Nehemiah and Satanic Diversion
A.W. Tozer

Failing in his frontal attacks upon the child of God, Satan often turns to more subtle means of achieving his evil purpose. He resorts to devious methods in his attempt to divert the Christian from carrying out the task God has committed to him. He often succeeds by involving the saint in some other lesser occupation and so distracting him.

Nehemiah, the good, rose up from his weeping to do something about a vision God had laid on his heart. Under divine providence, he was soon transported from Shushan to his beloved city, Jerusalem, armed with authority and equipped with materials to rebuild the ruined city.

When Nehemiah's purpose and plans were made known to the men of Jerusalem, they raised the determined shout, Let us rise up and build.

We Travel an Appointed Way
By A.W. Tozer

Nehemiah, the good, rose up from his weeping to do something about a vision God had laid on his heart. Under divine providence, he was soon transported from Shushan to his beloved city, Jerusalem, armed with authority and equipped with materials to rebuild the ruined city. . . .

The first device of the "enemy," upon hearing of the undertaking, was to heap ridicule on the whole plan. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem laughed Nehemiah and his helpers to scorn. Undeterred, Nehemiah replied with firm assurance, "The God of heaven, he will prosper us." And the work went on according to plan.

After all other means had failed to hinder the reconstruction, the conspirators tried to arrange for a conference with Nehemiah. The man of God saw in this an evil purpose to do him mischief and divert him from his monumental work. His reply to the would-be mischief-makers is classic, and might well be adopted for the all-time stock reply to all such overtures: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" (Nehemiah 6:3)

The great task to which God had called Nehemiah was so important that every other consideration must be waived. Would that we might have such an overpowering sense of being about our Father's business and be so impressed with the grandeur of our task that we would reject every suggestion of the evil one that would bid us take up some lesser pursuit. Let us rout him with the words that date back to 445 B.C., and which cannot be improved upon: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down."

Nehemiah 1
Concern For Others
By Warren Wiersbe

Some people prefer not to know what's going on, because information might bring obligation. 'What you don't know can't hurt you,' says the old adage; but is it true? In a letter to a Mrs. Foote, Mark Twain wrote, 'All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.' But what we don't know could hurt us a great deal! There are people in the cemetery who chose not to know the truth. The slogan for the 1987 AIDS publicity campaign was 'Don't die of ignorance'; and that slogan can be applied to many areas of life besides health.

Nehemiah asked about Jerusalem and the Jews living there because he had a caring heart. When we truly care about people, we want the facts, no matter how painful they may be. 'Practical politics consists in ignoring facts,' American historian Henry Adams said; but Aldous Huxley said, 'Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.' Closing our eyes and ears to the truth could be the first step toward tragedy for ourselves as well as for others.

Are we like Nehemiah, anxious to know the truth even about the worst situations? Is our interest born of concern or idle curiosity? When we read missionary prayer letters, the news in religious periodicals, or even our church's ministry reports, do we want the facts, and do the facts burden us? Are we the kind of people who care enough to ask?

Think about it: "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4, niv).

Nehemiah 1:11.

Nehemiah 1:11 I was the king’s cupbearer.

The post was an important one. It gave its occupant the opportunity of coming into close contact with the king; it implied a character of unusual trustworthiness, since Oriental despots were very afraid of poison. But no one expected a royal cupbearer to do anything very heroic. He lived in the inner part of the palace, and was necessarily excluded from the great deeds of the stirring outward world. Nehemiah also was evidently a humble and retiring man. His response to the story of the ruined condition of Jerusalem was just a flood of tears and prayer to the God of heaven. And had you seen those tears and heard that prayer, you might have thought that just another flower was drooping, another seed falling into the ground to die.

But this was not all. These prayers and tears were supplemented by an earnest purpose, which was maturing with every hour. He gave himself to God to be used, if God would have it so, as an instrument in the execution of His recorded purpose. He was a man of faith. It mattered little enough that he was only a cupbearer, for that was no barrier to God; indeed, God might work more efficiently through a frail, weak man, than through the prince, the soldier, or the orator, since He cannot give His glory to another. What a glorious faith was his, which dared to believe that through his yielded life God could pour His mighty rivers! Why do we not yield ourselves in our helplessness to God, and ask Him to work through us, to fulfill His mighty purposes?

We kneel, how weak! We rise, how full of power! Why therefore should we do ourselves this wrong Or others— that we are not always strong!” (Meyer, F. B. Our Daily Homily)

Nehemiah 1
What You Don't Know Can Hurt You!

Some people prefer not to know what’s going on, because information might bring obligation. “What you don’t know can’t hurt you,” says the old adage; but is it true?

In a letter to a Mrs. Foote, Mark Twain wrote

All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.

But what we don’t know could hurt us a great deal! There are people in the cemetery who chose not to know or believe the truth of the AIDS publicity campaign statement “Don’t die of ignorance”. To be sure, this slogan could be applied to many areas of life. And in our reading for today, Nehemiah asked about Jerusalem and the Jews living there because he had concern. When we truly care, we want the facts, no matter how painful they may be.

H. Adams wrote that...

Practical politics consists in ignoring facts,

Aldous Huxley although not a believer rightly stated that...

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.

Closing our eyes and ears to the truth could be the first step toward tragedy for ourselves as well as for others. Are you like Nehemiah, desiring to know the truth even about difficult situations? Be sure and do a motive check though... Is your interest genuine concern or idle curiosity? When we read missionary prayer letters, the news in religious periodicals, or even our church’s ministry reports, do we want the facts, and do the facts burden us? Are we the kind of people who care enough to ask? Think about it: "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4).

Nehemiah 1:1-6

I went out by night . . . and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down (Nehemiah 2:13).

The Chicago newspapers reported a rash of gang-related slayings in a large inner-city housing project. The police seemed unable to stop the violence. For several weeks Jane Byrne, mayor of Chicago, wrestled with the problem. Then, to everyone's surprise, she announced that she and her husband were moving into that apartment complex. Immediately she gained widespread community support for her ac­tion. Soon even her critics admitted that her bold leadership and example had made a significant difference.

Mayor Byrne's action reminds me of Nehemiah, that man of God who was instrumental in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. As a Jew­ish exile serving in a high-ranking position under the king of Persia, he received word that the remnant of his people in Jerusalem were in great danger. The walls of the city had been knocked down; the gates had been burned. Heartbroken, Nehemiah wept, fasted, confessed his sins, and prayed for several days to the God of heaven. Then, as the Lord directed him, he left the security of his position and moved into the violence-racked city. He stayed there until the walls were rebuilt and order was restored.

Whatever position of authority we hold, there's a lesson in this for us. We must be willing to identify with human need so that God can use us in troubled areas. That's leadership that leads. —M. R. De Haan II (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

People who doubt what we say may change their minds when they see what we do.

Nehemiah 1:2
I asked them concerning the Jews.—Nehemiah. 1.2 (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible)

An interval of about twelve years occurred between the reformation under Ezra, and the coming of Nehemiah The story this book tells is that of the con­tinuation of the work commenced by Zerubbabel in the matter of the rebuilding of the wall. It is intensely interesting, because in large measure it is autobio­graphical. Nehemiah tells his own story, with a freshness, and a vigour and trans-parent honesty which are full of charm. In these words we have a revelation of his patriotism. He held the position of cup-bearer to the king, which was one of honour, admitting him, not only into the presence of the king, but into relationships of familiarity. He had no inclination to forget or to ignore his relationship with his own people, for he spoke of those of them who found their way to the court as "my brethren." Moreover, his interest in them was sympathetic and vital. He made inquiry of them concerning Jerusalem. The news they brought was full of sadness, and his devotion was manifested in his grief. He carried his burden to his God in prayer. That prayer opened with con­fession. Without reserve, he acknowledged the sin of the people, and identified him-self therewith. He then pleaded the promises of God, and asked that God would give him favour in the eyes of his master, the king. There was in his heart a resolve to do more than pity, if the door of opportunity opened. All this is patriotism on the highest level. It was based upon a recognition of the nation's relationship to God, and expressed itself in identification with her sorrows and her sins, and in a desire and determination to help her in ways according with Divine purpose and law.

Nehemiah 1: Exposition by C H Spurgeon

Nehemiah 1:1, 2. The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month, Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

Nehemiah was in a high office in Shushan the palace of King Artaxerxes, but his heart was at Jerusalem. He therefore remembered the very date, “in the month Chisleu,” when some of his brethren came from Judah to visit him, for he was more interested in their coming than in any transaction of the court in which he was for a while employed.

Observe the subject of this good man’s conversation: “I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.” Whenever Christian people meet together, they ought to make the subject of their mutual discourse an enquiry as to the progress of the Kingdom of God in the place where they respectively dwell. If you have come up from the country, we want you to tell us about the work of God in your village, or in the town to which you belong; are there many conversions there? We also will tell you about the work in London. Thus should Christian brethren commune with one another, and ask concerning Christ’s kingdom among men, and the progress that his gospel is making.

This good man was, of course, one of the banished Jews, but he had greatly prospered. He had risen in the empire of Ahasucrus until he had come to be great—even to be one of the chamberlains of the empire; but his heart was towards his poor people—his brethren—that were in poverty. Now, whenever God exalts a Christian man in temporal position, he ought not to disown his poor brethren, but his heart should go out towards them to see what he can do for them. It is a shame for any man to forget his country. Does not the Pole still say, “No, Poland, thou shalt never perish”? And we admire such patriotism. But the like feeling should be in every Christian breast. We should love the church of God even as Nehemiah loved the chosen race, from which he had sprung. So when he met with Hanani, the conversation was all about the poor brethren that remained at Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:3. And they said unto me, The rennant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in, great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

They gave a correct description of the real state of affairs in Jerusalem; they did not color it, but they stated the actual facts. It is well, sometimes, to tell our Christian brethren about the low estate of Zion; where things are not prospering as they should, it is best to say so, and not to try to smother up the truth, and give a false report.

A sad story they had to tell. Ezra had assisted in somewhat rebuilding the temple, but little had been done for the private dwellings, and for the walls and public buildings of the city. It was in a sad and wretched estate; and the Jews were despised and reproached. Nehemiah was a great man, but he was sorry to hear this. He felt as if he was a fellow-sufferer with his poor brethren.

Nehemiah 1:4. And it came to pass, where I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

This good man was greatly affected by the sad news which he heard. He was not indifferent to, the condition of his countrymen; he did not say, “We are getting on very well here; I am a Jew, and I am in the palace of Artaxerxes, but I cannot do anything to help my brethren. You, who are away there at Jerusalem, must do the best you can.” No; Nehemiah said no such thing; he looked upon himself as being part and parcel of the whole Jewish race, just as every true believer should regard all Christians as being near akin to himself. We are not twenty churches, brethren, nor two hundred; our Lord Jesus Christ is the head, and we are members of that one body which is his Church. We ought to sympathize with all who are in Christ; and, especially, if the cause of God is not prospering in any place, we. should do as Nehemiah did, he wept, and mourned, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. He tells us what he said in his prayer; these are, as it were, the shorthand notes of his supplication.

Was it his concern? Was it any more his concern than that of other men? Yes, he felt it to be his: and the tender heart which he had towards the people of God made him feel it to be peculiarly his. If nobody else did anything, he must. And, oh! dear brothers and sisters in Christ, whenever you see the cause of God in a sad estate, lay it to heart: weep, lament, and pray: feel that you have an interest in it. Christ is your Savior. Of the church you are a part. These blessed interests of sovereign mercy belong to you. Take them to yourself and say, “By God’s help, I will lay myself out for the progress of his cause. I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”

Nehemiah 1:5, 6. And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: let thine ear now be attentive, and thins eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.

He seems to act like a priest for God, taking the sin of the people upon himself, and confessing it. If they were hard-hearted, and would not confess, he would, and pour out his complaint before God.

This is quite a model prayer. How earnest it is, and how truthful! Nehemiah recognizes the terrible side of God’s character as well as his mercifulness. He evidently had right views of God. Some people try to explain away all the passages of Scripture which represent God as a terrible God; whether they know it or not, they will find this course of action to be a great source of weakness to them in dealing with the ungodly. Nehemiah calls Jehovah “the great and terrible God;” but he adds, “that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him.” He tells us that he prayed before the Lord day and night. Of course, he had to attend to his daily duties, so that he could not always be upon his knees; but his heart was praying even while he was engaged with other matters; and as often as he could, he retired to his room, so that he might cry out unto God.

Please to observe that he makes a confession of “the sins of the children of Israel.” It is our duty as Christians, as it were, to take the great lead of the sins of the nation upon ourselves, and to make confession of them before God; if the guilty ones will not repent, we must repent for them; if they will not, confess their sins, we must confess their sins as though we stood in their stead. Nehemiah very pathetically says, “and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee:” and then coming still more closely home, he adds, “both I and my father’s house have sinned.”

Nehemiah 1:7–9. He quotes the covenant, and he pleads the promise of Jehovah. Now, there is no means of getting a man to do us a favor so powerful as this, to quote his own promise,” You said you would do it.” So, here, Nehemiah says, “Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses.”

You see what an admirable prayer this is. There is a full confession of sin—an acknowledgment of the justice of God in having punished his people; but then there is a quoting of the divine word—a putting of the Lord in remembrance that he had made such and such a promise. That is the very backbone of prayer. If you go to the bank, the main part of the transaction is to put the cheque—the note of hand—upon the counter. You get no money else. So when you go in prayer, the main part of prayer must lie in pleading the promise, “Thou hast said it: thou hast said it.” Hold God to his word with a sacred daring of faith. “Thou hast promised: thou hast declared. Now be as good as thy word.”

Then notice another plea he has. He says he is pleading for God’s servants—his redeemed—redeemed by great power. Oh! it should always make us feel strong in prayer when we recollect that God’s people are very dear to him, and he has done great things for them; therefore he loves them, and for those whom he loves, surely, he will work great deliverances. These are arguments. There ought to be great argument in prayer if we hope to prevail.

Nehemiah 1:11. For I was the king’s cupbearer.

He counts this as a high privilege, that he would be able to speak for his people to the great king who would give him the opportunity to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Today in the Word
Nehemiah 1:5 Then I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands...

Andrew Murray, the late pastor and noted author on prayer... has another stirring challenge for us to consider today. He writes:

"So much of our prayer is vague and pointless. Some cry for mercy, but do not take the trouble to know exactly why they want it. Others ask to be delivered from sin, but do not name any sin from which a deliverance can be claimed. Still others pray for God's blessing…on their land or on the world, and yet have no special field where they can wait and expect to see the answer. To everyone the Lord says, 'What do you really want, and what do you expect Me to do?' ""

Murray's challenge is especially timely for... the need of intercessory prayer for America.

