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Matthew: Jesus’ Heritage, Birth, Escape and Return

Read: Matthew 1-2

Following the ReadScripture plan, we start with the first two chapters in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew begins by establishing who Jesus was in human terms that we can understand and historians can validate. It’s quite interesting to read chapter 2 in parallel with Exodus as we see Joseph leading his little family to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod, then return to begin the process of truly setting all people free!

Genealogy of Jesus — Notable Men

Matthew does an amazing job of framing the story of Jesus by firmly pointing back to family heritage. Names like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Boaz, Jesse and King David where no doubt known by everyone in their contemporary context as well as those of us who have the privilege of reading the most modern version of the Bible.

He runs through a list of prominent kings: Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa,  Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. When we look back through 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, we notice that all of these kings are from the southern kingdom since the northern kingdom’s kings were all accounted for as evil and ultimately swept away by the Assyrians.

The list continues after the exile to Babylon: Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abihud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Akim, Elihud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph, the husband of Mary. Most of these names are not particularly notable, but serve to make Matthew’s point: Jesus comes from the line that can be traced back through King David and, of course, back to Abraham.

Joseph’s Challenge

Having fully established his awareness of the lineage of Jesus, Matthew points out a huge problem for Joseph to deal with–his betrothed is pregnant and he’s not the father!

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:19

An angel visits Joseph in a dream and assures him this is a divine appointment, so Joseph has to make a decision. This is quickly overlooked, but rather profound: the angel didn’t threaten Joseph, rather, he set him up for success and allowed him to decide. When Mordecai challenged Esther to approach the king, he made sure to tell her that God would save his people through her or someone else if she didn’t follow through (see: Esther 4:12-14). I wonder if Joseph thought about this when he decided:

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:24-25

Not only did he make the right decision, Joseph proved himself to be a very honorable man. We know very little about the life of Joseph, but his example here leads me to believe he was incredibly humble and well respected in his small community.

Wise Men Visit

The story of the wise men, magi or kings, coming to visit the newly born Jesus is really astonishing. For centuries, the Jews have been saying (through the writings of the prophets) that this was going to happen, suddenly the future is current news.

wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2

With these few words we see they knew Jesus was born to be king and it is their honor to worship him. When they appeared in town, Herod was informed, or perhaps they started their search by going to the town center to find out where this great thing happened. I can imagine the logistics and politics of their actions: First, they’re from out of town–something you simply can hide, the authorities know the wise men are there for a reason. Second, they’re looking for the one who fulfills great prophecy–surely the local people are aware of this, right? They saw “his star” and have come to worship. This is the appropriate response!

They find Jesus, Mary and Joseph and present their gifts in a way that seems so modest given their journey and status, yet appropriate. They were warned in a dream to slip away without letting Herod know the details, so they vanish into the desert without a trace of where the Holy family was residing. That’s pretty amazing all by itself!

Escape and Return from Egypt

Of course Herod doesn’t see it that way and responds by deciding to kill all the male children that are 2 years old or younger. I can’t imagine being part of a military force that could execute such orders. A strange and sad time. Joseph was warned by an angel in a dream to hide in Egypt to escape such wrath. Again, this is fantastic! Surely Herod’s orders were secretly given…there’s no way he would have announced to the public that he was going to kill male children. The military operation would have been completed in secrecy and swiftly to ensure success.

Joseph gets another visit from an angel and returns to the quiet town of Nazareth to raise his family. This is the last time Matthew mentions Joseph, but I just can’t help being in awe of the man who led this family. I’m not sure if he is the father of James, but I’d like to think so just because of his character.

Born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, the Savior of all is about to begin His ministry.

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Matthew’s Genealogy of Jesus — The Women

Read: Matthew 1:1-17

The New Testament begins with a list of who’s who from the Old Testament, a very direct link to the past. The list of characters range from good to notoriously bad and even includes five women! As I tried to get through the first two chapters, I found myself digging into the details of these women. The text below briefly summarizes a lot of what I found, but it’s incredibly interesting that in a male-dominated culture that women would even be mentioned, let alone honored, in such a way.

