Walking in the Word

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This blog focuses on encouraging women to enjoy refreshing, intimate times with the Lord in the Word. Hopefully, it will inspire personal study and spiritual growth as we go. This blog also invites discussion over Bible study and some other wonderful Christian disciplines available to us in our spiritual growth! Come and enjoy!

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Aug. 18, 2008

Nehemiah 1 (Part 2)

Posted in Study: Nehemiah

I'll just apologize now. It's been quite the week for me. If you have read my other blog, you may know we've had a little bit of an emotional crisis in the house. It also happened to be my privilege to serve on our worship team this weekend. So, things were gearing up pretty fast by Thursday (the day I planned to post the following entry). Alas, I hadn't finished this, so I kept it until now.

Well, here we are again. I've had a bit more time to study, so I thought I would put down the next installment of our exploration into Nehemiah. I did want to say one more thing, though, before I continue. Please know this is far from exhaustive in nature. This study is what God shows me as I study along. I share it with you, and I hope it is a springboard to something God will do in your personal, intimate time with Him in the Word. I would hope that, as God shows you new things, that you might feel free to share that here, too. We sure could bless each other in wonderful ways, don't you think?

You'll notice that my lovely friend began working on the rest of chapter one in the comments of Part One, so please take note of her thoughts that are so wonderfully fresh. :')

As always, let's pray before we ever consider opening up the Word of God and studying it. If for no other reason, we are asking our Counselor and Teacher, the Holy Spirit, to take His rightful place as Lord of this study process.

Sweet Holy Spirit, it is to You we come at this time, seeking to be counseled by Your wisdom and taught by Your teaching heart. Soften us to Your teaching and precious guidance. Let us keenly hear with a fresh heart and ears what You have for us today. We love You! Lead on, Spirit. Lead on!

As we begin today, I'm hoping to move along a little more quickly, with hopes of ending chapter one with a wrap up. Let's see how we do today. "The best laid plans of mice and men" and moms. . . . (Where in the world did that quote come from anyway?)

At this point in the story, we are aware of a few things. We know Nehemiah is in the citadel of Susa (the winter capitol of the Persian Empire). We know God's people are scattered, yet a few have been able to return to Jerusalem. We know that it has been (how many?) years since people arrived, yet the walls of Jerusalem are still broken down and the gates are still burned. There has been no concerted effort to reconstruct the city.

Immediately, we get a good glimpse into Nehemiah's response to the news he's received from his visitors reporting the events taking place: "I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven" (Neh. 1:4). Nehemiah deeply feels the plight of the people!

Friends, may I have a heart-to-heart with you on something? As the church in America, do our hearts still break and mourn for those who mourn? How do we, as the body of Christ, respond when we hear news of our brothers and sisters in Christ going through difficult seasons? In a day and age when it is more common to hear news consolidated into sound bites of 15 seconds or less per story . . . when we see our news on a home page with a picture, headline, and short blurb and quickly click to the next url . . . when we tend to hear of someone's trouble, promise to pray for them (later), and quickly forget to return to that thought . . . how are we doing as a Church? (Slowly and quietly stepping down from the soap box.)

Beloved friends, I think Nehemiah's example is one to strongly consider. He wept. He mourned for days. He fasted. He prayed. This is a complete mind, body, spirit, and soul investment in the plight and disgrace of God's people. (Let's just ponder that for a moment.) He was not with those people, experiencing their hardships. He wasn't seeing the destruction daily as his eyes scanned the horizon. He wasn't even experiencing the overwhelming discouragement the people faced as they lived outside their demolished city. Time, distance, and his life of comfort and ease could have allowed him to dismiss it. Maybe he could even just blame the people for being lazy.

After all, that may be what gets in our way, personally. Many of us would say we just can't get that invested in everything, lest we be more like weeping Jeremiah sitting in a puddle all the time. I say it's possible we might need to look just slightly more like Jeremiah or Nehemiah when it comes to the people of God . . . and maybe the people who are not the people of God yet. (Whoops. Where'd that box under my feet come from?) I'd say, in conclusion on this topic, perhaps we might examine this Godly example just a bit. Pray about it. Is God leading you to consider a softer, more invested heart?

