Written by: Natasha Andrews - Shine
Nehemiah 6 v 10-14
One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. Shemaiah had to stay at home. He said, “Nehemiah, let’s meet in the Temple of God. Let’s go inside the Temple and close the doors, because men are coming at night to kill you.”
But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Should I run for my life into the Temple? I will not go.” I knew that God had not sent him but that Tobiah and Sanballat had paid him to prophesy against me. They paid him to frighten me so I would do this and sin. Then they could give me a bad name to shame me.
I prayed, “My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat and what they have done. Also remember the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to frighten me.”
Notes
The wall around Jerusalem had been broken down, God had removed his blessing and protection from the people of Israel. Nehemiah took on the mission to re-build the city of his ancestors. Nehemiah saw a situation that mattered to him and to God and decided to go and do something about it. His determination and care for a situation that he could have just ignored has to be admired.
Nehemiah’s pro-active attitude should encourage us if we see a situation to not just talk about it, but do something – take action! Don’t be put off by trials and problems either, especially if you feel God is prompting you to do something. Nehemiah got the kings blessing got together a group of people to help him, he was not without problems; many people were against him and didn’t want him to succeed. Others didn’t believe in his cause and thought he’d never do it. Tobiah and Sanballat were ring-leaders opposed to the work and tried many things to stop Nehemiah’s plans to re-build the city walls; including trying to frighten him off. Nehemiah however, was on his goal and focused on God, both helped him to realise Shemaiah was trying to trick him.
When you feel sent to do something for God, do not let people put you off. Listen to what God is saying and don’t stray from it! Some advice given will be of God and some may not, the way to know the difference is to tune in to God and be focused on the vision you have been given. Be prepared to stand and obey what God says. Others may think you’re foolish and try to frighten you off, stick to what you believe you should be doing, God will deal with those trying to lead you astray.
Nehemiah 6 v 15-19
The wall of Jerusalem was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. It took fifty-two days to rebuild. When all our enemies heard about it and all the nations around us saw it, they were shamed. They then understood that the work had been done with the help of our God.
Also in those days the important men of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and he answered them. Many Jewish people had promised to be faithful to Tobiah, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. And Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. These important men kept telling me about the good things Tobiah was doing, and then they would tell Tobiah what I said about him. So Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
Notes
It was only when the re-building work was finished that the people against it changed their tune and acknowledged God was in on the plan. Those who had called Nehemiah 'foolish', who had no faith in him and thought he’d never do it, had to eat their words.
If Nehemiah had done his mission in his own strength perhaps he wouldn’t have made it, but everyone agreed that to have successfully completed the work in such a short space of time, had to be God’s doing. By Nehemiah standing firm in his mission and asking God for strength (Neh 6 v 9 – “…I prayed, ‘God make me strong’), meant that he came out on top, despite what people around him were saying. It may take time, but God’s work in your life will be seen. There were very important people ganging up on Nehemiah, but he stood fast to what he believed was right, to what God was helping him to do and he was not shamed, on the contrary those who doubted him were!
Whatever situation you may be making a stand for God in, even if you feel alone and pressured to compromise your stand, hang in there; God won’t let you down. Wait and watch for His glory to be shown – it will happen and you will be honoured too.
Nehemiah 7 v 1-3
After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were chosen. I put my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the palace, in charge of Jerusalem. Hananiah was honest and feared God more than most people. I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem should not be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut and bolt the doors. Appoint people who live in Jerusalem as guards, and put some at guard posts and some near their own houses.”
Notes
Once things were set up in Jerusalem, Nehemiah realised people had to take on roles to run things. He ensured the city was made safe again and people were appointed and worked together to take on the responsibility of keeping it safe. People were chosen to do various other jobs too like gatekeepers, singers etc. but it was apparent that someone had to be in charge over all.