Before diving into the details, I simply have to say I’m somewhat overwhelmed by the list of names of real people that lived through incredible times spanning so many years. Though I’ve glossed over this section other times, it seems prudent to look closely at the names, the people, and gain some appreciation for the role they played in the ancestry of Joseph, the man who raised Jesus as His earthly father. That alone is worth thinking about!

Side note: We’re began a series on Exodus at Hope Fellowship a few days ago, so it’s interesting that Moses is not mentioned here at all. Though his role was profoundly significant, his progeny was not required. Yet another idea for a post!

Five Women in the Lineage of Jesus

Obviously, there were a lot more women involved in the genealogy of Jesus, but these are the five named in Matthew’s account. Each is a story all by herself, but here are some thoughts from reading this morning.

Tamar

Judah’s firstborn son was Er, a wicked son that God put to death (Genesis 38:6). But before this, Judah selected Tamar as his wife, so Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law. The crazy drama is covered in Genesis 38 where Judah tries to extend his bloodline by having another son sleep with Tamar. That doesn’t work, so he puts her aside and forgets about her. After some time, Tamar hears Judah is coming to town so she dresses up like a prostitute and Judah sees her and arranges to have sex with her, cuz that makes sense somehow! She has a plan and the deal is consummated. Later the men accuse Tamar of prostitution and call her out to be put to death. No punishment is mentioned about the man, only the woman, but Tamar is clever and produces evidence that Judah was the one who had sex with her, so the torches are set aside and Tamar has twins: Perez and Zerah, but Perez is first to be born, though Zerah got a hand out first (crazy story within a crazy story).

Rahab

Joshua 2 provides the backstory for Rahab, the prostitute turned savior for Joshua and Caleb. Once again, the idea of a prostitute as a normal, everyday interaction is at best odd from our cultural perspective. I’m in no way trying to suggest we should think of prostitution as anything other than hedonistic and sinful, but it is challenging to read how casually it’s mentioned as part of the narrative. Rahab’s reward is to be welcomed into the family of Israelites after the fall of Jericho and she marries Salmon who gives birth to Obed.

Ruth

The marriage of Rahab and Salmon is difficult to find explicitly, but the union of Ruth and Boaz is a wonderful story captured in the book of Ruth (some notes here). Ruth and Mary seem to be the only women of virtue, though it’s fair to say that Rahab must have changed her ways when she become part of the Israelites.

Bathsheba

The story of lust, desire, adultery, and murder surround the legacy of David and Bathsheba (some notes here). David caves into his lustful desires for Bathsheba and, since he’s the king, she appears to go along with the plan, though there’s no implication that she knew anything about David’s ultimate plan to have Uriah killed in battle.  Fast-forward, the son they had through adultery dies and she eventually gives birth to Solomon and the lineage of Jesus continues.

Mary

Mary is an incredible woman, revered by many, highly favored, the woman who bore Jesus. Ted Dekker casts a respectful and favorable light on Mary in his book A.D. 30. Honorable is the word that comes to mind. I can understand, in part, how the Roman Catholic church sees Mary as significant and important in her role as the woman who carried Jesus through childbirth, beyond the life of Joseph, and no doubt played a part in the early church as people knew who she was. Who knows, perhaps Mary is the one that really got James’ ministry started (complete conjecture on my part).

Some Thoughts

God’s master plan includes women from the very beginning of life on earth. It is His plan that man and woman would be joined and through that relationship the world is populated. We, the big we, have no doubt messed that up more times than we’ve got it right! Yet where would we be without the women in our lives? Our culture is still predominantly male-oriented, as if being male is somehow better than being female. That is crazy talk! It’s easy to support the concept that all are created in God’s image, all are equal, but our society tends to make some more equal than others.