I love the details of Nehemiah's response to the plight of the people. He prays. But, more specifically, he prays "before the God of heaven" (Neh. 1:4b-11b). Don't miss this. He is very specific in naming the God of heaven. Sometimes I know why things are, and sometimes I need a little help. A little Walvoord and Zuck is always a good thing:

"The God of heaven" is a title of God used nine times in Ezra . . .--more than any other Bible book--and 10 times in other exilic and postexilic books . . . Elsewhere in the Old Testament that phrase occurs only four times (Gen. 24:3, 7; Ps. 136:26; Jonah 1:9). It points to God's sovereignty. He is the One who made heavent (Gen. 14:19, 22; 2 Chron. 2:12; Ps. 115:15), who is in heaven (Deut. 4:39; 1Kings 8:30, 39, 43, 49; Ecc. 5:2), and who reigns from His throne in heaven (Isa. 66:1). Though Cyrus was a monarch over an extensive empire, Yahweh is far greater for He rules from heaven.
(The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord/Zuck; John A. Martin, "Ezra 1")

I've left out some of the citations in this quote for simplicity sake. In reading the commentary in Walvoord/Zuck on Nehemiah, I was referred to Ezra, so I have given you that information. I hope it is fruitful and beneficial.

Notice in a day and age where sovereignty confusion must have been rampant in the remnant of God's people, see how Nehemiah is not confused. He knows exactly to whom he prays. This is even more interesting, considering what he will be doing next. Take note of his intimate time with God now, in advance of the following events. This might be a wise reminder to us all as well. Our first place to run under the most challenging circumstances (our own or those of people around us) simply must be to our heavenly Father! He runs immediately to the Ruler of all things, the Sovereign God, the God of heaven.

Read the prayer. See the parts of it that my friend mentioned in her comment on the last installment of Nehemiah 1. The model for prayer certainly is there! Notice, too, that this is intercessory prayer at it's best. He is reminded of who this God is, who the very special people are for whom he prays, and he doesn't forget to pray for himself in the end.

Just a little thought for you. How about a little "home work" in the prayer area? Consider studying the example of the prayer. Try to see how God is moving in the heart of Nehemiah as he prays. Think of how you might benefit from taking a lesson from Nehemiah in your prayer life.

For whom will you pray?
When will you pray for this person or group?
How often and how long will you support this person or group?

No, you don't have to answer these questions here in the comments. But, it might be interesting for us to take a moment and select someone or a group for whom we will intercede. No ideas? How about . . .

Children
Family members (who know or don't know the Lord personally)
Your church (pastor, leadership, elders, members, etc.)
Your school (daily guidance, relational harmony, pointing toward the God of heaven)
Your local public schools (protection, the Christians and non-Christians there)

Just some thoughts.

So, how are we liking Nehemiah now? ;')

I love you all! Be blessed as we go through this book. May the God of heaven speak to you in the quiet of your heart as you study.

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Aug. 7, 2008

Nehemiah 1 - The Introduction

Posted in Study: Nehemiah

I'm so thankful there are a few who are excited to explore the book of Nehemiah together. I have read through this book more than once, and it has been a blessing each time. There are so many key elements to living a life pleasing to God in this book alone. While it looks like it might be a history book chronicling the times of a musty-dusty remnant of God's people, I'm convinced that the Word is reliable (Ps. 33:4), living, active, sharper than any sword (Heb. 4:12), useful for teaching (2 Tim. 3:16), applicable to our lives today in nearly every way (Mk. 13:31), and never returning empty (Isa. 55:11).

(Okay, let's just percolate on that last sentence for today. Study over! *lol*)

I'm only kidding . . . well, a little bit. Let's begin to take a fresh look at this book of the Bible while we have a chance. I know many of us are gearing up for big things this year in our home schools. There is no doubt the mountain of preparation and hours of consideration are upon most of us by now. It might even feel like . . . building a miniature city in our own homes . . . just a bit.

