The Restoring Builder

April 18, 2021 Background Scripture: Nehemiah 2:11 – 20; 13:1 – 22 Lesson Passage: Nehemiah 2:11 – 20 The word “restoration” has so much packed inside of it. It embodies hope for returning to a point in time that is craved because of what it meant. It also includes the expectation of hard work because there is the need to restore what has been damaged or lost. It could also include painful memories of what might have transpired to cause the setback or overall failure to retain that which was once possessed. Sometimes, there is much more than this depending on what needs restoring. This was the situation for Nehemiah as he felt the pull of destiny to return to Judah. Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer in Persia. Nehemiah was so trusted that his master depended on him to ensure the safety of whatever he was going to eat or drink. The Jews were carried from Judah to Babylon as punishment for their unfaithfulness to God. That’s a lot to live down for a people who were once a sovereign nation among others in the world. Perhaps the greatest sign of the shameful devastation was the destruction of the wall around the capitol city of Jerusalem. If a sovereign nation cannot defend its capitol city, it cannot defend its sovereignty. After the years of punishment had passed, God allowed some of the Jews to return to Judah. The glory of the nation was gone! The temple, once one of the great wonders of the world, was destroyed and replaced with one of far less magnificence. The exiles were returning but many returned in tears when they saw the remnant of a once proud kingdom. Those who returned were at the mercy of their neighbors because the wall around Jerusalem had been broken down and burned with fire. Their safety could not be ensured from day to day—especially at night. The word of the living conditions in Jerusalem made it back to the Jews who were still living in foreign countries. This included Nehemiah in Persia. The distressing news was heartbreaking to him, and it showed on his face. Nehemiah’s facial expressions did not go unnoticed by the king who received the cup from his hand to drink from. Why would Nehemiah be disturbed and give the king something to drink? The king asked and Nehemiah shared the plight of his fellow Jews in Jerusalem. The king offered Nehemiah more than he would have dared to ask of the king. Nehemiah was given a leave of absence to return to Jerusalem to lead the effort to restore the wall of the city. Furthermore, Nehemiah was given access to the building materials of Persia that were needed for the construction. This was not the point in time to roll the credits and announce that they lived happily ever after. Despite the king’s assistance, Nehemiah still faced challenges from both the Jews and their adversaries. Given the scope of work needed to finish the repair, Nehemiah had to organize a large company of the Jews to accomplish the work. Meanwhile their enemies mocked the work that was being undertaken. Nehemiah told the Jews about the hand of God guiding the circumstances that allowed him to be in Jerusalem, and he encouraged them in the work. Nehemiah rebuked their enemies and declared that the God of Heaven would make their work prosper. After the walls were finished, Nehemiah assisted in restoring order in the city according to the word of God. Restoration for Nehemiah included rebuilding the walls of the city and restoring order among the people of God according to the word of God. The work was difficult, and it took a long time. Nehemiah was not merely a cupbearer or a wall builder. He was a restoring builder for God’s people. Robert C. Hudson April 2, 2021

The Faith-in-Action Preacher

April 11, 2021 Background Scripture: Ezra 9 – 10 Lesson Passage: Ezra 10:1 – 12 James, the writer of the New Testament epistle that bears his name, is best remembered for his statement “Faith without works is dead.” Put another way, true faith is always accompanied by action or activity that supports faith’s claim. Some have adopted the mantra “I can show you better than I can tell you.” No matter how one chooses to say it, the bottom line is: how we act is based on what we believe. To act otherwise is to be labeled a hypocrite. When our actions align consistently with the mission and ministries of God, then our religious faith is demonstrated. Consistency is important when it comes to a person’s character being reflected. Regardless of what we say over and over, what we do over and over speaks louder than our words. Throughout recorded history, there have always been people who became role models because of their consistency of character in difficult situations. Today’s lesson focuses on such a person, Ezra. The recorded history of Ezra presents him as a “roll up his sleeves and get it done” type of person. What’s even better, Ezra is presented this way as a servant of God. Ezra is introduced on the pages of history with his pedigree that is traced back to Israel’s first High Priest, Aaron. In other words, Ezra was born into the lineage of priests according to the word of God. God had promised Israel that there would always be a descendant of Aaron to serve in the office of priest; to stand before Him on behalf of his people. Ezra had prepared himself to serve by being a student and teacher of the word of God. The historical backdrop for our lesson is the return of some of the Jews to Israel at the end of the seventy years of Babylonian captivity. Their return needed to include a return to the true worship of God as delivered to Israel through Moses. Judah had fallen into captivity because of her departure from the ways of the Lord. Their return to the Promise Land needed to include acts of true repentance. The hand of God was on Ezra and he was led up from Babylon to Israel. It did not take long for Ezra to realize that the work would be great in leading the Jews to return to God. Ezra found that everything that had led to Judah’s fall and captivity was still prevalent in the land. Many of the Jews had intermarried with Canaanites in opposition to God’s warning for them not to do so. The matter was made worse in that the Levites and the priests had joined in the blatant hypocrisy and disobedience to God. How could they lead the people to do right when they were doing wrong? Ezra fell on his knees outside the temple and prayed openly to God on behalf of the nation. The leaders of the Jews responded by suggesting that Ezra arise and lead them according to the word of God. They agreed that all among them who had intermarried would divorce their foreign wives. Ezra called for an assembly of the people in three days to address the matter. Not only had many of the Jews intermarried, but many of them had children by their foreign wives. This was a very difficult thing that Ezra was asking of them. Nevertheless, Ezra stood on the word of God and addressed the people on the third day. He insisted that the only way forward was for the people to comply with the word of God. To this they all agreed. Ezra’s example of seeking God and following the word of God led the people to align their lives with the word of God. Ezra didn’t just talk; he put his faith into action. Robert C. Hudson March 31, 2021