Nehemiah's prayer for his homeland is a model any godly person in any generation can imitate. It meets all the criteria Murray named. There is nothing vague or pointless about it. Nehemiah named the sin Israel was guilty of: acting wickedly and failing to obey the Law God gave through Moses. (Today in the Word)

Nehemiah 1:5-11
June 15, 2004
Praying And Waiting
READ: Nehemiah 1:5-11

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. —Psalm 37:7

A Christian couple was deeply distressed because their married son and his family had quit going to church and were giving God no place in their lives. As their friend, I advised them to continue showing love, to pray, and to avoid starting arguments. But at the family's annual Christmas gathering, the father gave his son a lecture in the presence of the other siblings. The son and his family left in anger and broke off all contact with his parents.
It's hard to rely on prayer alone when you want something to happen right now. But that is what Nehemiah did. He was distraught by the news that the Israelites in Jerusalem were in grave danger (Nehemiah 1:3-4). He was a man with great leadership ability and in a favorable position to receive help from the king he served, so he was eager to help his people. But he knew that he could be executed for coming into the presence of a Persian king without being invited. Therefore, though he had asked God to give him the opportunity immediately, he trusted God enough to wait. Four months later, the king opened the door for him to make his request (2:1,4).

It's not always easy to be patient, but God can be trusted. Wait patiently for Him.—Herbert Vander Lugt (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Praying, resting, waiting, trusting—
These are words that tell a story;
As we wait for God to lead us,
He responds, "Just seek My glory." —Hess

Delay is not denial—pray on!

Nehemiah 1:11 I was the king’s cupbearer.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

The post was an important one. It gave its occupant the opportunity of coming into close contact with the king; it implied a character of unusual trustworthiness, since Oriental despots were very afraid of poison. But no one expected a royal cupbearer to do anything very heroic. He lived in the inner part of the palace, and was necessarily excluded from the great deeds of the stirring outward world. Nehemiah also was evidently a humble and retiring man. His response to the story of the ruined condition of Jerusalem was just a flood of tears and prayer to the God of heaven. And had you seen those tears and heard that prayer, you might have thought that just another flower was drooping, another seed falling into the ground to die.

But this was not all. These prayers and tears were supplemented by an earnest purpose, which was maturing with every hour. He gave himself to God to be used, if God would have it so, as an instrument in the execution of His recorded purpose. He was a man of faith. It mattered little enough that he was only a cupbearer, for that was no barrier to God; indeed, God might work more efficiently through a frail, weak man, than through the prince, the soldier, or the orator, since He cannot give His glory to another. What a glorious faith was his, which dared to believe that through his yielded life God could pour His mighty rivers! Why do we not yield ourselves in our helplessness to God, and ask Him to work through us, to fulfill His mighty purposes?

We kneel, how weak! We rise, how full of power! Why therefore should we do ourselves this wrong Or others— that we are not always strong!”

Nehemiah 1:11
Pray and Plan

A recently widowed woman wants to remain in the house where she and her husband raised their children. Because she lives alone, she purchased a home alarm system. Now she feels hypocritical when she prays for protection. But she need not feel guilty. In the Bible, wise planning and humble dependence on God go hand-in-hand.

Nehemiah provides us with a biblical illustration of how to combine planning with prayer. He was a Jew far from home, working as cupbearer to the king of Persia. After the nation of Israel had been in captivity for 70 years, Cyrus, the first Persian king, allowed a number of Jews to go back home. Later, Ezra took more Jews back to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. In the first chapter of Nehemiah, though, we read that the returned captives were having a terrible time, and the walls of the once great city of Jerusalem lay in ruins (v.3).

Nehemiah wept, fasted, and prayed when he heard about the distress of the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from exile. But he also acted, making careful plans and taking a great risk in asking the king for permission to help the Jews.

So too, if we maintain a humble dependence on God, it's wise to do what we can. So pray--and plan! —Herbert Vander Lugt (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Faith does not rule out common sense
In facing life each day,
But takes it by the hand and says,
"We'll trust, we'll plan, we'll pray!" --DJD

The best plans begin and end with God.

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When Napoleon returned from Elba, a man at work in a garden recognized the emperor, and at once followed him. Napoleon welcomed him cheerfully, saying, "Here we have our first recruit." When even one person begins to pray for us, however feeble his prayers, we ought to welcome him. He who prays for me enriches me.

The gospel ministry is so dependent upon the power of prayer that it should be a pastor's main object to educate the praying faculty among his people. There should be numerous prayer meetings, and these of a varied order, that women, youths, children, and illiterate persons may unite in the holy exercise. Every little helps. Grains of sand and drops of rain combine for the greatest of purposes, and achieve them. There may be more real prayer in a little gathering of obscure desirers than in the great assembly where everything is done with ability rather than with agony of desire.

Never let your pastor lose his prayer book. It should be written in the hearts of his people. If you cannot preach, or give largely, or become a church officer, you can, at least, pray without ceasing.

NEHEMIAH 2

Nehemiah 2:4
So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king.—Nehemiah. 2.4-5 (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible)

This was practical, and that in both facts. Prayer is always practical, for it reaches and apprehends the actual and final forces. Prayer ever demands action which is in harmony with its desires. Having sought the help of God, he spoke to the king with perfect honesty when the opportunity came. In the presence of the king, the sadness of Nehemiah's heart could not be wholly hidden. He had not been naturally or habitually a sad man, as he himself declares, but his sorrow for his nation was so real that it was manifest to the king. It has been suggested that this was part of his method, but such an interpretation strains the narrative, for he confessed that when the king detected the evidences of his sorrow, he was filled with fear. Yet, having had audience of God, courage splendidly overcame fear, and he told the king the cause of his grief and boldly asked to be allowed to go up and help his brethren. His request was granted, for his prayer was answered, and he took his departure for Jerusalem. All this is very illuminative. In all our endeavours, prayer is our first and principal line of activity. But more is necessary. God expects our co-operation. He will touch the heart of the king, but Nehemiah must make his venture. There is a profound truth in the commonplace and hackneyed statement that God helps those who help themselves. It is along the line of the use of our reason or common sense, that God works for us, and with us, for the accomplishment of all that we ask of Him.

Nehemiah 2

G K Chesterton wrote that

The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.

This certainly was true in Nehemiah 2. Nehemiah's arrival in Jerusalem was a threat to Sanballat and his associates (Neh. 2:10), who wanted to keep the Jews weak and dependent. A strong Jerusalem would endanger the balance of power in the region, and would also rob Sanballat and his friends of influence and wealth. When things are going well, get ready for trouble, because the enemy doesn't want to see the work of the Lord make progress. As long as the people in Jerusalem were content with their sad lot, the enemy left them alone; but, when the Jews began to serve the Lord and bring glory to God's name, the enemy became active.

Opposition is not only evidence that God is blessing, but it is also an opportunity for us to grow. The difficulties that came to the work brought out the best in Nehemiah and his people. Satan wanted to use these problems as weapons to destroy the work, but God used them as tools to build His people.

As Spurgeon said

God had one Son without sin, but He never had a son without trial.

If we spend time pondering the enemy's attacks, we will give Satan a foothold from which he can launch another attack even closer to home. The best thing to do is to pray and commit the whole thing to the Lord; and then get back to your work! Anything that keeps you from doing what God has called you to do will only help the enemy.

Nehemiah 2:1-20

Former president Dwight Eisenhower once remarked that leadership requires “persuasion, and conciliation, and education, and patience. It’s long, slow, tough work.”

Given these requirements and the hard work involved in leadership, it’s not surprising that the list of effective leaders in history is relatively short. And if you want to narrow that list even further, limit it to those leaders who accomplished the most amazing things under the toughest circumstances imaginable. Nehemiah’s name would be on this short list. He was a captive in a foreign country who had no way to return to his devastated homeland and no resources to rebuild it even if he were able to go back. Nehemiah also served a pagan king who had already stopped the rebuilding of Jerusalem once (Ezra 4:17–21) and had heard on more than one occasion that those Jews in the Persian province of Judah were rebels.

In other words, Nehemiah had a lot going against him, just as we often do when we’re facing tough times. But Nehemiah had the weapon of prayer, which was effective because he served the God of the universe who can turn even a king’s heart around. God caused Artaxerxes to be compassionate toward Nehemiah’s concern and favorable to his request. The king gave his cupbearer the time, the authority, and the military protection Nehemiah needed to return to Jerusalem and do something about the city’s plight. (Today in the Word)

Nehemiah 2:4 So I prayed to the God of Heaven.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

All around the apartment in which this interview took place were effigies of idol gods: perhaps incense was burning before a shrine, and filling the air with its aroma. But Nehemiah, though standing amid these heathen emblems, and in the presence of the greatest king on earth, thought little of either one or the other, and prostrated himself in spirit before the throne of heaven. Remember that thou hast within thee a shrine, a temple into which at any moment, even amid the excitement of au earthly court, thou mayest retire and ask direction of thy King and Friend.

He had been sorely startled by the king’s question; he did not know that his face had betrayed him. He had, doubtless, intended to seek an interview with the king, and formally state the whole case (see Nehemiah 1:11). But to be taken thus at unawares, to have to state his case on the spur of the moment, appeared to take him at a great disadvantage; and he instinctively turned to prayer.

How little the king knew what was transpiring, or what had happened between his question and the reply which was given, apparently, without the loss of a moment. But how beautiful is the example for ourselves! You cannot acquire this habit of ejaculatory prayer unless you spend prolonged periods in holy fellowship. But when you are much with God in private, you will not find it difficult at any moment to step aside to ask Him a question. The busy mart or the crowded street may at any time become the place of prayer.

“A touch divine And the scaled eyeball owns the mystic rod; Visibly through His garden walketh God.”

Nehemiah 2:11-18
Leadership

When asked the secret to his success, restaurateur and chef Andre Soltner of the famed Lutece in New York replied, "I cook from my heart, with love. It must be the same with service. The waiter must serve with love. Otherwise the food is nothing.... Many times, I leave my kitchen and go to the tables to take orders myself. It starts right then and there . . . there is nothing mysterious about Lutece. I put love in my . . . serving. That is all."

Nehemiah knew how to put love in his serving. Under his leadership, the Israelites successfully rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem after they returned from captivity. Nehemiah organized the people, encouraged them, and artfully handled all opposition. Yet his great­est achievement may have been his loving leadership. He worked alongside the people, and to identify with them in their great need he refused to take the food that was due him as governor.

The kings of ancient near-eastern countries normally ruled with harshness and cruelty. The Romans of New Testament times often treated their subjects unfairly and brutally. And leaders today sometimes consider their own interests and finances before that of their followers. In contrast to these unloving, me-first forms of leadership, Jesus called leaders to give up their own rights, to serve instead of dictate, and to risk everything for others.

We like being the head pin, but falling first is not our game. Mark says that Jesus took the blame for us. And in so doing, He demon­strated loving leadership (Mark 10:45). All would-be leaders should fall in behind Him.

Nehemiah 2:11-20

China recently found a new section of its famous Great Wall. Covered by sand for centuries in northwestern Ningxia Province, it was uncovered by archaeologists in the fall of 2002. It’s fifty miles long and was built in the 1530s. One of its watchtowers was said to still be in good condition.  Constructed from the seventh century B.C. onwards, the Great Wall stretches for 3,700 miles and was built to protect the country from northern invaders. The section north of Beijing is a popular tourist destination these days. Nehemiah would have loved it! (Today in the Word)

Nehemiah 2:19-20; Nehemiah 4:6.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Walk
RELIGION AND RIDICULE

"When Sanballat . . . and Tobiah . . . and Geshem . . . heard it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us, and said what is this thing that ye do? Then answered I them, The God of Heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build. So built we the wall; for the people had a mind to work." -- Nehemiah 2:19-20; Nehemiah 4:6.

THE BUILDING of the ruined walls of Jerusalem, as the record shows, was undertaken in troublous times. Some of the petty rulers in the neighbourhood, exulted in the low estate of the city, because it left room for the exercise of their authority, and they viewed these renewed activities with chagrin. They plotted for the overthrow of the work, and had to be met by incessant watchfulness.

If you are endeavouring to do God's work in the world, to clear away the rubbish of sin, to rebuild the walls that are broken down, and to seek the welfare of God's people, do not be surprised if your steps are beset with scorn and ridicule, by the secret or open malice of Sanballat and Tobiah. For some it is easier to face bitter opposition than to bear mockery and ridicule. If only these scornful and carping tongues were silenced, we could make more headway, but such persecution drives us back on God, makes Him a living fact in life, and opens the door to the manifestation of the saving health of His right hand (Neh4:4, Neh4:9, Neh4:20). How good it is, at such times, to cease from man, and to remember the Lord who is the great and terrible One (Neh1:5; Isa51:12-13). Be quite sure that you are on His plan, doing His work in His way; then go forward in His Name, and he will make all the mountains a way.

The lesson for us all is the threefold aspect of the Christian life. There is our up-look into God's face--"I prayed to the God of Heaven." We must never forget to pray, for more things are wrought by prayer than we realize. Second, there is our up-look against our foes and the foes of God--"we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night." We must watch as well as pray. Lastly, there is our dawn-look towards the work entrusted to us, at which we must labour with unslacking devotion, in fellowship with our Lord (1Cor 3:9). Let each inquire: "Am I inside the city amongst its builders, or outside amongst its detractors and foes?"

PRAYER

O God, teach us day by day what Thou wouldst have us to do, and give us grace and power to fulfil the same. May we never from love of ease, decline the path which Thou pointest out, nor, for fear of shame, turn way from it. AMEN.

Nehemiah 2:6 C H Spurgeon

He was a valued servant. They did not wish to part with him, and if he would go for a time to do this business, yet they take security that he should return. There are some servants that I know of, who, if they were to go away, their masters would not be particularly anxious that they should come back again. It is well when a man is so in favor with God that his piety acts upon his ordinary life, and he becomes in favor with men also. That is a poor, miserable religion that does not make its possessor a good servant. Yes, in whatever station of life we may be placed, we ought to be far more valuable to those round about us on account of our fearing God. May we always be of such a character that, if we were gone, we should be missed. “I set him a time.”

Nehemiah 2:11-18; 7:73-8:12

At about 11,000 feet, the highest vehicular tunnel in the world is the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel in Colorado. As many as 1,140 workers spread over three shifts worked intensely for five years before it was first opened to traffic in 1973. To construct the 1.69-mile tunnel, engineers overcame a number of unexpected challenges, used approximately 38,000 tons of steel, and spent $108 million in tax money. The Eisenhower tunnel building project required a great deal of effort and perseverance. Sound familiar? Nehemiah took on a similar project to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. (Today in the Word)

NEHEMIAH 3

Nehemiah 3:1-16
If one of the secrets of great leadership is the ability to delegate effectively, then Nehemiah deserves to be in the Leadership Hall of Fame for this quality alone. He organized the work on the walls and gates of Jerusalem in a masterful manner. (Today in the Word)

Nehemiah 3:2
Next unto him.—Nehemiah. 3.2 (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible)

This is the first occurrence in this chapter of this phrase. It, or its equivalent, "next unto them," runs on through the first half of it, occurring no fewer than fifteen times. Then another pair of phrases "after him" and "after them" emerges, and one or the other continues to the end, occurring sixteen times. These phrases mark the unity of the work. By this linking up of groups of workers the whole wall was built. The description is in itself orderly, and proceeds round the entire enclosure of the city, including all the gates, and the connecting parts of the wall. Beginning at the sheep-gate, which was near the Temple, and through which the sacrifices passed, we pass the fish-gate in the merchant quarter, on by the old gate in the ancient part of the city, and then successively come to the valley-gate, the dung-gate, the gate of the fountain, the water-gate, the horse-gate, the east-gate, the gate Miphkad, until we arrive again at the sheep-gate, when the chapter ends. All this is supremely interesting in its revelation of method. The unifying fact was the wall. All were inspired by the one desire and intention to see it completed. In order to realization, the work was systematically divided. Each group was united, as to its own workers, in the effort to do the particular portion allotted to them. All the groups were united to each other in the effort to complete the wall. It is a striking picture of the unity of diversity, and has its lessons for us. There was no sense of separation. Each worked "next to," or "after" some other; and so the complete union of workers and work was realized.