Nehemiah 1 is where we start. Let's begin our study as I might any study, if you don't mind. Let's pray:

Father, if we are to discover anything of your Spirit's fresh wind in this book of the Bible, we need You. We need a soft heart and gentle spirit that can be teachable and flexible to Your Word's wisdom and instruction. Have Your way, Lord. Have Your way! Speak to us by the Holy Spirit in the quiet of our hearts as we seek to learn all You have prepared for us in your Word.

Let's begin. One of my favorite things to do in any study is to get my bearings on where I am and who I am encountering in the Scriptures. So, let's begin there. The book is titled Nehemiah, after its author. We can get a feel for the time period in history (445-432 B.C. by my NIV study Bible notes) in just the first few verses. Thankfully, we have the chance to get organized pretty early in the book, since the orientation is in but the first few paragraphs of the writing.

Just for fun, I thought I might begin by looking up the name Nehemiah. It's Hebrew, and I know you're not surprised by that little tidbit. What I love is the meaning: God has comforted. A man named Hacaliah chose to name his son Nehemiah. What? In this time in history, God is using a man whose name is "God has comforted" as His choice of key players? Let's tuck this into our file for future reference. We need to know more about this time in history, too, I think.

Nehemiah 1:1 gives us some key setting information. If you think about the important literary parts to a story, setting is one of the most important. This tells us it's "the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while [Nehemiah] was in the citadel of Susa" (NIV; name and italics mine), and we probably have no idea what this means.

The month of Kislev. For more on the Hebrew calendar and the months, we might choose to visit a fabulous site that is dedicated to educating Christians about the Hebraic roots our faith maintains. (I say "maintains", but I realize many of us are really missing this as we read the Old Testament. I think we might grow in maturity on many things from sites like Robin Sampson's.) Back to the text. Our month is Kislev. That's interesting. It would be the time of Hannukah in our current calendar, but that doesn't figure into Nehemiah's day. This is our marker for the beginning of the story and the Hannukah nugget is only intriguing information that will factor in a few hundred years into the future. File it again. To this point, we are aware that it is Kislev, and that's the beginning of the story.

We know Nehemiah is in the "citadel of Susa". Let's define that citadel while we have the chance. My lovely Bible Dictionary by Holman says a citadel is "the translation of Hebrew 'armon. See Castle." It also says Susa was

the winter capital of the ancient Persian Empire. The territory is now in the modern Iran. Cyrus made Susa a capital city along with Ecbatana and Babylon. When Alexander the Great captured Susa, he found a large treasure which he confiscated. Archaeologists have excavated Susa largely around four areas: the royal palace, the acropolis, the royal city, and an artisan tell. Some believe Susa to be the place where Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus ruled.

Other more interesting information which we can choose to file. This was an important capital city, and Nehemiah is there.

Our next characters in the text show up in verse two. We now have Hanani and a group of men coming to visit with Nehemiah. Hanani is referred to as "one of [Nehemiah's] brothers", and we know he "came from Judah with some other men" to Susa. Hopefully, you're not surprised that I might want to know more about the name Hanani. It means "My grace, my mercy" in the Hebrew. I love that. A man named "God has comforted" is working with a man named "My grace, my mercy" in this story. I love it!

Okay, on with the study, lest we never get beyond verse two. *grin* These men are here to talk with Nehemiah, and Nehemiah has a lot to catch up on with these men. He might as well be saying "What's up with our little remnant of people, Hanani?" At this time in history some small bands of free (albeit basically homeless) Jews were returning to Jerusalem. My NIV study Bible notes say Zerubbabel brought the first band in 538 B.C. Ezra brought the second group in 458 B.C. Nehemiah will be there in about 445 B.C.

Nehemiah continues the story: They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire" (Neh. 1:3). Wait. The figures seem to show that the people have been in the area for several years. Yet, there is no rebuilding going on by now?

Let's take it this far today. Let's consider the fact that these people have been in captivity for many years (Bonus points to the person who knows how this all came about and how long the people have been in this condition.) They are beginning to have access to their homeland and their "capital city" at this point in history. And, it's a sad story . . . very sad state of affairs.

Now, at this point we can begin to interact over the passage we've covered. Feel free to comment. Add your insights, too. Or, remain reading and sitting in His presence as we go.

Be blessed!

No, this isn't exhaustive, but it sure is something to think about.

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