Ezra & Nehemiah

A Brief Introduction: The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are about renewals. 1) God’s renewal of the nation of Israel; a nation which He had promised to Abraham to establish; 2) the return of some Jews to the land promised to Abraham; for many were located in Babylon; 3) the restoration and maintaining through a remnant, the third of the renewed promises to Abraham, the promise that through his seed all nations will be blessed; a reference to the coming Christ. These two books are put together as one book in the Hebrew Bible. Ezra is about the return of the exiles from Babylon, the rebuilding of the Temple, and the restoration of God’s people spiritually. Ne- hemiah is about the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, as well as the spiritual renewal of God’s people.

Background:

The Jews in the Period of Exile

The first three kings of Israel were Saul, David and Solomon. They ruled over a united kingdom for approximately 120 years, but when Solomon died, the kingdom divided into a northern kingdom of mainly 10 tribes (Israel) and a southern kingdom of primarily the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Judah). This continued for many years until the northern kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire in 721 B.C. due to their wickedness. But, the kingdom of Judah continued on a short while longer, though themselves becoming equally as wicked and steeped in idolatry until God brought the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 597 B.C. Although those captured in battle probably were taken to Babylon as slaves, and some of the exiles were poor, the situation of most Jews in Babylon appears to have been Page 1 good. Actually some the best brightest were taken to be of service in Babylon, such as Daniel and his three friends and Ezekiel, too. Do not picture the Babylo- nian captivity as 70 years in which 1000’s of Jews were in prison...or even en- slaved in forced labor camps. Jews were free to settle in communities and to en- gage in normal agriculture or trade. During this time is when the story of Esther takes place and we see Esther among the women brought before the king...and her relative Mordecai is freely moving about. It should come as no surprise then, considering conditions in Judah were left really bad and Babylon...well by comparison it was very good, that when the Persians (who by the time of Ezra and Nehe- miah had conquered Babylon) allowed the Jews to return under Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (some think these two names refer to the same person) and again in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, many preferred to remain in Babylon.

Here is another thing to consider...during the captivity or exile the Jews lived among a foreign population and were naturally influenced by that environment. The most important influence was the Aramaic language. During the captivity, Aramaic became their principal spoken language. This will remain until even the time of Christ, and is likely the language He spoke most often. “Eli, Eli lamasabac- thani” is Aramaic. Babylonian influence is also seen in names such as Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel. All of these cultural influences will pose problems to the renewal.

The prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel greatly influenced the Jewish captives in Babylon. Before the fall of Jerusalem, few in Israel heeded these prophecies; but when the predictions about Jerusalem’s destruction came true, the Jews realized that Jeremiah and Ezekiel were truly prophets sent by God. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel predicted the fall and destruction of Jerusalem as punishment for the Jews’ unfaithfulness to God, but they also included messages of hope for the continued purpose of God for his people Israel. This included a return from captivity after 70

Page 2 years and the promise of the Messiah. Although Jeremiah’s ministry appeared to be a failure during his lifetime, his messages became one of the principal reasons for the survival of the Jewish faith. There is a lesson in that in a much smaller way for you and me...can you tell me what it is? The doing of good can have longterm effects beyond what you may even be aware...but here is another...let us continue steadfastly in doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

* Show map

The Returns to Jerusalem Ezra 1-2 describes the happy time in 538 B.C. when the first Jewish exiles were permitted to return to Judah. This was a day that was to have profound signifi- cance for the whole subsequent history of God’s people. Nevertheless, the group that returned under Sheshbazzar was small. According to Ezra 2:64-65 the number of those returning was 49,897. Later we know about five thousand returned with Ezra (Ezra 8:1-14), and other groups of Jews probably also arrived from Babylon from time to time. It was not all at once.

Ezra Overview: The Book of Ezra falls into two sections: Chapters 1-6 deal with the initial return of a remnant from Babylon under the leadership of Zerubbabel in 538 B.C., with the aim of rebuilding the Temple. The project began in 536 B.C., but opposition quickly arose, leading to the abandonment of the project for 16 years. Through the ministries of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (5:1-2), the construction was renewed, coming to completion in 515 B.C.

Between chapters 6 and 7, there is a 58-year gap during which the events of the Book of Esther took place. At the beginning of chapter 7, in 457 B.C. (81 years after the first return), Ezra the priest led another smaller group to return to the land

Page 3 and bring renewal to the people, who were already drifting into assimilation with the surrounding people.

So the theme of the book is God’s restoring His people as a nation and to the land according to His gracious promise and restoring His people spiritually to a place where the unbroken line to the promised Christ can be continued.

Read chapter 1 Aloud

I do not wish this to be a study without application, and so I shall as we go along and I solicit your interjections also. Let us begin with this one...

1. God has chastening purposes for dry times in RENEWING His people For centuries the Lord had warned His disobedient people, calling them back to Himself through His prophets. Finally, they had persisted in their idolatry for too long, and God fulfilled His warning by scattering them among the nations, as God had prophesied through Moses almost 1,000 years before. Read Deut. 28:64-67.

Question: Why would God give His people a trembling heart, failing eyes, despair of soul, and no assurance of life? What would that accomplish? Answer: Is He not chastening them? -- Do you think God might do a similar thing to those he loves today? To accomplish the same purpose? We have to recognize that all that this world offers will leave us with a trembling heart, failing eyes, and despair of soul. The dry times spiritually should make us thirst after the living God, who alone can satisfy.

Psalm 137 pictures the Jews in Babylon who were not comfortable there. Let’s read it. So when they heard the unbelievable news that Cyrus, the Medo-Persian

Page 4 king, had issued a call to the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Lord’s temple, it must have seemed like a dream.

True, some Jews in Babylon were comfortable there. Many of them had been born in captivity and Babylon was all that they knew. They heard stories from the old- timers about the glories of Zion and the beauty of the Temple. But they just shrugged, “Why go back there when we have a good life here?” Besides, it was both inconvenient and risky to go back to Jerusalem. It meant saying good-bye to the comfortable and familiar surroundings and friends and venturing across 1,000 miles of hostile desert terrain to a land that had been decimated by war. There weren’t cities with beautiful empty homes awaiting them. There were piles of rubble and some hostile people who had moved into the empty land after the Babylo- nians had dragged off many of the best surviving Jews earlier. So why go back? This too has an application for us today. What is it? Answer: We can become so comfortable in sin that we do not long for our soul to be restored. We are like a pig wallowing in the mud...we kinda like it and we don’t want to be clean.

2. Spiritual RENEWAL requires God’s great power. Ezra 1:1-3 is identical to 2 Chronicles 36:22-23...just a page prior. They are as- tounding verses. In Jeremiah the Lord had sent word through His prophet to those who were already in exile in Babylon: Let us read Jeremiah 29:10-14.

* Show pic of Cyrus Cylinder

The seventy-year captivity thus ended in 538, in the first year of the reign of Cy- rus over Babylon. A remarkable and significant thing is said...that it was God who stirred up Cyrus to make this dramatic proclamation. About 150 years before, Isaiah had predicted this event (Read Isa. 44:28-45:7). Why would Cyrus, a pagan king, issue a decree for the Jews to return to Israel and rebuild their Temple? In

Page 5 the 19th century, the Cyrus Cylinder was discovered. It reveals that he had a policy of restoring people to their native lands and religions, asking them to pray to their gods on his behalf. A portion of it reads in cuneiform script, “May all the gods whom I have resettled in their sacred cities ask daily Bel and Nebo for a long life for me”. -- So on a human level, you have a polytheistic king following his program of religious tolerance, superstitiously asking the people to pray to their gods for his well being. He even provided for funds to be raised to support the restoration, and he donated the temple objects that Nebuchadnezzar had taken years before.

But as our text shows, behind it all was the sovereign God, ruler over all the kings of the earth, turning this king’s heart to fulfill His purpose. Cyrus was likely igno- rant of God’s ways. From his perspective, he was building his empire by employing wise policies that would insure his long reign. But behind Cyrus’ incredible decree, God was working to fulfill His Word through His prophet. Just as in the exodus, the Lord put it in the hearts of the Egyptians to give gold and silver to the Jews, so here He worked through Cyrus so that the Babylonian residents gave those returning silver and gold, goods and cattle (Ezra 1:4, 6). There is simply no human ex- planation for this. God was the only reason for it.

Question: How might this same thing seen today? Answer: God’s providence works in mysterious ways in bring some to repentance and making a way for their salvation.

3. Spiritual RENEWAL is according to God’s gracious promises, but with man’s cooperation Everything in the spiritual realm depends on God’s grace as promised in His Word. If God had not promised restoration, no amount of human effort could have brought it about. But since God had promised, and though He works through means that He ordains, there are still some things that he requires man to do:

Page 6 A. Prayer brings God’s promises into practical reality. The prophet Daniel’s meditation on Jeremiah’s prophecy and his prayers for God to forgive and restore His captive people were behind these dramatic changes in history (See Daniel 9:1ff). Daniel didn’t read Jeremiah’s prophecy, realize that the 70 years were almost up, and say, “Cool! Let’s sit back and see what happens!” Rather, he humbled himself with fasting and he confessed his people’s and his own sins.

If we want spiritual renewal, whether personally or for God’s church, we must humble ourselves before God and entreat Him for it. If we’re content in a kind of “Babylon” of our day, with no longing for worship in God’s temple, His church, then we won’t cry out to Him for anything different and things will likely stay the same. But when we want it badly, like we want water in the desert or like a precious pearl worth more than all others, then we will pray and get things done. Remem- ber, seek and you shall find; knock and it will be opened, ask and you shall receive. That my friends, is a promise...a promise of God, who cannot lie.

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B. God’s Word reveals His promises and His path of blessing. The renewal under Ezra was also a renewal of God’s Word. The fulfillment of Jere- miah’s and Isaiah’s prophecies showed God’s people that His Word is true and can be trusted, no matter how impossible the situation. Ezra 7:6 tells us that Ezra was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses. Ezra 7:10 says, “Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” In Nehemiah 8:8, we find that under Ezra’s leadership, in front of all the people, well-trained scribes “read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.” Some scholars think that Ezra is the author of Psalm 119, which extols God’s Word for 176

Page 7 verses. Clearly, Ezra was a man who believed in the transforming power of God’s Word.

Is it any different today? Every true spiritual renewal is founded on and sus- tained by God’s Word. If we want renewal, we must put a renewed emphasis on God’s Word of truth.

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C. God’s provision supplies the demands of His promises. God had promised to restore His people after the 70 years, but it was a humanly impossible task. After 70 years in Babylon, with the city of Jerusalem and the Temple in ruins, how could things ever be restored? The Jews didn’t have the resources to do it, even if a royal edict permitted them to return to the land. But what man could not do, God did. He had Cyrus put it into the royal edict that the people should contribute to those returning. And, Cyrus himself brought out the vessels from the Temple that Nebuchadnezzar had put into his own temple.... 1000’s of them! All these many years later, here are these temple articles being brought back home. What does that tell you?

Answer: The things of God transcend time.

4. Spiritual renewal is for God’s glorious purpose. The Temple at Jerusalem had been the place where God’s glory was displayed. That place had been destroyed because of the sins of His people. He now is re- ferred to as “the God of heaven.” That title is used 9 times in Ezra, more than in any other book of the Bible. It shows God to be the sovereign over all. But it also may hint at the fact that His glory was not now being revealed on earth, since the

Page 8 Temple had been destroyed. Thus God’s purpose was to manifest His glory through a rebuilt Temple where His restored people could worship Him.

God’s purpose today is the same: He wants to reveal His glory through a renewed people, who by their holy lives are living temples revealing the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, to all peoples. In other words, spiritual renewal is not just for us, so that we can lead happy, fulfilled lives to the neglect of the world. Spiritual renewal is for God’s purpose, that His glory can be revealed to the nations. Do you believe this?

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Concluding thoughts on chapter 1 Men need to take the leadership in this process of renewals. It was “the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin” that arose to the challenge to return to Jerusalem (1:5). While God greatly uses godly women, He has ordained that men take the spiritual lead in the home and in the church. God won’t bring renewal while men are spiritually passive.

All of us must be willing to be inconvenienced to see spiritual renewal happen. To return to Jerusalem was a major hassle and inconvenience for everyone who responded to the call. But if God is going to renew your life, you’ve got to get out of your rut and make some changes. You’ve got to be willing to give up the comfortable life in Babylon and embrace the hardships of seeing His Temple rebuilt in Je- rusalem. It may be as simple as turning off the TV and picking up your Bible on a consistent basis to spend time with the Lord. It may mean scheduling regular extended times for seeking the Lord with others. It may mean setting some spiritual goals and asking God for the grace and wisdom to achieve them. But it certainly means doing some things differently than the current status quo!

Page 9 Chapter 2 - Mercifully, I will not ask anyone in class to read this chapter aloud. The names can be very difficult to pronounce. Mercifully to your ears, I am not going to try to read it either, lest I butcher most of them. Ha!

Lessons from a List Why does God take up space in the Bible for this long list of unpronounceable names? And essentially repeats the same list again in Nehemiah 7. But since all Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16), we should not automatically skip these portions of God’s Word, but rather try to figure out why they’re in the Bible...or at least seek to profit somehow.

1. Practically for those first people, the list may legitimize land rights after the return from the exile. It may distinguish true Israelites from the Samaritans and show who were authorized by Cyrus to return and rebuild the Temple. Also, it may demonstrate the connection with God’s plan from before the exile in Babylon.

2. It shows the individuality of God’s concern for people...it is not just a group of people returned, but these specific individuals...And on the people’s part, it demonstrates their loyalty to the past...something they too will need to acknowledge.

3. In this new opportunity for Israel to live up to its calling, every priest must have his credentials. The close of the chapter shows the restored nation is first orderly structured and ready for its main purpose, to renew the temple worship.

Overview of the chapter 2:2-20 is a list of various families and their numbers. 2:21-35 is a list of various towns and their population. 2:36-39 is a list of the priests

Page 10 2:40-42 is a list of the Levites temple singers and gatekeepers 2:43-54 is a list of The temple servants (Nethinim) 2:55-58 is a list of the sons of Solomon’s servants 2:59-60 a list of those who could not produce evidence of their tribal origin including certain priests...The governor excluded them from serving as priests until a high priest could be authorized to use the Urim and Thummim, which were a means of determining God’s will.

The totals are given (2:64-67)...49,897 returned in this first movement back to the land.

The chapter ends by noting that one of the first things the various heads of households did upon arriving in Jerusalem was to give a sizable amount toward the rebuilding of the Temple. This showed their commitment to the Lord and to proper worship. The final verse (70) reports that the people were resettled in their cities, with special mention of those responsible for worship.

The spiritual lessons for us today:

1. Today, God’s chosen people (Christians) must be legitimate In the NT era, God’s chosen people is not by physical birth, but rather the evidence of the new spiritual birth which is through faith in Christ. But, we too must be legitimately adopted into this chosen family of Christ to have a right to inherit the promises of God. There will be many in judgment who cry out, “Lord, Lord, did we not do many things in your name” but they will be rejected, not recognized by the Lord.

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Page 11 2. It is important to show our tie to the first century faith, once for all delivered to the saints. I John 2:24 reads, Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

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3. God is concerned for each saint individually...He knows each of us by name. Christ is not only the savior of the church collectively, but individually. I Cor. 12:27 reads, Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. III John 14 says, Greet the friends by name.

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4. For proper worship, there is a pattern to follow - While there is room for some spontaneity in worship, there is also the need for proper order and planning. Our aim in worship is not to evoke a feeling, but to meet with the living God and to show forth His glory. And if God has designated some aspect of worship and service, we must heed those instructions.

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5. Multiple ministries in the church are all important. -- The Ezra list shows a variety of service, with the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, and temple servants, each having their duty to perform for the smooth functioning of the whole. Some were more visible and up front. Others were more behind the scenes, but no less important. Even so, in the church, every member has been given a spiritual gift to exercise in serving the Lord...I Cor. 12:4-7 reads, Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;

Page 12 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

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6. We ought to be liberal givers just as they - The first thing these people did upon returning, as far as the text records, was to go to the place where the house of the Lord had been and offer their gifts willingly and freely to see it restored (2:68-69). They gave “according to their ability,” (69) which implies that the wealthier people gave more, but the poor also gave as they could. Even so, Paul instructs us to put aside and give as the Lord has prospered us (1 Cor. 16:1-2). He commends the Macedonians who gave not only according to their ability, but even beyond their ability, of their own accord, begging Paul for the privilege of giving (2 Cor. 8:3-4). Freewill offerings are not new to the NT.

Conclusion: The renewals in Ezra’s day were from the ground up....inside and out. To try to renew our lives by simply patching up a few holes or by providing some surface appearance change, is not true renewal of God, and is doomed to fail.

Read Chapter 3 Aloud

Introduction: In this chapter we learn of the renewals of the sacrifices and the building the temple. As for the temple, to some of the old timers, it didn’t look like much. They were comparing it with the former glory of Solomon’s Temple that they had known, and this one didn’t pass muster. So they wept while the younger men rejoiced. But God used this new beginning to reestablish His people in their

Page 13 worship to Him amidst the rubble of what once had been Jerusalem. Concerning the temple that was begun here, the Lord said, “The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former” (Haggai 2:9)...a probable reference to the coming Christ.

There are times our lives when WE need a new beginning with God, just as Israel did in the days of Ezra. Maybe we have failed the Lord terribly through deliberate rebellion and sin. Perhaps we have drifted carelessly into the world and its ways, neglecting the things of God. Maybe a disappointment or trial causes you to drift from the close fellowship with God and His people. We need a new beginning. In a sense, we have come to realize that the idols of modern Babylon can’t satisfy our soul. That 21st century Babylon is a captivity and not truly home. So, we are ready to uproot ourselves and renew our lives with God. But, how do you begin again? Chapter 3 shows us four things:

1. New beginnings with God are possible no matter how spiritually low we have gone. -- The first thing needful is an awareness that we have not sinned so much that renewal is impossible, nor unacceptable to God. Israel had sunk to a spiritual level about as low as it could go. The northern kingdom had fallen to the Assyrians in 722 B.C., never to be restored. The southern kingdom of Judah fell in 587 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and dragged many of the Jews into captivity in Babylon. For 70 years the place is left desolate and in ruins, and the people are punished for their sins. -- But, God did not forget His promises and after the 70 years He stirred up king Cyrus to issue a decree permitting the Jews to return to the land. Almost 50,000 Jews responded. They gave up their lives in Babylon, risked the dangerous and difficult journey across the desert, and now in Ezra 3 are back in the land. But it wasn’t the land the old timers had left...but a wasteland. What a massive rebuilding project, but rebuild they did! And this with God’s blessing.

Page 14 Whether it is to His people corporately or to individual believers who have fallen into sin, our God is a God of new beginnings! To the repentant King David, the prophet Nathan said, “The Lord has taken away your sin” (2 Sam. 12:13). To the disobedient and chastised prophet Jonah, vomited out of the great fish, the Bible says, “The word of the Lord came ... the second time” (Jonah 3:1). To the weeping and broken Peter, the risen Savior said, “feed my sheep.”

Have you failed the Lord miserably? God graciously offers you a new beginning!

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2. New beginnings with God must first focus on sacrifice for sin - The first thing that the leaders, Jeshua and Zerubbabel, did when they saw the pile of rubble where the Temple once stood was to rebuild the altar (Ezra 3:2). From verse 6 we learn that they had done this prior to the first day of the seventh month, when the returned remnant gathered in Jerusalem. So when the people got to the devastated city, rising out of the rubble they saw a restored altar. Even though the foundation of the temple had not been laid, the sight of that altar filled them with hope!

Why did they begin with the altar? Because man’s fundamental need if he wants to draw near to God is forgiveness of sins. The sacrificial animals pointed ahead to God’s perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for sins, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have never begun with God, you must begin at the cross, where Je- sus shed His blood to atone for sinners. The Bible says that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). Your good works can never earn God’s forgiveness. Faith in Christ’s blood is the only way to begin with God. -- If you are already a believer, but have strayed from the Lord, the cross is still the place for a new beginning. “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have

Page 15 fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Live daily at the foot of the cross. As the hymn says, Kneel at the cross, Christ will meet you there.

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3. New beginnings with God must focus on obedience to His Word. - How did they know to set up the altar? We read (3:2), “as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.” Why did they observe the Feast of Booths or tabernacles? We read (3:4), “as it is written,” and “according to the ordinance.” They weren’t making this stuff up according to their own preferences. They didn’t take a poll to find out what the people wanted to do. Maybe the old way of worship wasn’t in tune with the modern times! Maybe the younger generation wanted a more contemporary way of meeting with God! Why not throw out the old and bring in some innovation to liven things up? But they didn’t do that! They went back to the Word of God and they obeyed it.

There is nothing wrong with some contemporary forms of worship, as long as they do not violate Scripture. But, the standard we need to evaluate everything is, does it line up with Scripture and properly glorify God as He is revealed in His Word? And, does it promote holiness in God’s people, in line with His Word? When it comes to a new beginning with God, begin at the cross and then walk in obedience to His Word.

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4. New beginnings with God must focus on building His house. -- Verse 6 implies that while rebuilding the altar was good, something major was still miss- ing: They had not yet laid the foundation for the temple. Verses 6,9, & 10

Page 16 reference the temple and 8,11 & 12 call it the Lord’s house. The temple or house of the Lord was the place where He dwelled among His people and manifested His glory. His people went there to offer sacrifices for forgiveness of sins and for thanksgiving for His goodness to them. It was a place of corporate celebration, where all Israel gathered three times a year for the feasts. The restored nation could not properly worship God until they rebuilt His house.

We as God’s church are now His temple or house, where He dwells in us and walks among us (1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19-22)! The building where we meet is not God’s house; it is only the place where God’s house gathers for worship. God’s house or temple can meet in private homes or in a park or a barn or a cathedral. The place isn’t sacred; the people are sacred! - But, the application is that if you need a new beginning with God, don’t try to go it alone. There is a sense, of course, in which any new beginning must be first individual. You must go to the Lord individually and confess your sins and personally appropriate the shed blood of Christ. You must personally get into God’s Word and begin to obey it in your daily life. If you do not start there, you can go to church meetings every day of the week, but you will simply be reinforcing hypocrisy in your life, putting on a good front to others while your private life is in shambles. But once you’ve begun anew in private, you very much need to be built together with others who have a commitment to know God. Without that commitment to other believers, the world, the flesh, and the devil will overwhelm you.

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But, you may wonder, how do we build God’s house? Our text reveals at least five factors:

Page 17 A. Building God’s house requires the courage to stand together against this hostile world. - They rebuilt the altar because, “they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands” (3:3). Some may have focused on building a strong and well-armed militia. But these men knew that help from man is in vain if the Lord is not in His rightful place. If they put God first by rebuilding His altar, then He would protect them from the enemies who weren’t happy about their return. Courage does not mean a lack of fear, but rather the gumption to stand firm in threatening circumstances because your trust is in the Lord. You may have to have that kind of courage alone. But it’s easier to take that sort of stand with other believers. Solomon says, Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Eccl. 4:9-12).

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B. Building God’s house requires giving our resources. - These people had just returned to the land, which meant giving up their source of income in Babylon and making probably a four-month trek to a land that had no crops waiting to be harvested and no jobs or economy. Surely most of them were not wealthy after 50-70 years in captivity. But when they saw that the house of God was a pile of rubble, they gave money, food, drink, and oil for the labor and materials to rebuild the temple (3:7). Building God’s house requires money. Your willingness to give and the proportion that you give are perhaps the best indicators that Jesus is Lord of your heart. If you want a new beginning with the Lord, start with financial faithfulness. Jesus said that if we are faithful with the “little thing” of money, God will entrust true riches to us (Luke 16:10-13).

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C. Building God’s house requires working in unity under godly leadership. Israel came “together as one man to Jerusalem” (3:1). The various leaders “stood united” (3:9) with one another to oversee the workers who were rebuilding the temple. Unity was essential because of the enemy outside that would shortly threaten and shut down the work....coming up in chapter 4. The leaders wisely delegated the work so that it did not fall on just a few. Any significant work for God is the work of many members working together in harmony, under godly leaders. When the enemy wants to stop such a work, often he disrupts the unity. So we must be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3, 13).

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D. Building God’s house requires a renewed emphasis on worship being spiritual and heartfelt -- Worship must focus on God and affirm by faith His goodness and covenant love (3:11). Though worship may have skillful musicians or singers (3:10), still it is not about entertaining ourselves. Worship praises the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.” Re- member, these people had just come through 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Many had lost loved ones, as well as possessions and homes, when Jerusalem fell. If they had been focused on themselves, they would have complained and im- pugned the goodness of God. But by faith they knew that the Lord had afflicted them out of His goodness (Ps. 119:67, 71). So now they could sing of His goodness and covenant love toward His people.

Second, notice that these people expressed their emotions in their praises. They shouted for joy and it was a loud shout (3:12-13). Sometimes in our attempt to be

Page 19 orderly, or not perceived as Pentecostal, we can become a bit too restrained in our worship. Certainly there is the danger of artificially pumping up sentimentality, through words or songs, and it is wrong to equate a good feeling with being spiritual, but if our focus is on our great, faithful, loving, covenant-keeping God and the truth of His Word, it should affect our emotions! How can we not be moved when we think on His abundant grace?

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E. Building God’s house requires a spirit of cooperation and understanding between the old and the young. -- The young people were thrilled as they saw the foundation of the temple laid. All they had ever known was Babylon and its temples for idols. Here they were, back in the land of promise, in the city of God’s choosing, and the foundation for the Lord’s house was laid! They had never seen anything like it! But the old timers had seen something far greater: Solomon’s Temple in all its glory. For them, this puny foundation amidst the rubble and broken down walls of Jerusalem was pitiful. So while the young men shouted for joy, the old men wept in grief. You couldn’t tell who was laughing and who was crying, except that the division pretty much fell along age lines.

There were two dangers...The old guys could have discouraged the younger men from this new beginning. That would have been tragic. They had to start somewhere, and even though this new beginning didn’t match the former glory, it was a start, and it was where God was now working. The other danger was that the young guys could have ignored the wisdom and experience of the old guys, in which case they would have made more mistakes and repeated the failures of the past. The older folks needed the enthusiasm, energy, and joy of the younger folks, and the younger folks needed the wisdom, maturity, and experience of the older folks.

Page 20 Today, we need all ages in God’s church. We all should learn from one another...and we should all appreciate one another...and we should all be as leni- ent with one another as conscientiously possible.

Comments:

Read Chapter 4 Aloud

Introduction: Any good project, including spiritual ones, needs to expect setbacks. The renewals of the nation and worship of Israel following the 70 year captivity, experienced setbacks and chapter 4 introduces them to us. God had stirred up the heart of King Cyrus to issue a decree for the Jews to return to their land and rebuild His temple. That’s a positive start. Then, 50,000 Jews responded by making the long, dangerous trek back to the land. A second good thing happening. They soon rebuilt the altar, gathered in Jerusalem, celebrated the Feast of Booths, and laid the foundation for the new temple. Everything is going so well...then a setback.

Others living in the area protest and even threaten them...and the work ceases for 16 years. The people, intimidated by their enemies, settled into a routine of life that got along without temple worship until God stirred up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (5:1), who got the rebuilding of the temple moving again. In all this, there are good lessons for us today.

Page 21 1. Whenever you make a commitment to the Lord, be prepared to face the enemy’s unrelenting attempt to set you back. - Verse 1 says that the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that they were building a temple to the God of Is- rael. We cannot build, whether a literal church building or the Lord’s spiritual temple (His church) or building our own spiritual lives, without the enemy hearing about it. He will come prowling, subtly at first, but more aggressively if we resist his first attempts. Our spiritual enemy will vigorously oppose every attempt at spiritual advance. It is crucial to remember this! What often happens is, a person makes a new beginning with God. He naively assumes that since he has now turned to the Lord, everything will go well from here on out. Finally, God is now on his side. His hopes have never been higher. Then—wham! The enemy hits, he goes down, and he feels lower than he did before he turned back to the Lord.

Comments:

2. A dangerous trick of the enemy is to lure into compromise under the guise of cooperation. - Their first ploy was, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esar- haddon king of Assyria” (4:2). Zerubbabel and Jeshua may could have used the help...not always is there sufficient help from within your ranks. Along come some locals who offer to work with them. It could have been viewed by Zerubbabel as a bridge, to build relationships while they worked together. It was an opportunity to befriend their neighbors. In light of that, their answer hits us in the face hard: “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Per- sia has commanded us” (4:3). How rude can you get! That’s no way to win friends! But they were right. Though these local people sacrificed to the Lord, they also continued worshipping their own gods, as 2 Kings 17:41 sums up, “So while

Page 22 these nations feared the Lord, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.”

The problem of these people (who were the forefathers of the New Testament Sa- maritans) was their mixing together of religion..blending false religions with the worship of the one true God. And If they had worked together with the returned exiles, the Lord’s people might have fallen into spiritual compromise, mingling idolatry with the worship of God.

The danger of the appeal of these enemies was not that their words were absolute lies. They were partially true. They did worship God and sacrifice to Him. The problem was, they did not worship God alone! There are great pressures today to compromise the gospel by joining with those who claim to believe it, but who add things to it that totally destroy the true grace of God in which we stand. Beware of any so called ecumenical movement that amounts to the union of believers not the unity of the Spirit.

Comments:

3. The enemy often uses the tool of discouragement. - “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah” (4:4). We are not told specifically how they did this. Maybe they said, “If you rebuild this temple, it’s just going to get torn down again.” Maybe they knew that thousands would flock to Jerusalem to worship at the temple, and so said, “We don’t want this kind of traffic in our back- yard! Build your temple somewhere else.” If it were our day, they would be down at city hall, protesting the zoning laws or environmental impact! Satan often uses the tool of discouragement. He whispers to us, “What you’re doing won’t make any difference in this world or in eternity. Those people you teach don’t appreciate your efforts. Why bother? Just quit and enjoy your life.” He tries to discourage us

Page 23 when people we have worked with turn against us, spread unjustified criticism, etc. “You see! You’re just laboring in vain!”

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4. The enemy uses fear or troubles to disrupt progress. - After discouraging the people, “they frightened them from building” (4:4). When you’re discouraged, fear can easily creep in. Discouragement quickly turns into many fears about the future. Or it can be the mounting up of troubles...one after another...when it rains it pours. We begin to feel like Job...“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. (Job 14:1)

Comments:

5. The enemy uses misinformation and false accusations to oppose and undermine godly leaders. - Verse 5 says...They “hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia”. These spread half- truths and misinformation to undermine the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Maybe they said things like: “These men are just out to build a kingdom for themselves. They’re going to rebel against the king. They’re lining their own pockets with the construction money.” The rumors started flying to frustrate the counsel of these godly leaders.

In 4:6-23, Ezra shares examples of the opposition that came later. He carefully names the different kings that he is referring to so that his readers would not mis- understand. The later examples did not concern the rebuilding of the temple, but of the city and the walls during the reign of King Artaxerxes (4:12), whom Nehe- miah served. Israel’s enemies wrote this letter to Artaxerxes that was filled with

Page 24 false accusations and half-truths. They said that if the city were rebuilt, the Jews would stop paying taxes (4:13). That will get any king’s attention!

The critics also claimed to be loyal to the king. The critics claimed that they did not want to see the king dishonored by these rebellious Jews. Thus they advised him to look it up in his record books and he would find that Jerusalem had a record of being a rebellious and evil city (4:12, 15). If he didn’t stop them, they would be true to their past and rebel again.

Again, these were half-truths and misinformation. True, Israel had rebelled in the past against tyrants who had forced them into subjection. But to smear the city with such broad strokes was both unfair and untrue. The Lord had told Jeremiah to tell the people to seek the welfare of Babylon and pray to the Lord on its behalf while they were there (Jer. 29:7). No mention is made about that here. Satan uses the same trick to smear God’s servants today. He takes a partial truth and paints it with broad strokes to make a man of God look extreme or unstable.

Comments:

6. If need be, the enemy will form coalitions to overwhelm the godly by sheer force of numbers. - Based on what is said in verses 9-10, the letters came from multiple parties joined together against the Jews. The ploy behind such tactics is to imply, “Everyone is against these people.” Just look at the names and different backgrounds. If all of these men from such different backgrounds and places can agree together against these Jews, the Jews must be the problem! The majority must be right; these Jews are the source of the trouble!

Even so today, the enemy operates by appealing to popular opinion against the Lord’s people: “These narrow-minded, intolerant, Bible-believing Christians are the

Page 25 problem. They are trying to impose their views on everyone else! The majority of Americans believe in God, but we don’t believe in such an intolerant, unloving God as these people do. We believe in the basic teachings of the Bible, but we aren’t so narrow or old fashioned as to think that it is literally true.”

Comments:

7. At times, the enemy will use government edicts and sheer force to block our spiritual advance. - King Artaxerxes issued a decree to stop the work, providentially adding, “until a decree is issued by me” (4:21). Thankfully, that decree was issued after Nehemiah tactfully sought the king’s permission to return and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. But on this occasion, king’s decree in hand, Is- rael’s enemies went quickly and stopped the Jews by force of arms (4:23). Verse 24 goes back chronologically to verse 5, not to verse 23. The result of the opposition was that the work on God’s house ceased for 16 years.

Even so, the enemy today works through government channels and judicial cases to enact laws that oppose Christianity and to prohibit Christians from living as God would have us to live. We now have no-fault divorce laws that undermine the life- long commitment of marriage and enable couples to split up for any reason. Laws protect mothers from prosecution if they wish to kill unwanted children in their womb. The day is not very far away in which it will be illegal to spank your child without being charged with child abuse.

Comments:

8. The enemy does not give up in his opposition to our spiritual progress. - Verses 6-23 chronicle events that took place over many years. Ezra may have included these events not only to give examples of opposition, but to show the

Page 26 unrelenting nature of Satan’s opposition. He does not give up after one setback. He keeps on countering whatever the Lord’s people try to do to move ahead spiritually.

Comments:

Conclusion: The story of a great man - When he was seven years old, his family was forced out of their home and he had to work to help support them. When he was nine, his mother died. At 22, he lost his job as a store clerk. He wanted to go to law school, but lacked the education. At 23, he went into debt to become a partner in a small store. At 26, his business partner died, leaving him a huge debt that took years to repay. At 28, after courting a girl for four years, he asked her to marry him. She said no. At 37, on his third try, he was elected to Congress, but two years later, he failed to be reelected. At 41, his four-year-old son died. At 45, he ran for the Sen- ate and lost. At 47, he failed as the vice-presidential candidate. At 49, he again ran for the Senate and lost. At 51, he was elected president of the United States. Many consider that man, Abraham Lincoln, the greatest leader our country has ever had. Lincoln suffered numerous setbacks in his personal life and career, but he persevered and eventually succeeded.

You will suffer numerous setbacks if you commit yourself to the Lord and try to follow Him. Be prepared for the enemy’s attacks and don’t give up!

Page 27 Read Chapter 5 Aloud

Introduction: Have you ever been discouraged? Of course you have, and likely many times. It is a part of being human. Why do we become discouraged? There are many different reasons. Sometimes it stems from a physical cause. We are simply tired, worn out and weary from some physical labor and it begins to get us down if it carries on for long. Or bodily illness inclines us toward discouragement, especially if it persists. Another cause of discouragement is being too idealistic. We have too high of an expectation of ourselves or others and when that is not reached, it is discouraging. Disappointment with God is another cause of discouragement. You prayed and worked for something, but it did not happen...at least not as you had hoped. -- People try to deal with discouragement in many ways. Many plunge themselves into other things that they think will bring them fulfillment: entertainment, sports, travel, their careers, physical fitness. These help di- vert the focus off of what is a discouragement or disappointment...and may have some small benefit. Tragically, some turn to drugs or alcohol or adultery. These things likely dig them deeper in discouragement. Sinning is never a good way to compensate for discouragement. A few become so discouraged that they take their own lives...the worst thing one could do.

In Ezra 4:4, we read, “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Ju- dah, and frightened them from building.” The work on rebuilding the temple in Je- rusalem stopped for about 16 years. According to Haggai 1:3-9, the people’s focus shifted to building their own houses, and they neglected building God’s house. Let us read it...Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. “Thus says

Page 28 the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. -- If the subject came up...why is the temple still not built, they may have responded, “We tried that. It didn’t work!” So, they might not have felt that guilty about the matter. It was not likely total disdain for the project, but we have to get real...the king has shut the project down.

How could this dismal situation be reversed? How could the Lord’s people put their discouragement behind them so that they could finish the task of rebuilding the temple? First, in 5:1 the Lord uses two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, who spoke to the people in the name of the God of Israel. Then, verse 2 states that under the renewed leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the people began to rebuild and the prophets pitched in to help. -- Verse 3 tells of opposition rising again, as it had years before when the project was brought to a halt, but this time it will fail to prevent the temple being finished.

Chapter 5 gives us some clues on how to overcome discouragement in our work for the Lord.

1. To overcome discouragement, we need a RENEWED encounter with God’s Word. - When these prophets spoke, the Jews realized that God was speaking through them. Had hey been speaking all along and until just ignored? Or had God given the people time to act without His raising up these two spokes- persons until now? Either way, when it comes to tending to God’s business and overcoming discouragement of any number of sorts, we need to begin where they did...heeding the Word. When we are discouraged, the thing that will most refresh

Page 29 us is to hear God speaking to us in our particular circumstances through His Word. Some may prefer to just let the Bible flop open somewhere and begin reading, but I suggest a more planned reading schedule..but either way, allow God’s Providence to influence your reading of portions of His word. But, this renewal won’t happen if you never open our Bible or listen to the preaching of the Word. When you are discouraged, you may not feel like getting into the Word, but you must go against your feelings and expose yourself to the Word. You can listen to the Bible on CD or online read aloud to you. Or you can listen to recorded sermons. You may need to schedule a special time to be alone with God. But God speaks to us through His Word, and so you must take the time and effort to expose yourself to it.

Comments:

* How Does God’s Word Help Defeat Discouragement

A. God’s Word confronts our sin of neglect - That is the main thrust of Hag- gai. He directly confronted the people with their sin of building their own houses while neglecting God’s house. God used him to stir up Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the people so that “they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God” (Hag. 1:14). -- You may be thinking, “When I’m discouraged, why would I want to be confronted with my sin? That doesn’t sound very encouraging!” It may not be pleasant at the moment, but it’s the medicine we all need. To neglect the Bible because it confronts our sin of neglecting God is like avoiding the doctor when we know that we have cancer. It may not be pleasant to go through the treatment, but without it we will die. Paul says that Scripture is profitable for reproof and correction (2 Tim. 3:16).

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Page 30 B. God’s Word confirms His grace if we will overcome our discouragement While Haggai confronted the people’s sin, Zechariah gave them hope that God would remember them and keep His promises to send the Messiah...implied is that they can be instrumental in the grandest work of God in human history...but they have got to get back to God’s business. Zechariah’s name means “whom the Lord remembers.” His father was Berechiah, which means “the Lord blesses.” His grandfather (mentioned in Ezra 5:1) was Iddo, which means “at the appointed time.” Those three names sum up the message of Zechariah: “Whom the Lord remembers, He blesses, at the appointed time.”

Although Zechariah was the prophet of hope and encouragement, he began his message by talking about God’s fierce wrath because of His people’s sin (Zech. 1:2). But immediately he follows it with the Lord’s gracious invitation, “‘Return to Me,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘that I may return to you,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 1:3). If we will repent, God will be gracious to us.

This is illustrated in our text: Ezra 5:1 is a renewed new beginning. The first new beginning was in chapter 3, when the returned exiles gathered in Jerusalem, set up the altar, celebrated the Feast of Booths, and laid the foundation of the temple. Then the opposition discouraged and frightened them, resulting in 16 years of doing nothing about the temple. But now, we have a second new beginning. Thank God that He allows for new, new beginnings, and new, new, new beginnings!

Comments:

C. God’s Word re-orients our priorities under His lordship. - These two prophets spoke “in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them” (5:1). “Them” is grammatically ambiguous. It could and certainly does refer to the prophets, who were under God’s lordship. But it also refers to the people who were

Page 31 God’s chosen nation at the time. Haggai exhorted them to get their priorities in order by putting God’s house first. Wherever we turn in God’s Word, it confronts our skewed priorities. Discouragement usually has demoted God off the throne (albeit maybe only momentarily and hopefully only temporarily) and placed ourselves on the top wrung of the ladder. We’re all prone to let the things of this world crowd the things of God out of first place in our lives. The Word keeps calling us back to the basic priority: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).

Comments:

D. God’s Word shows us how to live in a manner pleasing to Him. - Without the word from these two prophets, most of the Jews probably thought that they were doing okay. Remember, I suggested that they may have not been against rebuilding the temple...just not FOR it either. Perhaps they thought, “Sure, we don’t have a temple yet, but these things take time. The Jews back in Babylon don’t have a temple, either. We’re better off than they are. At least we came back to the promised land!” But then the prophets spoke and the people realized that to please God, they needed to commit themselves to rebuild His temple.

It’s easy to think that you’re doing okay in the Lord if you compare yourself to other Christians. We always seem to compare ourselves to those who aren’t quite as committed as we see ourselves! But then you come to God’s Word, and it exposes the thoughts and intents of our heart...and we see as if looking in a mirror, just how far short of the glorious image of Jesus we are and how I need to get on the ball.

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Page 32 2. To overcome discouragement, we need to get back to work for the Lord. - There is something encouraging about serving the Lord, especially if you’ve been on the sidelines for a while. There is the encouragement that He can even use me, in spite of my previous failures. Whether it’s physical labor or being used spiritually in someone’s life, there is joy in knowing that you are laboring for God’s eternal kingdom, and that someday you will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

And notice in verse 2, it says that the prophets were helping with the work. They were doing more than telling the people what to do, they were showing and sharing in it. That is always encouraging. Sometimes people need someone to start the ball rolling...to create a bandwagon for them to jump onto...before they get going. Jesus washed feet...Paul made tents...they did not just preach.

Comments:

3. To overcome discouragement, we must persevere in the face of opposition. - As we saw last week, the enemy will not be idle when we make a new beginning with the Lord. No sooner had the people begun to build than Tattenai, the governor over Israel, and his sidekick and their colleagues came and challenged them (5:3). In their defense, maybe they were only doing their job. They reported to King Darius what might have been expected. They were making sure that the Jews were not plotting rebellion against the king. But even so, here we go again..Satan trying to frustrate the work of God in people’s lives.

Unlike before, this time they did not demand that the work stop until a word came from the king. Rather, they permitted the people to continue building until such a word came back, which may have taken months. The reason given is, “The eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews” (5:5). Knowing that the eye of God is

Page 33 upon us, we can persevere even when the enemy is watching and trying to get us to quit.

Tattenai sent a letter to Darius, which our text quotes. It reveals several interesting things. For one, it is surprisingly accurate. Unlike the letter of 4:11-16, which distorted the truth to make the Jews look worse than they were, this letter just states the facts, asking for verification. He states the Jews’ claims accurately and asks the king to confirm or deny those claims. -- Also, the letter shows that the Jews gave a strong testimony of God to Tattenai and his colleagues. They let them know that they were servants of the God of heaven and earth (5:11). They give a brief history of Israel, that formerly they had worshiped at a temple which a great king of Israel [Solomon] had built. But because of their sin, God had given the nation into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed the temple and deported the people to Babylon. But King Cyrus had issued a decree to the Jews to return and rebuild the temple. He had even restored the gold and silver utensils and en- trusted them to Sheshbazzar.

There is an application in this for us in overcoming discouragement. One way to persevere in the face of opposition is to give a strong confession of our faith in Je- sus Christ. That commits us openly. Paul says this of Timothy in I Tim. 6:12-14...Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the ap- pearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Comments:

Page 34 4. To overcome discouragement, we need to trust the sovereignty of God to accomplish His will through us. - Behind these events of the renewal of God’s people, God was sovereignly at work. The fact that this governor allowed the work on the temple to continue while inquiry was sent to Darius was due to God’s eye on His people. It’s also obvious that the Jews saw God’s sovereign dealings with them in history, and this knowledge enabled them to put the current opposition in proper perspective. As Paul exhorted, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13). We can know that as we work for the Lord, we are working in harmony with the sovereign God who is working out His purposes in history through His people.

Comments:

Read Chapter 6 Aloud

Introduction: Our theme for this entire study of Ezra and Nehemiah is Renewal. In chapter 6 of Ezra, we wish to notice the renewal of joy in the Jews relationship with God. David once said to God, “Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation” (Ps. 51:12. And then there is Psalm 137:1-4...By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion! How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? This renewal of joy is obvious in chapter 6 and we can draw lessons from it for us today.

Page 35 How high is the pursuit of joy on your priority list? Do you only view it as something nice if it happens, or absolutely necessary? Many Christians view the Chris- tian life primarily in terms of duty and obedience, and those are not major themes, but how many Christians view the pursuit of joy, gladness, and delight in God as a prime duty? Now, I will be the first to say that joy and peace are what I call “backdoor blessings”...meaning they come in the back way, as you are forward facing in doing the Lord’s will. But, I still think it very important that we see rejoicing in the Lord as something we strive after, not just wish for.

We must not view God as a stern, cosmic killjoy, who doesn’t want anyone to get too carried away with having a good time in life. The Greek Stoics or even to some degree Puritans of latter times, are characterized as against joy and pleasure...that it is inconsistent with holiness or at least the highest levels of piety. But, this is not true. We can see some of this kind of thinking in the doctrine of mandatory celibacy...as if that gets one closer to God. We are not only to rejoice in the Lord always, but Ecclesiastes goes on to say we are to rejoice in the desires of our youth...Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. (11:9) and elsewhere in Solomon’s inspired books he urges husbands to rejoice in their wife and in the fruit of his labors. We are not only given permission to be glad, we are commanded to be so...and not only in heavenly things, but earthly things, too.