Nehemiah 3-4

In his First Inaugural Address, on March 4, 1933, President Franklin D Roosevelt said to a nation in the grip of an economic depression,

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Why is this true? We all have experience the paralyzing grip of fear. Not only that, but fear is contagious and paralyzes others. Fear cancels out faith as Jesus taught declaring

Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? (Matt. 8:26)

Frightened people discourage others and help bring defeat as Moses recorded...

Then the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, 'Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him depart and return to his house, so that he might not make his brothers' hearts melt like his heart. (Deut. 20:8).

In Nehemiah 3, Nehemiah addressed the fear by posting guards at the most conspicuous and vulnerable points along the wall around the city. This action gave clear warning to the enemy that the Jews were prepared to fight. In addition, Nehemiah armed entire families, knowing that they would stand together and encourage one another.

After looking the situation over, Nehemiah encouraged the people not to be afraid but to look to the Lord for help. Nehemiah knew the principle that if one fears the Lord, he need not fear the enemy. Nehemiah's heart was captivated by the "great and awesome" God of Israel as he recorded...

When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: "Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses." (Neh 4:14)

Nehemiah knew that his "great and awesome" God was powerful enough to meet any and every challenge to His people and His work. Nehemiah also reminded the people that they were fighting for their nation, their city, and their families. When the enemy learned that Jerusalem was armed and ready, they backed off (see Nehemiah 4:15). God had frustrated their plot. As the Psalmist recorded

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generation? (Ps. 33:10-11)

It is good to remind ourselves that the will of God comes from the heart of God and that we need not be afraid if we are in the center of His will, no matter how terrible the storm winds blow.

God speaking to Israel declared...

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isa. 41:10)

If you are attacked by fear and/or anxiety, Isaiah 41:10  would be a good verse to memorize. Then walk forth in eyes of faith, believing what God says and continuing to recall to your mind throughout the day that the God Who made this promise is with you and will never leave you, nor forsake you.

Nehemiah 3:8
C H Spurgeon: Morning and evening

“And they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.” — Nehemiah 3:8

Cities well fortified have broad walls, and so had Jerusalem in her glory. The New Jerusalem must, in like manner, be surrounded and preserved by a broad wall of nonconformity to the world, and separation from its customs and spirit. The tendency of these days break down the holy barrier, and make the distinction between the church and the world merely nominal. Professors are no longer strict and Puritanical, questionable literature is read on all hands, frivolous pastimes are currently indulged, and a general laxity threatens to deprive the Lord’s peculiar people of those sacred singularities which separate them from sinners. It will be an ill day for the church and the world when the proposed amalgamation shall be complete, and the sons of God and the daughters of men shall be as one: then shall another deluge of wrath be ushered in. Beloved reader, be it your aim in heart, in word, in dress, in action to maintain the broad wall, remembering that the friendship of this world is enmity against God.

The broad wall afforded a pleasant place of resort for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, from which they could command prospects of the surrounding country. This reminds us of the Lord’s exceeding broad commandments, in which we walk at liberty in communion with Jesus, overlooking the scenes of earth, and looking out towards the glories of heaven. Separated from the world, and denying ourselves all ungodliness and fleshly lusts, we are nevertheless not in prison, nor restricted within narrow bounds; nay, we walk at liberty, because we keep his precepts. Come, reader, this evening walk with God in his statutes. As friend met friend upon the city wall, so meet thou thy God in the way of holy prayer and meditation. The bulwarks of salvation thou hast a right to traverse, for thou art a freeman of the royal burgh, a citizen of the metropolis of the universe.

Nehemiah 3:15
C H Spurgeon: Morning and evening

“The king’s garden.” — Nehemiah 3:15

Mention of the king’s garden by Nehemiah brings to mind the paradise which the King of kings prepared for Adam. Sin has utterly ruined that fair abode of all delights, and driven forth the children of men to till the ground, which yields thorns and briers unto them. My soul, remember the fall, for it was thy fall. Weep much because the Lord of love was so shamefully ill-treated by the head of the human race, of which thou art a member, as undeserving as any. Behold how dragons and demons dwell on this fair earth, which once was a garden of delights.

See yonder another King’s garden, which the King waters with his bloody sweat—Gethsemane, whose bitter herbs are sweeter far to renewed souls than even Eden’s luscious fruits. There the mischief of the serpent in the first garden was undone: there the curse was lifted from earth, and borne by the woman’s promised seed. My soul, bethink thee much of the agony and the passion; resort to the garden of the olive-press, and view thy great Redeemer rescuing thee from thy lost estate. This is the garden of gardens indeed, wherein the soul may see the guilt of sin and the power of love, two sights which surpass all others.

Is there no other King’s garden? Yes, my heart, thou art, or shouldst be such. How do the flowers flourish? Do any choice fruits appear? Does the King walk within, and rest in the bowers of my spirit? Let me see that the plants are trimmed and watered, and the mischievous foxes hunted out. Come, Lord, and let the heavenly wind blow at thy coming, that the spices of thy garden may flow abroad. Nor must I forget the King’s garden of the church. O Lord, send prosperity unto it. Rebuild her walls, nourish her plants, ripen her fruits, and from the huge wilderness, reclaim the barren waste, and make thereof “a King’s garden.”

Nehemiah 3:28 Every one over against his house.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

This is the way to deal with the evil of this world. We are all fonder of starting schemes, forming committees, and discussing methods of work, than in setting definitely to work for our selves. There is a lack of definiteness, and we hardly know where to begin. But this verse suggests that every one should begin over against his own house. Try and make your own neighborhood a little more like what God would have it. It may be that you have gone too far afield in search of work; you are applying to the Foreign Missionary Society, or are waiting for a sphere of service; yet, all the time, there is that wretched neighborhood, like a piece of ruined wall before you. Arise and repair it!

Meshullam repaired over against his chamber (Nehemiah 3:30). Perhaps he was not rich enough to have a whole house; he lived in a single room, but he discovered that there was a little bit of the wall just opposite his window, which would not be, built unless he set to it. Is not that a hint for college students, and for those who live in flats, or industrial dwellings?

The best way is not immediately to begin giving tracts, good though that is in its place. Ask God to give you an opportunity of showing kindness to your neighbors, so that they get to understand and trust you; and wait upon God until the answer comes— until He shall show you what step He would have you take next. This is the foundation of your bit of wall. Then plod on step by step, tier by tier. God will show you how. You may be unpracticed in wall-building; but He is the Architect and Builder, and you are but a bricklayer’s laborer at the best. Do as He tells you.

NEHEMIAH 4

Nehemiah 4:1-6
September 18, 1998
The Problem With Critics

There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. --Proverbs 12:18

Critics talk much and do little that is constructive. They are more interested in trying to make themselves look good by making others look bad.

If Nehemiah had listened to his critics, the wall around the city of Jerusalem would never have been rebuilt. Some of what those critics said to him was accurate. The wall was rubble, and fire had burned the stones and caused them to crack and crumble (4:2-3). But the critics talked much and did absolutely nothing to help.

Years ago, Theodore Roosevelt noted, "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood; . . . and who, . . . if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Where do you see yourself in this picture? Are you being pelted by unfair criticism as you are serving Christ? If so, keep on going and God will reward your efforts. Or do you recognize yourself as one who tends to be critical of others? If so, it's time to quit the demolition team and join the construction crew. —Haddon W. Robinson (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

I would not criticize the one who works,
The one who listens to God's Word and heeds;
But I would criticize myself, dear Lord,
Confess to you my faithless words and deeds. --Hess

Any spectator can criticize the players; it takes skill and dedication to play the game.

Nehemiah 4:1-10
Rubbish Piles

He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. --Proverbs 28:13

Nehemiah, the cupbearer of King Artaxerxes, had received permission to return to the city of Jerusalem with a company of workers. It had been destroyed some 70 years before. Its wall lay in ruins, the temple in ashes, while Judah pined away in captivity.

In answer to prayer, Nehemiah was allowed to return to rebuild Jerusalem. When he arrived he found the city devastated. The men of Judah came to Nehemiah and cried, "There is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall" (Nehemiah 4:10).

We too are builders. Sin has caused utter ruin of the house of humanity. We have the remedy for this lost world in the Word of the gospel. Yet how ineffective our work often is because of the rubbish in our own lives. The rubbish of indifference, spiritual apathy, laziness, sinful pleasure, materialism, worldliness, questionable habits, doubt and worry, and lack of prayer and Bible study. All this must be cleared away before we can serve the Lord effectively.

On our knees we must confess our sin, accept His forgiveness, and begin building on a clean foundation. Then we will be able to offer Him something that will abide forever. --M. R. De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin and set me free. --Orr

God's grace in the heart brings forth
good deeds in the life.

Nehemiah 4:6 "So we built the wall"

When Deborah, Israel's fourth judge, sang her song in celebration of Israel's victory over the Canaanites (Judges 5:2-31), she mentioned the tribe of Reuben. They had "great resolves of heart," but were content to sit "among the sheepfolds."

The tribe of Reuben was like the boy who sat at his mother's desk, carefully drawing a picture. Soon he laid down his pen and proudly showed his mother his sketch of the family dog. She commented on the fine likeness, then noticed that something was missing. "Where is Rover's tail?" she asked. "It's still in the bottle," the boy explained.

Many important things in the Christian life are left undone because we don't put our plans into action. No matter how good our intentions, they can't glorify God if they are "still in the bottle." —P R V (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

WE MAY BE ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BUT WE WON'T GET ANYWHERE IF WE JUST SIT THERE

Nehemiah 4:6
September 6, 1999
A Mind To Work
Nehemiah 4:1-23

So we built the wall . . . , for the people had a mind to work. --Nehemiah 4:6

Some people, like the comic-strip character Beetle Bailey, work hard to avoid working. In real life, we know that work "makes the world go round." God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden "to tend and keep it" (Gen. 2:15), which shows us that work is essential to our well-being.

God wants us to work, and He wants us to put our hearts into what we do. That's easy for some people, like former Detroit Tiger baseball player Alan Trammell. He once said it was easy for him to be enthusiastic about his work because he was paid for doing what he would enjoy doing for nothing.

But how can a person put his heart into a job that is drearily monotonous, or so stressful that it brings on high blood pressure or ulcers? The apostle Paul gave these answers to followers of Christ: "Work with your own hands, . . . that you may lack nothing" (1 Th. 4:11-12). To another church he wrote, "Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Col. 3:23).

If you think of your job as a blessing by which you can provide for yourself and others, and that your diligence is honoring to the Lord, you too will have "a mind to work" (Neh. 4:6). —Herbert Vander Lugt (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Whatever you are working on,
Engage in it with zest,
Because your work is for the Lord
And He expects your best. --Sper

Work becomes worship when you work for the Lord.

Nehemiah 4:6

When Deborah, Israel's fourth judge, sang her song in celebration of Israel's victory over the Canaanites (Judges 5:2-31), she mentioned the tribe of Reuben. They had "great resolves of heart," but were content to sit "among the sheepfolds."

The tribe of Reuben was like the boy who sat at his mother's desk, carefully drawing a picture. Soon he laid down his pen and proudly showed his mother his sketch of the family dog. She commented on the fine likeness, then noticed that something was missing. "Where is Rover's tail?" she asked. "It's still in the bottle," the boy explained.

Many important things in the Christian life are left undone because we don't put our plans into action. No matter how good our intentions, they can't glorify God if they are "still in the bottle." —P R. V. (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

We may be on the right track, but we won't get anywhere if we just sit there.

Nehemiah 4:6
February 4, 2007
A Unifying Wall
READ: Nehemiah 4:10-18

So we built the wall, . . . for the people had a mind to work. —Nehemiah 4:6

Walls divide. That’s the reason they’re built. The Great Wall of China was built to keep back marauding tribes. That remarkable line of defense once snaked for 4,000 miles across Asia, and much of it still stands. In contrast, the Berlin Wall kept people in instead of out. Its destruction in 1989 brought people together in a joyous celebration.

Centuries ago, the reconstruction of another wall served to bring people together. God had told Nehemiah to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. It was essential for protection but had been demolished during the Babylonian invasion. But the enemies of the Jews opposed the reconstruction project and looked for ways to sabotage their efforts (Neh. 4:7-8). While half the men worked, the others stood guard to protect them.

In addition to providing protection, this wall was a demonstration of teamwork and unity (Neh. 3). All the team members brought their talents and skills, blending them together to accomplish far more than they could have achieved as individuals.

It should be that way in the church today. Our talents are gifts from God to be used for building His kingdom. We work better when we work together. —Cindy Hess Kasper  (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

God builds His church with different stones
And makes each one belong;
All shapes and sizes fit in place
To make the structure strong. —Sper

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.

Nehemiah 4:9
We made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch.—Nehemiah. 4.9 (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible)

That is ever the true attitude of those who are called upon to work for God in face of danger. As the work proceeded, the opposition of the enemies of the people, which first expressed itself in derision, passed to anger mingled with contempt. Nehemiah was conscious of the menace of this attitude to the work he had in hand, and lifted his heart in prayer. to his God. An illuminative sentence in the narrative at this point shows how completely Nehemiah had captured and inspired the people. It declares that "The people had a mind to work." Thus the work went forward, until the wall was raised to half its height. At this point the opposition became more fierce, and a determined attempt was made by conspiracy to stay its progress. With immediateness, and a keen sense of the necessity created by this fact, Nehemiah says, "We made our prayer unto our God and set a watch." In this method there was neither foolish inde­pendence of God, nor foolhardy neglect of human responsibility and precaution. Everything was done to insure that two-fold attitude of complete faith in God, and determined dependence upon personal effort, which always makes for success. How often God's workers fail for lack of one or the other of these important elements!

Nehemiah 4:14 Remember the Lord.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

It was uncommonly good advice. Amid all the wise precautions taken by this man of sanctified common-sense, he kept bringing the people back to God. God was amongst them. God would fight for them. God was going to bring the counsel of their enemies to nought.

This would make a good motto for daily living. If in all circumstances we would remember the Lord, the way would be brightened; the burdens would fall; our spirits would never droop; and songs of joy would take the place of sadness. Whenever enemies assail and difficulties gather like storm-clouds, look away from them and remember the Lord. When hemmed in on every side, be sure that He can help you from His holy heaven; remember the Lord. When heart and flesh fail, and you do not know what to do for the best, be sure to remember the Lord, and act as in His most holy presence. What a comfort and strength it is to see a friend, when standing amid a crowd of adversaries intent on your destruction, and to know that he will act and speak for you! But remember that Jesus is always like that.

