants to accomplish a work, He always prepares His workers and puts them in the right places at the right time.”

Nehemiah care enough to pray about the situation in Jerusalem, and my commentary said,” In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably, or succeed more miserably.  Nehemiah succeeded because he depended on God.”

“The greater part of Nehemiah’s prayer was devoted to confession of sin … He prayed for himself and the nation … He identified himself with the sins of a generation he didn’t even know.  It would have been easy to look back and blame his ancestors for the reproach of Jerusalem, but Nehemiah looked within and blamed himself.  ‘We have sinned.  We have dealt very corruptly.’”

“If God is going to answer prayer, He must start by working in the one doing the praying!  He works in us and through us to help us see our prayers answered … Real prayer keeps your heart and your head in balance so your burden doesn’t make you impatient to run ahead of the Lord and ruin everything.”

“When you wait on the Lord in prayer, you are not wasting your time; you are investing it.  God is preparing both you and your circumstances so that His purposes will be accomplished.  However, when the right time arrives for us to act by faith, we dare not delay.”

Father, thank You for showing me these new ways to see my prayer life.  Guide me to remember them and use them to come closer to You to get Your will done on earth – not my will done in heaven.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford