Nehemiah 8

Dear RTB’ers,

And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. (v. 17) A bit of confusion here… My Study Bible pointed out that the Feast of Booths had, in fact, been celebrated a number of times in Israel’s history. They pointed to the dedication of the temple during Solomon’s reign (II Chronicles 7:8-10); another time that we just read two weeks ago in Ezra 3:4; and another two notes from II Chronicles, the first during Hezekiah’s reign (II Chr. 30:26) and the second during Josiah’s reign (II Chr. 35:18). To clarify the verse above further, the Study Bible writers argued for the “great rejoicing” item: “What apparently is meant is that the feast had not been celebrated before with such great joy.”

I liked the time specificity from today’s reading. First, …on the first day of the seventh month… (v. 2b); then On the second day… (v. 13); and finally, They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule. (v. 18b) A small item, but I appreciate how often our Biblical writers have included these small details.

Blessings.

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See also: September 22 (2023) / Nehemiah 8-10.

Nehemiah 7

Dear RTB’ers,

If today’s reading seems familiar, go back to Ezra 2 and you’ll see the same listing, almost identical. Why two listing in what was originally one Ezra-Nehemiah text? We don’t know – but what we do know is that the Lord God knew each one of His people by name, by ancestry, by town. A song that we sing at church comes to mind, “He knows my name”:

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
And He’s seen each tear that falls
And hears me when I call

Tommy Walker

Two verses surprised me: The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt. … and all Israel, lived in their towns. And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns. (vv. 4, 73b) Earlier we had seen that Jewish people in the surrounding towns had come to Jerusalem to help rebuild the wall. Now we find out that Jerusalem, itself, is relatively uninhabited. The people would rather live in rural areas (where they could grow their own food?) than have a shut-up feeling in Jerusalem. Took me by surprise… What’s your take? Why would the people rather live in the nearby towns than in the city?

Blessings.

Nehemiah 6

Dear RTB’ers,

Leadership, a willingness to work, and prayer; but ultimately it was the Lord God leading the way: And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. (v. 16) Yes, God was leading the way – with Nehemiah back in Babylon; now with Nehemiah in Jerusalem; with the peoples’ willingness to work; and in facing the taunts and threats from Israel’s enemies. God was at work and the work got done.

And for us, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) I ask again, what are your plans for today? Or, what is that one big thing that you’ve been holding off doing? Nike commercials tell us, “Just do it.” I would add, pray first, then get it done. Yeah, just do it.

Blessings.

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See also: September 21 (2023) / Nehemiah 5-7 (again).

Nehemiah 5

Dear RTB’ers,

Usury, the exacting of excessive interest. My Study Bible had a section title at the beginning of this chapter, “Usury abolished”. Our ESV translation speaks only of “interest” (vv. 7, 10), but it is clear from the context that the returns granted to the wealthy were exorbitant – with the poor going hungry, losing their lands, even being enslaved. Nehemiah stepped in, with results similar to his encouragement toward work on the walls. Him speaking: Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” (vv. 11-12a)

So I ask myself, is it possible that these wealthy people were unaware of the harshness that they were imposing on the poor, that they were blind to the harm caused by their behavior, that only when it was pointed out to them by Nehemiah that they could see their wrongdoing? Then I look at the colonization of African, Asian, and American lands by European powers and I see wealth transfers and people impoverished or enslaved. Then I look again at today, at how wealthy we are up against the poverty that exists in “third-world” countries. What am I, what are we doing about it? God help us!

Blessings.

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See also: September 21 (2023) / Nehemiah 5-7.

Nehemiah 4

Dear RTB’ers,

Just like the opposition that we saw from Judah’s neighbors in Ezra 4-6 around 536 BC, now some ninety years later a new set of enemies tries to stop the work on Jerusalem’s walls. How is it that opposition arises against the people of the God of Israel? How is it that we see such opposition to the Church today, both worldwide and in our own country? Why is that…??

So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. (v. 6) If there is any summary statement for the book of Nehemiah, this may be it. No doubt, Nehemiah offered leadership and encouragement; no doubt God was at work in the hearts of His people. But in the end it’s the people themselves who do the work.

I’ve seen the same thing in our own congregation. Go back to our Annual Meeting Report and look at the work that gets done in our church. Look at the number of teams, the names of the leaders; read each report. Look at Avanza, now more than ten years old, the number of kids that have been helped during that time period – kids from those first years now in college! Yes, we have had good leadership; yes, the Lord has certainly blessed our efforts; but with all that, the people had a mind to work. Thank you, Lord!

Blessings.

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See also: September 20 / Nehemiah 1-4 (again).