The work on rebuilding the temple had stopped for 16 years due to opposition from the people in the land. Then, with the exhortations of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the work resumed. But they barely got started again when Tatte- nai, the governor of the province that included Israel, confronted the Jews with whether they had proper permission to rebuild the temple. They told him about Cyrus’ decree. Because God’s eye was upon them, Tattenai permitted them to

Page 36 continue construction until word got back from the current king, Darius, as to what to do (5:3-5).

In chapter 6, Darius makes a search and eventually finds the decree of Cyrus in the government archives. He respects that decree and sends back a ruling that not only should the work go on, but also it ought to be supported by government funds. Thus the temple was completed. The Lord’s people gathered to celebrate the dedication of this temple with joy (6:16). This was followed by a celebration of the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread “with joy.” Ezra explains the source of that joy: “for the Lord had caused them to rejoice, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel” (6:22).

Moses had told Israel that they should seek the Lord at the place He would choose, and that there they shall “rejoice in all [their] undertakings in which the Lord [their] God has blessed [them]” (Deut. 12:5, 7). Later he warned them, “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, ... therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you” (Deut. 28:47-48).

The Psalms are full of joy and gladness. For example...We are commanded, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing” (Ps. 100:1-2). “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart” (Ps. 32:11). “But let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy; and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You” (Ps. 5:11). “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Ps. 16:11). And you know there are many more.

Page 37 Jesus told the disciples to “rejoice that [their] names are recorded in heaven.” Je- sus is said to have “rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit” at the thought of God’s ways in salvation (Luke 10:20-21). He told the disciples that He had spoken to them so that His joy may be in them, and that their joy may be made full (John 15:11).

The apostle Paul lists joy as part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). The apostle Peter reported how those who believe in Jesus “greatly rejoice with joy inexpressi- ble and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8). To a suffering church he wrote, “But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation” (1 Pet. 4:13).

This only skims the surface of this theme in Scripture. But this should suffice to prove that joy in the Lord is not an optional or secondary matter for the believer. Rather, it is at the heart of the Christian faith.

Comments:

Chapter 6 reveals five strands of joy (there are others elsewhere)

1. God wants us to know the joy of His PROVIDENTIAL care for us. - God’s remarkable providential care for His people is seen throughout, not only this chapter, but the entire book. And this is cause for rejoicing. Tattenai had sent his letter to Darius, expecting the king to send back orders to shut down this work at once. God’s providence is seen in the king finding the decree of Cyrus from some 18 years before. They did not find it at Babylon, but rather in the fortress in Ecbatana, Cyrus’ summer residence.

Page 38 God’s providential care is further seen in that Darius did not say, “I don’t care what my predecessor said. I command this rebellious work be stopped at once!” Rather, he not only told Tattenai to keep away from the project (6:6), but also to fund the project out of his tax revenues (6:8-9)! And, to add some motivation, he decreed that anyone who violated his edict should be hung or impaled on a timber drawn from his house, and the house should be made a heap of rubble! He added the wish that the God who has caused His name to dwell there would overthrow any king or people who attempted to destroy this house of God (6:11-12).

God’s providential care is further alluded to in the mention that the building was completed according to God’s command, and also “the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes” (6:14). Why does Ezra mention Artaxerxes, who reigned about 50 years after the completion of the temple? Maybe he did it for political expediency, in that Artaxerxes was the reigning king when Ezra wrote. Since he had been kind enough to issue a decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, Ezra wanted to give him credit in case he read this account.

God’s providential working is directly stated in 6:22, where it is stated that the Lord “had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward” the Jews. It is unusual to refer to the Persian king as the king of Assyria. Perhaps Ezra did this to remind Is- rael that Assyria, Israel’s former enemy, had been conquered by the Persians whose king was friendly toward Israel. Behind all these remarkable events was God’s mighty hand, turning the king’s heart wherever He wishes (Prov. 21:1).

How about you and me today? Do we see and rejoice in God’s providential care for us in the things that happen?

Comments:

Page 39 2. God wants us to know the joy of His PROVISION for us. - God used the decree of a pagan king to provide the materials for the temple and even the animals and other items for the sacrifices (6:9). King Darius was probably just trying to cover all his bases by having the local people pray to their gods on behalf of him and his sons (6:10), but God used the king’s religious superstitions to provide for His people.

The Lord does not usually use worldly governments as the main source of material support for His churches, although through the tax breaks they receive as a chari- table, non-profit organization, they are benefitted...but through the generous giving of people, God is the one who ultimately is providing for His church. In 2 Cor- inthians 8 & 9, Paul is overjoyed at the generous gift of the Macedonians for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. But, he then points out how generous giving not only meets the needs of others, it also overflows through many thanksgivings to God, resulting in God being glorified (2 Cor. 9:12-13). And when we see God’s provisions, whether for the congregation or in our own personal lives, we should be filled with joy.

Comments:

3. God wants us to know the joy of PRODUCTIVITY in our service for Him. - The temple was finally finished, about 20 years after the foundation was laid, and just over four years after the rebuilding began again under the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah. You will recall hat when the project first began, some of the old-timers, who remembered the first temple, we not happy when they saw how this second one compared. But, now there is no sign of that and the people rejoiced at its dedication (6:15-16). Possibly the old timers have died; or possibly

Page 40 they have changed their minds, but a completed job is always a reason for rejoicing.

While we can and should rejoice at the completion of a building project, as we did here a few years ago, we should find much greater joy when we see the Lord using us in the building of His spiritual temple, the church. There is great joy in heaven when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7, 10). We should likewise rejoice on earth. When a prodigal son returns to his first love, we should rejoice. When good things happen in the church, we should rejoice. Paul calls the Philippian church his joy and crown (Phil. 4:1). When we individually do well and accomplish good works for the Lord, we should rejoice.

Comments:

4. God wants us to know the joy of PRAISING Him - When the temple was completed, the people gathered and “celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy” (6:16). Their offerings were not nearly on the grand scale of Solo- mon’s dedication (1 Kings 8:63), but it was an offering of what they had. Their ob- servance of the Passover was a celebration of God’s gracious salvation, remembering how He delivered them from slavery in Egypt. The Feast of Unleavened Bread that immediately followed symbolized the holy fellowship of a redeemed people with their God. For us, these feasts are consolidated in the Lord’s Supper...Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the fes- tival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor. 5:7-8).

Page 41 We praise what we enjoy...praise completes the enjoyment. It is just that way. Therefore, for us to best worship and praise God, we must enjoy God. Spontane- ous praise is good when you’re alone, but it’s better when you share the experience with others. It’s great to enjoy the beauty of the Lord in your private devo- tions, but it’s better to join with others and praise Him corporately. For joy is infec- tious.

Comments:

5. God wants us to know the joy of PURITY and obedience to Him. - It is stated that Israel rebuilt the temple “according to the command of God” (6:14). They organized their worship “as it is written in the book of Moses” (6:18). Fur- ther, it is stated that “the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure” (6:20). Not only the returned exiles, but also “all those who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land” joined together “to seek the Lord God of Israel” by celebrating the Passover (6:21).

For there to be true joy in our worship and lives, there must be holiness in our lives. We must separate ourselves from the impurity of the world. Contrary to popular opinion, purity of life and obedience to God does not rob us of joy. Purity and obedience are at the heart of true joy. Sin gives brief pleasure, but lasting scars and pain. True and lasting joy comes when we walk in the light and are lead by the Spirit.

Comments:

Page 42 Read Chapter 7 Aloud

Introduction: Do we really prize the Lord’s blessing? Do you really want and seek God’s blessing on your personal life, your family, your service for the Lord, and on His church? We all know the right answer to that question. Few would be so brazen as to say, “No, I don’t want God’s blessing. I’d rather try to make my own blessings apart from God! But I don’t want you to give a knee-jerk “yes” answer just because it is the obviously correct answer. I want you to think about the implica- tions of the question before you answer.

There are a number of men in Scripture whom God blessed: Abraham, Jacob, Jo- seph, and David are prominent examples. But Ezra is also a man whom God blessed, even though he is not so well known as those other men are. We first meet him in chapter 7 of the book that bears his name. There is an approximate 50 year gap between the events in chapters 6 and 7. The temple had been rebuilt under the ministries of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, aided by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. The exiles that had returned to Israel during that first wave were either dead or very old by now. They had settled into the land and, as we will see, in many cases had begun to blend together with the pagans of the land. The walls of Jerusalem had not been rebuilt, leaving the city vulnerable to attack. God raised up Ezra and Nehemiah to bring spiritual reform to His people.

Both men were born in Babylon and had close connections with King Artaxerxes. No doubt they both enjoyed comfortable living conditions there. But both men were burdened with the low spiritual state of the exiles that had returned to the land. Both men were willing to give up their comfortable situations in Babylon and endure the hardship and hassles to bring reform to God’s people. But how could they accomplish this overwhelming task?

Page 43 The answer occurs in a phrase that first occurs three times in our chapter, and then five times in the rest of Ezra and Nehemiah: God’s hand was on these men (Ezra 7:6, 9, 28; 8:18, 22, 31; Neh. 2:8, 18). God’s hand is another way of saying God’s blessing. God blessed these two men and their labors for Him. If we want His blessing or hand to rest on us, we would do well to study their lives. We could add more factors, but limiting ourselves to Ezra 7, we learn that...

To have God’s hand of blessing on us, we must study and obey His Word, with a view to teaching others and glorifying God for everything.

That theme is stated in Ezra 7:10, which explains why “the good hand of his God was upon him” (7:9): “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” The connection between Ezra and God’s Word is repeated no less than eight times (7:6, 10, 11, 12, 14, 21, 25, and 26)! There is a definite correlation between our commitment to know and obey God’s Word and His hand of blessing being upon us.

1. All of us should seek God’s blessing on our lives above all else.

A. God’s blessing is the only blessing that counts both for time and for eternity. - If you have God’s blessing on your life, you may die a painful martyr’s death in your twenties or you may live happily into your nineties. You may live in a physically impaired body or in a robust and healthy body. But either way, you will be irrepressibly joyous and successful in the true sense of the word if God’s hand of blessing rests on you.

The world’s blessings promise happiness but deliver ultimate emptiness and pain. Yet most people, and sadly, even many professing Christians, live for the world’s

Page 44 blessings. But, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).

God’s blessing is the only blessing that counts both for time and eternity. If you gain and die with the world’s blessings, but lack God’s blessing, woe to you! You are poor indeed! If you live and die with God’s blessings, even though you lack what the world calls “blessing,” you are truly blessed!

Comments:

B. God’s blessing flows through family lines. - Verses 1-5 trace Ezra’s family lineage back through 16 forefathers to Aaron the chief priest, brother of Moses. There are a number of gaps in the list. Seraiah (7:1) was the high priest at the time of Nebuchadnezzar, who executed him about 130 years before (2 Kings 25:18-21). Thus Ezra was a great or great-great grandson of Seraiah. The point of the genealogy is to show that Ezra was qualified as a priest to teach God’s law.

You may be thinking: “If God’s blessing flows through family lines, that’s not fair! What if I came from a godless family? What hope is there for me to experience God’s blessing?” The answer is, first, never ask God to be fair with you! That’s a bad prayer! You want mercy, not fairness. But, second, there is great hope for you, because you can be the start of a long heritage of God’s blessing on your children and grandchildren. You can’t do anything about your ancestors, but you can do some things that will positively affect your descendants. As Psalm 128:1 promises, “How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.” It goes on to show how the wife, children, and grandchildren of the man who fears the Lord will be blessed. No matter how rotten your upbringing, if you will follow the Lord,

Page 45 you will be blessed and you also will be the source of great blessing to your children and grandchildren, perhaps for many generations.

This genealogy also should serve as a warning to us who have been blessed with godly parents. Aaron had some sons who were consecrated as priests, but they did not obey the Lord and He struck them dead with fire from heaven (Lev. 10:1-3). Aaron also had a grandson, Phinehas (Ezra 7:5), who took bold action for God so that a plague was stopped among the Israelites. Israel had fallen into the insidious plot of Balaam, who counseled the Midianite king to seduce Israel into idolatry through intermarriage. An Israelite man brazenly had brought a Midianite woman into his tent in the sight of all Israel. Phinehas took a spear, went into the tent, and pierced them both through, probably while they were in the act of immorality! As a result of Phinehas’ bold action, the Lord told Moses that He was giving to Phi- nehas His covenant of peace, and then added, “and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God” (Num. 25:13). Phinehas’ bold obedience resulted in blessing on his descendants for hundreds of years, right down to Ezra!

The lesson for us who have godly parents is, we can either disobey the Lord and deprive our descendants of God’s blessing, or we can be bold in obeying the Lord and bring His blessing on our descendants. But the point stands in Scripture, that God’s blessing flows through family lines. We never obey or sin in isolation. That sobering thought should motivate us to follow the Lord.

Comments:

C. God’s blessing refers to God’s doing above and beyond what human effort can produce or expect. - Just before He fed the 5,000, Jesus asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” John adds, “This He was

Page 46 saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do” (John 6:5-6). Philip does a quick calculation and answers, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” Philip and the disciples didn’t have 200 denarii, which was about 200 days’ wages. Even if they could scrape together that much, it would not have been sufficient for everyone to receive just a little! But Jesus could do far beyond what human calculations and effort could ever hope to do. The result was that the people all ate “as much as they wanted” (John 6:11), and they even gathered up twelve baskets full of leftovers, a full basket for each disciple!

God’s hand of blessing on Ezra is seen in that this pagan king “granted him all he requested” (7:6). The king’s grant is stated in the letter that he gave to Ezra (7:12-26, written in Aramaic). To summarize, the king granted five things: (1) He authorized Ezra to go to Jerusalem and insure that God’s law was both taught and observed (7:14, 25). (2) He provided a generous grant to buy supplies and temple vessels for the temple worship (7:15-20). (3) He commanded the treasurers in the provinces to supplement anything else that Ezra needed, up to 3 3⁄4 tons of silver, 600 bushels of wheat, 600 gallons of wine, 600 gallons of olive oil, and salt without limit (7:21-22). (4) He exempted all temple officials and workers from taxation (7:24). And, (5) he authorized Ezra to set up a judicial system to see that these laws were obeyed and that violators were properly punished (7:25-26).

That is no doubt far more than Ezra dreamed that a pagan king would grant to him. From the king’s perspective, it was wise and cost-effective policy. He had already had trouble with Egypt revolting. He figured that if he granted political and religious self-governance to the Jews, they would live contentedly under his reign. Also, his superstitions motivated him: He didn’t want to incur the wrath of the God of heaven (7:23). By providing generously for the people who followed this God to worship Him as He prescribed, Artaxerxes hoped that this God would be nice to

Page 47 him and his sons. But God used the king’s superstitions and political strategies to bless His people through His servant Ezra.

Verse 27 makes it clear that it was none other than God who put it into the king’s heart to beautify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. But Ezra still had to go and ask for it (7:6). Sometimes the Bible compresses a lot into a passing phrase (“the king granted him all he requested,” - 7:6)! To go before such a powerful monarch and his counselors and powerful princes (7:28) and ask for such extravagant provisions for a subject people whom the king easily could have exterminated, took some courage! The source of Ezra’s strength is stated: “Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me” (7:28).

Thus we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling, and yet at the same time, it is God who is at work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). God’s blessing involves and requires our working, and yet it goes far beyond anything that we can do. But, how does that blessing come?

Comments:

2. God’s blessings come to those who study and obey His Word. - I realize that Ezra was specially gifted for the role of teaching God’s Word, and that not all are so gifted. But whether you are gifted to teach in a formal way or not, you are nonetheless required to learn God’s Word so that you know how He wants you to live. Every Christian wants to live in a manner pleasing to the Lord. To do so, you must grow in your understanding of His Word.

Modern critics sit in judgment on God’s Word. The proper order is to allow the Word to sit in judgment on us! Some Bible scholars believe that Ezra wrote the great Psalm 119, which extols God’s Word for 176 acrostic verses. Ezra 7:6 says

Page 48 that he was “skilled in the law of Moses.” The word “skilled” means “swift” or “ready,” implying that Ezra was quick to understand and put together the various parts of God’s Word. While giftedness has something to do with it, skill also requires effort and practice. Ezra had “set his heart to study the law of the Lord” (7:10). It was a deliberate decision on his part to spend time in God’s Word.

Even if you are so gifted, studying God’s Word will not happen automatically and spontaneously. You have to discipline yourself to do it, and the minute you let up, other things will crowd out the Word. We all lead busy lives. We all have the same number of hours in our day. We all must make decisions about how we spend those hours. Will I read the paper, watch TV, play computer games, or get into God’s Word?

When you do spend time in the Word, make sure that your bottom line is obedience. Ezra “set his heart” not only to study God’s Word, but also “to practice it” (7:10). It is nonsense to say that you want God’s blessing while you are knowingly living in disobedience to His Word. The goal of Bible study is not to fill our heads with facts, although facts are important. It is to change our hearts and lives into conformity to Jesus Christ. Note, by the way, that Artaxerxes trusted Ezra’s character and integrity to the extent that he gave him enormous material resources and told him to use it for the temple. If anything was left, he told him to do with it according to the will of his God (7:18)! Ezra’s obedience was obvious to this pagan king. Our obedience should be obvious to those in the world who know us.

Comments:

3. The study and obedience of God’s Word are the foundation for teaching it to others. - Again, not everyone is gifted to teach in a public setting. But whatever you have gleaned from God’s Word and incorporated into your daily life ought

Page 49 to be passed on to others whom God puts in your circle of influence. If you teach others what you know in your head but do not practice in your life, you become like the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day—hypocrites. This does not mean that you must be perfect before you teach God’s Word, but it does call for the integrity of admitting your shortcomings and the honest effort to apply it to yourself. Thus we all should seek God’s blessing above all else. His blessings come to the ones who study and obey His Word. Such study and obedience are the foundation for imparting the Word to others, whether personally or in public settings. Finally,

Comments:

4. The final end of God’s blessing should be our glorifying God for His abundant mercy. - After Ezra cites the incredible letter from King Artaxerxes, he breaks forth in praise to God (7:27-28): “Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart...and has extended lovingkindness to me...Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me...” Ezra didn’t take credit for devoting himself to studying God’s Word or for his bold presentation to the king. He gave all the credit to God for His abundant mercy. Any good that appears in anyone’s heart, whether in a believer’s heart or in the heart of a pagan king, comes from God who deserves all the glory. When God blesses us, our response should be to bless God for His great mercy in using such imperfect vessels as we are.

Comments:

Page 50 Read Chapter 8 Aloud

Introduction: Last week we looked at the life that God blesses. This week we are looking at the work that God blesses. This chapter gives the account of the journey of a few thousand exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem under the direction of Ezra. This is a second wave (much smaller than the approx. 50,000 the first time). The phrase, “the hand of our God,” which we saw in 7:6, 9, & 28, occurs three more times: 8:18, 22, & 31. We learn three ingredients in the work that God blesses: God’s hand of blessing is upon the work that seeks to honor Him by trusting faith, by meticulous integrity, and by God-centered worship.

Honoring God is the major thrust of the chapter. Ezra refused to accept an armed escort from the king because he had told the king how God would protect His people (8:22). So these people put their faith on the line by venturing out into a robber-infested desert with no human protection. Also, Ezra wanted to honor God by a strict accounting of the silver, gold, and other resources that they were trans- porting to Jerusalem, thus demonstrating integrity. And, the reason that these people were making this difficult and dangerous journey was to honor God by worshiping at His house. -- I believe these three principles still hold true to us today...both our work as individual Christians and the work of our church.

1. God blesses the work that seeks to honor Him by TRUSTING FAITH. Ezra’s humble, trusting faith in the Lord shines through in two ways: in the roster of people who were willing to commit themselves to this difficult enterprise; and, in making the journey without armed protection. We learn:

Page 51 A. We honor God by trusting Him to raise up godly, qualified leaders and people for the work.

It is one thing to go and ask the king’s permission to lead a delegation of exiles back to Jerusalem. But it is another thing actually to get volunteers to commit to the difficult task of giving up their comfortable situations in Babylon and to make the move back to an uncertain future in Israel.

The list of names (8:1-14) begins with priestly families (8:2), then those from the royal line of David (8:2b-3a), followed by 12 “lay” families (8:3b-14). The number of men listed plus some Levites and temple servants assembled later (8:15-20) brings the total to somewhere around 1500. The women and children would then maybe bring the group to around 5,000.

It was no small task to organize a pilgrimage of approx. 5,000 people, including children; along with possibly livestock, provisions for the journey, and just all their things. It would have been a major logistical undertaking for this 900 mile journey, possibly taking months. The group began on the first of the first month (7:9), but they paused for three days at a canal or river that runs to Ahava (8:15). As Ezra took stock of things, he discovered that there were no Levites present. There were three groups of priests, all descended from Levi: (1) the high priest; (2) ordinary priests; and, (3) the Levites, the lowest order, who cared for the service of the sanctuary. The temple servants (8:20, “Nethinim”) assisted the Levites in their tasks.

It may be that none from these two groups had joined the returning exiles because of the hardship of returning or the bottom of the ladder status of their tasks at the temple. But, irregardless, they were essential if the priests were to be freed up to do their work. So Ezra selected nine leaders, along with two men called

Page 52 teachers or leaders (8:16) and sent them to Iddo, seemingly a leading man among these Levites. He briefed this delegation on what they should say (8:17). “And according to the good hand of our God upon us they brought” back “a man of insight” along with some other Levites, totaling 38 men (8:18-19). Also, 220 temple servants were persuaded to accompany the returning exiles. These 258 men and their families had very short notice to make the decision to return, to pack up and join the waiting group, which started out across the desert on the twelfth day of the first month (8:31). But, in trusting faith they came. In the Lord’s church today, deacons are just as needful to a good working congregation, as are bishops. In the home, the wife as her husband’s helpmeet is just as needful as the man who brings home the bacon. In the body of Christ, not all are eyes and ears, some are hands and feet...and all contribute a necessary function for the edification of all.

Comments:

Three observations:

(1) God’s work requires workers as well as leaders. All the parts of the body of Christ are necessary for the proper functioning of the whole. If you are a believer in Christ, you’re a part of His body, the church, and you have a role you can play in the kingdom, no matter how small you view that role. Workers are just as vital to the Lord’s work as leaders. Which part of your physical body would you like to do without? Just so, every part of the body of Christ is crucial!