You say that you forget so soon; that you would remember, though at the critical moment you are betrayed into forgetfulness. But you must recall His precious promise, that the Holy Spirit will bring all things to remembrance. If only you will trust the difficulty into His hands, you will find that He will gladly undertake it; and as long as you leave it with Him, you will hear His voice rising in your heart, and saying, “Remember the Lord.”

“Watch with me, Jesus, in my loneliness, Though others say me Nay, yet say Thou, Yes; Though others pass me by, stop Thou to bless,”

Nehemiah 4:6-18 (Our Daily Bread)
"GOD'S MINUTEMEN"

With one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. - Nehemiah 4:17

Remember studying about the Minutemen? During the American Revolution, ordinary citizens banded together to form an effective army. They were farmers and merchants and bankers and blacksmiths. When they heard of trouble, they would drop their work, grab their muskets, and head into battle.

No rummaging through the attic looking for that powder horn. No searching the shed for wadding and shot. No stopping to clean their guns. They were ready in a minute.

They remind me of the workmen of Nehemiah's day who held their tools in one hand and their swords or spears in the other. Even as they worked, they were ready for conflict.

We need to be God's minutemen. We should be prepared for action. It may be an opportunity to witness or to encourage a fellow believer facing fierce temptation. Someone in the workplace may be attacking the cause of Christ. Are we ready?

We shouldn't have to revive our prayer-life or take care of unresolved issues with God. No hunting for dusty Bibles. No forgiveness to seek or offer. No last-minute confession of sin.

If He calls, are you one of God's minutemen? D C Egner (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Sound the battle cry! See, the foe is nigh;
Raise the standard high for the Lord;
Gird your armor on, stand firm, everyone;
Rest your cause upon His holy Word.- Sherwin

In God's service, our greatest ability is our availability.

NEHEMIAH 5

Nehemiah 5:1-16 Lead With Your Life

Believers exert a positive influence on others by setting a good example with the consistency of their lives. Will Houghton, president of Moody Bible Institute during the 1940s, was such a person.

Before Houghton became president of Moody, he pastored a church in New York City. An agnostic living there was contemplating suicide, but he decided that if he could find a minister who lived what he professed, he would listen to him. Since Will Houghton was a promi­nent figure in the city and a pastor, the man chose Houghton for his case study. He hired a private detective to watch him. When the investigator's report came back, it revealed that Houghton's life was above reproach. The agnostic went to Houghton's church, accepted Christ, and later sent his daughter to Moody Bible Institute.

Nehemiah was another believer who dramatically affected the lives of those around him. Even rich nobles and high officials listened respectfully as he rebuked them. Why? Because of the quality of his life. Whatever he asked of others, he was willing to do himself. And because Nehemiah joined in the hard work and refrained from using his position to accumulate wealth, the leaders couldn't help but listen to what he said.

An exemplary life awakens spiritual and moral sensitivity in those who observe us, and it gives power to our words of witness. —H. V. Lugt (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

We can preach a better sermon with our lives than with our lips.

Nehemiah 5
Fear of God Curtails Fear of Man

The fear of our God is not like the dread of a slave toward a master but the loving respect of a child toward their father. To fear the Lord means to seek to glorify God in everything we do, listening to, honoring, and obeying His Word of Truth.

Oswald Chambers once wrote that...

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.

Nehemiah was motivated by the fear of the Lord (Neh. 5:15), and so he did not fear what the enemy might do (Neh 5:14,19). The fear of the Lord moved Nehemiah to be a faithful servant of the Lord.

To walk in the fear of God means to walk by faith, trusting God to deal with your enemies and one day (in this life or the life to come) balance the accounts. It means believing Matthew 6:33 and having the right priorities in life.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

Solomon stated the principle that...

The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. (Proverbs 19:23).

Nehemiah 5:7
I consulted with myself, and con-tended with the nobles.—Nehemiah. 5.7 (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible)

A new difficulty, constituting a yet more dangerous element, now presented itself. It arose within the borders of the workers, among the people themselves. The rich men among them exacted usury from their poorer brethren to such an extent as to oppress and impoverish them. Perhaps nowhere in the story does the nobility of Nehemiah's character shine out more clearly than in this connection. There is a fine touch in this declaration, "I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles." His consultation with himself resulted in his determination to set an example of self-denial, in that he took no usury, nor even the things which were his right as the appointed governor of the people. This high and disinterested example produced immediate results, in that all the nobles did the same. Thus the people were relieved, and filled with joy, and consequently went forward with the work with new enthusiasm, ultimately completing it. It is from the vantage Found of personal rectitude that a man is really strong to deal effectively with wrong in others. Contention with nobles who are violating principles of justice, which is not preceded by consultation with self, is of no avail. When the life is free from all complicity with evil, it is strong to smite and overcome it in others. It is equally true that consultation with self which produces right personal action, is not enough. No man has any right to be satisfied with his own rectitude. In the interest of those who are being wronged, he must be prepared to contend with the nobles, or with any that are inflicting wrong.

Nehemiah 5:9 Again I (Nehemiah) said, "The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach (idea of casting blame or scorn upon) of the nations, our enemies?

WATCHED by the world's malignant eye

WATCHED by the world's malignant eye,
Who load us with reproach and shame.
As servants of the Lord most High,
As zealous for His glorious name,
We ought in all His paths to move,
With holy fear and humble love.

That wisdom, Lord, on us bestow,
From every evil to depart;
To stop the mouth of every foe,
While, upright both in life and heart,
The proofs of godly fear we give,
And show them how the Christians live.

Nehemiah 5:15 So did not I, because of the fear of God .
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

These were great words. Nehemiah had a perfect right to take this money. Not a word could be said even by his critics, if he did. He was doing a priceless work, and might justly claim his maintenance. On the other hand, the people were very poor, and he would have a larger influence over them if he were prepared to stand on their level, and to share with them. It was just so that the Apostle argued in 1 Corinthians 9. And from both we learn that often we must forego our evident rights and liberties in order to influence others for Christ. Do not always stand on your rights; but live for others, making any sacrifice in order to save some— even as Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us.

If Nehemiah did so much for the holy fear of God, what ought not we to do for love? Love is more inexorable than law. Its exactions are more stringent and searching. Are we doing as much for love of Jesus as generations before did simply on the score of duty? It is much to be questioned if Jesus does not get less, of outward service at least, out of his followers, than Mahomet or Buddha does. But what He does get is infinitely sweet to Him, in so far as love prompts it.

All around you people are doing things that they say are perfectly legitimate; they call you narrow and bigoted because you do not join with them; they are always arguing with you to prove you are wrong. But your supreme law is your attitude to your Master. “I cannot do otherwise for the love of Jesus.”

“Not I, because of the fear of God.”

“Not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”

“Not I, but Christ liveth in me.”

Nehemiah 5:15  J C Ryle in Holiness

"So did not I, because of the fear of God" (Neh. 5:15)

A holy man will follow after the fear of God. I do not mean the fear of a slave, who only works because he is afraid of punishment and would be idle if he did not dread discovery. I mean rather the fear of a child, who wishes to live and move as if he was always before his father's face, because he loves him. What a noble example Nehemiah gives us of this! When he became governor at Jerusalem, he might have been chargeable to the Jews and required of them money for his support. The former governors had done so. There was none to blame him if he did. But he says, "So did not I, because of the fear of God" (Neh. 5:15).

Nehemiah 5:15
Walking in Fear of the Lord
Warren Wiersbe

'The fear of our God' is not the servile dread of a slave toward a master but the loving respect of a child toward a parent. To fear the Lord means to seek to glorify God in everything we do. It means listening to His Word, honoring it, and obeying it. 'The remarkable thing about fearing God,' wrote Oswald Chambers, 'is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.' Because Nehemiah's life was motivated by the fear of the Lord (Neh. 5:15), he did not fear what the enemy might do (vv. 14, 19). The fear of the Lord moved Nehemiah to be a faithful servant of the Lord.

To walk in the fear of God, of course, means to walk by faith, trusting God to deal with your enemies and one day balance the accounts. It means claiming Matthew 6:33 and having the right priorities in life. 'The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil' (Prov. 19:23).

Christ says: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matt. 6:33, niv).

This description of God's servants — "who desire to fear thy name"- reminds us how largely their religion in this world consists of "desire." They have real piety, but are dissatisfied with their attainments, and aspire to better things. Their desire is, however, to be carefully distinguished from that of many who substitute occasional good wishes for actual piety. The real Christian's desire impels him to the diligent use of all those means by which a higher life is reached. He "exercises himself unto godliness"; and what he attains he employs in spiritual and moral living. But the word used rather dignifies "delight," expressing the pleasure which God's servants feel in their religion. — Pulpit Commentary

 

Nehemiah 5:15
June 17, 2002
A Leader Who Serves
Nehemiah 5:14-19

I did not do so, because of the fear of God. --Nehemiah 5:15

A youth pastor was leading a group of young people on a short-term mission trip to a poor community in Peru. The only comfortable room available was assigned to the pastor, but he refused it.

When it came time to pour concrete in the 100-degree heat, he didn't stand under a tree and drink lemonade—he took his turn pushing the wheelbarrow up the ramp and shoveling out the concrete. He gained great respect from both the Peruvians and his youth group by joining in the hard work with them.

When Israel was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem under hard and dangerous conditions, their leader Nehemiah took his turn at both building and standing guard. Special food was allotted to him as the leader, but he refused to accept it, unlike his predecessors. He ate from the same rations that were offered to everyone else (Nehemiah 5:18).

Two options come with leadership: the temptation to serve yourself, and the opportunity to serve the people you lead. Nehemiah chose to be a servant-leader, and it earned for him enormous respect.

If the Lord ever places you in a position of leadership, ask for His help to be a leader who serves. —DCE —David C. Egner (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

All those who have authority
Should use their power to lead;
By taking orders from the Lord
And serving those in need. —D. De Haan

Leaders who serve will serve as good leaders.

Nehemiah 5:18 
REBUILDING THE WALLS

I did not demand the governor's provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people (Nehemiah 5:18).

When asked the secret to his success, restaurateur and chef Andre Soltner of the famed Lutece in New York replied, "I cook from my heart, with love. It must be the same with service. The waiter must serve with love. Otherwise the food is nothing.... Many times, I leave my kitchen and go to the tables to take orders myself. It starts right then and there . . . there is nothing mysterious about Lutece. I put love in my . . . serving. That is all."

Nehemiah knew how to put love in his serving. Under his lead­ership, the Israelites successfully rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem after they returned from captivity. Nehemiah organized the people, encouraged them, and artfully handled all opposition. Yet his great­est achievement may have been his loving leadership. He worked alongside the people, and to identify with them in their great need he refused to take the food that was due him as governor.

The kings of ancient near-eastern countries normally ruled with harshness and cruelty. The Romans of New Testament times often treated their subjects unfairly and brutally. And leaders today sometimes consider their own interests and finances before that of their followers. In contrast to these unloving, me-first forms of leadership, Jesus called leaders to give up their own rights, to serve instead of dictate, and to risk everything for others.

We like being the head pin, but falling first is not our game. Mark says that Jesus took the blame for us. And in so doing, He demon­strated loving leadership (10:45). All would-be leaders should fall in behind Him. (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

NEHEMIAH 6

Nehemiah 6
"So and So"

Nehemiah provides the perfect template of a godly leader. Are we the kind of leaders and followers God wants us to be? Like Nehemiah, do we have a burden in our hearts for the work God has called us to do? (Neh. 2:12). Are we willing to sacrifice to see His will accomplished? Are we patient in gathering facts and in planning our work? Do we enlist the help of others or try to do everything ourselves? Do we motivate people on the basis of the spiritual—what God is doing—or simply on the basis of the personal? Are they following us or the Lord as He leads us?

As followers, do we listen to what our leaders say as they share their burdens? Do we cling to the past or desire to see God do something new? Are we cooperating in any way with the enemy and thus weakening the work? Have we found the job God wants us to complete?

Anyone can go through life as a destroyer; God has called His people to be builders. What an example Nehemiah is to us! Trace his so statements and see how God used him

So I prayed (Neh 2:4)

So I came to Jerusalem” (Neh 2:11)

So they strengthened their hands for this good work” (Neh 2:18)

So built we the wall” (Neh 4:6)

So we labored in the work” (Neh 4:21)

So the wall was finished” (Neh 6:15)

Were it not for the determination that came from his faith in the great and awesome God, Nehemiah would never have finished the work.

As V R Edman said...

It is always too soon to quit.

Is God calling you to build a "wall"? Some task that is difficult? Do any of the questions in the first paragraph of today’s reading apply to your situation? Talk to the Lord about it. Ask Him for strength and wisdom. Determine to complete the task.

Nehemiah 6
A Trusted Friend

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. —Nehemiah 6:9

The newspaper has often been a trusted friend. It arrives with regularity and tells me about the people and events of the day. A few days without it and I feel out of touch. Without its summary of government, business, sports, and international affairs, I feel handicapped in conversation.

Yet, an interesting thing happened one day. This "trusted friend" brought news of an event I already knew about, but only the core facts were correct. The report also included an analysis by an authority who said more than he knew. It was a good reminder that we need to live by something more reliable than the daily newspaper.

Nehemiah also read information that he knew was wrong (Nehemiah 6:6-8). He knew that the letter from an enemy leader contained lies designed to scare him and his countrymen off the job of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. But Nehemiah was wise. He responded by continuing to do what he knew was right. He was sure his motives were correct. So he asked the Lord to strengthen his hands for the work that remained (v.9).

When falsely accused or disturbed by the powerful forces of evil, let's not live on the basis of the ever-changing news. Instead, let's listen to God and keep doing what He has called us to do. —M R De Haan II  (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

They're saying things that are not true;
"O blessed Lord, what shall I do?"
He answers, "What is that to thee?
Your duty is to follow Me." —Anon.

If God is for you, it doesn't matter how many are against you.
How Does God Keep His Promises?
God Our Father

Nehemiah 6:1-7:3
The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? - Psalm 27:1

After the American colonists’ victory over the British in the Revolutionary War, conditions in the new nation were far from perfect. Rampant inflation and other severe problems led one army officer to write a letter to George Washington on May 22, 1782. The letter suggested that the commander seize power with the help of the army, declare himself king or dictator, and establish a stable government that could meet its financial obligations. Washington reacted to the idea with scorn.

“I must view [the proposals] with abhorrence and reprehend with severity,” he wrote back. “I am much at a loss to conceive what part of my conduct could have given encouragement to [this idea] which to me seems big with the greatest mischiefs that can befall my Country.”

The officer quickly dashed off a letter of apology.

Washington’s reply is strikingly similar to the answer Nehemiah gave to those who charged that he was scheming to set himself up as king of Judah. Nothing in his conduct as governor of the province could have given anyone reason to think he was making a grab for power. The charge that Nehemiah was plotting treason against King Artaxerxes was just one of the tactics of his enemies trying to destroy him and God’s people. (Today in the Word)

Nehemiah 6:3 A Great Work
A B Simpson

When work is pressing, there are many little things that will come and seem to need attention. it is a very blessed thing to be quiet and still, work on and entrust the little things to God. He answers such trust in a wonderful way. The believer who has no time to fret and worry and harbor care has learned the secret of faith in God. A desperate desire to change some difficult circumstance may take our eyes off God and His glory. Some suffering Christians have been so anxious to get well and have spent so much time in trying to claim healing, that they have lost their spiritual blessing. God sometimes has to teach such persons that there must be a willingness to be sick before they are yielded enough to receive His fullest blessing. The enemy keeps at this work. Sanballat came four times to Nehemiah, always receiving the same answer. How many fears we have stopped to fight which ultimately have proved to be nothing. Nehemiah recognized that fear is sin and did not dare to yield to it.