From my perspective, especially as I prepare to teach a class on Spiritual Gifts, God is not bound by limits of our definitions or ridiculous musings. The Spirit gives gifts to those who call Jesus their Lord, their Savior. Those gifts could be incredible wisdom, knowledge, etc., and He can use women in roles of leadership and servanthood — there is no conflict in definition in my mind. We’ve seen great women role models in our time like Mother Teresa, Fortune 500 CEOs and Angela Merkel. Each gifted with leadership abilities that men follow without reservation. I would suggest they are not followed because of their gender, rather, they are followed because of their great example, for being who they were called to be without concern for conforming to a role imposed on them.

At the minimum we should embrace our calling in the body of Christ, figure out what that is by studying those who have gone before while praying for discernment and understanding as we learn from these examples given to us in Scripture.

Jesus, born of a woman, came from a line of men and women who didn’t get it right most of the time, yet did their part as best they knew how. I can’t wait to get into the New Testament and see how men and women served faithfully in sharing the Gospel by actions, through faith and deeds that changed the world for good!

 

 

Interesting references:

  • https://bible.org/seriespage/1-origins-jesus-christ-matthew-11-25
  • http://www.recoveryversion.bible/matthew.html
  • http://www.bible-codes.org/Names-Bible-Prophecy-Code-notes.htm
  • https://jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/issues-v05-n06/ the-genealogy-of-the-messiah
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The Land In Between

As we move from the Old to the New Testament, it’s important to pause and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. Using TheBibleProject.com’s reading plan, we’ll cruise through the New Testament through the end of the year. I’m not in a hurry, but I am excited about posting through the Bible in 2017. I’ve learned so much this year!

At the same time, Hope Fellowship is about to embark on a journey through the book of Exodus — talk about the land in between! Beth Ehlert and I continue to collaborate on writing songs that we believe are from the Holy Spirit, words and music He wants people to hear in this place and at this time. The process is amazing! Our hope is we are being obedient in listening to His voice in creating music.

Our mind map of Exodus chapters 1 through 15

Last night, we introduced a new song to the worship team: I AM. The mind map for this song covers the first 15 chapters of Exodus. Whew! From this messy dry erase board rendering, Beth heard a story and wrote a beautiful short narrative that became the introduction for the song. We had no idea what the song would sound like or where it would lead, but when we shared our journey with the team, they fully embraced the vision and added instruments and voices to the song that truly lifted our spirits. It is such a joy to be a part of a team of worshippers who happen to be excellent musicians!

One of my favorite verses from this section is Exodus 2:25.

God saw the people of Israel—and God knew. Exodus 2:25

The ESV translation is succinct and captures the heart of God for His people in such an eloquent way. “And God knew.” Beth’s post includes a video with the closing lines from I AM: BethEhlert.com. We’re really looking forward to sharing this with those gathered at Hope Fellowship this Sunday.

Life on earth is in constant motion and I feel like I’m being pulled into a dozen different directions. I’m way behind on projects, but methodically making progress — Lord willing!

I was reminded by today’s Our Daily Bread post to make a joyful noise, to praise and worship with all our heart, to be thankful and joyful and for goodness sake, let the world know we are GLAD! No more frozen-chosen! We serve The Almighty God, The Creator, the One that created the solar eclipse we get to see next week (sorry if you’re not in Anderson SC or in the path!).

As we make our way through this day, I pray you will get closer to the God who wants His people to be free, who wants to fellowship with us, who longs to have everyone come into His presence with joy.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100:4-5

 

 

 

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Malachi: Remember the Covenants

Read: Malachi 1-4

Malachi’s prophetic and challenging words seem to flow well after reading Nehemiah 13. As contemporaries, Nehemiah was working to establish order out of the chaos of exile while Malachi focused on remembering the covenants of old. Both worked hand-in-hand to encourage the remnant and rebuke those who were misguided.

The overarching theme that sticks out to me today has to do with covenants. This is a foreign concept today in this society. Few are held to the high standard of covenants, but this needs to be explored.

