Dedication of the Wall

August 18, 2013 Background Scripture: Nehemiah 12:27 – 43 Lesson Passage: Nehemiah 12:27 – 38, 43 After much prayer, sweat, animosity, and deceitful opposition, the wall was completed. This all began with a prayer to God in the midst of what appeared to be the need to make an unusual request. Yes, it was an unusual request. A slave was about to request temporary freedom from a king so that he could leave the province of his captivity and travel to the land of his ancestors to erect a wall to protect the city from future invasions—such as the one that had caused him to be enslaved in Babylon. How’s that for irony? Yet, he prayed and the Lord heard him and answered his prayer. This slave’s name was Nehemiah. The king gave Nehemiah permission to leave temporarily and he was given the leeway to accomplish what he had requested. However, the king’s permission did not stop the enemies of God from attacking Nehemiah and his cohorts both psychologically and emotionally. In fact, they armed themselves while they worked just in case the enemy decided to attack them physically. But through it all, God prevailed and allowed them to claim the victory. Now the time had come to celebrate the goodness of God towards them. This would not be a worldly celebration but a religious one. This would not be a quiet private celebration but a very loud public one. So the priest and the Levites were assembled from all of the villages on the outskirts of Jerusalem. They ceremonially purified themselves, then the people, and finally they purified the wall and gates. The musicians and singers were gathered likewise so they could lead the congregation in praise and worship to the God of Heaven. Nehemiah and the leaders of the people assembled themselves in prominent places in preparation for this glorious worship. Two men were set aside to offer thanks or in other words to lead a prayer of thanksgiving and devotion. When the celebration began, the crowd was heard even from afar off. They were thankful that their God had triumphed again over their enemy and allowed them to come out victoriously. Their battles were not private and neither would their praise to God be. They were grateful to God and they wanted everybody within earshot to know it. The congregation of Israel publically celebrated God’s awesomeness with singleness of praise. They dedicated the completed wall with much thanksgiving and fanfare. The greater the struggle the louder their praise was to reflect it. The task had tested them and now they were shouting their testimony. God had not forsaken them in the midst of their troubles and challenges. God was and always will be true to His word. All of Israel celebrated the triumph. They were mocked, threatened, and even delayed but they still triumphed. God had softened the hearts of kings to make them servants of His people. He had stilled the tongues of the opposition so that His people would not lose courage. God had given Israel again another reason to praise and worship Him. So it was with total joy and jubilee that Israel dedicated the completed wall around Jerusalem. Robert C. Hudson August 6, 2013

Community of Confession

August 11, 2013 Background Scripture: Nehemiah 9:1 – 37 Lesson Passage: Nehemiah 9:2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 30 – 36 It has been said many times that confession is good for the soul. I believe that there is some truth to that statement if the confession is according to the word of God. As Christians, we should confess our faults to one another according to James’ epistle. John, in his epistle, states that we should confess our sins to God. It is important that we don’t confuse faults with sins. After making the proper distinction and confession, I believe that we will have a stronger bond within the Christian community and a healthy fellowship with God. On the other hand, Israel was often treated as a single entity or as an individual. This is in keeping with the covenant between God and Abraham that was passed down through the patriarchs from generation to generation. Throughout the generations, God continued to deal with Israel as with an individual. When the nation sinned, God patiently warned them for years of impending judgment because of it. When their leaders would not hearken to God’s word that was delivered by the prophets, judgment ensued. In our lesson today, Israel responds to the judgment God brought upon them by first confessing the righteousness of God. They referred back to the time when God delivered their ancestors from Egyptian bondage and His continuous mercy down through the years after that. They also cited the many occasions when their ancestors rebelled against God in spite of His goodness to them in keeping His promises. They acknowledged that all that they were blessed with was because of God’s fulfillment of His promise to Abraham. There was no doubt as to how they came to possess a land that was previously inhabited by others. Also, there was no doubt that the land was very fertile and yielded increase as a result of their labor. The fruitfulness of the land attested to God’s description that it flowed with milk and honey. In spite of the blessings and in spite of the warnings, Israel still chose to disobey God. Now a remnant of Israel was allowed to return to the land after the nation was exiled into Babylon for seventy years according to the prophecy of Jeremiah. After the punishment they had endured in exile, many of them again became selfish and unconcerned about God’s righteousness although He had allowed them to return to the land of promise. However, seeking God’s face and righteousness became a priority for them once again after the word of chastisement by God’s prophets—including Haggai and Zechariah. They were again focused as a community by Ezra so that the word of God returned to prominence in their lives. This led to their gathering to hear the word read and explained to them. The conviction brought on by the word of God had caused them to become repentant. With a contrite heart and broken spirit, the community turned to God in prayer. They confessed the sins of their ancestors as well as their own and acknowledged the righteousness of God in all of His dealings with them. No doubt, their confessions were indeed good for the soul of the community. Robert C. Hudson July 30, 2013