Nehemiah 6:3 I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

It was a sublime answer. Below was the Plain of Ono; where Nehemiah’s foes awaited him. Let him once descend into it and he would become their easy prey; but he withstood their fourfold solicitation by considering the greatness of the work he was doing and the responsible position he was called to fill. Other worldliness is the best cure for worldliness. Those whose affections are set on things above will have no difficulty in refusing the appeals of sense. Get your heart and hands deeply engaged in the great work of building God’s Temple, and you will be proof to the most flattering proposals ever made by Madam Bubble.

Oh, children of the Great King, let us pray that we may know the grandeur of our position before Him; the high calling with which we have been called; the vast responsibilities with which we are entrusted; the great work of coöperating with God in erecting the city of God. Heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ! Called to sit with Christ in the Heavenlies! Risen, ascended, crowned in Him! Sitting with Christ, far above all principality and power! How can we go down— down to the world that rejected Him; down to the level of the first Adam, from which, at so great cost, we have been raised; down to the quarry from which we were hewn, and the hole of the pit whence we were digged! No, it cannot be; and as we make our choice, let us look to the living and ascended Christ to make it good. Put your will on His side, and expect that the energy of the power that raised Him from the dead will raise and maintain you in union with Him. For “your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Nehemiah 6:15
So the wall was finished.—Nehemiah. 6.15
G Campbell Morgan

The significant word in the statement is the word "so," as it calls us to reconsidera­tion of how the dangerous and difficult work was accomplished. Inclusively and exhaustively, we may at once say, the work was of God. That wall was the out-ward and visible symbol of the inclusion and guarding of the Remnant, until the Messiah should come, and the Faith should appear. From now until then, this remnant was to be kept in ward. The Law was the custodian to bring them to Christ. The wall was the material expression of that isolation and security. When we turn from that consideration of the building of the wall by the will and through the overruling of God, to the human agencies, we find that the wall was built through the patriotism and high devotion of one man; and through the fact that he was able, by his influence and leadership, to weld the people into a unity of heart and purpose and endeavour which carried the sacred work to completion. The efforts of this man and the people were characterized by caution and courage, and passionate persistence against all opposing forces. Perhaps this latter quality is the most out-standing. By all means the enemies of the work sought to prevent its carrying out. Having begun in contempt, and proceeded through conspiracy, they turned to subtlety. Against every method, Nehemiah and his helpers were proof. Nothing turned them aside until the wall was finished. This strength against opposition was the outcome of a clear sense of the greatness of their task. Thus God's walls are ever built, God's work is always done. He leads and guides and compels circumstances to aid His workers; and they respond in agreement with His purpose, and in resolute refusal to allow anything from without or within to hinder them.

NEHEMIAH 7

Nehemiah 7:2
For he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. Nehemiah. 7.2 
G Campbell Morgan

This is a description of the man whom Nehemiah placed in authority over the city of Jerusalem, after the wall was completed. The whole of the arrangements for the safety of the city, as here recorded, were characterized by statesmanlike cau­tion. Through all the country round about there were enemies, and the position of the partially restored city therefore was one of perpetual peril. Nehemiah was con­scious of this, and made the most careful provision as to the hour for the opening and closing of the city gates, and as to the arrangements for the watchers. No greater mistake can ever be made in connection with work for God in difficult places, than that of lack of caution. Care­lessness is never the sign of courage. True bravery prepares for the possibility of attack. The man who had built, sword in hand, to completion, did not imagine that with the swinging of the gates on their hinges, the time for anything like re­laxation in watchfulness had come. His choice of the governor was characteristic. He was chosen for two reasons; his fidelity to duty, and his fear of God. If we speak of these as two, they yet are but the two sides of one fact. Fidelity to duty is the outcome of the fear of God. The fear of God always produces fidelity. There is no sanction sufficiently strong to produce true fidelity other than that of this holy and loving fear. If a man is unfaithful to his appointed task, while yet declaring his loyalty to God, he lies, and the truth is not in him. The secret of the courage that is cautious, of the caution that is courageous, is ever that of a com­plete fear of God.

Nehemiah 7:64 It was not found.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

Certain claimed the maintenance of the priests, and were challenged to show their name in the register of the priestly line. In all likelihood they were descended from the sons of Aaron, but through marriage outside the priestly clan, and through the fact also of the name of the mother’s father being adopted, their names were not reckoned in the priestly genealogy; consequently, their claim for priestly maintenance and service could not be established.

Is there not something like this still? Men, who were called to be God’s priests, drop out of the register of those who serve before Him. It may be they are not sure of their genealogy, and have lost the assurance of sonship; their spirit is no longer filled with the blessed co-witness of the Holy Ghost. God is afar from them, and, being out of harmony with Him, they are out of sympathy with their fellows. They are, therefore, rightly put out of the priesthood.

Now trace this matter back to its beginning. As likely as not you will find it originated in some worldly alliance. He that will be a friend of the world is necessarily an enemy with God. For a mess of pottage Esau loses his birthright.

But all this can be put right. There has arisen a Priest, who holds the Urim and Thummim in His hand; God’s own Priest after the order of Melchizedek. “Wherefore it behoved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God.” He waits to reinstate the erring soul, restore it to the priestly office, and give it priestly food and maintenance.

NEHEMIAH 8

Nehemiah 8  
JOYOUS CELEBRATION

"The whole assembly... made booths...And there was very great gladness." -- Nehemiah 8:17

Joe Carter's dramatic ninth-inning home run touched off a time of joyous celebration for the Toronto Blue Jay players and fans. It turned out to be the final game of the 1993 World Series. The winners were ecstatic. Watching the game on television, I was captivated by the enthusiasm that marked the victory celebration, both on the field and in the clubhouse. I thought, why don't we see that kind of spontaneity in our worship of God?

The Lord must have delighted in His people as they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. Israelites by the thousands laughed and talked with one another as they trekked to Jerusalem. There they made booths from tree branches and camped out for 7 days. They presented gifts in the temple as a thanksgiving offering, and they did it with joy and singing (Deuteronomy 16:13-15; Nehemiah 8:17).

First-century Christians carried this spirit into their observance of the Lord's Day. Historians tell us that those joyous meetings gave pagan persecutors an excuse to accuse believers of drunkenness. They
were enthusiastic because they kept fresh in their minds the fact that every Sunday was a commemoration of Christ's resurrection.

Let's make this a day of joyous celebration! -- H V Lugt (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

What a God we have to worship!
What a Son we have to praise!
What a future lies before us --
Everlasting love-filled days! -- Maynard

Christ's resurrection is cause for our celebration.

Nehemiah 8:8
October 9, 2006
The Scrabble Syndrome
READ: Nehemiah 8:5-11

They read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. —Nehemiah 8:8

A contender at the 2005 World Scrabble Championship Finals in London said mathematics and a good memory are necessary to win, but not a good vocabulary. A New York Times journalist described the event as "a time when language divorced itself from meaning" because a champion may create a high score using obscure English words such as zobo and ogive without knowing their meaning.

All of us are susceptible to what might be called "The Scrabble Syndrome"—using words to win religious arguments without understanding and demonstrating their meaning. Bible verses can become weapons against those who disagree rather than life-altering truths to be lived.

During a critical period in Israel's history, Ezra instructed the people and was assisted by others who "read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading" (Neh. 8:8). As the people grasped what they heard, they had a deep sense of sorrow for their sins, followed by a joyful response to God's mercy (vv.9-11).

Biblical words divorced from meaning undermine our relationship with God and others. Understanding with obedience brings wisdom, repentance, and joy. —David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

God's Word, when it is understood,
Can keep us free from strife;
And when obeyed, it brings us joy
And nourishes our life. —Sper

Knowing God's Word should result in obeying God's Word.

Nehemiah 8:10
F B Meyer: Our Daily Walk
THE JOY OF THE LORD

"This day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength."-- Nehemiah 8:10.

JOY AND gladness is a very necessary element in human well-being. We cannot live our best life if sorrow and depression holds undisputed sway. There are three sources of joy mentioned in this chapter.

The people understood the Divine Word and profited by it. Their eagerness to hear, as Ezra opened the Sacred Book, was remarkable (Nehemiah 8:3,5,12,18,10). Let us also delight in God through His Word. Let us not read the Bible as a task, but dwell upon it, until its beauties become woven into our thoughts and lives. It is thus that life becomes purified and enriched. We shall no longer desire base or corrupting things, but God will give us the desires of our heart, and we shall be satisfied, if we delight ourselves in Him.

They communicated good things to those for whom nothing was prepared (Neh8:10-12). There is no cure for sorrow and heart-break like healing broken hearts. There is no such comfort for ourselves as that which we administer to others. Nehemiah could not have given better advice than when he bade his people share their joys and sweets with those whose lives were bare of comfort and luxuries.

Of course Christianity has within it other sources of joy. Our Saviour gives us His joy, because He reveals the Father to us, makes us to rest in Him, and gives a worthy object for our lives; He makes work light because He has appointed it, sorrow supportable because He shares it, and death desirable because He has opened the door of the Father's Home. In His joy we may participate (John15:11; John16:22-24).

Their obedience. As soon as they understood the words they heard, they began to put them into practice. No wonder there was joy, for in the keeping of God's commandments there is great reward. It was during the Feast of Tabernacles that our Lord spoke of the Holy Spirit entering the heart to remove its thirst, and to pour forth as rivers to a dying world (John7:37-39). We cannot do much apart from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Only through Him can we be right with God; only through Him can we be really glad; only through Him can we pass on joy and comfort to others.

PRAYER- We thank Thee, O God, that we may have fellowship with our Lord in His redemptive purpose. May the gifts which He has received even for the rebellious fill our hearts and lives with joy and gladness. AMEN.

Nehemiah 8:10
The joy of the Lord is your strength. —Nehemiah. 8.10
G C Morgan

The material side of Nehemiah's work being completed, the spiritual and moral work of bringing the people back more intelligently under the influence of the Law, went forward. Ezra now appeared upon the scene, and we have the account of a most interesting and remarkable religious Convention. The first day wit­nessed the assembling of the people. The phrase "gathered as one man" indicates their unity of purpose. They had assembled to hear the reading of the Law. This was not merely the reading aloud of passages from the Law, or even the reading of the Law. It was reading, accompanied by exposition, which was undertaken by men specially appointed. It would seem as though there were, first, a public reading, and then a breaking up into groups under the direction of selected Levites. Their work was that of translation and interpre­tation. The Law was written in Hebrew, and the people spoke in Aramaic. Hence the need for translation. It was a day of conviction, resulting in great sadness, as the people discovered how serious their failure had been, and how severe were the terms of the Law of their God. It was to this state of mind that these words were addressed, and they constitute an interpre­tation of the real nature and value of the Law. The joy of Jehovah is that which gives Him satisfaction, and that was expressed in His Law. Thus the Law was their strength. Only as they obeyed it could they be strong. This surely was the thought of the Psalmist when he sang: "Thy statutes have been my songs" (119. S4). Because the Law of Jehovah is the method by which He makes known to men the way of strength to them, it is the joy of Jehovah. When we discover that, the statutes which fill us with fear, become our delight, our song. They are indeed our strength.

Nehemiah 8:10
Secret of Joy

The secret of Christian joy is to believe what God says in His Word and act upon it. Faith that is based on anything other than the pure milk of God's Word of Truth is not faith at all. Instead it is mere presumption or at best superstition. In the same way, joy that is not the result of faith is not joy at all, but is only a 'good feeling'. And feelings are deceiving for they soon disappear. Faith based on God's Word (see note Romans 10:17 , see also F B Meyer's message entitled Fact! Faith! Feeling!) will produce joy that will weather the storms of life.

Beloved, it is not enough to read the Word or receive the Word as others expound it, but we must also rejoice in the Word as the psalmist who wrote...

I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure (Psalm 119:162)

In ancient times (and even today), some people would hide their wealth in jars buried in the ground (Mt. 13:44; Jer. 41:8). Imagine the farmer plowing his field and suddenly plowing up a jar filled with gold. Surely he would rejoice! In the same way, there are great treasures buried in throughout God's Word, waiting for us to dig them up, using the tools of reading inductively (inductive Bible study), meditating, and praying. And as we practice these disciplines we begin to find these invaluable treasures and it  causes us to rejoice and give thanks.

Do not seek to study the Word of God only from a sense of duty which is only a veiled form of legalism, for the rich treasures may never be revealed. Scripture is clear that the believer who rejoices in the Word and who delights in reading and meditating on it daily, is the one who will find God's hidden treasures

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands' (Ps. 112:1)

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night' (Psalm 1:2)

Do you delight in God's Word' Would you rather have God's Word than food (Ps. 119:103; Luke 10:38-42), or sleep (Ps 119:55, 62, Psalm 119:147-148), or wealth (Psalm 119:14, 72, 137, 162)?

Let this be your declaration and you will begin to experience the joy of the Lord as your strength...

Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long (Psalm 119:97).

Nehemiah 8:10 The joy of the Lord is your strength.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

“The sad heart tires in a mile,” is a frequent proverb. What a difference there is between the energy of the healthy, joyous heart and the forced activity of the morbid and depressed One! The one leaps to its task, the other creeps to it. The one discovers its meat and drink in self-sacrifice, the other limps, and stoops, and crawls. If you want to be strong for life’s work, be sure to keep a glad heart. But, be equally sure to be glad with the joy of the Lord. There is a counterfeit of it in the world, of which we must beware— an outward merry-making, jesting, and mad laughter, which hides an aching and miserable heart. Solomon compares the joy of the world to the crackling of thorns under a pot, which flare up with great speed, but burn out before the water in the pot is warm.

Ours must be the joy of the Lord. It begins with the assurance of forgiveness and acceptance in the Beloved. It is nourished in trial and tribulation, which veil outward sources of consolation, and lead us to rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus. It is independent of circumstances, so that its possessors can sing in the stocks. It lives not in the gifts of God, but in God Him self. It is the fruit of the Spirit, who begets in us love, joy, peace, long-suffering. Get the Lord Himself to fill your soul, and joy will be as natural as the murmur of a brook to its flow.

And such joy will always reveal itself to others. You will desire to send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. Your joy will be contagious; it will shed its kindly light on sad and weary hearts. As Rutherford said, we have a new heaven in the heaven of every soul we bring there.

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It is a bad fireplace where all the heat goes up the chimney: true religion spreads joy over all around. Yet the fire warms first the chimney in which it burns, and grace comforts the heart in which it dwells. Nobody will be warmed by a cold hearth.