The paragraph headings in the NIV prompt us to consider five thoughts on covenants:

  1. Blemished Sacrifices: Malachi 1:6-14
  2. Divorce: Malachi 2:10-16
  3. Injustice: Malachi 2:17-3:5
  4. Tithes: Malachi 3:6-12
  5. Renewal: Malachi 3:16-4:6

Blemished Sacrifices

“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 1:6

When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 1:8

Malachi’s message is direct and full of examples of how people were cheating and further, how the priests allowed them to offer unworthy sacrifices:

“Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. Malachi 2:3

That’s pretty harsh, agree? Smearing dung on my face for my blatant disrespect.

Divorce

Malachi sets up this discussion with asking us to remember:

Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another? Malachi 2:10

Unfaithful by marrying outside of Israel which leads to idolatry (Ezra and Nehemiah both addressed these issues before) and unfaithful in marriage:

It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Malachi 2:14

In the next two verses that follow Malachi reinforces the sin of being unfaithful to the wife of your youth, of disregard for the covenant bond of marriage. These are hard words to consider in this society where so many marriages end in divorce. I would offer a difficult observation: one or both have forsaken their end of the covenant by taking their eyes off of God and placing them selfishly on their own desires.

Lord, I pray for those whose marriages are under attack, for those who are hearing voices that are not from you telling them that divorce is the only option. Help our brothers and sisters to seek you first, Lord, to look to you above all others. Help me to remember the covenant bond with the wife of my youth and rejoice! This is a great thing! May we hear to words of assurance from you and see the smile on your face as we walk hand in hand. Squelch the voice of the great deceiver who whispers words of self-gratitude, of instant satisfaction rather than long term commitment. May we be a better people as a result and please help us to be different, in a righteous way, than the rest of the world around us.

Injustice

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:5

Our God is a God of order and discipline, one who promotes justice and fair treatment among his people. The idea of loving our neighbor flows from this concept, but the way we act many times is far from just.

Tithes

Now this verse is the verse for the every preacher to hit as school begins: remember to tithe!

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:10

Reading this in context is very helpful. The exiles have returned, yet they are withholding their tithes from the priests and musicians who are assigned duties for the people and for the Lord. They weren’t meant to be bi-vocational–they were supposed to be completely dedicated to the temple.

Renewal

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. Malachi 3:16

So refreshing to read! There are those who heard the message! Yes, most of the words of the prophets are difficult, but there are those who listen. The Lord will honor his end of the covenant, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them…for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.”

Malachi ends the words of the Old Testament with hope for the coming Messiah, then silence for 400 years. We remember the 430-year gap between Joseph and Moses, now we wait for John the Baptist to proclaim the coming of Jesus.

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Nehemiah Rebukes Officials

Read: Nehemiah 13

The closing chapter of Nehemiah exposes Eliashib’s character and the problems caused by his association with Tobiah. Way back when I was a young child, my parents used to tell me they knew who I was playing with by my attitude when I came home. Nothing new here. The Tobiah/Eliashib relationship runs deep. I’m only surprised that Nehemiah didn’t do something about this when he was in town in the first place. Is it possible that he didn’t pick up on the association? That seems unlikely, but in any case, Nehemiah’s coming back to town to set things right again!

“Some time later” Nehemiah probably heard rumors about Jerusalem, so he asks the king for permission to go and see for himself.

Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense. Nehemiah 13:7-9

The issue may have started with Eliashib and Tobiah, but it didn’t end there, the officials appointed to take care of the Levites and musicians were not doing their jobs well either:

I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts. Nehemiah 13:10-11

Nehemiah put trustworthy people in charge of these key areas as a start to getting things back in order. He’s not done yet!

Dear God, remember me…

Four times in this chapter Nehemiah asks God to remember him for the good things he did.

Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services. Nehemiah 13:14

How many things have you started in good faith and with great effort only to find them far off track when you return “some time later?” I say “things” because this applies to ministry, programs, projects, churches, business, etc. Somewhat selfishly, I take comfort in seeing the problems Nehemiah had to deal with.

His reaction is pretty amazing:

  • rebuked officials of Jerusalem
  • rebuked the nobles of Judah
  • replaced key personnel in leadership
  • threatened to arrest merchants and sellers of goods violating the Sabbath
  • beat some of the men and pulled out their hair
  • drove away one of Eliashib’s grandsons, son-in-law to Sanballat
  • purified the priests and the Levites; assigned them duties

These are no doubt just the highlights of the things Nehemiah did to clean house in Jerusalem. Seriously, what was going on in these years when Nehemiah was not carefully watching over Jerusalem? What lessons do we draw from this?

To begin with, I would conclude that we must not shy away from the foreign concept of rebuking our brothers and sisters. In our politically correct, no spanking allowed, everyone is right, blah, blah, blah, world, we need to stand out as an example for others to follow. Rebuking will only be effective if we approach each issue, every case, with care and concern for our fellow Christ-follower. Hear the words of Jesus:

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” Luke 17:2-4

There is so much to learn from Jesus here. Lord, help me to rebuke appropriately and accept the rebuke from others who point out the obvious sin in my life. May I repent gracefully and accept the words from my brothers and sisters who ask me for forgiveness. May all of those who call themselves followers of Jesus be willing to rebuke and accept rebuke for the building up of the church and for the body of Christ. Rid us of our selfish motivations and desires. Light the fire within us to be your light in this day and in this place.

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Nehemiah: Individuals and Families Matter

Read: Nehemiah 11-12

I’m amazed at how Nehemiah focused on the people, individuals and families, through this entire process. Most of the time I see lists of names and numbers and just move on, but this time I saw faces and families, men, women and children–real people living in difficult times. Nehemiah invested a lot of time keeping track of names because he knew this was the overwhelming reason for the Law in the first place. The Law provided a framework for the all to worship God properly, but without people, it would not be useful.

Ultimately our call is about making disciples of all nations. Jesus came, died and was resurrected for individuals, eternal souls walking around in skin and bones. People matter to God, they should matter to us.

New Residents in Jerusalem

The city was spacious, but not infinite. Nehemiah had a plan that everyone went along with:

Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten of them to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. The people commended all who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 11:1-2

The rest of chapter 11 identifies descendants of Judah and Benjamin, the surviving tribes of the southern kingdom, as well as the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple servants and others. I get the impression that Nehemiah kept details to honor the people and perhaps to protect them by listing their names specifically. His position in the palace back in Susa was one of great power and his enemies, namely Sanballat and Tobiah, had to know it.

I really appreciate how the musicians are always recognized in these lists along with gatekeepers and servants. They are part of the fabric of this thing we call church. We can’t lose sight of musicians as we work to create the modern version of the church. At the same time, we have to recognize the appropriate position of musicians and the role they play in supporting worship.

The chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mika. Uzzi was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the musicians responsible for the service of the house of God. The musicians were under the king’s orders, which regulated their daily activity. Nehemiah 11:22-23

Note: Asaph’s descendants are credited with writing 12 of the psalms (50, 73-83).

The gatekeepers get special attention as well:

Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. They served in the days of Joiakim son of Joshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law. Nehemiah 11:25-26

Names matter to people. We have a responsibility to learn names of people, to remember their children and family names. It matters because it reflects whether we truly love our neighbors as Jesus commanded. It’s not a request or suggestion.

Dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem

Nehemiah provides some great details about the dedication ceremony — production does matter! I say that to support the notion that how we worship God makes a difference. In Nehemiah 12:27-46 we read about the details of the production, the order of officials, the two choirs marching in opposite directions and ultimately meeting in a climactic celebration of God’s amazing provision for his people.

So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the musicians and the gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the other Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron. Nehemiah 12:47

Lord, help me to love people, to remember names, to honor others appropriately and be an effective disciple maker that loves you above all else.