Comments:

Page 53 (2) Leaders in the Lord’s work should be male. This list numbers the men, omitting the women and children. They are called “the heads of their fathers’ households” (8:1). The New Testament is clear that the role of elder is limited to men (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9), and that women are not to function as teachers over men (1 Tim. 2:11-15). Deacons are to be married men. In the home, husbands are the heads of their families (Eph. 5:22-6:4). We should not cave to our cultural norms or society’s expectations by adopting equal roles in the church or home.

Comments:

(3) Leaders must be godly in character and capable. The men whom Ezra sent are called “leading men” and “teachers” (8:16). One of the men they re- cruited is called “a man of insight” or understanding (8:16). Also, when Ezra en- trusts these men with the gold and silver that they are to safely transport to Jeru- salem, he reminds them, “You are holy to the Lord” (8:28). Ezra was thankful (8:18) that the Lord raised up godly, qualified men to serve in leadership positions along with him. -- Likewise, local churches need godly leaders, pastors, deacons, evangelists, and teachers. God will bless the work that honors Him by trusting Him to raise up godly, qualified leaders and workers.

Comments:

B. We honor God by trusting Him to protect our work and our families from the enemy.

Page 54 The chapter does not reveal the details of how and when Ezra told the returning exiles that there would not be any armed guards accompanying them on the return trip! But, we read nothing about people bailing out when they heard the news. Nor is there mention of any group of dissidents crying out, “This is insane! It’s suicide to venture out into that hostile, robber-infested desert, loaded with gold and silver, with no military protection!” But apparently, none protested.

Ezra reports, “I proclaimed a fast...that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions” (8:21). He then explains that this was necessary because he had told the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him” (8:22). Be- cause of this, Ezra was ashamed to ask for a military escort. “So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty” (8:23). “The hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes along the way” (8:31). Thus the group safely arrived in Je- rusalem.

It’s interesting that later Nehemiah, who was also a man of faith, accepts the king’s protection for his trip (Neh. 2:9). There is no indication that he was sinning or lacking in faith for so doing. This raises a thorny question: When is it wrong to use human means in addition to trusting the Lord? I think that the normal pattern is to trust God while thankfully using the means that He provides. You pray for protection on the highways, but you fasten your seat belt and drive carefully. You pray for healing, but you go to the doctor and take the prescribed medicine. You pray for a job, but you prepare a resume, dress appropriately, and go for job in- terviews. God normally expects us to use the means He provides, along with faith in Him.

Page 55 But sometimes using human means will lead us away from trust in the Lord. Of- ten, this is an individual matter before the Lord. For example, Paul strongly repri- mands the Corinthians in I Cor. 6 for going to law when there were disputes among brethren. Paul, himself, sometimes used his Roman citizenship to avoid troubles, but on other occasions he waited until after the trouble or never brought it up at all. We just need to be sure that we’re seeking to honor God and that we are consciously trusting Him.

Our text shows that as God’s people seeking to do God’s work, we need to recognize that there are enemies and ambushes along the way (8:31), and thus we desperately need “God’s hand over us” to protect us. The enemy is seeking to destroy us and our little ones (8:21) by tearing apart families and by bringing down church leaders and its members. Knowing that there are enemies and ambushes along the way, we must humble ourselves and seek God’s protection through prayer, and in special times of need, through fasting. God will bless His work through us when we seek to honor Him in simple trusting faith.

Comments:

2. God blesses the work that seeks to honor Him by METICULOUS INTEG- RITY.

If the king thought that Ezra’s God really existed, he would have wanted to give a gift fitting for a king. When you add in the gifts from the king’s counselors, princes, and the Jews who did not return (8:25), it added up to a sizable amount...tons of gold and silver and other valuables...possibly equal to millions of dollars today. Ezra was concerned to give a report back to the king that the entire

Page 56 amount was delivered to Jerusalem without any of it being skimmed off through greed and corruption.

Thus he parceled the items out by weight and let them know that they were accountable to deliver that amount to God’s house in Jerusalem. When they got there, everything was numbered and weighed, recording the numbers (8:34). Per- haps some of the leaders grumbled, “Doesn’t he trust us? Why does he have to weigh everything on both ends and write it all down? After all, God is watching all that we do.” But, they were careful to be faithful in their stewardship.

The apostle Paul says regarding the careful handling of the gift for the poor in Je- rusalem, “We have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men” (2 Cor. 8:21). If we do not follow proper accounting procedures, it exposes workers to temptation and to accusations. Judas was steal- ing from the bag he held for Jesus...and such has continued down through the ages to be a problem for Christians.

We need to be scrupulous in matters of financial integrity, even on small matters. Open books, regular reporting, multiple counters, etc. all help to keep things open and above board and beyond the slightest hint of suspicion. Though this matter of integrity extends beyond financial integrity to the whole of a man’s character, still God says he who is faithful over a little, will be faithful over much...and God views faithful money management as one of those small things (Luke 16). Meticulous integrity is another reason that God’s hand of blessing was upon Exra and why the work in his hands was blessed.

Comments:

Page 57 3. God blesses the work that seeks to honor Him by GOD-CENTERED WORSHIP.

The whole aim of this arduous undertaking of moving 5,000 people across 900 miles of desert was to worship God by offering sacrifices at His temple in Jerusa- lem (8:35). The chapter repeats the phrase, “the house of [our] God” six times in reference to the temple (8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36). Worshiping God at His house was so important to these exiles that they were willing to suffer hardship, danger, and great inconvenience to move back to Israel.

As soon as they got back to Jerusalem, rested, and accounted for the items for the temple, they offered sacrifices to the Lord. The entire Old Testament sacrificial system pointed forward to the Lord Jesus Christ, who offered Himself on the cross as the atonement for our sins. Thus our worship must always focus on Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If we exalt Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross, God will honor His work in this church, which is the household of God (I Tim. 3:15) and in your own temple (body) life. Let us seek to keep that as the focal point of this church’s purpose and mission and in our lives individually.

Comments:

Page 58 Read Chapter 9 & 10 Aloud (skip difficult names to pronounce)

Chapter 9 relates Ezra’s reaction to a sin of some of the exiles who had returned to Israel after the Babylonian captivity. About four and a half months (7:9, cf. 10:9) after he led a remnant back to the land, it was reported to him that many people in Israel, including many priests, Levites and other leaders, had sinned by inter- marrying with the peoples of the land, thus sharing in their abominations.

Ezra, the priest did not take the news in stride...rather, he tore his clothes, pulled some hair from his head and beard, and sat down appalled and speechless until the time of the evening offering. By then a number of godly people had gathered around him. Ezra arose, then fell to his knees, lifted his hands to the Lord, and confessed the great sin of his people, identifying himself with them, although he personally had not sinned in this regard. His prayer teaches us a few things...

1. The godly reaction to sin is to recognize it from Scripture. How do we know what is right and wrong? A popular song a few years ago asked, “How can it be wrong when it feels so right?” I hope that most Christians know that feelings are not a solid basis for determining right and wrong. Some say that we should follow our consciences, but the conscience is only reliable to the degree that it has been formed by Scripture. Ezra was appalled when he heard about these Jews marrying pagans because he knew that God’s Word condemned it. He laments (9:10), “For we have forsaken Your commandments,” and he goes on to cite God’s prohibition against intermarriage with the pagans of the land of Canaan. Deuteronomy 7:1-4 says there were seven nations they were forbidden to intermarry with. Ezra and the leaders who reported this sin to him knew that it was sin because God’s Word declared it to be sin.

Page 59 When the princes reported that the holy seed had been intermingled with the peoples of the land (9:2), their concern was not racial corruption, but rather, moral corruption. In the original command, God explained the reason for the prohibition: “For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods”. This was a prohibition against only certain nations, to prevent the corruption religiously that would follow. No racial or skin color reasons given.

A lesson for us is that mingling with the world is dangerous and can corrupt our morals - I Cor. 15:33. Blending in with the world rather than being distinct from it has plagued the church down through the centuries. James 4:4 bluntly says, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

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2. The prayer of Ezra reveals what sin does to people. Satan always sugarcoats sin to make it look appealing. Ezra’s prayer reveals where the nation’s sins had led them (9:7): “...on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder and to open shame ....” Four times he refers to the people as an escaped remnant (9:8, 13, 14, 15), showing how the formerly strong nation had been decimated. He repeatedly uses words like “slaves,” “bondage,” and “ruins” (9:8-9) to describe the condition of the people. He acknowledges that if they do not repent, God may destroy them so that no remnant survives or escapes (9:14).

Page 60 God’s Word plainly warns that sin not only enslaves and eventually destroys the sinner; it also takes a toll on others. That may not be apparent overnight, but by faith we see it to be true and seek to avoid it.

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3. The godly reaction to sin is to mourn over it. When Ezra heard of this sin of God’s people, he tore his garment and robe, pulled some hair from his head and beard, and sat down appalled for hours. His reaction probably seems extreme to us, and in part it may have been culturally the times, but, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). Strong heartfelt conviction over sin is an essential preliminary to true repentance...and subsequent joy or comfort.

A Christian’s response to sin, whether his own or the sin of other believers, should be to mourn. That attitude stems from trembling at the words of God (9:4). The godly reaction to sin is to mourn over it. -- II Cor. 7:9-11 is a good description of what true godly-sorrow-producing-repentance looks like.

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4. Sin is to be confessed without excuse to the God. Ezra affirms God’s righteousness in His past punishment of Israel by sending them into captivity: “O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous” (9:15). In 9:13 he acknowledges that God has given them less than their sins deserve. The implication of 9:14 is that if God were to give them what they deserved now, He would totally wipe them out.

Page 61 5. Confession submits to God’s righteous dealings without complaint. There is not even a hint of complaint on Ezra’s part that God has not been fair. He does not point to any extenuating circumstances. Perhaps there was not an ade- quate supply of Jewish women for these exiles to marry, which led them to marry foreign wives. Rather than complaining about God’s judgment, Ezra readily ac- knowledged that God would be justified to inflict much more punishment than He had.

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6. Confession agrees with God concerning His view of our sin. We are prone to minimize our sin by calling it a shortcoming, a fault, a tendency. Ezra admits his shame because “our iniquities have risen over our heads” (9:6). In other words, “We’re drowning in a flood of our sins.” He refers to their “great guilt” because of their iniquities that led to the captivity (9:7). He admits to forsaking God’s commandments by joining with the uncleanness, abominations, and impurity of the peoples of the land (9:10-11). He refers again to their “evil deeds” and “great guilt” (9:13) for breaking God’s commandments and committing these abominations (9:14). He does not gloss over their sins as no big deal.

7. Confession casts the sinner on God’s undeserved mercy. Ezra’s prayer casts himself and the nation on God’s undeserved mercy. Ezra made his prayer at the time of the evening offering (9:5). Perhaps the smell of the sacrifice encouraged his heart that God has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to Him. The Old Testament sacrifices pointed ahead to the shed blood of God’s perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through faith in Christ’s blood applied to our hearts, we can draw near to God for cleansing from all our sins.

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Page 62 Now, to a few lessons from chapter 10...The Bible is clear that there is both genuine and false repentance. Twice Pharaoh told Moses, “I have sinned” (Exod. 9:27; 10:16), but he did not truly repent. Esau felt bad and wept over giving away his birthright, but he did not truly repent (Heb. 12:17). Judas felt remorse over betraying Jesus and even said that he had sinned (Matt. 27:4), but he did not fully repent. If we want to be right before God, we must make sure that our repentance is genuine.

10:11 sums up what the exiles who had married forbidden people must do to correct the situation: “Make confession to the Lord God of your fathers, and do His will.” The people wept bitterly over their sin (10:1). But, their confession before God, if it was genuine, would have to be more than sorrow...and more than words only. It would also manifest itself in obedience to do His will.

1. Genuine repentance requires a plan of action. A spokesman for the people, Shecaniah (10:2), proposes to Ezra that the people make a covenant to correct the sin. Ezra acted on Shecaniah’s proposal by calling the exiles to Jerusalem, where they all shivered in the cold rain (10:9). They agreed that they had sinned and, except for four men who opposed the plan (10:15), agreed to the plan of action. A commission was appointed to examine each case.

2. Genuine repentance must be primarily toward God. Ezra was prostrating himself and praying “before the house of God” (10:1). She- caniah admits, “We have been unfaithful to our God” (10:2). It was with God that they made this covenant because they trembled at His commandment (10:3). They needed to confess their sins to the Lord and do His will (10:11).

Page 63 While sin always hurts other people and we need to ask their forgiveness when we sin against them, sin is first and foremost against God Himself. That is why David, after committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered, said, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). He wrote (Ps. 51:4), “Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” Certainly David had sinned against Bathsheba and even more so against her husband, Uriah. But those sins were nothing in comparison with David’s offense against the holy God. Thus our sin is primarily against God, which means that our repentance must be primarily toward Him also.

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3. Genuine repentance accepts the responsibility for what we have done. If there is any blaming, it is not genuine repentance. If there are any excuses, it is not genuine repentance. Genuine repentance says, “I have sinned,” or “we have been unfaithful” (10:2). But as you know, we live in a culture where everyone is a victim because of some psychological “disease” for which they are not responsible. But genuine repentance always accepts full responsibility for what we have done.

4. Genuine repentance takes prompt action to correct our sins. True repentance requires not only admitting our wrong to God and others, but also taking steps of obedience to correct our wrongs. With some sins, such as murder- ing or permanently injuring someone, we can never fix the wrong we committed. Some problems are so complex that they cannot be corrected instantly, as is stated in 10:13. But that should not be an excuse for not taking action at all. We should devise a plan that can lead us into full obedience to Christ. Repentance should take place as quickly as possible.

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Page 64 5. Genuine repentance corrects sin, even when it is difficult to do so. Sometimes our sin results in problems for which are no easy solutions. This was one of those situations. But, to allow those in mixed marriages to continue in them would seemingly condone such behavior and would draw many Jews into religious compromise.

Paul said with reference to tolerating sin in the Corinthian church, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:6). If the problem had not been confronted, it would have spread even farther. To break up these marriages meant separating fathers from their wives and children, who would be sent back to their pagan roots. It is a strange way to conclude a book, but a dramatic point is made...this was not an easy thing to do.

Should believers today who find themselves in religiously mixed marriages divorce their mates? Clearly not! It is clear that if a believer is in such a relationship, he or she should live in a godly manner, seeking to hopefully win their spouse to Christ by his or her behavior (1 Cor. 7:12-16; 1 Pet. 3:1-6). But, if the unbeliever chooses to leave, the believer is not bound to compromise their faith in God in order to keep it together. The believer must obey God rather than man.

But there is another way that our text applies to us today: Just as separating from their pagan wives (and, in some cases, children) was a difficult and painful thing to do, so we must separate ourselves from our sins, no matter how difficult or painful. Jesus said, If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire - Matt. 18:8-9. Jesus uses shocking language to get us to see how serious sin is and that we must take radi- cal action to get it out of our lives, even when it is very difficult.

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6. Genuine repentance may be potentially divisive, but must be done. Verse 15 mentions in passing that four men opposed the proposed covenant to divorce these pagan women. Ezra could have been attacked as being an insensitive, unloving, self-righteous man who had no compassion for all these hurting people. Some may have thought that Ezra was wrong to force all the Jews into the covenant under the threat of confiscating their property and excluding them from the assembly (10:8). But, as a leader of God’s people, Ezra had to maintain standards of righteousness or the whole community might become tainted by sin and a few dissenters must not be permitted to stop that.

The application for us is that church discipline can sometimes not please the whole church. The discipline of the immoral brother of I Cor. 5 is said in II Cor. 2:6 to have been done by the majority. I Cor. 11:19 reads...For there must be also here- sies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. -- But if a sinning member refuses to repent after the biblical steps are followed (Matt. 18:15-17), the Bible is clear that he must be removed from the fellowship. Sometimes, maintaining the purity of the church will not please 100% of the congregation. But, that is just the way it will have to be.

Page 66 Nehemiah

Read Chapter 1 Aloud

People cry about a lot of things. They cry at weddings...they cry at funerals. Par- ents sometimes cry at the birth of their children and grandchildren....they may cry when they leave home. People cry at sad movies. What about crying over a broken wall? As we look at the life of Nehemiah, we will learn many qualities of godly service and leadership. The book falls into two broad sections: Rebuilding the Wall (chapters 1-7); and Rebuilding the People (chapters 8-13). Ezra’s theme was renewals...Nehemiah’s will be rebuilding.

Brief background: Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in or around 444 B.C., about 13 years after Ezra had returned there. He was a leader whom God used to pull off a phenomenal feat: he instilled a vision and motivated the returned exiles in Jeru- salem to rebuild the walls of the city. In spite of much opposition and numerous hurdles, they accomplished the task in just 52 days! The second temple had been rebuilt for about 70 years, but the walls that Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed in 586 B.C. were still in ruins, leaving the city defenseless against enemy attacks. As we saw in Ezra 4, an attempt at rebuilding the walls had been made a few years before. But when some Samaritans and other pagan residents of the land had complained, Artaxerxes issued a decree to stop the project.

The story opens with Nehemiah serving as cupbearer to this same Artaxerxes at his winter capital in Susa when he had a life-changing conversation with his brother, Hanani, and some other men who had just come from Jerusalem. Ne- hemiah inquired about the condition of the city and the people. They responded, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned Page 67 with fire” (1:3). Nehemiah knew most of these facts before this. The wall and gates had been destroyed over 140 years before. But this graphic firsthand description of the scene by Nehemiah’s brother, including the news of things after the ban by Artaxerxes, devastated Nehemiah. He wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed for days, entreating God to do something about these deplorable conditions. God responded by doing something—through Nehemiah! We learn at least three things...1) The person God uses has a burden for His people...2) he has a vision for His purpose...and 3) he has a commitment to His purpose. Nehemiah saw the great need, which burdened his heart. He also saw what God wanted to accomplish. And, he committed himself to see it through in spite of the many difficulties. Let us examine each of these closer and make application today.

1. The person God uses has a BURDEN for His people. When you compare the date of 1:1 with the date of 2:1, we see that Nehemiah did not hear about this need and immediately rush in before the king with his request to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. Rather, he approached God in prayer and fasting for four months before the opportunity arose to talk with the king. This was not likely four uninterrupted months of fasting and praying, but these actions were predominant during this time. This burden or weighty matter was heavy for awhile. When God use someone, in some capacity, the first thing He may do is to burden his heart with the situation. And this may not be something impulsive, but an accumulating heaviness. But, it begins to weigh heavy on one’s heart and mind. Notice these three aspects of Nehemiah’s burden...

A. Nehemiah’s burden stemmed from FEELING the people’s great need. Other Jews in Babylon had probably heard about the conditions in Jerusalem, shaken their heads and said, “My, my! That’s too bad!” They went back to their work in Babylon thinking, “What a tragedy!” But they were not burdened by the

Page 68 need of God’s people in the land. But the man that God used to do something about it not only heard about the need. He felt their need. He wept, mourned, fasted and prayed for days about what he had heard. He just couldn’t put it out of his mind. God used that burden as the basis for action.

It was once said of Jesus, “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38)

Bill Clinton used to say, “I feel your pain”...well that is what all good people of God should do...feel each other’s pain. The words of a familiar hymn say, “When each can feel his brother’s sigh and with him bear a part...when sorrow flows from eye to eye and joy from heart to heart.” -- If we are going to be useful in the hand of God to aid our brethren and neighbors, then we somehow have got to become emotionally moved by their plights. We just have to care.

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B. Nehemiah’s burden was focused by seeing the people’s great SIN. Nehemiah was realistic in assessing the problem. He quickly realized that at the heart of things was not a lack of organization, although they desperately needed someone to organize things, which Nehemiah subsequently did. The root problem was not a lack of resources, although the project required resources. The root problem was sin. So he prayed, “confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses” (1:6-7).

Page 69 The Bible is clear that at the root of all our problems, both worldwide and personal, is sin. Why are there wars and terrorist attacks? Sin. Why is there famine and disease? Sin. Why are governments and businesses riddled with greed and corruption? Sin. Why is the church not fulfilling its purposes? Sin. Directly, or indi- rectly, it will always be traceable to sin. On the personal level, why do couples ar- gue and have problems communicating? Sin. Why do kids from Christian homes rebel against God and their parents? Sin. Whatever the problem, you can trace its roots back to sin, either to the consequences of the original sin of Adam and Eve, or directly to the sins of the people with the problems. If God is going to use us to help alleviate any great need, we need to keep clear in our focus, that at the root of the problem is human sin.

But it’s not just the sins of others that we need to be aware of. We also need to be aware of and confess our own sins. Notice how Nehemiah included himself with the sins of the people. Staying aware of our own sins keeps us humbled before God and others so that we don’t sit in judgment on them. We go to other sinners with the mentality of relating well to their problem and sharing the news of mercy which we have experienced and hope they will receive, too.

We today must not get distracted from the root problem. If we start thinking that the real need is better organization or more funds or better methods, we’ll start at the wrong place. The root need is for repentance on the part of God’s people, who have forgotten His purpose and are living for their own purpose. And lost people need repentance so that they can be reconciled to God. Nehemiah’s burden stemmed from feeling the people’s great need. It was focused by seeing the people’s and his own great sin.

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Page 70 C. Nehemiah’s burden was lightened by seeing the people’s great GOD. He begins his prayer addressing God: “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments” (1:5). Toward the conclusion he reminds God (and himself) of God’s promise to gather His people from the most re- mote parts where He has scattered them for their disobedience. Then he prays (1:10), “They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.” Five times in that verse he repeats “you” and “your” as if to say, “These aren’t my people, God; they’re Your people.”

God wants us to feel the burden for others, and to get involved in helping them bear their heavy load, but always remembering that it is not our power, but His power, that redeems them. I like how Paul puts it in II Timothy 2...And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

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2. The person God uses has a VISION for God’s Purpose. If Nehemiah had lacked a vision of God’s purpose, when he heard about the conditions in Jerusalem he would have said, “Why be bothered about Jerusalem? We live in Babylon and have lived here for over 100 years. What’s the big deal about Jerusalem anyway? Why not just settle down and worship God here?” But Nehe- miah knew something about what God wanted to do with His people (1:9): “I ... will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.”

Page 71 Babylon would not do. God’s purpose involved His name or His glory being made known in Jerusalem. Nehemiah envisioned this result.

God’s purpose in our age involves the church. We live in such a man-centered age that we easily can fall into the error of thinking that God’s purpose for church is to make people happy. Though God does want people to be happy, that is not God’s ultimate aim. The church is all about showing forth God’s glory (see Ephesians 3:10, 21)...proclaiming His praises (I Peter 2:9)...and notice in this passage the emphasis...Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am fill- ing up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:24-28)

We must not lose sight of the ultimate goal of what we are doing religiously. And when dealing with others remember that ultimate goal as well.

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3. The person God uses has a COMMITMENT to His purpose. Nehemiah didn’t hear about the sad conditions in Jerusalem and say, “That’s too bad! I hope that somebody does something about it.” Rather, he was willing to commit himself to the task and to stick with it in spite of numerous difficulties.

