OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 10

Nehemiah 10:1-39

10:1-27 Listed are the names of the Nehemiah, the priests, Levites, brethren, and leaders who had sealed a new covenant with God in the previous chapter. More than a document, they signed a commitment to God and a righteous lifestyle.

10:28-31 The rest of the people accepted the specific conditions of the law and covenant Moses proffered to their ancestors:

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 

But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

10:32-34 They made ordinances to reestablish the traditions of offering and Sabbaths and feasts. 

10:35-38 They made ordinances to willingly give to God the first-fruits on their ground and trees every year; to dedicate their firstborn to His cause; to donate to the teachers of God's law; and to tithe to the house of God and its storehouse. 

They made commitments to design their lifestyle in such a way that it would support their faith and thus righteously maintain their kingdom and every other blessing given by God.

10:39 Their ultimate statement: We will not neglect the house of our God. Negligence in faith is the destruction of soul. The destruction of soul is the paling of character. Poor character corrupts motivations and aspirations. Poor motives and aspirations result in harm and shame. Therefore do not neglect the house of our God. Support His kingdom; claim a spot in it. Absorb the purpose He designed specifically for you and work arduously at it. 

OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 9

Nehemiah 9:1-38

9:1 The people entered a state of spiritual regeneration. God had generated the blessing of their release from captivity as well as the construction of the wall which would solidify their freedom. His tremendous power inspired them to humble themselves in both gratitude and repentance. 

The participated in a collective fast, dressed in sackcloth and brushed with dust on their heads. The physical display of lowliness was meant to be representative of their comparison with God. Based on recent divine intervention, their modest nature became apparent to them.

As individuals, we benefit our life greatly when we endeavor to live in a state of humility. For when we are aware of our deficiencies, God instructs us on how to fill them. And anything that is out of our power is solidly within His. The apostle Paul gleefully claimed his weaknesses as he understood them to be hosts and invitations to God's strength. Every void (anger, greed, weakness, fear) within us is a place that can be filled by the light of God. 

Therefore the people humbled themselves. They had never made so much progress as they did when they stopped trying to lead and started instead to follow. So often we begin to chart and travel our own course, in pursuit of self-focused desires, but that is a chaotic and cyclical journey. To actually progress we must place God in the forefront and personal desires behind. 

9:2 The people of the Israelite lineage separated themselves from the others, they had something specific to atone for: their own disobedience and the disobedience of their ancestors despite the covenant God personally made with them. Once we have a personal relationship with God, our experience with Him is much more intimate: disobedience becomes a personal affront.

9:3 For one-fourth of the day, the people dedicated themselves to reading scripture. For another fourth, they confessed and worshiped God. It is so important that we dedicate ample time to intimacy and worship with God. In the space of worship, we can confess our transgressions but also our fears and hopes and questions. In the space of worship, we can profess and thus deepen our love for Him. We should make a commitment to spend time considering the generous and compassionate nature of our God. We should make a commitment to observe and ponder not just Who He is but also what He has created within and around us. 

9:4-5 The spiritual leaders of Jerusalem made a supplication to our God whose glory is worthy of interminable praise (which continues to the end of the chapter): 

“Stand up and bless the Lord your God
Forever and ever!
“Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!

9:6 In awe, the leaders spoke of the magnitude, eternity and creative omnipotence of God.  

You alone are the Lord;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.

9:7 The acknowledgement of the transformation Abraham's faith in God produced. It is important for us to know the history of God's people because through them, we learn of the glorious work God can cultivate within us too. He adds depth and breadth to our lives, so much that our old selves must be made new in order to carry the weight of abundant blessing. 

“You are the Lord God,
Who chose Abram,
And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,
And gave him the name Abraham;

9:8 God proved Himself to be honorable in the fulfillment of His promises. We can trust God to make steadfast covenants with us when we proffer to him our faithful heart. A faithful heart is an unwavering commitment and submission to righteousness, compassion, and humility. A faithful heart is spiritually conscientious: thorough, dutiful, attentive, studious. 

You found his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give the land of the Canaanites,
The Hittites, the Amorites,
The Perizzites, the Jebusites,
And the Girgashites—
To give it to his descendants.
You have performed Your words,
For You are righteous.

9:9 God is both aware and responsive. He is fully informed of our condition and our lamentations reach His compassionate ears. 

“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And heard their cry by the Red Sea.