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Ezra Reads the Law — All Commit to Serve the Lord

Read: Nehemiah 7:73b-10:39

Nehemiah wasn’t just building a wall, there was purpose beyond simple fortification and construction. As I type this a song is playing in my head that just won’t stop — Wonder (Hillsong UNITED, 2017). The artists paint the picture in words and music to pay tribute to those who have only seen the world in gray, those who have been color blind. Through the wonder of modern science, they put on glasses that let them see all the colors God has for us to see and they weep with overwhelming joy. The wonder of our God who lavishes grace upon grace that we could see the world through his eyes.

This is the world Nehemiah was attempting to see and Ezra was the priest who knew the Law more than anyone. For this time and in this place, these were the most wonderful words that could be spoken for God’s people.

He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Nehemiah 8:3

Men, women and others: this is an event that invites all to participate who can understand. The people gathered with great anticipation as Ezra read the 1,000+ year old words of God through the hand of Moses. Sometimes we have to go without something to appreciate it more. There are stories of people coming to faith after being taken as hostages or significant life events that destroyed personal belongings. We become so accustomed to having things, to our routine, that we often miss miracles that happen before our eyes each day.

Trust me, I don’t pray for bad times in order to remember the good, but sometimes I wonder.

They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. Nehemiah 8:8

From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great. Nehemiah 8:17

Such an incredible outpouring of love and devotion to God for his incredible mercy. The people were called to a great confession.

But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies. Nehemiah 9:17-18

We serve a God who chooses not to desert us when we are at our worst! This is the God I serve, the One who regards a relationship with each of us a priority. Such an overwhelming thought.

Chapter 9 summarizes the Old Testament, the rollercoaster journey of God’s people, our ancestors, as they went through highs and lows, listening and rebellion, from good to bad to worse. The people remembered that which was forgotten and agreed to change their ways.

Once again, Nehemiah lists people by name, those who committed themselves to keeping the Law, the Levites, leaders, gatekeepers, musicians, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the surrounding nations–all who reclaimed their faith:

bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord. Nehemiah 10:29

“In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.” Nehemiah 9:38

“We will not neglect the house of our God.” Nehemiah 10:39

Though I am undeserving, I am willing to put my name on the list. I will commit to being a servant of Christ above all others. I will be a faithful husband to my amazing wife and father to our daughters as best as I know how. I will be the best neighbor I can be and a friend to friends like never before so the world will know of the love of Christ.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

Will you add your name to the list?

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Fake News: More Opposition for Nehemiah

Read: Nehemiah 6:1-7:73a

Fake news is not a new thing, just a phrase that we hear more often these days. Simply put, fake news is a lie. We’ve been dealing with the issue since the days of Adam and Eve and here we witness Nehemiah’s response to Sanballat’s lies to lure him away from Jerusalem.

Round One

Four times Sanballat sent the same message:

Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Nehemiah 6:2-3

The fifth time Sanballat does his best to stir up rumors and gossip by providing an unsealed letter with words of accusation, supposedly the reason for the meeting in Ono.

“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.” Nehemiah 6:6-7

Nehemiah flatly denies the accusations, the fake news Sanballat was inventing, and sends a prompt response. Then he took action: he prayed. Throughout the book, Nehemiah stops to pray as his story unfolds.

Round Two

Nehemiah visits a shut-in, Shemaiah, a kind gesture to begin with, but here is another attempt to lure him away from the work God has put in his hands.

“Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.” Nehemiah 6:10

Nehemiah is shrewd enough to see through the simple scheme of Tobiah that would lure him into sin (he was not a priest and therefore was not allowed) and then in secret he would no doubt be killed.

His response, once again, prayer.