Page 72 Good intentions are needful to getting things done, but good intentions never get things done. There has to be a commitment to the work felt and envisioned. Note two things about Nehemiah’s commitment:

A. He was willing to sacrifice for the sake of God’s purpose. Nehemiah notes that he was cupbearer to the king (1:11). The cupbearer was a high position in the court. His responsibility was to choose and taste the wine before it was served to the king to make sure that it was not poisoned. He would have likely been a handsome man, well-trained in court etiquette. He would have to be a friendly companion, willing to lend an ear and even to give advice to the king. Since he enjoyed closest access to the king, he was a highly trusted man. Early documents also reveal that the cupbearer could be the keeper of the royal signet, be in charge of administration of the accounts, and even serve as second to the king.

Nehemiah lived in the palace at Susa with the king. Excavations have shown that it was built with cedar, gold, silver, and ivory. The walls were decorated with artisti- cally colored glazed bricks and relief designs of winged bulls. Nehemiah would have eaten the best food, worn the best clothes, and lived in very comfortable quarters. It was a cushy job! We do not know why he had not returned with the remnant with Ezra 13 years before. Perhaps, like Daniel and his friends, he had been conscripted into the king’s service as a young man and was not free to leave. But now when he hears about the distress of God’s people and the dishonor to God’s name, he cannot be happy in this great job and these luxurious surroundings. He was willing to give it all up, make the difficult journey to Jerusalem, and to set about the stressful job of mobilizing the people to rebuild the walls so that God’s name would be honored among His people.

Page 73 Was it a costly sacrifice? Absolutely. But, like the apostle Paul, he counted it all rubbish so that he might gain Christ. We, too must be willing to spend and be spent on the altar of servicing others. But, the sacrifice is worth it.

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B. He was willing to overcome obstacles for the sake of God’s purpose. The rest of the book of Nehemiah is an account of how he overcame one obstacle after another. There was overt and covert opposition from enemies. There were problems within the ranks that could have stopped the work. But Nehemiah persisted and the wall was completed in 52 days!

If you try to do anything in service for the Lord, you will face obstacles and opposition. Some of it will come from the world, but sometimes it comes from within the church. You have to realize up front that you will encounter problems and commit yourself to God and His purpose to endure.

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Read Chapter 2 Aloud

Overview: One of the refreshing marks of young people is their idealism. But as you mature, you learn that the real world cannot be perfect as you had envisioned. Following Jesus does not guarantee a problem-free life. In fact, it often gets us into deeper trouble. But, part of maturity is learning to deal with the world as it is,

Page 74 not as we would like it to be. Its easy for a new Christian to be very idealistic about serving the Lord. And this is quite refreshing actually. But, there is a danger if they do not anticipate the harsh realities along the way, they may grow disillu- sioned and give up on the Lord. On the other hand, we must not either be so cyni- cal that we become ineffective in the service of God.

Nehemiah faced real problems, but he moved through them to great accomplish- ments. This chapter shows us three things: To serve God realistically, we must learn to wait on Him, to work with people, and to wrestle wisely with problems. Waiting on God, working with people of all sorts, and wrestling wisely with a steady stream of problems are essentials of finishing the course that God has set before us.

1. To serve God realistically, we must learn to WAIT ON HIM. The chapter begins with a chronological note that, compared with 1:1, shows us that four months elapsed between the time that Nehemiah heard the report of Je- rusalem until his opportunity to speak to the king. During that time, Nehemiah was so burdened by the news that he wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed for God to do something about the grievous situation in Jerusalem.

Compared to other men in the Bible whom God used, four months was a pretty short wait. Abraham waited over 25 years for God to give him Isaac. Joseph spent time as Potiphar’s slave and then two years in prison before God elevated him to second beneath Pharaoh. Moses spent 40 years in the desert before God used him to bring Israel out of Egypt. David spent much of his prime years of young adult- hood running from King Saul before finally becoming undisputed ruler. The apostle Paul spent three years alone in Arabia and more years in obscurity in Tarsus before the Lord began to use him in a more significant manner. Those whom God uses must learn to wait on Him. Good things come to those who wait.

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Waiting is hard! It seems like life is too short, anyway. Time’s a wasting! And then, God puts you on hold. What do you do while you wait? Nehemiah did three things.

A. While waiting, Nehemiah PRAYED. The prayer that we looked at last week (1:5-11) was probably not a one shot deal. It is a summary of what Nehemiah prayed over and over again during those four months as the burden for Jerusalem weighed upon him. Throughout the book, we find Nehemiah praying no less than 11 times in 13 chapters!

Many of these are just sentence prayers, like the one in our text (2:4), but they reflect the fact that in any and every situation, Nehemiah looked to God in prayer. He is an example of a man who prayed without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). Consider more Nehemiah’s prayer in 2:4. The king notices that Nehemiah is sad in his presence, which was a breach of protocol. Kings liked to be surrounded by happy people. This could have caused Nehemiah to lose his job or even his life. Some think that he deliberately staged this sadness, but I think rather that on this particular day, Nehemiah inadvertently let his sorrow over Jerusalem show on his face, leading to this encounter. The gravity of his situation is seen in that he was “very much afraid” (2:2). But, it was the opportunity that he had been waiting for...but when it actually came, he was terrified. How did he handle it?

“So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king....” It had to be a silent, instantaneous cry of “Help, Lord!” Or, “Lord, give me wisdom now!” This quick sentence prayer rested on four months of extended praying. It shows that Nehemiah depended on the Lord in every situation. As 2:8 shows, Nehemiah didn’t attribute the king’s favorable response to good luck. Rather, “the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.”

Page 76 One reason God makes us wait on Him IS to teach us to depend on Him in prayer. If He immediately granted everything we ask for, we’d grab the goodies and forget God. But when we wait on God in prayer, we learn to seek God Himself and to depend upon Him in ways that we never would learn any other way. And, when the answer finally comes, we realize that it is because of one reason: “the good hand of our God was upon us.” Thus we give Him all the glory He deserves.

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B. While waiting, Nehemiah developed PATIENCE. Waiting reveals our impatience and teaches us to be patient. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that God wants to develop in all of His children, but especially in leaders. An impatient leader can cause a lot of problems if he reacts impetuously in a cri- sis. Nehemiah didn’t hear about the scene in Jerusalem and immediately rush into the king’s presence asking for a year’s leave of absence because God had called him to Jerusalem. For four months he concealed this heavy burden from the king and presented it to God in private, until God finally opened the opportunity to talk with the king. Only then did Nehemiah move ahead.

His patience is also seen when he arrived in Jerusalem. He could have ridden into town with his cohort of soldiers and announced, “I have come to help you rebuild the wall! We’ll have a meeting in one hour to disclose my plan!” But he waited three days before doing anything, and even then he moved cautiously, keeping his purpose concealed until the right moment.

Off the cuff, shooting from the hip, reactionary, impulsive actions about grave matters of spiritual concern do not usually turn out well. Proverbs teaches us that a foolish man speaks impulsively, but a wise man ponders and considers before an- swering.

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C. While waiting, Nehemiah PLANNED. The chapter shows that Nehemiah had been doing a lot of advance thinking and planning. When the king asked how long he would be gone, Nehemiah didn’t vaguely say, “Well, that’s up to the Lord!” He gave him a definite time. While we later learn (5:14) that he was in Jerusalem for 12 years, probably he finished the wall, then returned to report to Artaxerxes, and then came back to serve as governor.

Not only did Nehemiah give the king a definite time, he also laid out some definite requests that show that he had been doing some careful planning (2:7-8). He requested letters from the king to the governors of the provinces to allow him to pass through their territory. He asked for a letter to the keeper of the king’s forest, to get timber for making repairs to the walls and gates, and for a house for himself. When he got to Jerusalem, he assessed the situation firsthand and obviously did some thoughtful planning as to how to approach the project.

Prayer and planning are not at odds with each other. Many Christians think that it’s unspiritual to plan. They will say, “Let’s just trust the Lord,” which being inter- preted means, “I don’t have a clue what to do” It’s true that we can go to the other extreme of being so elaborate in our plans that we trust the plans, not the Lord. But Nehemiah shows the biblical balance.

And notice how planning ahead causes one to foresee problems and plan accord- ingly. To have contingency plans. This, too is not necessarily lacking in faith in God and prayer, but is using the wisdom He gives in answer to prayer.

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Page 78 2. To serve God realistically, we must learn to WORK WITH PEOPLE. It’s easy to be idealistic about serving God until you meet the actual people that you have to work with! Suddenly you realize the truth that Linus shouted, “I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand!” Nehemiah was sensitive to people and he responded with tact. But when needed, he confronted with uncompromising strength. There are three types of people he dealt with in our chapter:

A. Nehemiah knew how to work with an unbelieving king. This was an especially difficult situation in that the king was Nehemiah’s boss who literally had the power to make Nehemiah’s head roll! That’s why Nehemiah was very much afraid when the king asked him why he was sad in his presence. You didn’t rain on this man’s parade without sometimes severe consequences! Also, the king had previ- ously stopped the work on the wall in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:21). The decrees of the kings of the Medes and Persians were proverbial about being unchangeable. Now Nehemiah wants to convince this Persian king to reverse his policy about Jerusa- lem! It was no easy task!

How did Nehemiah do it? As we’ve seen, he moved the king through private prayer. It is amazing how God can soften the hearts of the most difficult people if we will spend time asking Him to do so! Talk to God before you go to talk to a difficult person.

Also, Nehemiah had gained the king’s respect through his competence on the job. The king’s inquiry about how soon Nehemiah could return shows that he wanted him to come back! Nehemiah’s trustworthy character and his loyalty to the king had been obvious over the time that he had worked for the king. Every Christian should be A CHARACTER REFERENCE FOR CHRIST on the job.

Page 79 Also, Nehemiah was tactful and sensitive in how he spoke to the king. He never mentions Jerusalem by name—that might have been a sore spot with the king! He refers to it in personal terms, as the place of his fathers’ tombs, a point that this pagan king could relate to. If you have to speak to an unbelieving boss about a difficult subject, think about how he will receive it and speak in a manner that he is certain to identify with.

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B. Nehemiah knew how to relate to demoralized believers. The Jews in Je- rusalem believed in God, at least intellectually. But they had lost hope. They had tried to rebuild the wall, but had been shot down. They were likely to resist this outsider coming in and telling them to try something that they knew could not be done. Some may not even have seen the need. Others would warn that if you tried to rebuild the wall, you’re only going to stir up the opposition of the surrounding governors.

Nehemiah’s careful, secretive preparations once he got to Jerusalem show that he anticipated some resistance to his proposal. So he spent three days doing his homework and thinking about how to present this in a way that would overcome the objections. After that he called the Jewish leaders and people together and began by stating the problem very plainly (2:17): “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire.” He also identified himself with them in the problem. It wasn’t their problem; it was our problem. He didn’t blame them for things but neither did he gloss over the fact that we have a problem.

Then, he appealed to a need that they all felt, “that we may no longer be a reproach.” They all knew that a defenseless Jerusalem was a joke to the surrounding

Page 80 neighbors. They sensed that Nehemiah had come to seek their welfare (2:10). Fi- nally, he told them how God already had been favorable as seen in the king’s favorable response. Perhaps he showed them the letters from the king and the req- uisition for the timber. Their instant response was that of hope: “Let us arise and build!”

There’s an art to working with people and learning to motivate them to accomplish great things for God. Some leaders err by becoming people-pleasing politicians. They want everyone’s approval, so they tell people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. But they erode trust because people quickly realize that they are manipulative and do not speak the truth.

Other leaders err by telling it like it is, but without sensitivity and tact. They don’t take the time to listen to people and understand where they’re at and how they feel about things. Nehemiah teaches how to combine wisdom and tact with truth.

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C. The third group Nehemiah had to work with was the enemies. Sanballat was the governor of Samaria to the north. Tobiah ruled the Ammonites to the east. Geshem was the leader of the Arabs to the south. They all opposed a fortified Je- rusalem because it threatened their political positions. They didn’t care at all about the plight of the Jews, much less about the name of the Lord being exalted in Je- rusalem. So they were very displeased (2:10) and joined together to ridicule the project and accuse the people of rebellion against the king (2:19).

Nehemiah demonstrates both wisdom and courage in dealing with these enemies. He was wise in that he sensed, “This is no time for diplomacy. I need to meet these enemies head-on.” Any meeting to hear their concerns or to work out a

Page 81 compromise would have been a mistake. So Nehemiah courageously confronted them and drew the line between them and God’s people so that they could not join the project with the goal of sabotaging it. He didn’t even use the clout of the king’s letters, but rather spiritual clout: “The God of heaven will give us success” (2:20). Any time God’s people say, “Let’s arise and build,” the enemy will say, “Let’s arise and stop them.” A godly leader must have the discernment to know when to work with people and when to confront and oppose them.

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3. To serve God realistically, we must learn to WRESTLE WITH PROBLEMS. Any time you try to do anything significant for God, there will be problems. The enemy will see to that! We’ve already seen how Nehemiah dealt with the problem of the enemies. But also, he had to face the problem of the destroyed wall. He began with a realistic firsthand appraisal of the situation. In one place, the rubble was so bad that he couldn’t ride his horse or mule through the debris. As the leader, he needed to know exactly how bad things were so that he could develop a realistic, practical plan of action. Nehemiah didn’t gloss over the problems. He describes it to the people as “a bad situation.”

Again, we need balance here. Some leaders refuse to acknowledge how bad things are. People in the trenches will feel that he’s out of touch and it undermines his leadership. Other leaders are so engulfed by the problems that they lose hope and those he is leading follow. Nehemiah realistically saw the problem and, as we will see, broke it down into manageable units in order to get the job done.

Conclusion So to serve God realistically, we must wait on Him for His timing, work with different sorts of people, and wrestle with problems.

Page 82 Read Chapter 3 (excerpts) Aloud

Introduction: Nehemiah 3 provides an account of how the labor in rebuilding the wall of Jerusa- lem under Nehemiah’s leadership was divided up. Why did God include this de- tailed listing in Scripture? What does He want us to learn from it? It shows us the importance of working together to accomplish God’s purpose.

1. To accomplish God’s purposes with others, we need a common vision. You can’t work together if everyone has a different notion of what you’re trying to accomplish. If one man had thought that the purpose was to construct a decora- tive fence, but the next guy envisioned a fortress, the project would not likely have been completed. They needed to agree on a common vision so they could work together harmoniously. -- The New Testament in many places stresses the need for unity..and sometimes we can think that means we stay bound together in times of difficulty. And while this is true, it also means that a band of saints ought to strive to go forward together in common objectives and goals.

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2. To accomplish God’s purposes with others, we need dedicated leaders. People need leaders to motivate and organize them for any cause. The people listed in Nehemiah 3 had been living there for years. But the wall didn’t get built until God raised up Nehemiah to lead the charge. It’s interesting that Nehemiah is never mentioned in chapter 3 (3:16 refers to a different man), but his leadership is behind the whole chapter. He did at least six things that good leaders do:

(A) A leader must not mind if the credit goes to others. -- Nehemiah didn’t want a huge sign over the main gate or a bronze plaque reading: THE NEHEMIAH

Page 83 MEMORIAL WALL. Rather, Nehemiah was committed to the task. He wanted the wall to be built so that God’s name would be exalted in Jerusalem and His people would no longer be a reproach. Nehemiah knew that God would recognize his efforts and that was enough.

(B) A leader must motivate people. -- The Jews had been back in the land for 90 years, but the wall hadn’t been built. But then Nehemiah came along and got everyone excited about the idea. They went to work and put up the wall in record time, in spite of opposition. -- Motivation is a key to productivity. The difficult thing about motivating a group of people is that what motivates some turns off others. Even Nehemiah couldn’t get the nobles of Tekoa to join the project (3:5). But, motivate most, he did.

(C) A leader must plan and organize. -- It is obvious from the smooth operation outlined in chapter 3 that Nehemiah had done some extensive planning and organizing. He broke the project down into manageable units. He assigned the available workers to the various units and worked to coordinate them so that everything fit together.

(D) A leader must delegate. -- Nehemiah couldn’t possibly have done all this work by himself. He had to entrust it to the workers and give them the authority to get the job done. Sometimes, it is easier to do the job yourself rather than to delegate it. But as the job grows in size, the necessity of delegation grows.

(E) A leader must oversee. -- Delegating does not mean dumping or dictating! To dump something on someone and walk away from it is not effective leadership. To dictate every detail is not to delegate with proper freedom. While Nehemiah delegated the work, you can be sure that he went around inspecting the progress, talking to his leaders, helping them keep things moving toward the goal. In 3:20,

Page 84 he notes that Baruch zealously repaired a section of the wall. Apparently, Nehe- miah knew not only who was doing what, but also how they were doing it.

(F) A leader must not get distracted by those who are not co-operative. Nehemiah 3:5 mentions in passing the nobles of Tekoa who refused to join the project. To the nobles’ shame, the people of Tekoa built two sections of the wall, and some nobles from other towns rolled up their sleeves and went to work (3:9, 12). But Nehemiah didn’t expend any energy on the nobles of Tekoa. Rather, he worked with the many willing workers. Those who didn’t get involved were the los- ers in the long run.

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3. To accomplish God’s purposes with others, we need willing workers. The people heard Nehemiah’s vision and they responded, “Let’s arise and build” (2:18). Working together they accomplished what no one could have accomplished individually. While some worked in front of their own homes, many others came from outlying cities to help. Everyone couldn’t do the same job. Some worked on the walls. Others worked on the gates. Hanging a large gate is not an easy task! Some were strong enough to carry heavy stones or bricks. Others had to do lighter work. But each worker was important to the cause. The priests (including the high priest) got involved building the Sheep Gate and a portion of the wall (3:1). Some of the workers were goldsmiths and perfume makers by trade (3:8). They weren’t used to this kind of rugged labor. One man made repairs with his daughters (3:12)! Malchijah (3:14) repaired the Refuse (or Dung) Gate. It was at the south of the city, and opened to the Kidron Valley where the people brought all their trash to burn. If he is the same Malchijah mentioned in 3:31, he was a gold- smith by trade, and he also helped out with repairs on another part of the wall. There were probably a lot more volunteers to repair the Fountain Gate than there

Page 85 were for the Refuse Gate! But Malchijah realized that the job needed to get done, and he was willing to do it for the cause.

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Conclusion: 1 Peter 4:10-11...“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Read Chapter 4 Aloud

Introduction: We need to be ready for opposition to godly projects and know how to respond to it. If we only had chapter 3, we might get the impression that the work on the wall went without a snag. But such was not the case. There is a series of advances and setbacks through chapters 3-6...and there is a good lesson right there...large ad- vancing can include smaller setbacks and still advancement takes place. Chapters 4-6 show us some of the problems that had to be overcome in the process of rebuilding the wall. The first defense against the enemy is to be aware of the kinds of opposition that he uses. We will look first at the various forms the opposition takes and then at how we are to respond.

Page 86 1. If you know Jesus Christ and attempt to accomplish anything for Him, the enemy will oppose you. -- Our text reveals at least six types of opposition:

(A) The anger of others against you. -- Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, became furious and very angry (4:1,7). The Hebrew word means “burning mad.” A secure and independent Jerusalem would threaten his hold on the area and undermine his control of the trade route through the region, thus hurting his economy. In anger over what Nehemiah was doing, Sanballat threatened to stop the work by violence if necessary. Satan often uses the anger of others to try to squelch the joy and zeal of a believers.

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(B) Mockery and sarcasm. -- Sanballat and his buddies gather within hearing distance of the wall and ask a bunch of sarcastic questions (4:2): “What are those feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices?” After each rhetorical question, his cronies probably roared with laughter. Then Tobiah threw in his sarcastic barb, “if a fox should jump on [this poor excuse for a wall], he would break [it] down.” -- Satan frequently uses ridicule against those who take a stand for the Lord. If you become a Christian and let it be known, your acquaintances may mock you and call you a holy Joe. They will be waiting for you to fall into some sin, so that they can hoot about it: “We knew you were no different. Christians are a bunch of hypocrites!”

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(C) Threats and intimidation. -- If anger and ridicule don’t work, the enemy gets more aggressive. Nehemiah’s enemies had to be careful, since he was working under Artaxerxes’ permission. They couldn’t just rally their troops and march

Page 87 on Jerusalem, or they would be charged with rebellion against the king. But they could and did use threats of violence (4:8, 11), which they circulated among the Jews living near them (4:12). -- Satan still uses threats and intimidation to oppose Christians.

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(D) Discouragement and exhaustion. -- Apparently there was a discouraging proverb or work song that circulated among the workers at this point (4:10): “The strength of the burden bearers is failing, yet there is much rubbish; and we ourselves are unable to rebuild the wall.” The people were wearing out and the piles of rubbish didn’t seem to be diminishing. They had lost their earlier heart for the work that had resulted in the wall rapidly being built to the halfway mark (4:6). People have lost the initial zeal and all they can see are the piles of rubble still waiting to be removed. They feel like quitting. When you first get on fire for the Lord, it’s exciting. Every Bible study you go to seems fresh and challenging. Your times in the Word and in prayer are rich with new discoveries. You just can’t get enough of it. But somewhere down the line, the newness wears off. You begin to notice the piles of rubble in your own life and in the church, problems and sins that just don’t seem to go away. You begin to grow weary, wondering if all your efforts are making any difference for the cause of Christ. Your weariness leads you to discouragement.

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(E) Negativism. -- The criticism and mockery (in 4:2-3) came from the enemy without. The negativism in 4:12 came from the Jews themselves who lived near the enemy. These people were not involved in the work of rebuilding the wall. That is significant! They lived near the enemy, and thus were constantly exposed to his

Page 88 negative attacks on the work. And, they weren’t involved personally in the work. They came repeatedly, “ten times” to warn Nehemiah and those working on the wall, “They will come up against us from every place where you may turn.” -- In- variably, negativism IN the church comes from professing Christians who live near the enemy and are not involved in the Lord’s work. Such negativism is the enemy of faith.

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(F) Fear. -- Fear is the cumulative effect of all of the above factors (4:14). The people had seen the enemy’s anger and had heard their mockery and threats. They were wearing down through exhaustion. Then they repeatedly heard gloom and doom from their fellow Jews who lived near the enemy. Nehemiah saw their fear and exhorted them not to be afraid. -- Satan uses fear to paralyze God’s people and keep them from attempting anything significant for the Lord. Maybe it’s a fear of failure. Maybe it’s a fear of rejection. It may be a fear of conflict.

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2. Nehemiah’s responses to the enemy’s opposition

(A) They lifted their voices in prayer. -- Often when we face opposition, our first response is to get angry and hit back or defend ourselves. But our first response should always be prayer (4:4, 9). Prayer reminds us that God rules, even over those who are attacking us. -- But what about Nehemiah’s prayer in 4:4-5? It doesn’t seem to fit with, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44)! Should we pray as Nehemiah prayed? First, this is not a prayer for personal vengeance, but rather a prayer that God would act to judge sinners.