9:10 To those who observe, God makes clear the difference between His power and the supposed power within the world. The power of the world is dependent on fickle, mortal and selfish humans. The power of God has no such limitation, neither is it bound to any law of man or nature. He is able to decimate any person, power or entity which behaves or believes otherwise. 

You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants,
And against all the people of his land.
For You knew that they acted proudly against them.
So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.

9:11 God is able to re-calibrate the earth and universe in order to orchestrate our survival amid impossible conditions. We each have a (or a series of) "red seas" in our life. God is able to help us cross them all, even if it means He has the redefine the laws of science. The lesson, figuratively spoken of, is that God makes a way through whatever mighty water, Isaiah 43:16.

And You divided the sea before them,
So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
And their persecutors You threw into the deep,
As a stone into the mighty waters.

9:12 God does not simply free us. He makes a way and then leads us through, throughout it. He is our beacon as well as our shelter. Our protection as well as our warm. He is with us in the day; He is with us in the night. He is aware of every provision we require to thrive. 

Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel.

9:13-14 He graciously delivers instruction in order to encourage us to live within the coordinates of His absolute refuge.

“You came down also on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.

You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,
And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
By the hand of Moses Your servant.

9:15 In the wilderness, God became provision. He becomes so for us in our wildernesses. We can depend on His heaven-sent sustenance; we can trust that He will bring forth water out of rocks if He needs to before He will ever let us shrivel. 

You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,
And told them to go in to possess the land
Which You had sworn to give them. 

9:16 From our spiritual ancestors, we learn the grace of faith but also the consequence of faithlessness. The children of Israel became arrogant and ungrateful. They became stubborn and heedless of His commandments. They tarnished their relationship with Him, forfeit His provision, corrupted their character and condemned their soul.

“But they and our fathers acted proudly,
Hardened their necks,
And did not heed Your commandments.

9:17 Selfishness tempted them into disobedience. They replaced God and in the seat of power they placed sin. Yet God remained patient and magnanimous. Jesus came in the spirit of our Father; they came to gather, heal, and transform the sick, Mark 2:17. Thus we have the blessed benefit of the resilience of God's love and patience.

So many times in Exodus (and beyond), the children of Israel were unworthy and ungrateful but God never abandoned them. He disciplined them. He reprimanded them. But He did not abandon them; it was they who abandoned Him. God creates a covenant with us that, at least on His end, endures.

They refused to obey,
And they were not mindful of Your wonders
That You did among them.
But they hardened their necks,
And in their rebellion
They appointed a leader
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.

9:18 They replaced God with idols. Instead of obedience to Him, they were obedient to their desire for money, vengeance and lust. We must not let those things be our gods; inanimate gods like money and fame, lifestyles of corruption, it all steadily kills us. Only our God gives us life. He should be our motivation and pursuit, the leader and authority within our lives. 

“Even when they made a molded calf for themselves,
And said, ‘This is your god
That brought you up out of Egypt,’
And worked great provocations,

9:19 God always provides a beacon for us to follow Him. Although humanity often disregards and opposes Him, He is always there. He is always patient for us to realize how advantageous a righteous lifestyle will be. He provides the chance and choice for us to be better.

Yet in Your manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
To lead them on the road;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To show them light,
And the way they should go.

9:20 God's leadership and instruction is available to us. His provision is abundant and generously offered. Should we chose to become obedient children of righteousness, we find both haven and sustenance from and with which to practice His ways and become more like our Father. 

You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And gave them water for their thirst.

9:21 There is no limit to God's hospitality, generosity or compassion. They lacked nothing. The depth of our faith determines the amount God will fill our lives with. When we trust Him with everything, we find ourselves in possession of everything we need and surplus. He covers us from every angle, supports us at every level, sustains each atom in our body and light in our soul.

The Holy Spirit doggedly works to get us to understand that the how of our situation is God's business and not ours to figure out. Like the children of Israel, we worry so much about the hows... we focus so intently on the buts. How can I cross a desert? But what if I get tired? How will I eat? But how will I know the way? 

Throughout our life journey, we worry so much about failure and getting lost even though our God has already planned both our triumph and our arrival at our destination. Our hopes vary, as do our doubts, but God works personally, intimately, arduously with each of us to bless and reassure us through them all. The hows in our life are not important, toss them out the window; the Who in our life is, put Him in the driver's seat. 

Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness;

They lacked nothing;
Their clothes did not wear out
And their feet did not swell.