Walls Complete

It’s amazing to read that the reconstruction of the walls was completed in 52 days. For the Israelites, Nehemiah was the catalyst they needed to focus on a single-minded mission that gave them several positive outcomes:

  1. unified the people
  2. reinforced their belief in God with tangible evidence
  3. provided sanctuary
  4. demoralized surrounding nations
  5. discredited those against the plan
  6. taught them to pray and act
  7. blessed he dedicated people who sacrificed to see the work done

These are just a few thoughts about the profoundly positive impact Nehemiah made on the people of Israel, his people, for the glory of God.

As a spacious and safe city, he needed a method for selecting those who would be honored to live within the walls — obviously not everyone would fit. Over 42,000 people were selected from the genealogical records. More details to follow in the coming chapters. Nehemiah wasn’t trying to draw attention to himself, his mission was temporary and with great purpose. He selects Hanani and Hananiah to govern Jerusalem so he can return to his full-time job back in Susa.

I love the catalytic nature of Nehemiah’s work, his incredible leadership, the focus on mission and his devotion to God intertwined in this compelling story. The church needs people like Nehemiah. Lord, help me to learn from this story, to find modern day Nehemiah’s who can come in and reset your people and restore the community of faith you desire here on earth.

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Pray and Do Something: Nehemiah’s Response as Opposition Rises

Read: Nehemiah 4-5

Sanballat and Tobiah move beyond their initial reaction where “they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites” (Nehemiah 2:10). They’re now actively promoting dissent among those working on the walls while planting the seed for insurrection with their cohorts. It’s a battle of words as even Sanballat and Tobiah must remember that Nehemiah has letters from the King, but words can be so effective, can’t they?

  • What are those feeble Jews doing?
  • Will they restore their wall?
  • Will they offer sacrifices?
  • Will they finish in a day?
  • Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?
  • What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!

How many personal insults does it take for you to stop doing what you were called to do? It didn’t take long for the taunting of Sanballat and his friends to infect the Israelites. Nehemiah prayed for strength and progress was evident so the opposition began to develop a more aggressive plan,

Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work. Nehemiah 4:11

Nehemiah heard the people, the virus was beginning to spread:

“The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
“…ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Nehemiah 4:10,12

Do Something

His first response was to pray and ask God “turn their insults back on their own heads.” As they got more aggressive, prayer was backed with action, they prayed and posted guards. This is an interesting point. Did they not trust that God would protect them? Not at all. I would argue that the answer to prayer often requires action on our part. Posting guards was not some admission that God couldn’t protect them, part of God’s answer was for them to do something.

“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. Nehemiah 4:14-15

Don’t sit there and pray that the hole in your roof will be fixed, get material and patch your roof and have confidence that God will bless the effort, sometimes in ways we can never imagine or understand.

I don’t think it was Nehemiah’s Plan A to have half his people working while the other half were posted as guards, but he didn’t just sit and watch as the threat increased.

Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water. Nehemiah 4:23

Don’t Lose Site of Your Mission

Chapter 5 reminds us that we must not lose site of our mission in our response to squelch opposition. Nehemiah learns that among the Jews, there are those who are taking advantage of their own people.

Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.” Nehemiah 5:5

Nehemiah was very angry when he learned about this and called a large meeting of nobles and officials. When he revealed the accusations, their response was significant: “They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say” (Nehemiah 5:8).

Not only is Nehemiah in town to fix the wall, but he’s on mission to set the Israelites back on a trajectory for success. He made the nobles and officials take an oath to change their ways and treat their own people with dignity and respect, to give them back their property and interest. He was not happy and they knew it!

I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!” Nehemiah 5:13

Nehemiah backed his words with actions in his own house. The previous governors demanded much from the people to support their administration, but Nehemiah was adamant about supporting himself within his own means–he would not be a burden to the people.

In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people. Nehemiah 5:18

Instead, he relied on the Lord to provide: “Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people” (Nehemiah 5:19).

How can we work within the church without being a burden on the church? Lord, I don’t have the answer to this question, but Nehemiah compels me to ask the question. I’m pretty sure there is no easy, one size fits all answer, but I’m also sure that we must each ask the question, listen for your answer and do something that shows we truly care while trusting you to remember us with favor.

It’s messy and complicated–that’s why we were chosen to love the Lord and love our neighbors.

Pray and Do Something.

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Nehemiah Has A Plan

Read: Nehemiah 2-3

I’m in no hurry to run through this fabulous story. In my imagination, Nehemiah had lots of discretionary time on his hands. After all, how much time could it really take to be a cupbearer? I can see Nehemiah in his office writing out details on his dry-erase board, sketching plans from memory, having his brothers and fellow Jews take a look and make sure he’s remembering correctly. All the while, his waiting the that moment.

In the few months since Nehemiah heard the sad news about Jerusalem, he prayed and fasted and asked God for insight as he confessed for sins he probably never considered. Then the day came when the king noticed.

The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Nehemiah 2:4

King Artaxerxes asked two questions, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” and Nehemiah responded with his plan Nehemiah 2:7-9:

  • may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates for safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?
  • may I have a letter to Asaph, so he will give me timber
    • to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and
    • for the city wall and
    • for the residence I will occupy?”
  • The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

Sanballat, governor over Samaria*, and Tobiah, governor over Transjordan under the Persians*, were not pleased. Tobiah, in particular, was connected to Eliashib the priest. Watch these characters as the play unfolds.

Inspection of the Walls

Even if the king sent only a few officers with Nehemiah, his arrival in Jerusalem could not have been missed. He waited three days to begin his inspection, but this was still a secret mission at this point. Nehemiah went out at night to inspect the walls.

The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work. Nehemiah 2:16

Nehemiah gathered the intelligence he needed and was ready to talk to his brothers, those in charge of Jerusalem. It’s no surprise to me that they were motivated to agree with Nehemiah’s plan. We don’t see all the details in the text, but we know the project was completed in record time which leaves me with the belief that his plan was incredibly detailed: quantity of timbers, where they should go and when each needed to show up on the job site. Any construction manager would read the story of Nehemiah and gasp at the incredible results and agree he was a master planner.

Nehemiah Named the Key Workers

Chapter 3 is all about giving credit to the people who did the work. In 32 verses, Nehemiah captures the names and positions of 40+ men who participated in the reconstruction of about 45 sections. His list includes goldsmiths, priests, perfume-makers, daughters; some lazy and others who worked zealously, some in positions of authority and even the sixth son of Zalaph joined in the work.

A couple of thoughts come to mind here: 1) Nehemiah knew the people and 2) he took time to document the names and heritage of the people that helped. My supposition is that Nehemiah’s full-time job was one that required knowledge of a lot of moving parts and people. He kept track of who did what and when and where pieces moved–that’s how he ensured the king was safe as a cupbearer. Those skills are put to use in rebuilding the walls, but even more, Nehemiah is rebuilding the people by writing down their names and giving them recognition. So many leadership lessons to learn here!

Don’t miss this: Nehemiah knew that people ultimately mattered while at the same time he attended to the business of rebuilding the wall. He balanced both–an incredible CEO.

I believe Nehemiah devoted himself to learning who was in Jerusalem, who could be counted on to do great work, those who were going to need extra supervision and those who needed to be under careful watch. Kinda sounds like a typical group of people, whether in a church as staff and volunteers or in a business with hourly and salaried professionals. People matter to God, so they should matter to us. No doubt Nehemiah’s ability to keep track of all these people was based on his gifts and talents, his personal wiring and incredible tenacity, but we can do the same if we recognize the importance of those we interact with every day. His success was a result of taking time to pray and ask God for very specific help. Prayer and people, the DNA of Nehemiah.

Lord, thank you for the details in these chapters that honor Nehemiah’s commitment to doing your work. May we learn from his example and do the work of your kingdom on earth here in our own towns and villages.

 

*NIV Study Bible notes–likely position of Sanballat and Tobiah based on context and historical documents.

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