Page 89 Second, since these enemies were hindering God’s work, it was a prayer that God would judge those who oppose His kingdom and glory. We need to guard our hearts against any selfish motives or personal delight in seeing our enemies brought down. But we must also remember that the saints will rejoice when God finally judges the wicked (Rev. 18:20). If our hearts are right, we can pray that God would subdue the enemies of the cross, either by conversion or by His justice. Prayer should be our first response to opposition.

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(B) They put their hearts into the work. -- “The people had a heart to work” (4:6). Although there was a slight pause while Nehemiah organized the militia, they didn’t abandon the work to chase down the enemy. They didn’t allow the enemy’s threat to get their focus onto other issues. -- There are times when it is necessary to refute false teachers and defend sound doctrine and oppose those who oppose the truth. But, there is also a time to ignore them, to withdraw from them, to give them no heed.

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(C) They kept their eyes on the enemy in vigilance. -- Nehemiah prayed first, but then he set up a guard. “Trust God and keep your powder dry!” Also, notice that Nehemiah’s prayer did not make the enemy go away; instead, the enemy upped the threats to attack! Prayer isn’t a magic cure-all. Prayer doesn’t mean that you can ignore the enemy’s threats or pretend that they don’t exist. Nehe- miah was vigilant to arm the workers and post guards around the clock. Also, he put into place a warning system, so that wherever the trumpet was blown, the workers would quickly rally there to defend their families and the city. The workers didn’t take off their clothes at night so that they would be ready to defend the city.

Page 90 They looked like the minutemen of our early colonists...a gun in one hand and hoe in the other. Vigilance! -- Christians must not be oblivious to the dangers that come from our adversary the devil, who prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8). If you don’t want to fall victim to the enemy, you’ve got to set up a defense against him in advance.

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(D) They kept their minds focused on the Lord. Nehemiah reminded them (4:14), “Remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.” The people were discouraged because they had gotten their focus onto the enemy’s threats, the piles of rubble, and all the work left to do. Nehemiah rightly directed their focus back to the Lord who is great and awesome and to the things that were at stake if they yielded to the enemy, namely, their families. -- When opposition hits, it’s easy to get your focus off the Lord and onto your problems. At such times stop and, as Paul says, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2). Keep your mind focused on the Lord!

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Page 91 Read Chapter 5 Aloud

Introduction: As we saw in chapter 4, Nehemiah did not have smooth sailing in trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Chapters 4 & 6 mostly show how he had to face much opposition without. Chapter 5 shows how he had to deal with conflict from within. In the middle of the project, Nehemiah has to assemble the populace to deal with this internal problem that threatened to sabotage the work. -- The problem (5:1-5) centered on the complaints of the poorer Jews against the wealthy Jews who were either ignoring their desperate needs or were actually making those needs worse through exploiting them. Things were made worse by a famine, so that those who owned property were forced to mortgage their fields, vineyards, and houses in order to get food. Others had to borrow in order to pay the king’s tax on their lands. Some were even forced to sell their children into slavery to their fellow Jews in order to pay their bills. In disregard of the Mosaic law that forbade a Jew from loaning money at interest to a fellow Jew in need (Exod. 22:25; Deut. 23:19), the wealthier Jews were not only charging interest (“the hundredth part” [5:11] means 1% per month, or 12% per year), but also they were taking Jewish children as slaves as collateral for the loans. They were operating as heartless businessmen, putting their own financial gain as foremost, without regard for how it hurt their poorer brethren and their families. Nehemiah saw these problems as serious enough to stop the work on the wall long enough to get them resolved. The way he dealt with things and the people’s response show us some biblical principles for resolving conflicts, both in the church and in our private lives.

1. To resolve conflicts biblically, people must air complaints to the proper authorities. We do not know whether the people who were being wronged had first gone to those exploiting them without getting things resolved. That is always the first step

Page 92 when you think that someone has wronged you, to go directly to the person and try to get things resolved (Matt. 18:15). But at this point, they brought their complaint to Nehemiah, or at least he heard about it. There is a basic and yet often overlooked principle: a leader cannot deal with problems that he is unaware of. Sometimes he cannot deal with problems even when he is aware of them, of course. But without exception, it is impossible to deal with problems when you do not know about them. -- It is amazing how often people air their complaints to everyone except the leaders who could perhaps do something to help. They always have an excuse: “I just wanted to see if anyone else felt the same way that I feel.” Or, “I just need to air my feelings.” Or, “The elders are too busy and they won’t listen anyway!” So they circulate through the church, stirring up dissension and dis- unity, but the leaders may not even know that there is a problem. -- But to talk to everyone in the church except those who can do something about the problem just stirs up dissension and spreads gossip. To resolve conflicts or problems biblically, go directly to the person responsible and talk about the problem. If someone comes to you with a complaint, ask if he has talked to one of the elders. If not, direct him to do so before he talks to anyone else. Many misunderstandings can be resolved at this level without causing larger problems in the church.

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2. To resolve conflicts biblically, leaders must deal with complaints in a godly manner. Nehemiah is an example of godly leadership here. He could have told these people, “I’m busy on this wall. Come back in six weeks and we’ll talk.” But Nehemiah realized that the problems were significant and the people were upset. So he inter- rupted his attention on the wall to listen and help resolve this matter. He did five things that leaders should do:

Page 93 (1) He got righteously angry. -- It may surprise some to read (5:6) that Ne- hemiah got very angry when he heard these complaints. There seem to be two ex- tremes in Christian circles today. Some think that all anger is wrong. Sometimes Christians who think this deny their own anger, even when it is evident to everyone else. Others, buying into modern psychology, say that anger isn’t right or wrong—it just is. They say that we should express it and own up to it. The Bible clearly teaches that most anger is sinful, but that some anger is righteous (Eph. 4:26, 31). Jesus got angry at the hardness of heart of the Pharisees (Mark 3:5), but He did not sin. If our anger is directed against the sinful treatment of others and if we allow it to move us toward constructive means to try to resolve the problem, it may be righteous anger. If it involves some wrong committed against us, it may be righteous, but probably sinful selfishness and pride are mixed in with it, and so we should be very careful to examine our motives before God. It is right to get angry about sinful practices such as child abuse, pornography, abortion, ra- cism, and the mistreatment of women. It would be sinful to respond with violence toward those who perpetrate such sins. We need to check ourselves to make sure that we direct our righteous anger righteously. That’s what Nehemiah did.

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(2) He exercised self-control. -- Before Nehemiah contended with the ones guilty of exploiting the poor, he consulted with himself (5:7). That is significant! He didn’t go off in a rage to blast those who were wrong. He stopped, cooled off, thought and prayed things through, and only then took action. Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” We all, but especially leaders, need to exercise self-control when we get angry.

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Page 94 (3) He followed the principles of biblical confrontation. -- It’s easy to get angry but then to cool off and do nothing. After all, it is difficult and uncomfortable to confront those who are causing a problem. It is especially difficult to confront those who happen to be rich and powerful, as these men were. What if they got defensive and withdrew their support of the project? What if they began to view Nehemiah as an enemy? They could use their clout to cause a lot more damage. Maybe Nehemiah should stall for time until the wall was finished. But he didn’t do that.

First, he privately confronted those guilty of mistreating the poor (5:7). We do not know whether this involved a single meeting or a series of meetings, and whether Nehemiah was alone or whether he took some trusted leaders with him. But the biblical pattern for resolving conflict is, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you” (Matt. 18:15-16a). While Nehemiah did not have our Lord’s teaching on this, he seems to have followed this pattern of private confrontation before any public confrontation. Did Nehemiah succeed in private? We don’t know for sure, but probably not. There is no recorded response from the nobles at this point. So Nehemiah moved to public confrontation.

Then, He called a great assembly and spelled out the problem. He rebuked the leaders (5:8) by pointing out how he and others had redeemed their Jewish brothers who had been sold to the nations, but now it was Jews themselves who were selling their brothers into slavery. They could not find a word to answer. He further stated that their behavior was not good in that their enemies would mock the Jews for their mistreatment of their own people (5:9). -- Some think that Ne- hemiah (5:10) is admitting his own past failure in lending money at interest to his fellow Jews (based on the plural “let us leave off the usury”), but I think that he is

Page 95 just using the plural to identify with these men. Nehemiah had loaned money in accordance with the Law, without charging interest. He is appealing to these wealthy men to join him in doing the same. He asks them to give back to the poor their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the interest that they had charged. -- There are many Christian leaders who are afraid to confront sinners with their sin, whether in private or in public. This fear increases when the person in sin is rich and powerful. But we must follow Nehemiah’s example of confronting those who are in sin. Nehemiah exhibited proper righteous anger under control. His anger gave him the courage to confront those who were wrong.

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(4) He set a personal example of godliness. -- One reason that Christians hesitate to confront those in sin is the fear that the one confronted will point his finger back at the one doing the confronting, exposing areas where he is in sin. So they say, “Judge not, lest you be judged,” and let things go. Nehemiah shows us that leaders must be above reproach, proving to be examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:1-4). He had spent his own money to redeem fellow Jews from slavery (5:8). He had loaned them money without interest (5:10). We don’t know at what point Ne- hemiah had been appointed governor, whether before he went to Jerusalem the first time or some time after the wall was finished. But in 5:14-19, he adds his own example as governor over a 12-year period, not out of pride, but to give an example to other leaders to follow. His practices give us several important principles for leaders.

(a) He laid aside his rights and did not take advantage of his position and power (5:14-15). -- He rightly could have demanded a food allowance as his predecessors had done by taxing the people and then sending their servants out to collect the tax with force. The governor had a right to such an allowance, and

Page 96 Nehemiah could have imposed it. After all, he had 150 Jews and officials at his table daily, besides those who came in from surrounding nations (5:17). To feed them required one ox, six choice sheep, plus poultry and wine every day (5:18). But Nehemiah set aside his right to the governor’s food allowance and apparently bore these costs out of his own pocket. -- Many Christian leaders fall into the trap of thinking that their position gives them certain rights and power. We should follow the example of the Lord Jesus, who laid aside His rights to take on the form of a servant and be obedient even to death on a cross.

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(b) He feared God and cared about hurting people (5:15b, 18b). -- Nehe- miah gives two reasons why he bucked the trend of his predecessors and laid aside his rights: He feared God (5:15b), and he was concerned “because the servi- tude was heavy on this people” (5:18b). Every man in leadership must constantly remember that he is only a servant under God, and that he must answer to God someday. This is not “my” church; it is Christ’s church, and I am just His under- shepherd. Fearing God means that we should not do things as others, even other Christians, do them. We must fear God first and foremost. And, we must care about hurting people. To add to the burden of those who are already burdened would be insensitive and unloving.

(c) He was generous and ready to share (5:17-18). -- It cost him to feed everyone out of his own pocket, but he was willing to do it so that he didn’t have to impose a burden on these already burdened people. A leader must be an example of generosity.

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Page 97 (d) He was committed to the work (5:16). -- Nehemiah reports that he applied himself (or “held fast”) to the work on the wall, and neither he nor his servants bought any land. Nehemiah and his servants probably knew in advance that real estate prices would shoot up once the wall was completed. They could have bought up land cheaply before announcing the project and then sold the land at a tidy profit. But the soldier in active service does not get entangled in everyday af- fairs, so that he may please the one who enlisted him (2 Tim. 2:4). Nehemiah kept his focus on the work. So should we.

(e) He worked for God’s approval (5:19). -- Nehemiah was not working for man’s applause, but for God’s “well done.” He mentions it to God in prayer not as if he thought he had hereby merited any favor from God, as a debt, but to show that he looked not for any recompense of his generosity from men, but depended upon God only to make up to him what he had lost. We all should labor for God’s approval and reckon it enough, even if people do not say “thanks.”

When Nehemiah confronted the people with their wrong behavior, they agreed to give back the money and do as Nehemiah had requested (5:12). But Nehemiah didn’t say, “That’s wonderful, God bless you!” He did something else that leaders must do:

Comments:

(5) He required accountability. -- Nehemiah knew that human nature is full of good intentions that never make it into practice. So he made these rich men take a public oath before the priests, that they would follow through. Then, in the tradi- tion of the prophets, he dramatically shook out his robe in front of them and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied”

Page 98 (5:13). That’s making them sign on the dotted line! Surprisingly, no one said, “Don’t you trust us?” Leaders need to hold people accountable to their promises before God and others.

Thus to resolve conflicts biblically, people must air complaints to the proper authorities. Leaders must deal with those complaints in a biblical manner. Finally,

Comments:

3. To resolve conflicts biblically, people must be willing to SUBMIT to God, to His Word, and to godly leaders. Sadly, when leaders confront people with wrongdoing, all too often the people either react with anger and defensiveness, or they just move on to another church or drop out of church altogether without dealing with their sin. But thankfully, there are a few victories, such as we see here. These nobles and rulers accepted Nehemiah’s rebuke without fighting back. They could see that their behavior disobeyed God’s Word, it hurt their fellow Jews, and it gave their enemies cause to mock them and their God (5:9). They were willing to face up to their own greed and to pay back those whom they had taken advantage of. And, they were not only willing to be held accountable, but they did it with praise to God (5:13)!

Conclusion: Hebrews 13:17 gives an exhortation that sounds strange in our day when people have no concept of being under spiritual authority: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be un- profitable for you.”

Page 99 Read Chapter 6 Aloud

Introduction: The apostle Paul warned, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). Our enemy has used deception, trickery, and other schemes to try to destroy or at least neutralize God’s people from doing what He has called them to do. If we want to finish our course and accomplish His purpose for our lives, we must learn how to resist Satan’s schemes.

In his goal of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah had to stand up to the violent threats of the enemy (chapter 4). He had to deal with internal conflict between the wealthy and poor Jews (chapter 5). He is almost done now. The breaches in the wall have been repaired, and the wall is complete except for the doors in the gates. But the enemy has not given up. In chapter 6, he hits again with four schemes: intrigue (6:1-4); innuendo (6:5-9); intimidation (6:10-14); and, infiltration (6:15-19). In the first three schemes, Satan moved first and Ne- hemiah had to respond. In the last situation, Nehemiah won the victory of the completed wall, but Satan responded with his scheme of infiltration.

1. Satan’s scheme: Intrigue. Nehemiah’s response: Firm in his priorities (6:1-4).

A. Satan especially targets leaders with his schemes of intrigue. Christian leaders have a target on their chest. If Satan can bring down the leader, he will cause extensive damage to the flock. But whether you’re a leader or not, the enemy uses the same schemes to try to sabotage your walk with God. Note two things:

Page 100 (1) Satan uses subtle deception and plausible sounding appeals, but his intent is to destroy us. “Come, let’s meet together. We should try to iron out our differences. You’re in favor of peace, aren’t you? Don’t you want good relationships with your neighbors? We just want to foster mutual understanding.” It all sounded so good, but Nehe- miah rightly perceived that their intent was to ambush him if he went.

Satan still uses all sorts of innocent-sounding appeals to lure believers into a trap. Many Christian leaders get lured into Satan’s trap of compromising sound doctrine for the cause of unity. I have heard over and over again, “The Bible does not say that the world will know us for our correct doctrine, but for our love. We need to set aside the matters that divide us and come together on the matters we agree on.” -- The apostle Paul strongly opposed the Judaizers of his day. These men claimed to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. They believed that He is the Jewish Messiah. Why, then, did Paul oppose them? Because they said that in addition to believing in Jesus, you had to be circumcised to be saved. They added this biblical work to salvation in Christ. And Paul said, “Let them be condemned”. He said that if you add circumcision or any other OT God ordained work, you are severed from Christ, you have fallen from grace (Gal. 5:4). Satan’s aim is to destroy you through subtle deception and plausible sounding appeals. “Are you against Chris- tian unity? What’s wrong with you?”

Comments:

(2) Satan is relentlessly persistent in his schemes. They sent messengers to Nehemiah four times with the same invitation. Four times he sent back the same answer, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (6:3). “What part of no don’t you understand?”

Page 101 Just because you resist the devil once, don’t think that he is going to give up and leave you alone! He will hit you again and again with the same temptation, to wear you down. Look at how Delilah wore Samson out with the same request, to tell her the secret of his strength. Finally, he yielded and the enemy triumphed. How did Nehemiah resist this scheme of intrigue?

B. Nehemiah resisted Satan’s intrigues by standing firm in his priorities. “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” He wasn’t being arrogant. It was just that he knew that what God had given him to do was important for the Lord’s sake and for His people’s sake. And it was not quite finished. Walls without gates were as effective as no walls at all. His priority was to finish the wall. He didn’t allow an unnecessary meeting with the enemy to distract him from that one aim.

As believers, our chief priority is to glorify God by knowing and serving Jesus Christ and by being conformed to His character. Anything that pulls you away from that priority, is a ploy of the devil. Beyond that, we have other priorities in accordance with our abilities...so that we must not even get distracted from the highest priorities with other things, even good things, but of a lesser concern at the time.

Comments:

2. Satan’s scheme: Innuendo. Nehemiah’s response: Forthright rebuttal coupled with prayer (6:5-9). After four frustrated attempts to lure Nehemiah into an ambush, the enemy shifted tactics. He sent an open letter to Nehemiah that contained a rumor accusing him of plotting to rebel and become the king. The word was that he had hired prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem that he was the new king. The letter also contained a not-

Page 102 so-veiled threat that if he didn’t want these nasty rumors to get back to King Ar- taxerxes, he needed to agree to a meeting (6:5-7). This shows us that...

A. Satan spreads slanderous false rumors against godly leaders. Normally letters between officials were sealed and private. Sanballat knew that the servant who delivered this letter would read it, and so would countless other people along the way. The nice thing about a rumor is, you only have to launch it with one gossip, and it will spread like a virus from person to person, growing more malicious as it travels. Invariably, such rumors attack the character and the motives of a godly leader. “Did you know what Nehemiah was planning?” “No, but I had wondered why he was working so hard on that wall. It sure makes sense!” How did Nehemiah respond to this scheme of the devil?

Comments:

B. Nehemiah resisted Satan’s innuendoes with the truth and with prayer. Falsehoods usually carry their own refutation somewhere about them, and sting themselves to death. Some lies especially have a peculiar smell, which betrays their rottenness to every honest nose.... Your blameless life will be your best de- fence, and those who have seen it will not allow you to be condemned so readily as your slanderers expect. Yet there are exceptions to this general rule. When distinct, definite, public charges are made against a man he is bound to answer them, and answer them in the clearest and most open manner. To decline all in- vestigation is in such a case practically to plead guilty, and ... the general public ordinarily regard a refusal to reply as a proof of guilt.

Since this open letter was a serious public accusation against Nehemiah, he did not remain silent. First, he sent a message back to Sanballat stating the truth and firmly denying the charges: “Such things as you are saying have not been done,

Page 103 but you are inventing them in your own mind” (6:8). Then, he shot up another of his sentence prayers, “But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” -- Leaders must pray for God’s wisdom as to whether to remain silent or to reply to false accusations. But however we respond, prayer and keeping on with the work that God has given us to do are always right.

Comments:

3. Satan’s scheme: Intimidation. Nehemiah’s response: Fearlessly obey God (6:10-14).

A. Satan uses religious people to scare us into wrong behavior that would ruin our reputation. Here the enemy combines deception with intimidation and fear. A prophet named Shemaiah was confined at home. We do not know if he was ill or if he was doing this as a part of the drama. He was not outwardly with the enemy, although Ne- hemiah would later discern that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him (6:12). Ap- parently they had also hired or at least influenced a prophetess named Noadiah and other Jewish prophets to try to frighten Nehemiah (6:14). But Shemaiah called for Nehemiah and then suggested that the two of them meet within the temple and close the doors, adding “for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night” (6:10).

Here was a man claiming to have a word from God that could save Nehemiah’s life! “Hide in the temple while you can, because the enemy is going to kill you some night while you are asleep!” If Nehemiah had followed this counsel, he would not have been a good leader, and even more, he would have sinned. If he had gone into hiding, his example of fear would have spread fear among the workers on the wall. And, not being a priest, Nehemiah would have disobeyed God’s law by

Page 104 going into the temple (Num. 18:7). Non-priests could flee for protection to the horns of the altar in the temple courtyard (1 Kings 1:50; 2:28; Exod. 21:14), but they could not enter the temple itself. If Nehemiah had acted in fear and fled to the temple, his enemies would spread the evil report to ruin his reputation (Neh. 6:13).

Be careful when someone claiming to be a Christian invites you to do something that you know is wrong. He may use scare tactics to get you to go along with whatever it is: “Everyone does this. If you don’t join in, nobody will like you. You won’t get invited to any more parties if you don’t drink and do drugs with everyone else.” It is the enemy, trying to scare you into sinful behavior to ruin your reputation and faith. Don’t yield! How did Nehemiah respond?

Comments:

B. Nehemiah resisted Satan’s intimidation with fearless obedience and prayer. “Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in” (6:11). Nehemiah didn’t perceive until this point that God had not sent Shemaiah, but that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him (6:12). One thing that gave Nehemiah this insight was that he knew God’s Word and that a true prophet would never counsel someone to do something against God’s Word. It is always right to obey God’s Word no matter what the threatened consequences may be. It is always wrong to disobey God’s Word, even if it looks like your disobedience will gain you something good. It is better to lose your life, if it so happens, in the path of obedience to God than to save your life through disobedience. So Nehemiah refused Shemaiah’s counsel and he then reverted to his common practice of taking his situation to God in prayer, asking God to take care of his

Page 105 enemies (6:14). When Satan sends people to intimidate you to disobedience, respond with fearless obedience and prayer.

The result of Nehemiah’s staying the course is almost anticlimactic: “So the wall was completed ... in fifty-two days” (6:15). So the final section leads off with Ne- hemiah’s victory, followed by the enemy’s response:

4. Nehemiah’s victory: The finished wall. Satan’s scheme: Infiltration (6:15-19).

A. Nehemiah’s persistent resistance gained the victory for the Lord. When the enemies and surrounding nations saw that the wall was completed, they lost their confidence. They had to admit that this work had been accomplished because of God (6:15). All of the enemies that Sanballat had drawn into his plots against the Jews only widened the circle of God’s glory when the wall was finished. Even though Nehemiah and the workers on the wall had worked hard, not even their enemies attributed their success to their hard work. Rather, they knew that it was from God.

That should be a model for us. We should work as hard as if the success depended on us, but all the while we should lean totally upon the Lord, remembering that unless He builds the house and guards the city, we labor in vain (Ps. 127:1). We want even God’s enemies to glorify Him (1 Pet. 2:12).

Comments:

B. Satan lost the battle, but he didn’t give up. He infiltrated the ranks. Tobiah, the governor of the Ammonites, was probably a nominal half-Jew (his name is Jewish, meaning “Yah is good”). Furthermore, he was related by marriage

Page 106 to at least two influential Jews (“nobles,” 6:17), and he had business contracts (“bound by oath,” 6:18) with these men. They were not only in frequent contact by mail, but they often told Nehemiah about Tobiah’s “good deeds,” and they reported to Tobiah things that Nehemiah said in their presence. But Tobiah showed his true colors by writing threatening letters to Nehemiah.