9:22 Those who followed, by God were led home. They were established, organized, and blessed. 

“Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
And divided them into districts.
So they took possession of the land of Sihon,
The land of the king of Heshbon,
And the land of Og king of Bashan.

9:23-24 By God their blessings abounded in the fulfillment of His word. Lifelong adherence to God's will cultivates a bright and beautiful land for our souls. Closely follow His instructions, cling to His love; He will steadily build a beautiful life around you. 

You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven,
And brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers
To go in and possess.

So the people went in
And possessed the land;
You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.

9:25 God made every aspect of their life ripe and abundant. We can trust God to surround us with solemnity, health and joy. His great goodness provides more than we could ever plan or procure ourselves. God blesses elements and aspects of our lives we do not even realize needed revival.

And they took strong cities and a rich land,
And possessed houses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and grew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.

9:26 Unlike our spiritual ancestors, we should make every effort to remain obedient. The children of Israel chose to be like the world, rather than separate and holy with God. We should not make the world's values our own, for fame and wealth and aesthetics are hollow things, too brittle to ever serve as the pillar of a person's happiness or character. Jesus is the only celebrity. Wealth only has merit in charity. And beauty is justice, beauty is compassion, beauty is love.

Whatever does not serve the Kingdom of God, does not serve any child of the Kingdom. Therefore, should we ever attain fame, wealth or beauty, if they are to be any benefit to us, they must be a platform from which we exalt and serve the Kingdom of God rather than ourselves.

“Nevertheless they were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
Cast Your law behind their backs 

And killed Your prophets, who testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.

Although a former people rejected them, killed them, God's prophets walk about the corridors of our hearts and minds every time we open, read, and live scripture. Listen to them, heed their advice! Allow them to turn your whole body, whole heart, whole mind, whole soul to God. 

9:27 When they needed correction, God our Father disciplined them. He remained present with them, but He employed the tough love that would precipitate the redemption of their character. 

Invite every element of God as a Father into your life. He is intentional. Productive. He is precise and resourceful in the way the He designs the regeneration of our body, mind and soul. In 1 Peter 5:10, the apostle Peter actually prayed for God's discipline in your life:

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 

He understood that the less obviously compassionate elements of God's nature were just as important as the obvious ones (if not more so). His discipline produces quality, maturity, authenticity and strength. 

Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,

Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
You gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.

9:28 As consistently as the people abandoned God, God forgave them. The people within the newly-built wall of Jerusalem were regretful, sorrowful because they became aware of how unfaithful they and their ancestors had been. They were ashamed. Remember to thank God for the way that He continues to remain and reclaim us every time we disengage.  

“But after they had rest,
They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,

9:29 For when we neglect to be grateful and receptive to His will and word, chaos ensues. Our enemies, fears, failures encamp around us. He is our protection, therefore when we deconstruct our faith, we deconstruct our wall of protection: darkness floods in when we push away the light. 

And testified against them,
That You might bring them back to Your law.
Yet they acted proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’
And they shrugged their shoulders,
Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.

9:30 The Old Testament is a cyclical story: rebellion, repentance, redemption. Escape the circle and follow God on a progressive path. 

Yet for many years You had patience with them,
And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

9:31 Juxtaposed the repetitive nature of humanity's disobedience, God's merciful and gracious nature is made starkly apparent. He chooses not the lose patience with us. He chooses not to fall out of love with us. He chooses to endure our insult and neglect.

Nevertheless in Your great mercy
You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.

9:32 The people therefore make a supplication to God, they wish to retain His merciful nature. They wish to call upon and claim His grace, the grace that persists with them even though they are unworthy. 

“Now therefore, our God,
The great, the mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.

9:33-34 God is honorable. The leaders were aware in their exhortation: they were in the wrong, God was and had always been in the right. The took full ownership of their crumbled situation as they asked God to once again take ownership of them.

However You are just in all that has befallen us;
For You have dealt faithfully,
But we have done wickedly.

Neither our kings nor our princes,
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
With which You testified against them.

9:35 The leaders admitted that their ancestors had not served the Kingdom, the children of God, with their blessings. In 1 Corinthians 12, it is explained in depth that God blesses us and gifts us in order that we bless and gift others. As God's children, we are meant to be  pillars of the kingdom and the instruments through which God's blessings are built into the earth. We are blessed not so that we can selfishly indulge, but so that we can selflessly serve the foundations of the Kingdom: compassion, justice, love and wisdom. 