That the Christian religion is favorable to human happiness, is, I believe, the secret conviction even of many who may not openly confess it; hence it is no uncommon thing to hear even the openly wicked say, "I believe that the real Christian is the happiest man in the world." I recollect the remark of a certain skeptic, made to myself, in the hour of affliction: "Oh, sir, you Christians have the advantage of us." — Addresses to Young Men by Rev. Daniel Baker

Mr. Moody says, "I never knew a case where God used a discouraged man or woman to accomplish any great thing for him. Let a minister go into the pulpit in a discouraged state of mind, and it becomes contagious: it will soon reach the pews, and the whole church will be discouraged. So with a Sabbath-school teacher: I never knew a worker of any kind who was full of discouragement, and who met with great success in the Lord's work. It seems as if G6d cannot make large use of such men."

When we are weakened by sadness we do not speak attractively. Our statements lack certainty, and energy. We are apt to quarrel over trifles, to be turned aside by discouragements, and in general to do our work badly. Soldiers march best to music, and sailors work most happily when they can join in a cheery note; and I am sure we do the same.

Joyful Christians set the sinner's mouth a watering for the dainties of true religion. When the prodigal returned, he was shod, and clothed, and adorned, but we do not read that the servants were to put meat into his mouth. Yet they were to feed him, and they did so by themselves feasting: "Let us eat and be merry." This would be the surest way to induce the poor hungry son to make a meal. If saints were happier, sinners would be far more ready to believe.

Nehemiah 8:10
Self-Pity Or Rejoicing?

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! —Philippians 4:4

Temperament seems to be something that each of us is born with. Some of us have upbeat dispositions, while others play the music of life in a minor key. Yet how we respond to life's trials also affects our overall disposition.

For example, Fanny Crosby lost her sight when she was only 6 weeks old. She lived into her nineties, composing thousands of beloved hymns. On her 92nd birthday she cheerfully said, "If in all the world you can find a happier person than I am, do bring him to me. I should like to shake his hand."

What enabled Fanny Crosby to experience such joy in the face of what many would term a "tragedy"? At an early age she chose to "rejoice in the Lord always" (Philippians 4:4). In fact, Fanny carried out a resolution she made when she was only 8 years old: "How many blessings I enjoy that other people don't. To weep and sigh because I'm blind, I cannot and I won't."

Let's remember that "the joy of the Lord is [our] strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Let's also take comfort in the teachings of Jesus, who in John 15:11 said, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." When faced with the choice of self-pity or rejoicing, let's respond with rejoicing. —Vernon Grounds  (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Be this the purpose of my soul,
My solemn, my determined choice:
To yield to God's supreme control,
And in my every trial rejoice. —Anon.

Rather than complain about the thorns on roses, be thankful for roses among the thorns.

Nehemiah 8:12, Nehemiah 8:17-18.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Walk
DAYS OF GLADNESS

"All the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days."-- Nehemiah 8:12, Nehemiah 8:17, Nehemiah 8:18.

GLADNESS IS health. If you can get a patient to look on the bright side of things, you have done a great deal to bring back the tides of life.

Whenever we are optimistic and glad we are looking at things from the divine side, and imbibing some of God's eternal gladness. And cherishing this temperament, we shall know what Nehemiah and Ezra meant when they said: "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).

If you have some secret sorrow, tell it to God, but do not impose it needlessly upon men. Anoint your head and wash your face, that you appear not to men to fast, and He who sees the secret tears will comfort you openly (Matt6:17-18). The pain and sorrow of the world is undeniable, even worse than many of us realise, but this is largely due to the intrusion of sin and selfishness which can only be expelled by Love. But even this gives opportunity for that unselfish ministry and devotion which are the keys of the blessed life. In so far as we dedicate our lives to help Christ in His redeeming work of delivering souls out of the power of darkness and translating them into the Kingdom of Life and Light, we share in His perennial blessedness.

It must have been a time of unusual joy when the returned exiles reviewed the finished wall which now engirded the city. There was the consciousness of a finished work. It is always delightful when we have done to the very best of our ability a piece of work that needed doing. One of the elements of a thoroughly enjoyable holiday is to be able to look back on a bit of good construction, a piece of brick or stone work which will endure in the edifice of our own lives or of other people's.

In addition, there was the Book of the Law of God, in which they read from day to day. Let us take the Bible with us on our holidays! We shall find that it will yield new meaning as we study it by lake or mountain; as we ponder it in country lanes, or by the seashore, One like the Son of Man will walk beside us, and apply its teaching till our hearts burn within us, and we are no more sad.

PRAYER

We thank Thee for eyes that see, and hearts that love, and natures that can enjoy Thy good and perfect gifts. O Father, in Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. AMEN.

NEHEMIAH 9

Nehemiah 9:1-21

Someone has said that the most miserable person on earth has to be an atheist who suddenly feels grateful and has no one to thank. That’s one problem God’s people don’t have. In fact, we are commanded to live in an atmosphere of continual thanksgiving (1 Thess. 5:18).The community of God’s people who had been restored to their land had a long list of reasons to praise God. (Today in the Word)

Nehemiah 9:2 The seed of Israel separated themselves.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

This is the beginning of the true life. Turn to the story of creation, and you learn, first, that God divided the light from the darkness; next, the waters of the clouds from those on the earth; and next, the seas from the land. It was only thus that He could effect His purpose of substituting kosmos for chaos. So, in the development of the inner life, there must be separation and judgment; the discrimination of the false from the true, the evil from the good. "Separate Me… for the work whereunto I have called them.”

When God put His hand to man’s highest culture, He separated Shem from his brethren; Terah’s house from other kindred clans; and Abraham from his people. What weight this gave to those solemn words, “I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. And ye shall be holy unto Me; for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people that ye should be Mine” (Leviticus 20:24, 26). It was not that God had no care for the great world; but that He desired to concentrate His attention on a few, that when they had fully caught His thought they might pass it on to mankind.

This accounts for the cry of the Holy Ghost through the Apostle, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing.” We must be separate in our practices, cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit; in our pursuits, going with Christ without the camp; in our pleasures; and in our alliances. “Follow the Christ— the King! Live pure! Speak true! Right wrong! Follow the King! Else, wherefore born!”

Nehemiah 9:5
Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting; and blessed be Thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. Nehemiah. 9.5
G C Morgan

The wall being completed, the Law expounded, the Feast of Tabernacles was observed. Then, after a brief interval, came a great Day of Humiliation. The people separated themselves entirely from all those who were not actually within the Covenant, and then gave themselves to humbling and confession before God. In all this they were led by the Levites, and this chapter is largely occupied with the great prayer they offered upon this occa­sion. It may have been a prayer specially prepared for them; or perhaps, in the form in which we have it, it is a condensed account of the line along which they pro­ceeded in their approach to God. The remarkable thing about it is that a prayer of humbling and confession is largely an utterance of praise. Observe its move­ment. The first section was wholly of praise (Nehemiah. 9.5-15). It praised God; for what He is in Himself, in majesty (Nehemiah. 9.5-6); for His founding of the Nation through Abraham (Nehemiah. 9.7-8); for His deliverance of the people from Egyptian bondage (Nehemiah. 9.9-11); for His constant guidance (Nehemiah. 9.12-15). The second section sets forth His grace as in constant contrast with the repeated failure of His people (Nehemiah. 9.16-31). This section is a frank, full, and humble confession of repeated sin, and yet the burden of it is that of the readiness of God to pardon. The final movement was that of definite seeking for the continuance of His goodness and help, in the form of a new covenant (Nehemiah. 9.32-38). All this is most suggestive, as it gives us a true model of the way of approach to God in confession. The heart is strengthened in the contemplation of His essential glory, and His constant grace. To see God in glory and in grace, is to know our sin, and to be driven to confession and repentance.

Nehemiah 9:6
January 1, 2000
Creator Praise
READ: Genesis 1:1-13

You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, . . . the earth and everything on it. --Nehemiah 9:6

In the beginning" (Gen. 1:1) is not the only place in the Bible where we read about creation. The remarkable work of God's creation is not a one-passage phenomenon. Woven throughout Scripture are reminders that God fashioned our world--telling us again and again how vital it is to believe that the universe and everything in it came through the masterful work of His mighty hand.

We need that reminder. Otherwise, we could easily be influenced by the teaching we hear continually from some educators who hold to a view of origins that rules out God.

Yet that's not the primary reason to explore what God's Word says about creation. No, the main reason we need to acknowledge God's role in bringing everything into existence is so that we will give Him praise.

The Bible tells us that God created: "the foundations of the earth" (Ps. 104:5); sun, moon, stars, and the heavens (Ps. 148:1-5); "the ends of the earth" (Isa. 40:28); lightning, rain, wind (Jer. 10:13); people (Mal. 2:10); "all things" (Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16).

Look around. Look in the Bible, God's Word. See the hand of Almighty God. And praise Him for His powerful, creative work. —Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

The greatness of our God is seen
In sky and sea and forest green;
All living creatures great and small
Reveal the God who made them all. --DJD

God's work of creating is done; our work of praising has just begun.
 

Nehemiah 9:20
C H Spurgeon: Morning and Evening

“Thy good Spirit.” — Nehemiah 9:20

Common, too common is the sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit. This is folly and ingratitude. He deserves well at our hands, for he is good, supremely good. As God, he is good essentially. He shares in the threefold ascription of Holy, holy, holy, which ascends to the Triune Jehovah. Unmixed purity and truth, and grace is he. He is good benevolently, tenderly bearing with our waywardness, striving with our rebellious wills; quickening us from our death in sin, and then training us for the skies as a loving nurse fosters her child. How generous, forgiving, and tender is this patient Spirit of God. He is good operatively. All his works are good in the most eminent degree: he suggests good thoughts, prompts good actions, reveals good truths, applies good promises, assists in good attainments, and leads to good results. There is no spiritual good in all the world of which he is not the author and sustainer, and heaven itself will owe the perfect character of its redeemed inhabitants to his work. He is good officially; whether as Comforter, Instructor, Guide, Sanctifier, Quickener, or Intercessor, he fulfils his office well, and each work is fraught with the highest good to the church of God. They who yield to his influences become good, they who obey his impulses do good, they who live under his power receive good. Let us then act towards so good a person according to the dictates of gratitude. Let us revere his person, and adore him as God over all, blessed for ever; let us own his power, and our need of him by waiting upon him in all our holy enterprises; let us hourly seek his aid, and never grieve him; and let us speak to his praise whenever occasion occurs. The church will never prosper until more reverently it believes in the Holy Ghost. He is so good and kind, that it is sad indeed that he should be grieved by slights and negligences.

Nehemiah 9:22-38

The American elm tree has had an amazing history. George Washington transplanted these tall, majestic shade trees from the shores of the Potomac River, where they grew wild, to his home at Mount Vernon. American settlers often left elm trees standing when clearing the land, and they were a popular feature of the American landscape until the 1960s. At that time, American elms were almost wiped out by Dutch elm disease that had been accidentally imported into the United States from Europe in the 1930s. But elm trees have not totally disappeared, as horticultural specialists have had some success in finding and developing strains of the American elm that can withstand the onslaught of Dutch elm disease. The history of this beautiful tree reminds us in some ways of the history of Old Testament Israel. The Bible says that God “planted” Israel in her land (Ps. 80:8), and the nation grew and flourished under God’s blessing. This blessing was praised in the prayer that the former exiles of Nehemiah’s day offered in their worship to God. (Today in the Word)

Nehemiah 9:38
C H Spurgeon: Morning and Evening

“And because of all this we make a sure covenant.” — Nehemiah 9:38

There are many occasions in our experience when we may very rightly, and with benefit, renew our covenant with God. After recovery from sickness when, like Hezekiah, we have had a new term of years added to our life, we may fitly do it. After any deliverance from trouble, when our joys bud forth anew, let us again visit the foot of the cross, and renew our consecration. Especially, let us do this after any sin which has grieved the Holy Spirit, or brought dishonour upon the cause of God; let us then look to that blood which can make us whiter than snow, and again offer ourselves unto the Lord. We should not only let our troubles confirm our dedication to God, but our prosperity should do the same. If we ever meet with occasions which deserve to be called “crowning mercies” then, surely, if he hath crowned us, we ought also to crown our God; let us bring forth anew all the jewels of the divine regalia which have been stored in the jewel-closet of our heart, and let our God sit upon the throne of our love, arrayed in royal apparel. If we would learn to profit by our prosperity, we should not need so much adversity. If we would gather from a kiss all the good it might confer upon us, we should not so often smart under the rod. Have we lately received some blessing which we little expected? Has the Lord put our feet in a large room? Can we sing of mercies multiplied? Then this is the day to put our hand upon the horns of the altar, and say, “Bind me here, my God; bind me here with cords, even for ever.” Inasmuch as we need the fulfilment of new promises from God, let us offer renewed prayers that our old vows may not be dishonoured. Let us this morning make with him a sure covenant, because of the pains of Jesus which for the last month we have been considering with gratitude.

Nehemiah 9:38
F B Meyer: Our Daily Walk
MAKING A COVENANT WITH GOD

"We make a sure covenant, and write it."-- Nehemiah 9:38.

"He is the Mediator of a better covenant."-- Hebrews 8:6.

IT IS good for a soul to make a covenant with God. On his twenty-third birthday Milton wrote these memorable words:

"Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,
It shall be still in strictest measure even
To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me and the will of Heaven.
All is, if I have grace to use it so,
As ever in my great Taskmaster's eye."

This was his covenant with God; and through all the years, now in his prime under Cromwell, and again in his lovely old age under Charles II, he never swerved from the path he had selected.

Who can forget those magnificent lines of Wordsworth, which tell how he was returning from a village merry-making, which had lasted through the night, and lo, the glory of a summer-dawn was breaking over the hills! He describes its beauty, and adds:

"Vows were made for me,
That I should be, else sinning greatly,
A dedicated spirit."

There are certain principles outlined in these chapters in Nehemiah, which may well be included in our covenant with God:

(1) Never to allow anything in private or business life which is not in keeping with the high ideals of the Bible.

(2) To set aside a certain proportion of our income and time for the maintenance of the Work and House of God.

(3) To observe the Rest-Day.

But a covenant is between two. No resolution of ours is strong enough to keep us true. The most fervent protestations and vows may fail us in the day of trial, and our covenants are permanent only so far as God is party to them. But if Jesus is our Co-Signatory, there will be a safe-guard and certainty which all the powers of evil will not be able to overthrow.

Livingstone's covenant with God was that he might heal the open plague-spot of the Arab slave-trade. A covenant like this, in some cases, has been signed with blood. This was D. L. Moody's prayer, as a young man: "Great God, let the world learn, through my life, what Thou canst do by a man wholly devoted to Thee!"