Satan often uses such espionage. He infiltrates the ranks of the church with secret agents that profess to be believers. But their hearts are in the world, and they oppose godly men like Nehemiah who expose their spiritual indifference and sin. This section gives us three practical lessons:

(1) Do not expect perfection in Christian work. We can expect God to accomplish significant advances for His kingdom through our labors, even as Nehemiah did by rebuilding the wall. But until Jesus comes back, there are no endings that go, “And they lived happily ever after.” Even after the wall was built, the enemy infiltrated the ranks and stirred up further trouble. We will never see a perfect church in this fallen world, and if we expect such, we will quit in frustration. Trust God to use you to advance His cause, but don’t fall into the trap of perfectionism or nothing.

(2) We must never put confidence in our work, but only in the God who enables us to work. Nehemiah couldn’t kick back and admire the wall because these ongoing problems forced him to keep on fighting the battle and trusting in the Lord. Sometimes we mistakenly think that some program or other accom- plishment will solve all our problems at the church. But we no sooner achieve our goal than other problems erupt. The Lord uses these things to keep us looking to Him rather than kicking back and trusting our work.

Comments:

Page 107 (3) When God’s people compromise with the world, it hinders God’s work. Tobiah and his son had intermarried with some of the Jewish nobles. He had con- vinced them that he was a good guy (6:19), even though he was militantly opposed to Nehemiah’s wall project. Later, during Nehemiah’s absence in returning to Persia, Tobiah managed to get personal quarters in the temple. But when Nehe- miah returned, he saw this for what it was, compromise with the world, and personally threw his household goods out of the room (13:4-9)! I hope that each of you ponders often the apostle John’s warning: “Do not love the world, nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

Conclusion: So there you have it...Compromise with the devil must never be.

Read Chapter 8 Aloud

Introduction: I wonder what we would have thought about an assembly that had about six hours of Bible reading and preaching, during which the people stood the whole time! And not only that, they came back the next day for more! That is the remarkable situation we read about in Nehemiah 8. It was a spiritual revival or renewal. And at the center of this revival was the exposition of Scripture. Nehemiah 8 shows us four marks of spiritual renewal related to God’s Word:

Page 108 1. For spiritual renewal, God’s people must read His Word. The people gathered and asked Ezra to bring the book (scroll) of the Law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel (8:1). They read from it publicly from dawn until noon! This law had full divine authority. The people recognized and respected the fact that God had given this material to Moses, and therefore it was His authoritative word to them. -- As a brief aside, people today who make a distinc- tion between the law of God and Moses, so as to say the Sabbath is still binding, due to it being from God, are wrong. The law of Moses is the law of God and vice versa.

Copies of the Law of Moses were probably somewhat rare, and many of the Jews may never have heard it read before. Some people were maybe illiterate, but either way, the word needed to be read to the congregation. We live in a culture where almost all of us know how to read. Those who can’t read or can’t read well can readily learn how. We have multiple translations of the Bible in our language. And yet most American Christians spend far more time playing computer games or sitting in front of a TV set than they do reading and studying the words that God has given to us in the Bible! -- For the good of our soul we should read and reread the Bible all the days of your life. If you want spiritual renewal, it will come through God’s Word. If you have never done so, I’d encourage you to read through the entire Bible each year. For spiritual renewal, God’s people must read His Word.

Comments:

2. For spiritual renewal, God’s people must reverently hear His Word ex- pounded. Having ears does not guarantee that we really hear. We sometimes close off our minds so that we do not really hear what is being said, even though we did hear

Page 109 the sounds of the words. It is possible to hear the Bible read or preached and not really hear a thing, due to one problem or another.

Jesus often said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9, 23). He said, “Take care how you listen, for whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him” (Luke 8:18). If the Bible contains the very words that God Himself is saying to us, then it certainly behooves us to listen reverently to what He is saying!

The people in our text were both attentive and reverent when God’s Word was read to them. Verse 3 says they stood up and then they bowed down in worship. They were not worshiping the actual scroll that Ezra held in his hand, but rather the God who had given the words of that scroll to Moses and through Moses to them.

Attentiveness stems from reverence. If we maintain our reverence for God and that fact that He is speaking to us through His Word, we will pay attention to what He says. If we forget that this is the Word of the living God to us, our minds will wander to other things. Spiritual renewal comes through reverently and attentively hearing God’s Word when it is read and preached.

Comments:

3. For spiritual renewal, God’s Word must be taught. Verses 7 & 8 report that these men who stood on the platform with Ezra explained the law to the people, “translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.” Scholars debate the meaning of the word “translating” (NASB). Some say that since many of the people spoke Aramaic, the biblical Hebrew had to be translated into Aramaic. But probably the sense is that the teachers made the reading

Page 110 of Scripture clear and gave the meaning. Probably Ezra would read a section and then his assistants, perhaps in smaller groups, would expound on that section to make the meaning clear to the people.

Much of the Bible is plain to anyone who can read. As Mark Twain is reputed to have said, it wasn’t the sections of the Bible that he couldn’t understand that bothered him...it was the parts that he could understand that troubled him! But there are some sections of Scripture that are difficult to grasp and so God has given to the church pastors, teachers and evangelists to help His people understand and apply His Word to their lives. Also, today we are blessed with many ex- cellent study tools to help us learn the Word in times of personal study: study Bi- bles, Bible handbooks, commentaries, Bible encyclopedias, and the like.

To properly apply the Bible, you must properly interpret it. To properly interpret it, you must understand what the author meant for the people to whom he was writing in the context of that day. Also, since the Bible fits together as a unified whole, you must get a grasp of everything that the Bible teaches about a subject by comparing Scripture with Scripture, interpreting the Bible by itself. But, there is the giving of the sense in understanding the Bible.

Three observations about sound Bible teaching:

It must be accurate. You can make all sorts of interesting points, but if you are not accurately reflecting what the passage is teaching, you are not teaching the Bible rightly.

It must be clear. Granted, some texts are very difficult to understand (even Pe- ter says such about some of Paul’s writings, 2 Pet. 3:15-16). Sometimes Jesus seemed to be deliberately obscure, especially in His parables, to hide the truth

Page 111 from scoffers. But usually the job of a Bible teacher is to communicate the truth clearly and simply.

But also it must be applied to life. As you study the Word personally and if you ever teach it, your aim should be to answer the question, “So what?” What difference should this text make in my life and in the lives of my hearers?

Comments:

4. For spiritual renewal, God’s people must respond to His Word. Verse 6 says the people answered Amen! And they made it so by responding these ways...

A. Repentance. The people wept when they heard and understood God’s Word (8:9), because they realized how much they had sinned against God. We will see this in more detail in chapter 9. But the fact is, the more the light of God’s holy Word shines into our hearts, the more we will see areas where we do not conform to His righteousness.

B. Joy. Joy was meant to soon follow the godly repentance (9-10). The joy of knowing that He has forgiven all of our sins and that we are His people should fill our hearts. If we as His people are to reflect His image, then we must become joyous people.

There is a proper place for tears of repentance, of course. The Day of Atonement, on the tenth of the seventh month, was a day for fasting and repentance (Lev. 23:27-32). But Nehemiah, Ezra, and the other leaders tell the people not to mourn or weep on this day, but to enjoy the feast, adding, “The joy of the Lord is your

Page 112 strength” (8:10). And so the people made a great rejoicing (8:12).

We should seek to experience the joy of the Lord, which produces spiritual strength. Let me preface my comments by acknowledging that God has made us all differently. Some have temperaments that are naturally more upbeat and cheerful. Oth- ers are by nature more melancholic. God does not expect us all to be bouncy “Tig- gers.” But neither should we resign ourselves to be glum “Eeyores” (my apologies to those of you not familiar with the “Winnie the Pooh” stories). But the joy that we’re talking about is not the joy of natural temperament. It is the joy of the Lord. The numerous commands to rejoice and be glad in the Lord show that it is both possible and necessary for all believers to experience the joy of the Lord. Some may have to work at it more than others, but it’s available to all who know God’s abundant salvation.

This joy of the Lord is a source of great strength for the believer. A person who has the joy of the Lord in his heart is strong in the battles of life. a. We have strength against the condemnation of the law’s just demands. God’s law brings condemnation, because we all are guilty of breaking it. Outside of Christ we stand justly condemned. But, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1)! The joy of His salvation gives us strength to stand before God in spite of our many shortcomings. b. We have strength against the assaults of our enemy. Satan is the accuser of the saints (Rev. 12:10). If we try to point to our perform- ance as our defense against his accusations, we will not do well. But if we point to the blood of Jesus Christ, we will not lose our joy in the battle, but will stand firm. Our joy does not rest on our being perfect, but rather on our being in Christ.

Page 113 c. We have strength in the hope of God’s promises. As believers, we stake everything on the promises of God. If His Word fails, we are doomed. If Jesus is not risen, our faith is in vain. But if He is risen, and if He is coming again for His church, even in the midst “of tribulation, or distress, or per- secution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword,” “we overwhelmingly con- quer through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:35, 37). The joy of the Lord, found in God Himself and in His Word, is a source of great strength for us in the most difficult trials of life.

Comments:

C. Good deeds. Ezra and Nehemiah reminded the people to send portions from the part of the sacrifices that they could eat to those who had nothing (8:10). God’s Word should produce compassion in our hearts for the needy.

D. Obedience. The people heard in the reading of the Law that they should observe the Feast of Booths. Since it was only two weeks away, they immediately made preparations to do it. This feast commemorated both the harvest that God had just provided and the deliverance that He had granted under Moses, when Israel lived in temporary shelters in the wilderness. The Israelites had not celebrated a Feast of Booths like this one since the time of Joshua (8:17)! Again it is noted that their obedience resulted in great rejoicing.

E. Worship. The Feast of Booths lasted a whole week, and every day consisted of more reading of God’s law, culminating in a solemn assembly on the final day (8:18). In other words, there was great rejoicing along with reverential attention to God’s Word. As

Page 114 the people camped in the temporary shelters, they reflected back on God’s faithful dealings with the nation, in spite of their sins. And so they were filled with grati- tude and love toward God for His gracious dealings with them. The reading, study, and preaching of God’s Word should produce in all of us a heart of worship as we reflect on His abundant mercies toward us.

Comments:

Read Chapter 9 Aloud

Nehemiah 9 is linked with Nehemiah 8, where the people heard God’s Word read and wept in repentance as they realized how seriously they and their forefathers had sinned. But it was a time for a feast and so Nehemiah and the other leaders exhorted the people not to weep, but to rejoice, adding, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (8:10).

But now, two days after the end of the Feast of Booths, the people gather again, this time with fasting, sackcloth, and dirt on them to express grief over their sins. Again the law of the Lord is read for several hours, and then the Levites, perhaps led by Ezra, pray in repentance, asking God to take note of their subservience to a foreign king. Along with Ezra 9 and Daniel 9, Nehemiah 9 is one of the great prayers of confession in the Bible. It is full of rich instruction about who God is, who we are, and how God has graciously worked on behalf of His people. It

Page 115 teaches us that because we are so prone to sin and because God is so rich in mercy, ongoing repentance should mark our lives.

Before we look at the chapter in more detail, let me repeat what I said when we looked at Nehemiah 8:10, “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” How that some people by nature are more gloomy, whereas some by nature are more cheerful and upbeat and that the more gloomy types will especially need to work at joy in the Lord. But, let emphasize the opposite...the generally cheerfully, upbeat type individuals will need to try hard to weep and mourn over their sins.

Chapter 9 brings out three simple, but important lessons:

1. We are so prone to sin. The chapter rehearses the sins of the Israelites through the centuries and one thing that stands out is how repetitive it sounds. The same sins generally, over and over repeated...God’s grace and mercy shown them not withstanding.

It’s easy to read this account of Israel’s repeated sins in the face of God’s abundant mercy and think, “How could those Jews be so ungrateful? How could they be so hardhearted?” Today, we can be guilty of the same thing...“How can my fellow Christian be so prone to sin? He reads the Bible and goes to church where the Bi- ble is preached. What’s wrong with him?” And we fail to apply it to ourselves. We ought to read this chapter like we are looking in a mirror.

And speaking of mirrors, keep another thing in mind...that this prayer of confession followed and flowed out of the extended reading of God’s Word (9:3). The Word of God reveals like a mirror the true condition of our hearts. Sin deceives and blinds us to our true condition. We’re prone to compare ourselves to others, invariably to those who aren’t quite as godly as we are. We think, “I’m not like

Page 116 other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:11-12). But “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:12-13). The Bible lays bare the true condition of our hearts before God.

God brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt through His mighty power. But as soon as they encountered trials in the wilderness, they wanted to go back to Egypt. Even so, even though we have experienced God’s salvation, we’re all prone when we encounter hardship to think, “If this is how God treats me, forget it! I was better off when I was in the world.”

The chapter goes on to describe the abundant blessings that God provided for His people. But in spite of all of His goodness, “they became disobedient and rebelled against [Him], and cast [His] law behind their backs and killed [His] prophets who had admonished them” (9:26). So God delivered them over to oppressors. When they cried out to Him, He mercifully delivered them, only for them again to do evil. This cycle was repeated many times. See our own heart in the mirror. In spite of God’s repeated and abundant compassion on me, the sinner, I am so prone to lust after the things of the world rather than to be satisfied with the supreme blessing of God Himself.

There is a paradox in the Christian life: the longer you walk with God, the more godly you become. And yet, the more godly you become, the more you are aware of the terrible state of your own heart. It was not at the beginning of Paul’s Chris- tian life, but toward the end that he said, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save

Page 117 sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15). He did not say, “among whom I used to be chief,” but rather, “I am chief.” The closer Paul walked with God and gazed upon His perfect righteousness, the more he was aware of his own sinfulness. Even so, the more that we come to know God and our own heart through His Word, the more we will realize how prone to sin we really are.

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2. God is so rich in mercy. God’s abundant mercy is the dominant theme of this prayer. It begins by exalting God and His glorious name (9:5) and then it starts where the Bible does, with God as the almighty Creator of everything, who gives life to every living creature. All the angels bow before Him (9:6). God chose Abram, brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name Abraham (9:7; the only Old Testament reference outside of Genesis to God’s changing Abram’s name). God made a covenant with Abraham to give him and his descendants the land of Canaan (9:8). God delivered His people from bondage in Egypt and provided for them in the wilderness (9:9-15). Note that God is the subject and the initiator throughout these verses.

Then, after recounting the arrogance and stubbornness of the people, they pray, “But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; and You did not forsake them” (9:17). Even when they made the golden calf, “You, in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness” (9:19). It continues to list the many gracious blessings that God conferred on His disobedient and ungrateful people (9:20-25). Yet in spite of their repeated rebellion, God’s compassion was greater (9:27, 28, 31). This is the great news of the gospel, that no matter how awful and terrible and numerous your sins are, God’s grace is greater!

Page 118 A line from a hymn in our songbooks reads, “Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt! Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured, There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt. Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin! Let’s sing it. #454

You may be thinking, “But you don’t know the extent of my sins!” That’s true, I don’t know, but God does and He reveals Himself as a “God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (9:17). You may still think, “But you don’t know how often I have sinned, even after coming to know Jesus Christ.” True, but God does know and He reveals Himself here as a God who keeps on forgiving, not because people deserve to be forgiven, but rather in spite of their not deserving to be forgiven.

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We need to understand two things:

A. God’s abundant mercy is primarily so that HE will be glorified and only secondarily for our benefit. The prayer states that God performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and the Egyptians to make a name for Himself (9:10). This reflects Exodus 9:16, where the Lord says concerning Pharaoh, “For this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.” Paul cites that verse in Romans 9:17 and then goes on to assert God’s sovereignty by saying, “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” Paul puts the reason for God’s giving or withholding mercy solely on God’s good pleasure, and not at all on anything in man. He develops this further by stating that as the potter, God has the right to make one vessel for

Page 119 honorable use and another for common use. The reason God endures with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction is so that He could “make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared before- hand for glory” (Rom. 9:21-23).

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B. God’s abundant mercy does not come to us through anything deserving in us, but through His free grace in Christ. This point flows out of the previous one and is just as practical. Many Christians think that God’s mercy and grace are because of our faith or works, whereas Scripture plainly declares that our faith and our works are to be responses to God’s mercy and grace. In Ephesians 2, after stating that we were dead in our trespasses and sins (vv. 1-3), Paul states, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trans- gressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (vv. 4-5). Then (2:8-9) he repeats, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Salvation is by His grace and has to do with His goodness...He gets all the glory!

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This prayer in Nehemiah 9 shows that we are so prone to sin, but God is so rich in mercy. Therefore,

3. Ongoing repentance should mark our lives. Again, there is a paradox (or irony) in Scripture. Believers should rejoice always (Phil. 4:4) and yet should mourn over their sins (James 4:9). There is a time to

Page 120 laugh and a time to cry. Ongoing repentance takes sin seriously and takes the necessary steps to break from it. True repentance accepts responsibility for sin and does not blame God. As the people prayed (9:33), “You are just in all that has come upon us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.” This we must also do.

The chapter ends on what may seem like a down note, with the mention of the great distress of the renewed nation of Israel after the captivity (9:36-38). This will carryover into chapter 10. But, as it applies to us, let us realize that truly grieving over our sins, and truly repenting of our sins, and truly acknowledging God as perfectly righteous in all He has done and will do, recognizes that the dis- tresses may not disappear overnight and that our obligation to walk faithfully with the Lord is required without that having to change first.

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Read Aloud Chapter 10

Introduction: In Nehemiah 8, we saw the beginning of a spiritual revival as God’s people gathered and listened to His Word being read and explained. In chapter 9, the people repented and confessed their sins. Now, in chapter 10, they make a covenant to put God’s truth into practice in a number of specific areas. The chapter lists the names of the leaders who signed the covenant (10:1-27); the general

Page 121 obligation of the covenant (10:28-29); the agreement not to give their children in marriage to outsiders (10:30); to keep the Sabbath (10:31); and to provide for the ongoing maintenance of temple worship (10:32-39). We learn that...Personal application of God’s truth must be the outcome of any spiritual renewal.

Remember the context of Nehemiah 10: There has been a lot of spiritual fervor, both joy in the Lord and mourning over sin. Emotion is fine, but you can’t live on an emotional high. After you come down from the mountaintop experience, or the valley of mourning, you have to face the daily grind. So here they lay out a specific plan to put the truth of God’s Word into daily practice. The text reveals five principles for personally applying God’s truth:

1. Personal application of God’s truth must begin with the leadership (9:38-10:27).

The list begins with Nehemiah and Zedekiah, who was probably his assistant. Next to sign were 21 priests, the heads of priestly households (10:2-8). Ezra’s name is not here because the head of his household was Seraiah (10:2). Then come the names of 17 heads of Levitical households (10:9-13), followed by 44 heads of leading families (10:14-27). Some of these names are identical to those on the lists in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7. Others represent either new families that have branched off of those from Zerubbabel’s time, or more recent arrivals from Baby- lon.

The point for us is that those in leadership set the example for others. They put their names on the dotted line and committed themselves to do what they expected the people under them to do.

Page 122 IWhether it is in our families, in the church, or in the business world, leaders must set the example by applying God’s truth to their everyday lives. To preach one message and live differently is hypocrisy, and people will only follow hypocrites in hypocrisy of their own, not in their exhortations to godliness.

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2. Personal application of God’s truth begins with personal holiness based on understanding (10:28-29).

In verses 28 & 29, the rest of the people join their leaders in taking on themselves a curse and an oath to obey all of the commandments that God had made known in His law. The curse refers to Deuteronomy 27:15-26 & 28:15-68, which called down numerous curses on Israel if they forsook the covenant. Note that these people joined this covenant with their kinsmen. It can be helpful to be a part of a group where you help hold each other accountable in your walk with God. God made us to function as Christ’s body, and independent body parts, cut off from the rest, don’t usually function very well!

The standard to which these people committed themselves was “to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of God our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes.” By referring to the Law as “God’s law,” given through Moses, they were affirming that they believed in the full inspiration and authority of Moses’ writings as the Word of God. Because it is God’s Word, not Moses’ word, they were obligated to obey it all. If the Bible is God’s Word, then we cannot pick and choose to obey the parts we like and reject what we don’t like...even if it runs counter to the trends of our times. The question is, does God’s Word teach these things? If so, we must submit to it all.

Page 123 Also, note that the people of this covenant had “separated themselves from the peoples of the lands.” I think that the biblical doctrine of separation needs to be emphasized in our day. Some groups, like the Amish, are so separated that they have no effective outreach to our culture. But it seems to me that most Christians have swung to the other extreme, where there is no significant difference between the way they live and the way the world lives. We may go to church a bit more, but we have adopted the world’s values and goals. We’re living for personal success and happiness, not to please the Lord.

The proper balance is that we are called to be in this world, but not to be of this world (John 17:14-17). We are to be distinct because we know and obey God’s Word. That knowledge makes us distinct from the world in terms of our relationships, goals, and values.

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3. Personal application of God’s truth must extend to the home (10:30).

The people agree not to give their children to intermarry with the peoples of the land. God had warned Israel of this danger when they first entered the land of Ca- naan (Deut. 7:3-4). Ezra had dealt with this problem a few years before (Ezra 10), and Nehemiah will be dealing with it again in a few years from this time (Nehe- miah 13).

The temptation of mixed marriages as a snare to God’s people is a perpetual problem that Satan has used for centuries. If you are single, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that you must be very careful of marrying an unbeliever! There are times the non-Christian is won to Christ, but more often it goes the other way. Also, beware of nominal believers who claim to know Christ, but who are not

Page 124 committed to live in obedience to Him. In spite of what he may say, an unbeliever will not be an encouragement to you in pursuing God. He will not share your commitment to instill the knowledge of God in your children. He will not seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness. Rather, he will pursue personal pleasure through the things and ways of this world. His values will be at odds with your values. You will be torn in two directions.

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4. Personal application of God’s truth must extend to our work (10:31).

The Mosaic Law prohibited the Jews from working on the Sabbath, but it didn’t say anything about buying from foreigners on the Sabbath, so there was a sort of loophole. But the people knew in their hearts that it was wrong to buy from foreigners on the Sabbath, and so they agreed to stop doing so. Also they agreed to let the land lay fallow every seventh year and to forgive all debts against fellow Jews on that year as the Law stipulated. In other words, their spiritual commitment led to some practical changes in how they did business.

Although Christians are not bound by the sabbath restrictions, still there is a good principle for today. God designed us to need rest and worship. On Sunday it is good to set aside our normal work routines and gather with the Lord’s people. -- Although there is no direct application for us of letting the land lay fallow and of forgiving debts every the seventh year, those practices required the Jews to trust God in their business dealings. They had to trust that He would make up the crops that they lost and that He would provide the money that they let go by forgiving debts. Today, believers in God should trust that He who sees everything we do will take care of us and reward us if we obey Him. Our business practices should reflect our Christian commitment, even when it is costly or inconvenient.