For they have not served You in their kingdom,
Or in the many good things that You gave them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

9:36 That day, in this chapter of Nehemiah, the people spiritually prostrated themselves as servants of God's will. Never could we make a more impactful choice than to submit to the creator of the universe, the One Who designed then jump-started our hearts and filled our lungs with His own breath.

“Here we are, servants today!
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!

9:37 The submitted to God because finally, they understood their need of Him. Their situation was bleak and only His light could transform it. 

And it yields much increase to the kings
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle
At their pleasure;
And we are in great distress.

9:38 They regenerated their covenant with God; they spoke it, wrote it and sealed it. 

“And because of all this,
We make a sure covenant and write it;
Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.”

Seal your covenant with God, prostrate yourself spiritually as a servant of His will. Life will explode with blessing.  

OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 8

Nehemiah 8:1-18

8:1-2 We take a step back into Ezra's account: With the people gathered together as one in the open square, Ezra read the word of God at the water-gate. It is pertinent that Ezra would read the law at the water gate; our God, the author and inspiration of scripture, is the Living Water, John 7:37-39. 

8:3 From morning until midday, Ezra read to the people with understanding, to the people who were attentive to the word of God. It is stated throughout scripture that only those who seek wholeheartedly will find, and only those who listen attentively will understand, Jeremiah 29:13. Jesus spoke of spiritual sight and spiritual hearing, Matthew 13:15-16.

"For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear."

There is power in the word of God for those who take spiritual hold of it. Ezra read from the book to the people who were listening to hear and learn and grow. He read to the people who cherished the insight and instruction their generous God had written down for them. 

8:4 Ezra stood on a wooden platform, made for the purpose of reading aloud the word of God. On his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. On his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malachijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah and Meshullam. 

8:5 As Ezra opened the book, the crowd stood. They stood out of gratitude and respect for its contents and reverence for their God. They understood that the word of God is a map, a blueprint and love letter from God. The words within scripture have been infused by God with the power to lead us in purpose and fulfillment, build us in strength and character, and draw us into God's presence and love. 

It is a book worth standing for, we have a God worth kneeling for.

8:6 Before anything else, Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. It was a beautiful moment, all of the people gathered together for the purpose of worshiping and listening to their God. Ezra took time to acknowledge the God who had made and organized all of the pieces that added up to the blessed moment. 

Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

8:7-8 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Masseiah, Kelita, Azaraiah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites stood among the people, helping them to understand the word of God. To devoted students, God provides teachers (often the ability to teach themselves) to assist them in interpreting the depth of meaning within scripture and how to apply it to their lives. 

8:9 The people wept over the word. Ezra, Nehemiah and the Levites encouraged the people to be joyful; it was a holy day, a day of restoration. But the people likely wept over the beauty of God's powerful love and also over the spiritual disintegration of their ancestors. They were so spiritually impacted by scripture that it affected them physically.

8:10 The people were sent home to celebrate and to share with others, especially those in need. The wall was completed, they journey had been and would be long, there were still parts and homes of the city that needed rebuilding, but that day was special. The completion of the wall was symbolic of the great work God would continue to do to restore them if they kept a relationship with Him.

In weak moments and seasons of life, remember what is written here in Nehemiah: the joy of the Lord is our strength. God sustains us. 

8:11-12 Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved. It is therapeutic for us to understand that a day with God is a holy day. A holy day with God disintegrates our grief and reforms our joy, His strength within us. 

8:13-18 From reading scripture for the first time in so long, the people learned of the celebrations written by Moses. The people went out to make preparations, according to the word, to reinstate the spiritual tradition of their ancestors. Ezra continued to read from the book and the people were filled with great gladness. 

Indeed the word of God fills our spirit, day and life with great gladness. 

OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 7

Nehemiah 7:1-73

7:1 Nehemiah's focused faith had been so productive for Jerusalem and its returned people. It all began with a prayer. The wall was built, gatekeepers, singers and Levites were appointed to surround it.

7:2 Nehemiah placed his brother Hanani as the leader of the citadel. He trusted Hanani (gracious) with leadership because Hanani was a faithful man and feared God more than many. Jerusalem needed people who were obedient to the word of God.

7:3 It was instructed that the gates of the doors remained closed overnight and in the morning. The walls were constructed to protect the city within; a restored wall ensured that while the people were most vulnerable (overnight and early hours) the doors could be closed and guarded. 