We are not given details of the character and skills of the workforce but we are told about the people chosen to be leaders. Picking the right person with the right qualities for leadership is obviously important. One we are told is Nehemiah’s brother, whom we assume he knew very well and trusted, and the other, Hananiah, was someone who was “honest and feared God”. That means he was trustworthy and had respect for God and what He says.
Do you feel you may be called to leadership? Is being a leader in some way something you may aspire to be in the future? Well do a checklist on yourself to see if you have what it takes! Are you trustworthy, submissive to God’s ways and under His authority? Along with general leadership skills it is also important to have the right character and respect for God in order to be a good leader. The passage also shows that there are many skills needed for many different roles. If leadership isn’t your thing, think about what skills, gifts and type of character you have and what jobs and roles for life or within church you feel suited to.
Nehemiah 8 v 1-3
All the people of Israel gathered together in the square by the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the teacher to bring out the Book of the Teachings of Moses, which the LORD had given to Israel.
So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought out the Teachings for the crowd. Men, women, and all who could listen and understand had gathered. At the square by the Water Gate Ezra read the Teachings out loud from early morning until noon to the men, women, and everyone who could listen and understand. All the people listened carefully to the Book of the Teachings.
Notes
The key to God’s blessings throughout Nehemiah is ‘obedience to God’ and understanding His teachings. The reason Jerusalem was in such a state was because the people had turned their backs on God and His teachings, He removed His blessing from them. Here the priest Ezra is helping the people to get back to God’s teaching.
In the Old Testament people did not have the knowledge of Jesus dying on the cross, paying the price for sin and making a way to heaven. The grace God has shown us and freedom from sin through Jesus empowers us to live a life that is pleasing to God today. However before this time it was necessary to have a law. The law gave people guidelines that helped keep them from harm and offending God.
In the same way the Bible is still God’s word to us today. Following its teachings and advice shows us how to get the most out of life, and avoid a lot of trouble. Today the personal relationship we have with Christ gives us freedom in that the law is no longer the sole thing that makes us acceptable to God. We are made acceptable through what Jesus did for us on the cross, not by anything of our own doing like obeying lots of rules.
The interesting thing is that by having a relationship with Jesus, realising what He’s done for us, and how much He loves us, causes us to un-wittingly fulfil the law by living in a way that pleases God! This does not mean we should do away with God’s teachings, they act as a good reminder. It is a good idea to make it part of your life like Ezra and Nehemiah were encouraging the people of Jerusalem to do.
Nehemiah 8 v 4-8
Ezra the teacher stood on a high wooden platform that had been built just for this time. On his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. And on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
Ezra opened the book in full view of everyone, because he was above them. As he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and all the people held up their hands and said, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
These Levites explained the Teachings to the people as they stood there: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah. They read from the Book of the Teachings of God and explained what it meant so the people understood what was being read.
Notes
The scene described in this passage pretty much resembles a ‘church gathering’ like we might have today. The people are together as a group, praising and worshipping the Lord, the teachings of God are being read and various people gifted as teachers are explaining them. Even back then, before Christ and Paul’s letters on ‘how to do Church’, the importance of God’s people meeting together to encourage and teach one another was acknowledged. The people were excited and spurred on in their faith, eager to learn about God’s ways through the leader, various teachers and each other.
Having like-minded or at least like-beliefs in your peers around you is a great support and encouragement to your own faith. Likewise gaining teaching and a good understanding of your beliefs from your seniors is valuable too. These are some strong reasons as to why it is such a good idea to get involved with church-life. The passage also talks about ‘explaining the teachings’ so that they were ‘understood by the people’. The Levites knew how important this was and it is just as true today that simply knowing something without understanding it is useless. We need to know ‘why’ we believe ‘what’ we believe.
Furthermore, once you understand why God has said something, it makes sense and is a lot easier to obey. Faith in God is not just based on our ‘experience’; there is plenty we can learn of what God has done which shows us He is there and His plans for us. It is not wrong to have questions and query things concerning your faith, just make sure you make the effort to seek out the answers. At church, youth-group or from a Christian friend or teacher may be a good place to start!