PRAYER - We present to Thee, O God, ourselves to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, our reasonable service. Fulfill through us the good pleasure of Thy goodness, and the work of faith with power. Amen

NEHEMIAH 10

Nehemiah 10:39
We will not forsake the house of our God.—Nehemiah. 10.39
G C Morgan

In this chapter we have some further particulars of the Covenant which the people made with Jehovah, following upon the great Day of Humiliation. This Covenant was sealed representatively by the priests (Nehemiah. 10.3-8); by the Levites (Nehemiah. 10.9-13); by the rulers (Nehemiah. 10.14-27); and to its terms all the people agreed (Nehemiah. 10.28). These terms are set forth in general phrases and in some particular applications. Generally, the people promised "to walk in God's law ... to observe and do all His command­ments." Particularly, the Covenant re­ferred to matters in which the people had already failed—those, namely, of inter-marriage with the surrounding idolatrous peoples, of neglect of the Sabbath, of Temple maintenance and arrangement, and of the offering of first-fruits and tithes. It would seem as though Nehemiah laid special emphasis on these later things, and these concluding words give the reason for this stress. He knew the supreme importance of the house of God to the national life, and therefore he said: "We will not forsake the house of our God." The maintenance in strength of the worship of God is of supreme importance, principally for the sake of the worshippers. There is a very true sense in which it may be affirmed that our worship cannot enrich God. But there is yet another sense in which He is robbed if we cease to worship, for whenever we do, we suffer impoverishment in our deepest life, and that results in moral breakdown. Therefore let us also ever say, "We will not forsake the house of our God."

Nehemiah 10:39 The children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

It was about this time that Malachi wrote the memorable words, “Bring ye all the tithes into my storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord, if I will not pour you out a blessing.” When a people has separated itself to God, there will be no lack in its house, no failure in its sup plies, no lack for its ministers. So with the individual. All they that had separated themselves entered into an oath to charge themselves yearly for the service of the house of God. Separation is the negative side of consecration.

How does this touch you, my friend? What proportion of your income are you setting apart for the service of God? The amount that a man gives in proportion to his income is a sure test of the genuineness and depth of his religious life. The Jew gave about a third of his yearly income to God; do we come up to this standard? Yet we speak of the Jews with contempt, as hard fisted and miserly. These old Jews might set an example to us newer Christians. How often we reverse our position from God’s ideal! He puts us over His estate that we should send Him all the produce, after deducting what is necessary for our maintenance, and that of our families. But we engross the entire proceeds for ourselves, sending Him an odd guinea, or half-crown, when we can easily spare it. Let us see that we give at least a fixed proportion of our income, and as much more as we can. Do not forsake the House of your God; so shall the heavens be opened in blessing. “There is that giveth and yet increaseth; there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it sendeth to poverty.”

NEHEMIAH 11

Nehemiah 11:2
The people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem.—Nehemiah. 11.2.
G C Morgan

In this, and the next two chapters, the arrangements made for the settlement of the cities are set forth. These are the last pages of history in the Old Testament. Some revelations of later conditions are found in the writings of the prophets, but nothing more is distinctly historic until, after a lapse of four centuries, we have the events recorded in the New Testament. The first section of the chapter is devoted to the account of the settlement of Jerusalem particularly. It should be remembered that perhaps not more than fifty thousand, all told, had returned from captivity, and by no means all of these had come to Jerusalem itself. Many of them had taken up their abode in the surrounding cities. Jerusalem was particu­larly difficult of settlement, seeing that it was the centre of danger, and peculiarly liable to attack. It was, therefore, arranged that the princes should dwell in the city, and that io per cent. of the people, selected by lot, must take up their abode there. In addition to these there were some who voluntarily came forward to dwell in the place of danger, and these were specially honoured by the people. The statement is one which gives occasion for some heart-searching. It really is an easy thing, for those who do not volunteer for places of danger, to applaud those who do, but it does seem to be a somewhat un­worthy proceeding. Applause of heroism is neither costly nor valuable. It is a good thing that great enterprises are not dependent upon such people. The heroes are always to be found. Their reward is in their deed, rather than in the approbation of those who admire, but who do not help.

Nehemiah 11:23 A certain portion should be for the singers.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

It was the king’s command, and it was very right and sensible, because they enlivened and quickened the life of the entire community. A mere utilitarian spirit might have refused to maintain them, because they did not contribute to the handicrafts of the community. They only sang the praises of God; but they fulfilled a very important part in the life of the city, and they deserved the portion which was regularly contributed to them.

You sometimes feel your life to be comparatively useless. You can only say a kind word to those who are doing the main business of the world. When the brothers had wrought all day at the clearing for the farm, their sister Hope sang through the evening hours to cheer them and drive away their sense of fatigue. That was all she could do; but was she not deserving of maintenance? You can only sing your song of hope, and keep the heart of the toilers sweet and fresh. You can only get inspiration from God’s heart and pass it on. You can do little but learn to detect, and translate into music that men love, the deep undertones of God’s creation. But it is well. You are needed in God’s world.

There are invalids, who lie on their back through weary months and years, that are the inspiration of their homes, and to their side the elders and the children come for counsel and comfort. Sing on, ye sweet choristers, that alleviate our depressions and start our hearts to high endeavor. Ye that by night, in sleepless hours, stand in the house of the Lord, praise ye the Lord when all the busy life of men is hushed! The King will see to it that ye do not miss your maintenance, your portion day by day.

NEHEMIAH 12

Nehemiah 12:43
The joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. Nehemiah 12.43.
G C Morgan

In this chapter we have an account of the commencement of the solemn dedi­cation of the wall. It would seem as though it had been postponed for some con­siderable time. Differences of opinion exist as to the length of time. Some place this dedication ceremony in immediate relation to that which is recorded in the following chapter, which would place it twelve years after the first coming of Nehemiah. Others say that the account given here has reference to what took place within a few months of the actual completion of the work. It is difficult to decide, and really the matter is of no vital importance. The ceremony, whenever it took place, proceeded in three stages. First, there were two great processionals, in which the appointed singers chanted the praises of God. This was followed by the reading of the Law, and the consequent separation of the mixed multitude from the people of God (Nehemiah 13). The present chapter is principally occupied with the rejoicing, and in this connection the statement is made that "The joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. It was great day, greater even than these people knew. The reformers had sought to bring the remnant, weak and small though it was numerically, back to a recognition of the deepest truth concerning the national life that, namely, of its relation to God. Their joy that day was the joy of the Lord, and that was indeed their strength. All the pomp and pageantry and material splendour of the days of the monarchy had passed; but in that devotion to the Law, and to the purposes of God as manifested in the building of the wall, there was more of moral power than the old days had ever known, since the time when in their folly, the people had clamoured for a "king like the nations."

Nehemiah 12:43
November 27, 2003
The Music Of Joy
READ: Nehemiah 12:27-43

God had made them rejoice with great joy . . . , so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off. —Nehemiah 12:43

Several years ago, during a Christian men's conference in Boulder, Colorado, I stood with 50,000 men as we sang "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." The volume of the singing was incredible in the football stadium, and I've often wondered how it sounded outside. Could people hear it as they walked through a nearby park, sat on their patios, or drove by in cars? What impression did it leave with them?

That great sound of praise reminded me of what is described in today's Bible reading. The book of Nehemiah begins with a confession, continues with a construction project, and ends with a concert. The entire story is a study in God's faithfulness and power.

After years of hard work despite opposition, the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt. At the dedication, two "thanksgiving choirs" stood on the wall to praise God. We are told that "the singers sang loudly . . . . God had made them rejoice with great joy . . . , so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off" (Nehemiah 12:42-43).

Joy cannot be contained. It must break out in praise to God through songs of thanksgiving. Whether those who hear our outpouring of joy understand it or not, it will resound as a chorus that cannot be ignored—the music of lives lived out in praise to God. —David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Let us celebrate together,
Lift our voice in one accord,
Singing of God's grace and mercy
And the goodness of the Lord. —Sper

Each new day gives us new reasons to sing God's praise.

Nehemiah 12:24, 36–37, 45–46 David, the man of God.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

How long the influence of David has lingered over the world, like the afterglow of a sunset! Mark the characteristic in him which laid the foundation of his supremacy over the hearts of his countrymen. He was preëminently “a man of God.” Notwithstanding his terrible fall, his people recognized that his salient characteristic was Godward. Would you be one of God’s men?

(1) Give all to God.— Too many live lives of piecemeal consecration, giving a bit here and a bit there, but never all. David surrendered himself to do God’s will utterly, and in all, and so became a man after God’s own heart. With what joy God’s voice seems to quiver, as He says “I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, who shall fulfill all My will” (Acts 13:22). Without reserve, holding nothing back, yield yourself to God, to be, and do, and suffer His will, whatever it may be.

(2) Take all from God.— It is not what we give to Jesus, but what we take from Him, that makes us strong, helpful, and victorious day by day.” Accept this as a fact, that in Jesus God has made all His fullness dwell. There is nothing we require, for life or godliness, that is not stored in Him; but the terrible loss of our lives is that we take so little. We have ourselves to blame if we are poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked.

(3) Use all for God.— It sometimes appears as though Christian people were urged to yield themselves to God, only that their lives might be more comfortable. But the supreme and final end in all surrender must be that His will be done, His glory promoted, and Himself, magnified whether in life or death.

Nehemiah 12:27-47

At the opening ceremonies of the 1984 summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the crowd in the stadium and television viewers were greeted by the sight of eighty-four grand pianos situated on various levels of a huge stage, with each instrument being played simultaneously. It was an amazing sight and one that the organizers of the games felt was a worthy tribute to the importance of the Olympics. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Israel’s worship leaders produced a celebration of their own that must have been an amazing sight. It was time to dedicate the walls of Jerusalem that the people had rebuilt in just under two months, and no expression of verbal praise, sacrifice, or music was left out. (Today in the Word)

NEHEMIAH 13

Nehemiah 13:7
I came to Jerusalem, and understood. Nehemiah.13.7
G C Morgan

This chapter records Nehemiah's last visit to Jerusalem. After the building of the wall, he had evidently gone back to the court of the king. Twelve years later, seeking permission, he returned, and his last deeds reveal the continued strength and loyalty of the man. Coming to the city, he understood. His viewpoint was still that of the Divine purpose, and therefore he was not deceived—he under-stood! There were four abuses which he discovered, and without the slightest hesitation or any sign of weakness, but with characteristic energy, he set himself to correct them. Eliashib, the priest, had given a place within the very Temple of God to the man Tobiah, who had done so much to hinder the work of building the wall. Nehemiah flung out the occupant and his furniture, and restored the chamber to its proper use. He found, in the second place, that the Levites, instead of being able to devote their whole time to the service of the Temple, had to earn their living, because the tithes were not being paid. He contended with the nobles and corrected this abuse. He found, moreover that the Sabbath was violated, and restored the Divine order in this matter. Finally, he found that the people had again been making mixed marriages, and with unsparing force he dealt with the evil. The man who looks at conditions from the standpoint of agreement with the Divine intention, is ever the man who truly understands. Such a man is not careful to seek soft and easy methods in dealing with abuses. To be quick of understanding in the fear of Jehovah, is ever to be merciless to all that is contrary to the will of God.

Nehemiah 13:14, 22, 31 Remember me, O my God.
F B Meyer: Our Daily Homily

Thrice in this chapter this humble man asks to be remembered. We cannot think that he expected to purchase God’s favor because of his sacrifices and endeavors. Of this he was already assured. But being a redeemed soul, he desired that his works might come up in remembrance before God, and secure a reward. There is no harm in keeping the eye fixed on the reward for faithful toil in the Lord’s service. It was a constant incentive in the life of the great Apostle that he might so run as to obtain; so finish his. work that he might win the crown.

Note the three departments of service mentioned in this chapter, in connection with which Nehemiah breathed this petition. He had turned all Tobiah’s household stuff out of the temple, so that the whole structure should be given up to the service of God. He had secured the Sabbath from desecration, so that its holy rest and calm were preserved intact. And he insisted on the purity of the holy seed being untainted by foreign alliances. Consecration to God, the Rest of Faith in the inner life, and the separation of God’s children from the world, are the counterparts of these in our own time.

Fact! Faith! Feeling!
by F B Meyer
(Chapter 4 in his book The Secret of Guidance)

These three words stand for three most important factors in character and life. We all have to do with them in one form or another, but it is above all things necessary that we should place them in the right order.

Most people try to put Feeling first, with as much success as if they tried to build the top story of a house before laying its foundations. Their order is-

FEELING, FACT, or FAITH

or, FACT, FEELING, or FAITH

Others seek Faith first, without considering the Facts on which alone Faith and Feeling can rest. They resemble the man, who desiring to get warm on a frosty night, refuses to approach the fire which burns brightly on the hearth. The only possible order that will bring blessing and comfort to the heart is that indicated in our title (Fact! Faith! Feeling!)

God's Facts are adamant.

Our Faith, apprehending and resting on them.

Joyous Feelings, coming, it may be at once, or after the lapse of days and months, as God will.

FACT

The facts of which we are told in the Bible are like steppingstones across a brook. Before you reach the shallows where they lie, you wonder how you will get over, but on stepping down to the margin of the water, they span the space from bank to bank. When you have reached one you can step to another, and so across. It is absurd to consult feeling, or look for faith, while still at a distance from the brookside, or if you persist in going above or below that primitive bridge of stones. You must come down to them, consider them see how strongly fixed they are in the cozy bed, notice how easily the villagers pass and repass; then you will feel able to trust them, and finally, with a light heart and great sense of relief, step from one to another.

Let us recall a few facts which may help us first to faith, and then to feeling.

It is a fact that God loves each of us with the tenderest and most particular love. You may not believe or feel it ; the warm summer sun may be shining against your shuttered and curtained window without making itself seen or felt within; but your failure to realize and appreciate the fact of God's love toward you cannot alter its being so.

It is a fact that in Jesus every obstacle has been removed out of the way of your immediate forgiveness and acceptance. God was in the dying Saviour, putting away sin, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, reconciling the world to Himself. You may not believe this, or feel the joy of it, but that does not alter the fact that it is so.

After the peace was signed between the North and the South, ending the Civil War, there were soldiers hiding in the woods, starving on berries, who might have returned to their homes. They either did not know, or did not credit, the good news, and they went on starving long after their comrades had been welcomed by their wives and children. Theirs was the loss, but their failure in knowledge or belief did not alter the fact that peace was proclaimed and that the door was wide open for their return.

A friend may have paid all my debts in my native village, from which I have fled, fearing arrest and disgrace. He may have done it so speedily that my credit has never been impaired, or my good name forfeited. There may be all the old love and honor waiting to greet me. He may have told me so; but if I still absent myself, and refuse to return, my folly in this respect cannot undo those beneficent acts, though it perpetuates my misery.

It is a fact that the moment a soul trusts Christ, he is born into God's family and becomes a child. There is no doubt about this. You may not feel good, or earnest, or anxious; you may even be conscious of a recent failure; you may be spending your days under a pall of somber depression; but if you have received Christ, and have truly trusted in Him, you have been born again, not of man, or of the will of the flesh, but of God (John 1:12) . You may be a prodigal or inconsistent child, but you are a child. If you were wise you would take the child's place at the Father's table, and enjoy His smile. They await you. But if you still remain out in the cold, as the elder brother in the parable, you do not alter the fact that your place is ready for you to occupy when you will.

It is a fact that God takes what we give, and as soon as we give it. There is no long interval. When we let go, He receives. When we place ourselves on His altar, we are immediately sealed as His. When we consecrate ourselves, He accepts. The divine act is instantaneous. You may not be aware of this, and continue giving yourself day after day. If you do, you burden yourself with needless anxiety; you continue offering what is not now yours to give, and you lose the blessedness of realizing what it is to be the absolute property, chattel and slave of the blessed Master; but your mistake cannot alter the fact that God took you at your word when first you made yourself over to Him in a solemn act of dedication. Shall our want of faith make of no effect the faithfulness of God?