Just as the wall surrounded and protected, the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them, Psalm 34:7.

7:4-5 Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt. So many had been lost to sin and corruption but the families who returned to Jerusalem made spiritual commitments and were found by God. God moved Nehemiah to register by genealogy all who had returned. God always records the names of those who are members of His family, Revelation 3:5.

Just as the city was spacious, so is the kingdom of God in heaven. Jesus told us that the harvest is plenty, but the workers are few, Matthew 9:37. God's kingdom has the capacity for us all, John 14:2. Revelation 7:9-17 speaks of a great multitude from all around the earth gathered to God. With our faith, we can fill the haven God has built specifically for us. 

7:6-73 A list of the captives who returned to Jerusalem to dwell and submit to God.

OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 6

Nehemiah 6:1-19

6:1 Sanballat and Tobiah were unsuccessful in discouraging Israel so they plotted another tactic, this time against Nehemiah directly. They devised a plan in order to deceive Nehemiah into discrediting himself as a leader among his people. 

It was evident that Israel's progress was dependent on and pushed by Nehemiah's leadership; he was their pillar and they sought to swipe it down, causing all of Israel to crash and crumble. But Nehemiah knew of their true, corrupt intentions; God had ensured that Nehemiah was informed and therefore prepared against their tactics.

6:3 Yet all deceitful and corrupt plots fail to interrupt the progress of children of God. Their hearts, minds and souls are devoted so completely to their God-given work that distractions in the periphery are a nonissue. Nehemiah was focused on his God-given purpose and mission; he did not have time, or inclination to entertain his enemies with their schemes. Ultimately that meant Nehemiah did not entertain fear or doubt or self-focused motives. 

6:4 They were persistent; evil often is persistent and therefore our faith, and commitment to righteousness, must also be. They sent the letter another four times but each time, Nehemiah responded the same: I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you? We should ask ourselves that same question whenever we feel tempted off of our path (either by our own selves or by others). Why would we leave the important work we are doing with God? 

No, most of us are not building walls. Most of the work we do with God is work we do within ourselves on our faith and character. A lot of the work we do with God is done in the relationships we cultivate with others. Sometimes the work is work we do on a project, career, semester of school, in order to get to a place God has been preparing us for. 

Why leave that important work to entertain temptations and corruptions? Fear, doubt, greed, anger... each are distractions we must learn to shut down as Nehemiah so succinctly did. For example: If God has been working with you to create patience within yourself, why leave that important work and return to impatience? If God is teaching you to trust, and you have been working on it, why leave that work for fear? It would be unproductive and even regressive. Stay focused, you are doing important work.

John 5:17
“My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

6:5-7 Sanballat and his servant tried another tactic; they tried to lure Nehemiah away from his work on the false premise that he was trying to usurp the king and become king himself. King David was a victim of such outright lies; much of the Book of Psalms is David lamenting the lies that had been told about him. Sanballat tried to use such lies as bait, to draw Nehemiah out of his work to defend himself. But as David knew, Nehemiah knew: God was his defender and therefore he could remain focused. 

Take note of how persistent opposition will be! It will look for opened spaces, even crevices in which to infiltrate your resolve. Make sure there are none; recognize its tactics and disassemble them.

6:8-9 Nehemiah knew they were trying to frighten him; God gave him clear perception of what was truly happening. Always listen to what God is quietly, but emphatically speaking; Nehemiah was able to discern true threats from frivolous distractions. 

They were trying to make Nehemiah weak, therefore Nehemiah did the most logical thing he could think of: he prayed for strength. He prayed for reinforcement from God in the specific area that his enemies were trying to attack. God is quick, able and eager to supplement us when we make the supplication for Him to do so.

6:10 Enemies were riddled throughout; a secret supporter of Sanballant (and enemy of Nehemiah) tried to cause panic in him to flee to a forbidden place. This man, Shemaiah, hoped that Nehemiah would be caught in the forbidden place and would consequently ruin his reputation among the people. 

Shemaiah used evil's most effective and prominent method: fear. Fear turns us into puppets on devil-held strings. If our faith in God is not strong, if we do not have righteous resolve, fear causes us to derail quickly. Sanballat and Shemaiah thought that they could ruin Nehemiah by causing him to make a bad decision in order to save his life. 

6:11 But Nehemiah knew something that was not yet written: those who are willing to lose their lives for God's sake, will actually gain their lives, Matthew 16:25. Nehemiah chose not to react with fear and cowardice. He was a spiritual example to his people, he could not flee without unraveling all of the work he had done for their faith. 