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5. Personal application of God’s truth must extend to our church commitments (10:32-39).

These verses mention a number of specific commitments to provide for temple worship, summed up by, “Thus we will not neglect the house of our God” (10:39). The phrase “the house of our God” occurs nine times in these verses. Specifically, the people agreed to pay the temple tax of one-third of a shekel annually. In Exo- dus 30:11-16, it was one-half shekel. Maybe the Babylonian shekel and the He- brew shekel had different valuations, or the tax in Exodus was levied only in cen- sus years, whereas this tax was annual, or the amount was reduced here in light of the people’s poverty. Whatever it was, the people agreed to support the needs of the house of God.

They also agreed to provide for the burnt offerings and for a rotation system to bring the wood to keep the altar burning. They agreed to bring the first fruits of their produce to the Lord, as well as to dedicate their firstborn children and animals to the Lord by redeeming them, as the Law directed (Exo. 13:13, 15). And they agreed to pay their tithes to support the temple.

Again, we are not under the Law of Moses, but there are principles here that apply to us. The overall principle is that we should be committed to the Lord’s house. Church buildings are not His house, but the people that comprise the church are a holy temple or house. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her (Eph. 5:25). If we are like Christ, we will love His church and give ourselves for her.

Giving the first fruits means that we should give to the Lord and His work the best, off the top, and not the leftovers. Our giving should be a planned, systematic,

Page 126 cheerful, off-the-top demonstration that God has first place in our hearts (1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8 & 9). The New Testament standard for giving is not the 10% tithe, but rather as the Lord has prospered you (1 Cor. 16:2). He owns it all; we just manage it for His kingdom purposes. Stewardship of your finances in light of God’s purpose is a pretty reliable gauge of your commitment to Jesus Christ (Luke 16:10-13). I would urge you to break out of the 10 percent mentality and trust God by giving generously to His work.

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Page 127 Read Aloud Chapters 11-12

Nehemiah 11 & 12 is another one of those portions of Scripture that you look at and think, “Why did God put this in His inspired Word?” From 11:3-12:26 there is a lengthy register of the names of the Jewish citizens. These two chapters include:

1. The families who repopulated Jerusalem (11:3-24) 2. The families who lived in the cities of Judah and Benjamin (11:25-36) 3. The priests and Levites of Zerubbabel’s return (12:1-9) 4. The high priests (12:10-11) 5. The priests and Levites after Zerubbabel and Jeshua (12:12-26). 6. The dedication of the wall (12:26-43) 7. The organization of temple support (12:44-47)

These people had willing hearts to do whatever God wanted them to do, and each functioned in their own unique capacity. As we examine the section that lists the names of the Jewish citizens, four factors emerge that help us define what their ministry involved. The section dealing with the dedication of the wall reveals four requirements for the person involved in the service.

1. Ministering involves a willingness to live where God can best use you.

Nehemiah got the wall built, but there were not many people living in the city (7:4). When the people returned from the exile, the walls were torn down and there was a lot of rubble from the previous destruction. It would have required a lot of work to clear the rubble and restore the city. As the former capital, the restored city would have been a major target for enemies to attack. At first there wasn’t much economic opportunity there. It was far easier to settle out in the

Page 128 country and farm your own plot of ground. So most of the people had been content to live in the surrounding villages scattered across the land.

But Nehemiah knew that if the city was to be strong and prosperous and if the worship in the temple was to thrive, the city had to be well populated with citizens who could defend it in case of attack. As 11:1 notes, the leaders lived in Jerusa- lem, but most of the people did not. So they cast lots to pick one out of ten who would move to Jerusalem. It seems that some who were not chosen volunteered to move, either in place of or in addition to those who drew the lot (11:2). The ones who stayed in the villages blessed those who were willing to move to Jerusa- lem.

Those who moved had to pull up roots where they were already established, give up their acreage in the country, and move into what quickly became a somewhat crowded city. Based on the number of men who moved to the city (3,044), there were about 10,000, conservatively estimated, who moved into the city, with a total population of 100,000 Jews in the land. Although it was inconvenient and less de- sirable in some ways to move from the country to the city, these people were willing to live where God wanted them to live in order to serve His purpose.

One of the first considerations that any servant of God today should think about when considering where he is going to live is: “Is there a solid Bible-teaching church where I and my family can grow and serve?” “If not, would I be able to begin such a church? That should be a primary factor in any move that one makes. Many Christians say things like, “I’m thinking of moving to ______.” But, they haven’t given a minute’s thought to what sort of church may be there. Even in the place we currently live, a major thought of locating elsewhere or staying put, ought to be the effects this has on my spiritual life or of that on my family.

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2. Ministering involves serving in the sphere in which God best equips you to serve.

Chapter 11 lists the heads of families in Jerusalem (11:3-9); the priests (11:10-14); the Levites (11:15-18); the gatekeepers and temple servants (11:19-21); various officials appointed by the king of Persia (11:22-24); and, the people who lived outside the city (11:25- 36). Each served in his respective sphere for the effective operation of the city and the nation. Those who lived outside of the city had to farm the land to provide food for those in the city. Each had a different role, but each role was vital to the entire cause.

In the body of Christ, God has gifted us in different ways, but every part is vital for the overall functioning and health of the body (1 Cor. 12:12-30). We should learn to coordinate and complement each other without friction or rivalry. Problems often develop in the body because the eye looks at everyone from the perspective of the eye only, and the hand views everything from the perspective of the hand. But the eye should value the hand and the hand should value the eye.

The solution is not for the gifted person to sit around criticizing others for not doing what probably is not their area of gift, but rather to get involved in the areas that he thinks need fixing! The merciful person should help us all become more merciful by showing mercy. The evangelist should show us how to reach the lost. The administrator should help us get organized. God has made us all differently, and we only work as a body when we work in our sphere and affirm others in their sphere.

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Page 130 3. Ministering involves a willingness to serve without acclaim.

Most of these names mean nothing to us. Some aren’t even listed by name, but are lumped together with all of their kinsmen as a group (11:12-14). Zabdiel is named (11:14), although he means nothing to us, but 128 of his kinsmen go un- named, except to say that they were valiant warriors. But 128 valiant warriors were no small part of a secure, safe city!

The church needs many people like that in order to function well. Note two things about these people: 1) Faithfulness, not fame, is the issue. Motive is what matters. If we serve to try to gain esteem and recognition, we’re doing it for the wrong reason. We’ll get angry when others do not give us the recognition that we’re seeking. 2) God notices even if others do not. God saw fit to record these names that mean absolutely nothing to us. But they meant something to God, and that’s what ultimately matters. If you’re getting upset because no one in the church notices all that you do, your focus is in the wrong place. Look to the Lord, whom you are serving. And remember Hebrews 6:10: “For God is not so unjust as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

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4. Ministering involves people first and programs second.

These long lists underscore the importance of people to God. Each one of these strange, hard-to-pronounce names represents a person whom God loved and knew. Jesus said that the good shepherd “calls his own sheep by name” and that his “sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3, 4). The Christian faith is all about personal relationships, first with God, and then with one another.

Page 131 Any organized church programs should always be seen as only the vehicle through which we serve people. If a program is not doing that, we need to axe the program. Apart from programs, if you have the proper ministry mindset, you will seek to relate to people. On Sunday mornings, take the initiative to meet new people. Make them feel welcome. Introduce them to others. While we can’t get well ac- quainted with everyone, if it is a person to whom you can relate, set up a time to get together for coffee or have them over to dinner.

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* WHAT ARE SOME REQUIREMENTS FOR MINISTERING?

In the section describing the dedication of the wall (12:27-43) and the organization of temple support (12:44-47), there are four aspects of a heart that is right before God:

1. A servant needs a pure heart (12:30).

Before they dedicated the wall, the priests and Levites purified themselves, the people, the gates, and the wall. The Old Testament rituals for purification symbol- ize the fact that our hearts are sinful and God is absolutely holy. Those who serve Him must be cleansed from all known sin of thought, word, and deed. All of us struggle against temptation. All of us are vulnerable to fall into sin. But humble yourself before God, repent of all of your sins, and take measures to protect yourself from falling again. Purity on the heart level is an essential requirement for Christian service.

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Page 132 2. A servant needs a worshipful heart (12:27, 31-43).

The dedication of the wall was a time, not to praise Nehemiah, but to praise the Lord. Nehemiah organized two choirs to walk in opposite directions on top of the wall until they converged at the temple. They sang praises to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps, and lyres. The chapter refers six times to David, who is twice called “the man of God” (12:24, 36, 37 [twice], 45, & 46). David was a man after God’s heart because he was a worshiper of God. He had set up the whole system of worship that these people were seeking to follow (12:46). God doesn’t want your work if He doesn’t have your worship. To worship God is to rejoice in and ex- tol His great attributes and actions. It is to reverence God above all else. True worship is not just outward, but inward. It engages the mind, the heart, the will, and the emotions.

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3. A servant needs a joyful heart (12:43).

As you read the account of this dedication service, you get the distinct impression that these people were enjoying themselves! Note the emphasis on joy in 12:43: it is mentioned four times in that verse, and again in 12:44. It says, “the joy of Je- rusalem was heard from afar.” It wasn’t their song that was heard from afar, but their joy. Outsiders heard their joy!

Have you ever been outside of a stadium when a ball game was going on inside, and suddenly the crowd roars? You know when that happens that something good happened inside! Probably someone for the home team just hit a home run or scored a touchdown. In the same way, people should be able to walk by the

Page 133 church and think, “Something good is going on in there!” We need to be so caught up with what God has done that His great joy radiates from this place!

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4. A servant needs a giving heart (12:44-47).

These people gave joyfully so that God’s work could go forward. They saw the importance of worship at the temple and they were willing to give the necessary offerings to support the many priests, Levites, gatekeepers, and singers who served there. The people did it because they “rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served” (12:44).

Have you ever been attracted to a stingy, tight-fisted person? No, we’re all attracted to warm, generous people who freely share what is theirs with others. One of the most reliable gauges of your heart before God is your checkbook. If God is going to use you to minister to others, you need to have a generous heart. You will see the importance of supporting those who are ministering in ways maybe you can’t and you will see the importance of supporting the local church.

Page 134 Read Aloud Chapter 13

Introduction: We live in a spiritually and morally permissive society. Unless we constantly wage war against the flesh, we tend to become more and more like the spiritual degeneracy that surrounds us. The changes in our cultural morals are staggering! TV shows have gone downhill a long way since “Leave it to Beaver”, “Ozzie and Harriet.”, “Father Knows Best” and “My Three Sons.” Now, explicit sex- ual references and scenes are commonplace. Homosexuality is the center of some shows, and violence is extremely graphic. And that is just describing TV. Movies, books, and the internet take it to even lower depths. If we think that this cultural degeneracy does not damage the church, we are naive.

But the slide into moral permissiveness is not a recent problem. Nehemiah faced it. He had taken leave from his position as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes to go to Jerusalem, where he led the people to rebuild the walls in record time. Once the walls were up, God used Nehemiah and Ezra to lead the people in spiritual renewal. In chapter 10, the people signed a spiritual covenant, agreeing to obey God’s law as it applied both personally and to their corporate worship. The climax of the book is the dedication celebration in chapter 12, where the people “rejoiced because God had given them great joy” (12:43). It would have been nice if the book ended there: “And they all lived happily ever after.”

But real life isn’t like that. After 12 years as governor, Nehemiah had returned to Persia. We don’t know how long he was there, but during his absence, spiritual permissiveness and decline set in. The time references in chapter 13 are ambiguous, so it is not clear whether the reforms of 13:1-3 took place on the day of the dedication of the wall, or at another time. But the reforms were short-lived. Spiri- tual compromise snuck in through the spiritual leadership. When Nehemiah

Page 135 returned, he found that permissiveness was rampant in the very areas the people had covenanted to stand against just a few years before!

A lesser man may have said, “I give up! It’s useless to try to reform these people!” But Nehemiah strongly confronted the perpetual problem of permissiveness. And this is maybe our first lesson: We need to be ready for the need of constant renewal. Renewals last only so long and then have to be repeated again and again. Nehemiah’s example teaches us two things...To deal with spiritual permissiveness, we must be aware of the problem areas and we must strongly confront them.

I) To deal with spiritual permissiveness, we must be aware of the problem areas. Why hadn’t others in Israel dealt with these problems? Ezra may have died by now. Perhaps the other leaders just didn’t see the problems to the degree that Ne- hemiah did. We may sense that the water is getting hot, but not enough to jump out before it cooks us!

Before the moral slide had set in, the people had listened to the reading of Scrip- ture, which made them aware of God’s standards for holiness for His people (13:1-3). In Deuteronomy 23:3-5, God declared that no Ammonite or Moabite should enter the assembly of Israel because of the way those nations had treated Israel when they were in the wilderness.

You may think, “That’s not very loving or fair! That’s penalizing people for what their ancestors did.” The reason He did not want Israel accepting these foreigners into their midst was that they would corrupt Israel from following the Lord alone. The insidious counsel of Balaam (13:2) was for the king of Moab to get his people to intermarry with Israel, and pretty soon Israel would be just like the Moabites,

Page 136 following their gods. The same thing happened with King Solomon, whose foreign wives led him into idolatry (13:26). I should point out that repentant Moabites, like Ruth, were not only accepted into Israel, but even included in the genealogy of David and Jesus Christ. Notice the beauty of the last phrase of verse 2...”However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.” This is such a comfort...to know that even when things go against the people of God in some negative way, that He can still turn that into something positive for us if we will but remain faithful, overcome and endure. We have to believe that though and stand firm by God. -- But those who would not give up their foreign gods would only serve to pollute Israel spiritually. They had to be excluded. The principle of a little leaven leavening the whole lump is at work here.

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Sometime during Nehemiah’s absence, Satan wormed his way in by introducing spiritual permissiveness in four areas.

(1) There was theological permissiveness because of wrong relationships (13:4-9). The temple contained some storage rooms that were used for the grain offerings, the utensils, and the tithes of the people (13:5). While Nehemiah was gone, Eli- ashib the high priest had cleared out one large room and one or more smaller rooms (13:5, 9) so that Tobiah the Ammonite could set up an apartment there! Tobiah was a mocker who strongly opposed Nehemiah’s earlier efforts to rebuild the wall (2:10, 19; 4:3, 7-8). He had many connections with the Jews and had persuaded them that he was a good man. But meanwhile he had sent threatening letters to Nehemiah (6:17-19). But here he is, setting up a personal residence in the temple!

Page 137 What’s going on here? Why would the high priest allow such a thing? There were probably several factors. One was that the high priest and Tobiah were related, probably through marriage (13:4). Another factor was that Tobiah had a Jewish name (which meant, “God is good”). So he wasn’t totally Ammonite! Just partially! It’s always more difficult to draw the line against a “good” person who is just mixed up on some things than against an outwardly wicked person who is spouting obvious blasphemy.

It’s tough to side with a strict commandment of God’s Word, such as excluding all Ammonites from the assembly of Israel, when your relative is an Ammonite, especially when he seems to be part Jewish! Theological permissiveness creeps in through the door of relationships with those who are partly right but partly very much wrong. Paul told Timothy concerning those who hold to a form of godliness, but deny its power, “Avoid such men as these” (2 Tim. 3:5).

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(2) There was financial permissiveness (13:10-14). This problem was connected to the first problem. Spiritual problems seldom occur in isolation! Because the high priest had moved Tobiah into the temple, there were not enough storerooms for the tithes. So the priests had not required the people to bring in their tithes, and as a result, the Levites had to go to work in the fields to support their families, thus neglecting their temple duties.

While we are not under the law of the tithe, but rather are to give as the Lord has prospered us (1 Cor. 16:2), the principle holds true: Spiritual permissiveness invariably has a negative effect on our giving. The prophet Malachi was ministering at this time. He confronted the people for robbing God by not bringing their tithes into the storehouse (Mal. 3:8-10).

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(3) There was permissiveness in the use of time (13:15-22). Even though the people had agreed in their covenant with God to keep the Sab- bath holy (10:31), they quickly fell into doing business on that day, even in Jeru- salem (13:15). Some merchants from Tyre, who had no scruples about the Sab- bath, were doing a brisk business selling imported fish and merchandise in the city on that day. No doubt the Jews had excuses for violating the Sabbath. “If I don’t tread my grapes that day, they will rot!” “Everyone else is doing business then. I can’t compete if I close up shop!” “All those imported fish will just rot and go to waste if we don’t buy them! It wouldn’t be right, to waste all that good food.”

Again, we are not under the strict Sabbath laws of Israel. But like these religious Jews, it is easy to make up excuses for why we put business and our pursuit of pleasure ahead of worship. “I’d like to spend time alone with God every day, but I’ve got to work long hours. When I get home, I’m exhausted and need some down time in front of the tube to relax.” “I’d like to go to church more often, but Sunday is my only day to sleep in, eat a leisurely breakfast, and read the paper.” Spiritual permissiveness always affects how we spend our time.

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(4) There was permissiveness in their homes (13:23-29). Ezra had corrected this problem just a few years before, but here it was again! Nehemiah discovered that some of the Jews had married foreign women, and their children didn’t even speak Hebrew, which meant that they couldn’t understand the Scriptures. We need to understand that marrying an unbeliever may not only affect us, It also has a possible negative impact on our children.

Page 139 There is no more vulnerable area of your life than that of the emotional attach- ments that you form with the opposite sex. Moral permissiveness always begins like an innocent trickle through the dam, but it subtly widens until the dam suddenly gives way. At that point, the damage is serious and widespread.

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How did Nehemiah confront this permissiveness?

2. To deal with spiritual permissiveness, we must strongly confront problem areas. Some criticize Nehemiah for not being more tactful and polite, but when God’s people are being poisoned by permissiveness, politeness may not be best. If I saw you about to drink what I knew to be deadly poison, you wouldn’t want me politely to smile and think to myself, “I wouldn’t drink that, but I don’t want to impose my views on him. Each person has a right to his own opinions.” You’d want me to shout, “Wait! That will kill you!” And if need be, you’d want me forcibly to knock it from your hand.

That’s what Nehemiah did. He didn’t worry about being polite or about what people would think of him. I’m sure that he made many enemies by what he did here, but I’m also sure that he was God’s friend. Many no doubt grumbled about what an unloving, harsh man he was. But Nehemiah describes what he did with the He- brew word hesed (13:14, translated “loyal deeds”), which is the word used in 13:22 (and throughout the OT) for God’s loyal love for His people. It is far more loving rudely to knock the poison out of a person’s hand than it is to smile politely and watch him drink it. In each of these situations, Nehemiah dealt with the problem head on. There are four aspects to what he did:

Page 140 (1) He discovered the problem. You may say, “That’s a no-brainer!” But if it was so obvious, why hadn’t other leaders in Israel perceived what was wrong and dealt with it? Nehemiah saw what others did not see. The reason he saw it was that he compared what he saw with what he knew from Scripture.

Look at 13:7: “I came to Jerusalem and learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah ....” Nehemiah didn’t refer to it as a creative, alternative use for the temple storerooms! He called it evil. That wasn’t a popular word to apply to the high priest, but Nehemiah didn’t tone it down. In 13:10, it says that he discovered the fact that the Levites had not received the tithes. In 13:15, he saw the violation of the Sabbath. In 13:23, he also saw that the Jews had married foreign women. In every case, he observed what was happening, compared it to God’s unbending standards in Scripture, and then took action.

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(2) He got upset. Note 13:8-9: He was very displeased about Tobiah’s temple apartment. In 13:11, he reprimanded the officials. It doesn’t take much imagination to picture him asking in a raised voice why the house of God was forsaken. In 13:17-18, he again reprimanded them for their Sabbath violations, and it’s clear that he was upset. The classic is in 13:25, where he got so upset that he contended with them, cursed them (not profanity, but he pronounced a curse against them), struck some of them, and pulled out their hair, probably from their beards! Whoa!

We need to be careful with righteous anger, in that we can easily excuse sinful anger as being righteous. But when we see sins or false teachings that are damaging

Page 141 God’s people, it is wrong not to be angry! To be complacent in the face of such evil is not to be like Jesus.

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(3) He took strong, unmistakable action.

Nehemiah didn’t just say, “It makes me mad to see how Israel is drifting from the Lord!” and go back to his newspaper. He met the problems head on! He personally threw Tobiah’s household goods out of the storerooms. Then he had them cleanse the rooms and put the grain offerings back in there. Imagine how Tobiah must have reacted when he came home, wondered what that pile of furniture was doing outside, and then opened his door and saw his apartment filled to the ceiling with grain! I wish I could have seen the expression on his face!

With regard to the tithes, Nehemiah not only reprimanded the officials (13:11-13). He also restored them to their posts and appointed faithful men to oversee the col- lection and distribution of the tithes. Concerning the Sabbath problem, he commanded that the doors be shut and locked on the Sabbath (13:19-22). Then he stationed men there to enforce it. When the merchants from Tyre camped outside the gates, he warned them to leave or else he would use force against them. And he commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to stand as gatekeepers. With regard to the mixed marriages, he not only strongly contended with those who were guilty, but when he found out that one of the grandsons of the high priest had married a daughter of Sanballat, he drove the young man away (13:28)! I think that means that he chased him out of town, so that he couldn’t defile the priesthood by succeeding his grandfather in the office.

Page 142 Before we confront anyone in sin, we need to check the flesh and make sure that our motives are pure before God. Sometimes a more gentle approach will be more effective. But we often err by thinking that gentleness means being nice. Jesus was gentle when he pronounced woes on the Pharisees and called them hypocrites, blind guides, and whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23). Paul was filled with the Spirit when he told Elymas the magician he was full of all deceit and fraud, called him a son of the devil and an enemy of all righteousness, and struck him blind (Acts 13:9-11). Sometimes sin demands a strong, direct confrontation.

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(4) He was accountable to God and aware of His presence in every situation. Four times Nehemiah utters brief prayers (13:14, 22, 29, 31). He wasn’t taking this strong action against permissiveness for his own sake. He was doing it for God’s sake. I think that he shot up these brief prayers for God to remember him and his enemies because he was under severe attack. You don’t do what Nehe- miah did here without incurring the wrath of those whose comfortable lifestyles you upset. But Nehemiah wasn’t a typical politician, trying to placate both sides and work a compromise. He wasn’t trying to win a popularity contest. He was seeking to please God by calling God’s people back to holy living.

Nehemiah’s God-ward focus is essential if we want to confront the permissiveness of our times with the right spirit. If we lose it, we can easily become self-righteous moral crusaders who look down on those who are blinded by sin. Living with an awareness of God’s presence and that we must answer to Him will give us the courage to stand alone, if need be, and confront out of love.

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