And now Nehemiah, prominent citizen, cupbearer to the King of Persia is distressed because he hears about how Israel's walls are broken and how disgraced they are. He could be killed for showing a sad face to the king, but the king asks him what is wrong and doesn't kill him. God is all about the plan! Nehemiah gets permission not only to lead the third and final group of exiles back to Israel, but to take supplies to rebuild. Upon arrival and with much prayer, he is able to organize and execute the city wall restoration. He does this in 52 days! God is with him.
Naturally, there is opposition to the rebuilding and Sanaballat and Tobiah are not pleased. They ridicule and discouraged the people. Have you ever been opposed by someone doing this to you?
It is also very important how Nehemiah helps the poor. God directed this from the beginning. We do not use those that are in need. We help them. God loves them just as much as he loves us.
I like the part 4:14 " And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders and to the rest of the people,'Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, and wives, and your houses.;" The best way to fight fer is to remember the Lord......funny......I remember that from yesterday and from church yesterday.....this fear thing keeps coming up. My Bible says because he completed trusted God, he successfully completed the vision of God. hmmmm....that sounds familiar from Joyce Meyer. I'm getting a connection here.....lol
ReplyDeleteanother thing I just noticed in my bible......it says God does not want us to rush into a decision, but Satan does. Nehemiah fasted and prayed for many days (1.4) then he waited for the right time to bring his concern to the king. The Life Principle: God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
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