He was a man of God and therefore had to live as a man trusting and reliant on God. God teaches His children not to fear and therefore, when we are in a position of spiritual leadership, we cannot fear; it would be detrimental to the people we lead.

6:12-13 It was somewhat of a test for Nehemiah: God had not yet told him this was a fake threat. Only once Nehemiah had relied on his faith and made the right(eous) decision did God uncover to him the deceit of Shemaiah. He never actually had to flee at all! There was no threat to his life. But had there been, Nehemiah was fully prepared to lose his life if it meant maintaining his adherence to God's will. Nehemiah did not do the right thing because it was easy, he did it even though it was not easy because it was right. 

6:14 Like Nehemiah, we can trust that God will remember every person and plot that was against us. If not for his relationship with God, those threats would have made him afraid. If someone as spiritually strong and focused as Nehemiah admitted that without God, he would have been afraid, we know that evil has the power to overwhelm us too - but not if we have a relationship with God! 

6:15 The wall around Jerusalem was finished in just fifty-two days. Focused, committed, spiritual work has miraculous, nearly-immediate results. The wall around Jerusalem had been in ruins for years and would have remained so without spiritual leadership. The people of Israel would not have recovered if not for God's intervention. Recognize how rapidly and miraculously God's work (and godly work) can transform your life.

6:16 God prevailed again to the detriment and discouragement of those against Him. We can consistently expect that our fears, doubts and enemies will always be so disheartened by God's triumph over them in our lives. As God's children, we are well fortified by the wall that is Him. 

6:17-19 Although Tobiah had followers inside Israel, Nehemiah knew of the man's true intent; for Nehemiah exalted the word of the Lord over the word of men. 

OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 5

Nehemiah 5:1-19

5:1 It was a profound and precise blessing for God to plant Nehemiah among his people at this time. They were newly freed from imprisonment and oppression but with their newfound freedom, they began to oppress and impression themselves. They were spiritually fragile but also morally; deficiencies in their faith exacerbated their moral deficiency. 

5:2-5 It became difficult for some parents to feed their families. Families mortgaged their land, vineyards and houses to be able to afford grain. Other families borrowed money to pay for the king's tax on their lands. Some even sold their children into slavery for money! Acts of such desperation were evident of one thing: individual and national neglected relationship with God. 

The people of Israel were not adhering to the commandments of God! Their negligence of His instruction caused desperation:

"The prolonged period of working, watching, fear, and weariness inevitably led to trouble among the people in Jerusalem. There were three groups of complainers, each introduced with the phrase 'there were those who said'. The first group had large families, and did not have enough food to eat. The second group had large mortgages to pay and could not buy food. The third group had large taxes to pay and had been forced to mortgage their land and even to sell their children. The people's basic problem is pinpointed in the words 'against their Jewish brethren'. The people were not complaining merely about poverty and high taxes; the were grumbling about each other... in short, this was a class conflict. 

From the perspective of the law, there were two problems here (1) usury, lending money and charging interest, and (2) slavery. It was not wrong for a Jewish person to lend money with interest to a non-Jewish person (Deuteronomy 23:19-20), not was it wrong for a Jewish person to lend money to a fellow Jew. However, the Law did prohibit usury (Exodus 22:25). Also, a Jewish person could hire himself out to someone, but not as a slave (Leviticus 25:35-40)."

NKJV Study Bible  

All of their problems were due to their unwillingness to work together, justly, under the commandments of God. So often the people in the Old Testament (and people in general) did not even need enemies to ruin their lives, they were successful at doing that themselves. They were not living as a righteous family and because of that, they caused serious social ramifications. 

5:6 Nehemiah became furious when informed of the situation. His reactions toward his people were always visceral; he was entrenched emotionally, which qualified him as an excellent servant of God but also one who truly felt the weight of his purpose. 

5:7 Nehemiah contemplated the problem: although his emotional reactions were always heated, he did not hastily act on that explosive energy. He consistently remembered to approach all problems with collected thought. 

5:8 Once he identified the problem, Nehemiah confronted (rebuked with stark truth) the nobles and rulers. They could not defend themselves because they knew they were wrong; they were not doing their part to obey and distribute the word and blessings of God. 