Nehemiah 8 v 9-12
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who were teaching said to all the people, “This is a holy day to the LORD your God. Don’t be sad or cry.” All the people had been crying as they listened to the words of the Teachings.
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy good food and sweet drinks. Send some to people who have none, because today is a holy day to the Lord. Don’t be sad, because the joy of the LORD will make you strong.”
The Levites helped calm the people, saying, “Be quiet, because this is a holy day. Don’t be sad.”
Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send some of their food to others, and to celebrate with great joy. They finally understood what they had been taught.
Notes
The people had got really upset listening to the teachings of God. Perhaps it reminded them of how far they had strayed from them or they feared they could never live up to them! In fact the people needn’t be sad at all; they had just misunderstood what the teachings were there for. They were not designed to tell people how wrong they were and point out their faults making them feel guilty and ashamed; they were there to point them in the right direction and guide them away from things that would not be good for them.
We can often perceive God’s teaching in the bible like those people did at first. The guidelines we find in the Bible can seem like a drag and a burden, something to ruin our fun or just remind us of our wrongs. However when we understand where God is coming from, we realise that His laws are there to give us ‘freedom’ and protect us, not tie us down. We can be free from things that God knows will harm us, with awful consequences that damage us and others let alone our relationship with God; and learn how to have “life in all it’s fullness” (John10v10).
Nehemiah and the Levites were eventually able to make the people see they could celebrate and be happy because of God’s teachings. Many of the psalms in the bible go on about how much joy can come from God’s teachings. Psalm 119 V47 says, "I enjoy obeying your commands, which I love.” We can find joy in God’s teachings too. They show us how we can be spared a lot of pain and mistakes in life, how to get the most out of life and also give us sound advice!
Nehemiah 8 v 13-18
On the second day of the month, the leaders of all the families, the priests, and the Levites met with Ezra the teacher. They gathered to study the words of the Teachings. This is what they found written in the Teachings: The LORD commanded through Moses that the people of Israel were to live in shelters during the feast of the seventh month. The people were supposed to preach this message and spread it through all their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the mountains, and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, myrtle trees, palms, and shade trees. Make shelters with them, as it is written.”
So the people went out and got tree branches. They built shelters on their roofs, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of the Temple, in the square by the Water Gate, and in the square next to the Gate of Ephraim. The whole group that had come back from captivity built shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done this since the time of Joshua son of Nun. And they were very happy.
Ezra read to them every day from the Book of the Teachings, from the first day to the last. The people of Israel celebrated the feast for seven days, and then on the eighth day the people gathered as the law said.
Notes
As the people studied the teachings they realised there were laws which they had forgotten. There were certain things that God had asked the people of Israel to do in the past that they had neglected and failed to keep to. In a way it is easy to imagine how they may have been influenced to let that happen. With time and new ideas, pressures to conform to the rest of the world and accept everything, even today we can find ourselves diluting, adapting or even forgetting altogether things God has told us to do or not to do.
The feast of shelters originated out of a very significant time, and shouldn’t have been so easily forgotten. This feast was to celebrate and remember what God had done for the Israelites when He brought them out of slavery in Egypt and they sheltered in tents in the desert until God lead them into their promised land. It was good to remember what God had done for them, they realised this and consequently followed the law to celebrate the feast. Do we forget God’s laws or things Jesus left behind with us as reminders? It’s even easier to follow them yet take them for granted.
How often do we take for granted the significance of taking the bread and wine at church on a Sunday, not really taking in at the time that it is a reminder of what God has done for us through Jesus on the cross? Perhaps next time you can make a point of really thinking about what taking the bread and wine is about. Through Jesus spilling his blood and having his body broken, a way has been made for every one of our wrongs to be forgiven and we can have eternal life in heaven.
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version
(Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes