September 22 - Nehemiah 12:27-13:6, Nehemiah 5:14-19, Nehemiah 13:7-31, Malachi 1:1-2:9

Good morning everyone,

We start today with the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem and, oh my word, this is an amazing mind’s eye opportunity! All the Jews from miles around are gathering in the city to celebrate joyfully with songs of thanksgiving, playing cymbals, harps and lyres. 

There were two large choirs, both of which were standing on top of the wall on opposite sides. You will remember from chapter four that Tobiah had taunted them by saying, “Even if you finish your wall, if a fox walks on top of it, it will collapse.” Yet, here are two choirs standing on top singing glory to God.

We are told that then the choirs took their places in the house of God along with the officials and the priests. That they, along with the women and children, offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy. And did you get that the sound of the rejoicing could be heard from far away? Man ….. from my daughters house you can hear the roar of the fans from the local high school’s football team when they score. The cannons boom, the crowd cheers, the band plays and I’ll sit in her home and think, “How great it would be to be there.” It gives pause for consideration, how many Jews in the countryside could not attend the dedication of the wall for one reason or another and from their homes heard the reverberation of the crowd’s jubilation and thought, “How great it would have been to be able to attend.” Hmmm …

While it would have been nice to end the book of Nehemiah with everyone in tune with the Lord, the reality is, life goes on and with it brings temptations and the lack of discipline and clearly a memory lapse too for we see in chapter thirteen that while Nehemiah was gone, having gone back to the palace of the king to address some business, the people of Jerusalem had dismissed the laws of the Lord and were falling into the same bad habits of not keeping the Sabbath holy and marrying outside the faith. Ughhh!! Why?? Well in a word, “satan.” The enemy delights in relentlessly provoking us with shiny baubles and un-resistible, well disguised poison apples. Friends, we need to always beware, be on guard because the father of lies knows that at the end of the story he is going down and believe me when I say, he wants nothing more than to take you down with him. 

The Book of Malachi is the last of the Old Testament prophets. He came on the scene about a hundred years after the temple had been rebuilt and the people were loosing their joy in the Lord. Their patience had run out for waiting on the messiah that Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah had all prophesied about. The priests had become corrupt, they were stumbling blocks instead of leaders. Men were giving up, divorcing their “good Jewish girl” wives and once again marrying pagan women. They no longer sought to have a relationship with God and so Malachi rebukes them in their sin, he reminds them that hypocrisy and careless living have devastating consequence of choice. The people were doubting God’s love and so Malachi encourages them that God does love them and that God must be the main focus in their lives. 

Our lives can be like that too, we find ourselves in situations where we are wondering if God is paying attention. We may feel so alone and even sad because no one else is seeming to understand what’s going on. We need God’s guidance and help but we can't feel His presence. It is in those times when we need to totally tap into our faith. We are told in Joshua 1:9 that, “Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Friends, dear friends, understand this is not a suggestion. This is not a “why don’t you try to hang in there?” No! No! No! This is a command to be strong and courageous, to not be terrified or discouraged. This is something we have the power to do and we know this because God would not ask us to do something He has not equipped us for. Right? 

So when trouble comes knocking at your door, drop to your knees, pray, pray, pray, then “let go and let God.” It sounds ridiculously easy, so much so that most will not try but there is nothing that God doesn't know and can't do for us. He walks with us every moment of every day. Be in God’s Word. Commit it to heart, speak it out loud. The devil can't stand it when we, in confidence, speak God's Word. 

In Isaiah we are told, But now...the Lord who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.... From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can oppose what I do. No one can reverse my actions. ~ And all God’s people said … Amen!

Have a great day and to God, our loving Abba be all the glory.

God bless you all.