The verse says they "found nothing to say" and that implies that at least for a moment, they searched. It is no wonder that Nehemiah was so angry! It is a severe detriment to our lives when we search for a way to defend our corrupt behavior. When we are wrong, we need to admit it and claim it in order to gain control of it before it gains control over us. 

5:9 Nehemiah spoke plainly: What you are doing is not good. 

It would have been easy to react differently, even flagrantly. The behavior of the nobles and rulers was abysmally cruel and selfish. Instead, Nehemiah chose to approach them with the simple truth that their behavior was right and they needed to right it. He explained that with so much and so many nations against them, it would be prudent for them to listen to God.

5:10-11 Nehemiah was not a hypocrite: he followed the word of God that he commanded his people to also follow. He told the nobles and rulers to restore the property, grain and money to the people they took it from. They were not permitted to become rich off of other people's desperation and remain within the kingdom of God. 

5:12 They made an oath to Nehemiah that they would restore what they had unlawfully taken. 

5:13 But Nehemiah remained disgusted with their behavior and shook his fold of his garment: “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” It was a comfort to Nehemiah (and should be to us) that God responds to injustice. Nehemiah was furious at the actions of the upper-class but understood that ultimately, God had the power over them. We do our best but ultimately pray for God's presence and power within whatever our situation is. 

5:14 Nehemiah served as governor for ten years but never received the income of a governor. From his God-granted leadership position, Nehemiah served, and so did the people with him. Nehemiah's actions were a precursor, symbolic of the life of Jesus. 

5:15 God gives us power and position, skill and opportunity in order for us to serve the kingdom and thus the well-being of the (fellow) children of God. The unrighteous men who "served" as governor before Nehemiah did not actually serve the people at all. They used their position to increase their power, property and wealth, even if it meant placing burdens on the people. 

Nehemiah admits that his reverence of God kept him humble. None of us are perfect; we are tempted each day in both minor and major ways to give in to ungodly behavior and decisions*. But like Nehemiah, our respect for God should be more persuasive than anything else. He served righteously not because it came easily to him to do it, but because of Who it came from. 

*Our daily struggles with temptation are not always huge things like murder and corruption! Often our struggles with temptation are expressions of impatience, frustration, anger, vengeance. Sometimes our struggles are choosing trust over worry; forgiveness over hate; time dedicated to scripture instead of some other entertainment. 

Humans are not robots. Our choices and actions are initiated by nano-seconds to lifetimes of thought. God does not expect us to easily or even naturally make the right choices, but ultimately we need to make them. To do that, we have to decide what has power over us: the word of God or the will of our temptation. 

5:16 Nehemiah and the people with him chose to be in Jerusalem as workers rather than beneficiaries. Choose to be in God's kingdom as a worker rather than a beneficiaries. Nehemiah did not procure wealth and property; his mission was not to increase his authority. He built a wall around Jerusalem but beneath it, amid it, within it, he established a foundation of faith and for that reason, true protection was constructed. 

5:17-18 Nehemiah chose to live and eat modestly; he chose not to live decadently around people who were impoverished. God helps us to perceive the reality of our surroundings; decadent things lose their appeal when juxtaposed life: Nehemiah witnessed the struggle of the people around him to live and his meager provisions became more than enough. 

5:19 "Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people." We do not actually have to make this statement to God. He knows who we are. He knows the motivation and reason behind everything that we do. God is keenly aware of where we chose to store our treasures during our lifetime, Matthew 6:21. Nehemiah chose, through a modesty and faithfully effortful lifestyle, to store his treasures in heaven. His heart was with his people in the midst of the plight and God surely saw that. 

OT: The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 4

Nehemiah 4:1-23

4:1-3 Operation Rebuild-Jerusalem's-Wall was the project Israel needed to fortify their faith. The project required commitment, hard work and persistence through opposition, doubt and lethargy. Opposition's voice became more prominent and persuasive as Israel broke ground on profound purpose. Though Sanballat, his cohorts and army were a distraction, they were an essential one. 

For Israel (or any child of God) to survive in faith, they had to learn how to dismantle the power their enemy's mockery over their minds. Their faith needed to learn to trust and thus persist despite conditions in its periphery. When we put the kingdom of God in our sight and focus steadily on it, God takes care of the threatening noise alongside our faith. 

4:4-5 Nehemiah entered Jerusalem during a spiritual crisis. His torment was not simply over the condition of Jerusalem's wall (important though it was). Nehemiah was tormented by the crumbled and thus ineffectual faith of his people; for if they continued to live without a relationship with God, the condition of their wall would be irrelevant. 