It is a fact that in Jesus Christ we are seated in heavenly places. We cannot alter this. We may not believe it, or avail ourselves of all the privileges which it implies, or enjoy the blessedness of nearness to Jesus; but such is, nevertheless, our rightful position in the divine order. If we are united with Jesus by the slenderest strand of faith, we are as much one with Him as the loftiest saints; and where the Head is, there is also the Body. In Him we died on the cross, and so met the righteous demands of the holy law. In Him we lay in the grave, and so passed out of the region ruled by the Prince of the Power of the air. In Him we rose and ascended far above all might and dominion, principality and power.

Is Satan under Christ's feet? In God's purpose he is under ours also. Are death and the grave for ever behind Christ? So, in God's purpose, we have passed to the Easter side of them both, and are to the windward of the storm. As far as their sting or terror is concerned they are like the Egyptians dead on the sea shore. Has the great High Priest passed through the heavens within the veil? So, in the purpose of God, we too have passed from the outer court into the Holy Place, where we offer gifts, sacrifices, supplications, and intercessions for all men.

All this may appear unreal and impossible, as the idea of being the bride of a prince to a poor Cinderella, but is nevertheless our true position. These are the facts of the eternal world, whether you avail yourself of them or not. There are not a few cases on record of slaves starving in bondage because they would not avail themselves of freedom; and of noblemen living a hard and difficult life because they would not claim their rights!

It is a fact that there is a share in the gift of Pentecost waiting for each member of Christ. He received gifts even for the rebellious. To each grace has been given. The promise of the Holy Ghost is to as many as the Lord our God shall call. Without doubt you have a share in that infilling, that divine unction, that marvelous power in service, which transformed the apostles from being timid sheep to lions in fight. You may never have put in your claim, but there is no grace that others have which you may not obtain. All things are yours. God has made over to you the unsearchable riches of Christ. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, all the stores of grace and love and power which are yours in Christ, accumulating for you in the Divine Deposit Bank. It seems a thousand pities that you should live a beggar's life when such wealth and power are yours; but if you persist in doing so, your folly and blindness do not alter the fact that the fullness of God is yours in Christ.

These are some of those facts, made known to us in the Word of God, which will conduct us over the brook of turbid emotion to firm standing ground. Let us give up worrying about our faith, or feeling the pulse of emotion, and come to rest on them, assured that they are more stable than heaven or earth.

FAITH

If you want a true faith, do not think about it, but look away to the facts of which we have been speaking. We find no difficulty in trusting our friends, because we open our hearts, like south windows, to their love. We recall all their interpositions in our behalf. We remember all they have promised and performed. Where would be our difficulty about faith if we ceased worrying about it, and were occupied with the object of faith--Jesus Christ our Lord?

Faith is more than Creed. In a creed we believe about a person or circumstance; but in faith we repose our trust upon a person. We must not believe about Christ only, but in Him, as Livingstone did, when on one occasion he was opposed at nightfall by an army of infuriated savages, and was tempted to steal away in the dark; but his eye lit on the promise, "I will be with you all the days," and he wrote, "I went to sleep because I knew it was the word of a perfect gentleman." Do not believe about Christ, but in Him.

Faith concerns itself with a person. We are saved and blessed by the faith that passes through the facts of our Saviour's life to Himself. We rest not on the atonement, but on Him who made it; not on the death, but on Him who died; not on the resurrection, but on Him who rose, ascended, and ever liveth to make intercession; not in statements about Him, but in Him of whom they are made.

Many a time the question is asked by the inquirer, "Have I the right kind of faith?" It is a needful question, because there is a dead and spurious faith which will fail us in the supreme crisis, as the badly-canned meats did the Arctic exploration party, who on returning to their heap of stores, found them useless, and starved.

There is one simple reply, "All faith that turns towards Jesus is the right faith." It may bring no conscious rapture. It may be as weak as the woman's touch on His garment's hem. It may be small and insignificant as a grain of mustard seed. It may be despairful as Peter's cry, "Lord, save, or I perish!"

But if its deepest yearning be Christ-Christ-Christ, it is the tiny thread which will bring the lost soul through subterranean passages, in which it had been well-nigh overwhelmed, into the light of life.

True Faith reckons on God's Faith. In earlier life I used to seek after greater faith by considering how great God was, how rich, how strong; why should He not give me money for His work, since He was so rich? Why not carry the entire burden of my responsibilities, since He was so mighty? These considerations helped me less, however, than my now certain conviction that He is absolutely faithful; faithful to His covenant engagements in Christ, faithful to His promises, and faithful to the soul that at His clear call has stepped out into any enterprise for Him. We may lose heart and hope, our head may turn dizzy and our heart faint, lover and friend may stand at a distance, the mocking voices of our foes suggest that God has forgotten or forsaken; but He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself, He cannot disown the helpless child whom He has begotten, because it ails. He cannot throw aside responsibilities He has assumed. He has made, and He must bear.

Oftentimes I have gone to God in dire need, aggravated by nervous depression and heart-sickness, and said, "My faith is flickering out. Its hand seems paralyzed, its eye blinded, its old glad song silenced forever. But Thou art faithful, and I am reckoning on Thee!" The soul loves to go behind the promises of God to Himself who made them, as the wife needs not quote the pledges made by her husband in the marriage-service when she is sure of him, and feels the pressure of his hand.

Do not trouble about your Faith; reckon on God's Faithfulness. If He bids you step out on the water, He knows that He can bring you safely back to the boat. When an Alpine guide takes you over a ragged piece of ice, he considers whether, in the event of your utter collapse, he is not able to carry you through by the strength of his iron grasp and sinewy frame. What iron is to the blood, that the thought of God's faithfulness is to faith. "Sarah . . . received power . . . since she counted him faithful who had promised" (Heb 11:11, ASV); Abraham "waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God" (Ro 4:20, ASV).

Faith bears Fruit. It cannot help it, because it links the soul with Christ, so that the energy of His life pours into it through the artery of faith, and, as it comes in, so it must make a way for itself out. Fruit is (so to speak) forced from the believing soul. Why does the lark sing? It cannot help it, because the spirit of spring has been poured into its heart. Why does the branch bear fruit? It cannot help it, because the life-forces are ever pouring up from the root. Why does a child run to meet its mother? It cannot help it, because its heart has imbibed her nature. So the believer, united to Christ, receives grace upon grace from His heart, and from the abundance of His indwelling his life speaks.

It is not difficult to obtain faith like this. Put your will on the side of Christ--not a passing wish, but the whole desire and choice of your being. Be willing to believe; or be willing to be made willing to believe. Lift your eyes toward Christ. If you cannot see Him, look toward the place where you think He is. Remind Him that He is the Author of faith, and that it is His gift. Claim it from Him, and reckon that in answer to your appeal He does confer this priceless boon. You may not feel faith, but you will find yourself unconsciously thinking of Christ, counting on Christ, going out toward Christ; and that engagement of the soul with Christ is faith.

Be careful of the tender plant which has thus been planted within you. Give it plenty of sunshine. Live outside yourself in the consideration of what Christ is. Feed faith on her native food of promise, and let her breathe her native air on the hills of communion.

Treat all suggestions of doubt as you would questions as to the fidelity of your dearest friend. Avoid the cold blast that sets in from skeptical books and talk. Be sure to live up to your highest conceptions of duty toward God and man. Your faith will be in exact proportion to your obedience. Inability to trust almost always denotes some failure to obey. If faith is faltering, ask yourself whether you have not dropped the thread of obedience, and go back to the place where you lost it. Christian (from Pilgrim's progress) could not face the lions till he had sorrowfully retraced his steps to the arbor where he slept and had recovered his roll.

Faith is pre-eminently the receptive faculty. It not only reckons that God gives, but it stretches out its hand to take. "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12). We receive the at-one-ment from the Lord who died, and we receive the abundance of God's grace from the Lord who ever lives, so that we reign in this mortal life as we hope to reign when the heavens and earth have fled away, and there is no more sea to divide us from our beloved (Rom. 8 :17) . The beautiful garments are prepared, faith arrays herself in them. The armor hangs on the wall, faith girds herself in it. The water of life gushes at her feet, but faith catches it up, as did Gideon's three hundred men. Faith thus deals definitely with God. She does not simply see His gifts as the passer-by the jewels in the shop window, but she knows that all the regalia of God's kingdom are hers, and she takes them as she will. She hears the voice of her Father saying: "Thou art ever with Me, and all that I have is thine."

It was not enough that God should give the land of Canaan by promise and covenant to the chosen race. They had to go in to possess it, to put their foot down on its soil, to till its acres, and to live in its rich products. So it must be with the believer. He is first united with Jesus by a living faith, which rests in Him as Saviour, Friend, and King; then he reckons that the Son of God is well able to make him His joint-heir of all His boundless wealth, and, lastly, he learns the art of receiving and using the plenteous heritage, and year by year presses the fences of his possession farther back, taking in more and more of that vast extent of territory which has been assigned to him in Jesus.

Oh! Settler on the boundless continent of God's fullness in Jesus, get thee up into the high mountain. Look northward, southward, eastward and westward, over the lengths, and breadths, and depths, and heights of the love of God. It is all yours from the river of Time which rises at your foot to the utmost sea of Eternity. Be not slack to go up and possess the land, and to inherit all which God has freely bestowed on you in the Son of His love.

FEELING

Our feelings are very deceptive, because so easily wrought on from without. They are affected by the state of our health, changes in the weather, the society or absence of those who love. When the air is light, and the sun shines, and we have slept well, we are more likely to feel disposed toward God than when the dripping November fog drenches the wood lands. The Father who made us and knows our frame, understands this; so much so, that when Elijah, after the strain of Carmel, his swift flight, and his disappointment at Jezebel's continued obduracy, threw himself beneath the juniper tree and asked for a swift death, God sent him sleep for his exhausted nervous system, and food for his hunger.

As a rule, Faith fruits in Feeling. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God . . . and not only so but we joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. "Believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." When the prodigal returned, the father bade them slay the fatted calf, saying: "Let us eat and be merry." There is relief from a heavy burden of sin, the ecstasy of pardon, the light of the Father's face, the sense of rightness, the calm outlook on the future. When the King comes to His own the bells ring out their peals on the waiting air, as though intoxicated with delight.

Happy and blessed feeling is the effect of the Spirit's work on the soul . "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace." He is the earnest of our inheritance, and though in our minority we cannot expect to enter on the fullness of our heritage, we are privileged to enjoy its first fruits. There are prelibations of the river of His pleasures, and stray notes from the full chorus of bliss. When the Holy Ghost reveals the Bridegroom, the loving heart is glad, even though the nuptials are not yet celebrated.

But the lack of feeling does not always indicate we are wrong. There may be causes, as we have seen, which account for our depression. It may be that Christ would teach us to distinguish between love and the emotion of love, between joy and the rapture of joy, between peace and the sense of peace. Or perhaps He may desire to ascertain whether we cling to Him for Himself or for His gifts.

Children greet their father from the window, as he turns the corner and comes down the street. He hears the rush of their feet along the hall as he inserts his key in the door. But one day he begins to question whether they greet him for the love they bear him or for the gifts with which he never forgets to fill his pockets. One day, therefore, he gives them due notice that there will be no gifts when he returns at night. Their faces fall, but when the hour of return arrives they are at the window as usual, and there is the same tramping of little feet to the door. "Ah," he says, "my children love me for myself," and he is glad.

Our Father sometimes cuts off the supply of joy, and suffers us to hunger, that He may know what is in our hearts, and whether we love Him for Himself. If we still cling to Him as Job did, He is glad, and restores comforts to His mourners with both hands.

Seek feeling, and you will miss it; be content to live without it, and you will have all you require. If you are always noticing your heart-beats, you will bring on heart disease. If you are always muffling against cold, you will become very subject to chills. If you are perpetually thinking about your health, you will induce disease. If you are always consulting your feelings, you will live in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. He that saveth his soul shall lose it.

Be indifferent to emotion. If it is there, be thankful; if it is absent, go on doing the will of God, reckoning on Him, speaking well of Him behind His back, and, above all, giving no signs of what you are suffering, lest you be a stumbling block to others. Then joy will overtake you as a flood. He will make you sit at His table, and gird Himself to come forth and serve you.

CAUTIONS

There are five concluding cautions for the culture of the devout life, attention to which will generally result in holy joy and peace.

1. We must be still before God. (cf Psalm 46:10)

The life around us, in this age, is preeminently one of rush and effort. It is the age of the express train and telegraph. Years are crowded into months, and weeks into days. This feverish haste threatens the religious life. The stream has already entered our churches, and stirred their quiet pools. Meetings crowd on meetings. The same energetic souls are found at them all, and engaged in many good works beside. But we must beware that we do not substitute the active for the contemplative, the valley for the mountaintop. Neither can with safety be divorced from the other. The sheep must go in and out. The blood must come back to the heart to be recharged, and fitted to be impelled again to the extremities.

We must make time to be alone with God.

The closet and the shut door are indispensable. We must lose the glare of the sunny piazza that we may see the calm angel-figures bending above the altar. We must escape the din of the world, to become accustomed to the accents of the still, small voice. Like David, we must sit before the Lord. Happy are they who have an observatory in their heart-house to which they can often retire beneath the great arch of Eternity, turning their telescope to the mighty constellations that turn beyond life's fever, and reaching regions where the breath of human applause or censure cannot follow!

It is only in such moments that the best spiritual gifts will loom in our vision, or we shall have grace to receive them. It is impossible to rush into God's presence, catch up anything we fancy, and run off with it. To attempt this will end in mere delusion and disappointment. Nature will not unveil her rarest beauty to the chance tourist. Pictures which are the result of a life of work do not disclose their secret loveliness to the saunterer down a gallery. No charter can be read at a glance. And God's best can be ours apart from patient waiting in His Holy presence. The superficial may be put off with a parable, a pretty story, but it is not given such to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. We must be possessed by an eager desire.

There is a difference between wishing for a thing and willing it. In a single hour we may wish for a hundred differing objects, and forget them. But how different from this is the fixed determination, the settled purpose of the will!

The lad catches sight of some equipment for his fort, the student of a precious book, the lover of a jeweled ornament which he covets for the one he loves-and in each case the will is wrought upon till it resolves to acquire at any cost. Then privation and self-sacrifice and delay are cheerfully encountered. Nothing can extinguish or slacken the determination that follows hard after its quest. So with us. We must hunger and thirst; we must be possessed by strong and passionate desire; we must be resolved even to use violence to take the Kingdom of Heaven. The expressions of Scripture are all so tense--the heart pants for the water brooks; Jacob will not let the angel go; the widow troubles the unjust judge day and night. We too may have this strong desire if we will let the Spirit of God produce within our hearts. But the merchantman must be bent on seeking and finding the goodly pearl. We must strive to enter the strait gate. We must agonize (to use the Apostle's word) as the athlete for the crown.

3. We must have a promise in our hand. a