Nehemiah 3

Dear RTB’ers,

Arise and build. (Neh. 2:18, from yesterday) And they did! Today’s whole chapter is about the rebuilding of the Jerusalem walls, with details on who were the leaders in building this or that section, and ten gates specifically mentioned. One item that stands out for me (noted in my Study Bible) is that there are two occurrences of people doing double duty. First we see Meshullam the son of Berechiah in Neh.3:4,30, then the Tekoites in Neh. 3:5,27.

Another item of interest is twelve occurrences in this chapter of the word house. Verses 16 and 31 have “…as far as the house…”; verses 20, 21, 24 and 25 have “…to (or from) the (door of) the house…”; and verses 10, 23, 28, and 29 have “…opposite his (their) house…”. In ancient times the city walls often formed the fourth wall of a person’s house, so a group of people building near their own house or opposite their houses had a particular interest in that part of the city wall.

Arise and build. What’s on your plans today?

Blessings.

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See also: September 20 (2023) / Nehemiah 1-4 (again).

Nehemiah 2

Dear RTB’ers,

In his sermon series on Nehemiah in Northern Virginia, our former pastor saw Nehemiah as a type of the Holy Spirit. He spoke in particular on the following two verses. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. (v. 12a) He saw the Holy Spirit as active in our lives even when we did not see Him at work. As for those “few men” with Nehemiah, I don’t recall our pastor’s portrayal, but I might suggest three possibilities: (1) angelic beings in our lives that we never see, or (2) our own efforts alongside the Holy Spirit, or (3) other people that the Lord has sent to work alongside us. I would take any one of those three possibilities.

The second verse that I strongly recall, And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” (v. 18b) I can hear our pastor speaking over and over, “arise and build”. We might have even had a song that incorporated those words. They remain affixed in my mind!

And still for us today, there is work to do. Arise and build!!

Blessings.

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See also: September 20 (2023) / Nehemiah 1-4 (again).

Nehemiah 1

Dear RTB’ers,

Nehemiah, one of Carol’s and my favorite books – that due to a sermon series from our church back in Virginia before we were married. The sermons were delivered by the pastor who married us. Memories…!!

…Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And … they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” (v. 3) Both STS and my Study Bible put Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s travels to Jerusalem from Babylon some sixty and seventy years, respectively, after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. So Nehemiah’s travel begins after Ezra has been in Jerusalem a decade or more. We saw a few days ago that the temple had been rebuilt and daily offerings were being made. Ezra had been appointed by the Lord to teach the people His ways. So, progress…?? However, the description offered by those who had “escaped” were displeasing and left Nehemiah troubled. His prayer asks only for “success” and “mercy” in the sight of the king (Neh. 1:11). Verse 3 quoted above provides the setting for the rest of the book – the wall and the gates. We’ll see tomorrow how God begins to answer Nehemiah’s prayer.

Blessings.

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See also: September 20 (2023) / Nehemiah 1-4.

Ezra 9-10

Dear RTB’ers,

Foreign wives – two chapters devoted to this topic. But it was a semi-related verse that caught my attention: For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. (v. 9:9) My Study Bible then noted five Persian kings, from Cyrus to Artaxerxes I who had been favorably disposed to the Jews during their exile and especially in support of their post-exilic rebuilding of Judea and Jerusalem. No doubt, the Lord was at work in the lives of these kings, in spite of the Jews being punished and led into exile for their offenses.

My mind then wandered to people who have stepped up for me in particular circumstances or in difficult times, offering support or counsel, leading to both good and bad outcomes (unfortunate outcomes, in spite of these peoples’ efforts on my behalf). It’s just one more way in which God has been looking out for me, in these cases through the actions of other people. And you? Who in your life has stepped up for you? Time for you to do some thinking and thanking…!

Blessings.

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See also: September 19 (2023) / Ezra 7-10 (again).

Ezra 8

Dear RTB’ers,

Yesterday we read that Ezra had received the king’s abundant blessing for his return to Jerusalem. Today he prepares for his journey by gathering people, especially Levites, plus silver and gold and vessels for temple offerings. Then after three days of prayer and fasting they are off on their journey, arriving safely in Jerusalem some four months later.

Ezra, a man of faith: For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all who forsake Him.” So we fasted and implored our God for this, and He listened to our entreaty. (vv. 22-23) I am impressed by Ezra’s faith, by his willingness to go on this potentially dangerous journey, carrying all this wealth, with “only” his faith in God to protect him. With “only” God to protect him… What a ridiculous statement!! Yet, in our earthly existence it is often difficult for us to put our full faith in God’s protection or deliverance. But if we truly believe when we pray “Your will be done”, we truly have nothing to worry about. Therefore do not be anxious… (Matthew 6:31a, and all of Mt. 6:25-33). Amen.

Blessings.