Israel was not unaffected by Sanballat's taunts, but they brought their despair to God. A prayer is made in this verse for God to deal with the situation. The enemy was thwarting the progression of God's mission, not just the personal agenda of a few. Affiliation with God's mission comes with the protection of God; Sanballat thought he taunted mere men but he was up against Righteousness Itself.

4:6 The people poured their effort into the construction of the wall and steadily it came together, encircling the region and reaching half its height. Their progress, even before it reached fulfillment, was hard earned. Dedication yields results and rewards but it is a process. A study half-wall was a massive, collective accomplishment but it was not yet enough to prevent an enemy army. 

When as individuals we enter into covenants with God, we can expect the same process to unfold within our own lives. The walls we build with God are meant to be pillars of strength and protection: patience, wisdom, humility, compassion, perseverance, trust. When we begin to construct patience, for example, we do not immediately start out with an abundant supply or even the necessary skill to employ it. During our progressive but incomplete states, we need to rely on Him to fortify us. 

4:7-8 Sanballat's insults turned into actual threats as he observed Israel's success. A large group began to amass and plot against their progress. 

4:9 Again, Israel was not unaware or unconcerned about the threats around them. We can imagine that there was fear within the region, rumors of impeding invasions discussed over family dinners and between neighbors and friends. But Israel continued to pray to God and He helped them to remain collected and organized against threat and fear. They organized a night watch; the wall would never be unattended and therefore enemies could not catch them unaware or unprepared. 

4:10 Threats came from outside the walls but inside as well; the people of Judah's pressured frustration became homegrown threat. They felt that the strength of their laborers was insufficient as well as the conditions for building. 

4:11-12 They were scared. They felt that their enemy's had the opportunity, passion and might to secretly attack. They had the people constantly feared and it hindered their production and enthusiasm for the wall. 

4:13-14 Frightened though they were, Israel continued to behave wisely under Nehemiah's instruction. He armed and positioned men to protect the wall from all sides at all times, but most importantly, Nehemiah positioned his people in faith in God. He reminded them of how the strength of God over-powered and out-performed their enemies. Nehemiah inspired a spirit of faith and camaraderie by reminding Israel that together, they would protect what was most precious to them: their wives and children and friends. 

In the midst of our own fear and doubt and threat, we too must remember that our God over powers and out performs every enemy we have: mental or physical, real or imagined. We must remember that we align ourselves with God because we agree with His principles of love and peace, family and compassion. 

4:15 God fulfilled His promise of protection; their enemies backed down when they realized their plan was known. They had no element of surprise and their zeal sputtered out; God ensured Israel had no weakness, they were not vulnerable: they were informed and prepared. Frequently the moments we most realize God's strength is when we see our enemies shrink from His mere shadow hovering over them as He stands behind us. Before He even makes a move, just His presence is our lives is enough to fortify us. 

Threat neutralized, Israel got back to work. When God provides us with material and opportunity (and protection) we should make the most of it. They did not take time to boast or celebrate, they returned their focus to the task at hand. The reason God neutralizes our threats is so that we can continue on in our integral, purposeful work within His kingdom. 

4:16-20 They remained prepared as they worked. Along with their wall-building tools and materials, Israel remained armed. They set up a system of warning (trumpets) in order to quickly alert the region of intruders and simultaneously continued to strengthen the wall. 

4:21-23 Except to wash, the laborers remained at the wall and active. It was arduous, constant work but faith and obedience to God kept them from folding. 

There is a lesson to be gleaned from this wall-building business. In Nehemiah's time, the strength and condition of a nation's wall exhibited to other people how strong or weak the nation was. A well fortified wall kept enemies at bay but also boasted a powerful nation. If the children of Israel were to represent God, their wall (built and fortified by faith) needed to be impressive. 

The (walls) lifestyles and governments and systems we build for our families and communities within our world represent who we are and the God we serve; based on our values, they are meant to establish, protect and serve the people within them. God helped Nehemiah and the Israelites to build a wall that would protect the within. Such protection comes from God as an element of the covenant with God we make: to build ourselves to build and serve the without, those who are not ourselves.

There is an understanding God's children must have with Him: He blesses us, and with those blessings we bless others. He helps us, and with His help, we help others. He strengthens us so that we are strong enough to lift the weak. If God makes you a strong wall, there is something or someone He wants you to protect.