Apr 10, 2022
Nehemiah’s Prayer: The Goodness of God

While they stood in their place, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God. Now on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God.

Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever!

May Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
You alone are the Lord.
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their lights,
The earth and everything that is on it,
The seas and everything that is in them.
You give life to all of them,
And the heavenly lights bow down before You.
You are the Lord God,
Who chose Abram
And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees,
And gave him the name Abraham.
You found his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite—
To give it to his descendants.
And You have fulfilled Your promise,
Because You are righteous.

“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And heard their cry by the Red Sea.
10 Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them,
And You made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
11 You divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And You hurled their pursuers into the depths,
Like a stone into raging waters.
12 And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
13 Then You came down on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven;
You gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 So You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,
And gave them commandments, statutes, and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
15 You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You brought out water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You told them to enter in order to take possession of
The land which You swore to give them.

16 “But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly;
They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
17 They refused to listen,
And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them;
So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.
But You are a God of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in mercy;
And You did not abandon them.
18 Even when they made for themselves
A calf of cast metal
And said, ‘This is your god
Who brought you up from Egypt,’
And committed great blasphemies,
19 You, in Your great compassion,
Did not abandon them in the wilderness;
The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
20 Instead, You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst.
21 Indeed, for forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not lacking;
Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell up.
22 You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,
And allotted them to them as a boundary.
They took possession of the land of Sihon [m]the king of Heshbon
And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
23 You made their sons as numerous as the stars of heaven,
And You brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
24 So their sons entered and took possession of the land.
And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
And You handed them over to them, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
To do with them as they desired.
25 They captured fortified cities and a fertile land.
They took possession of houses full of every good thing,
Carved out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
Fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were filled and put on fat,
And lived luxuriously in Your great goodness.

26 “But they became rebellious and revolted against You,
And threw Your Law behind their backs
And killed Your prophets who had admonished them
In order to bring them back to You,
And they committed great blasphemies.
27 Therefore You handed them over to their enemies who oppressed them,
But when they cried out to You in the time of their distress,
You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion
You gave them people who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
28 But as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You;
Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them.
When they cried out again to You, You heard from heaven,
And many times You rescued them according to Your compassion,
29 And admonished them in order to turn them back to Your Law.
Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
Which, if a person follows them, then he will live by them.
And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
30 However, You remained patient with them for many years,
And admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets,
Yet they would not listen.
Therefore You handed them over to the peoples of the lands.
31 Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or abandon them,
For You are a gracious and compassionate God.

32 “Now then, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
Which has happened to us, our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and to all Your people,
From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33 However, You are righteous in everything that has happened to us;
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
34 For our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your Law
Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them.
35 But they, in their own kingdom,
With Your great goodness which You gave them,
With the broad and rich land which You placed before them,
Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
36 Behold, we are slaves today,
And as for the land which You gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its bounty,
Behold, we are slaves on it.
37 And its abundant produce is for the kings
Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
And over our cattle as they please,
So we are in great distress.

38 Now because of all this

We are making an agreement in writing;
And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites, and our priests.”

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  • Apr 10, 2022Nehemiah’s Prayer: The Goodness of God
    Apr 10, 2022
    Nehemiah’s Prayer: The Goodness of God

    While they stood in their place, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God. Now on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God.

    Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever!

    May Your glorious name be blessed
    And exalted above all blessing and praise!
    You alone are the Lord.
    You have made the heavens,
    The heaven of heavens with all their lights,
    The earth and everything that is on it,
    The seas and everything that is in them.
    You give life to all of them,
    And the heavenly lights bow down before You.
    You are the Lord God,
    Who chose Abram
    And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees,
    And gave him the name Abraham.
    You found his heart faithful before You,
    And made a covenant with him
    To give him the land of the Canaanite,
    Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
    Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite—
    To give it to his descendants.
    And You have fulfilled Your promise,
    Because You are righteous.

    “You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
    And heard their cry by the Red Sea.
    10 Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
    Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
    For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them,
    And You made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
    11 You divided the sea before them,
    So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
    And You hurled their pursuers into the depths,
    Like a stone into raging waters.
    12 And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day,
    And with a pillar of fire by night
    To light for them the way
    In which they were to go.
    13 Then You came down on Mount Sinai,
    And spoke with them from heaven;
    You gave them just ordinances and true laws,
    Good statutes and commandments.
    14 So You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,
    And gave them commandments, statutes, and law,
    Through Your servant Moses.
    15 You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
    You brought out water from a rock for them for their thirst,
    And You told them to enter in order to take possession of
    The land which You swore to give them.

    16 “But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly;
    They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
    17 They refused to listen,
    And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them;
    So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.
    But You are a God of forgiveness,
    Gracious and compassionate,
    Slow to anger and abounding in mercy;
    And You did not abandon them.
    18 Even when they made for themselves
    A calf of cast metal
    And said, ‘This is your god
    Who brought you up from Egypt,’
    And committed great blasphemies,
    19 You, in Your great compassion,
    Did not abandon them in the wilderness;
    The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
    To guide them on their way,
    Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
    20 Instead, You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
    You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
    And You gave them water for their thirst.
    21 Indeed, for forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not lacking;
    Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell up.
    22 You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,
    And allotted them to them as a boundary.
    They took possession of the land of Sihon [m]the king of Heshbon
    And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
    23 You made their sons as numerous as the stars of heaven,
    And You brought them into the land
    Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
    24 So their sons entered and took possession of the land.
    And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
    And You handed them over to them, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
    To do with them as they desired.
    25 They captured fortified cities and a fertile land.
    They took possession of houses full of every good thing,
    Carved out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
    Fruit trees in abundance.
    So they ate, were filled and put on fat,
    And lived luxuriously in Your great goodness.

    26 “But they became rebellious and revolted against You,
    And threw Your Law behind their backs
    And killed Your prophets who had admonished them
    In order to bring them back to You,
    And they committed great blasphemies.
    27 Therefore You handed them over to their enemies who oppressed them,
    But when they cried out to You in the time of their distress,
    You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion
    You gave them people who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
    28 But as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You;
    Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them.
    When they cried out again to You, You heard from heaven,
    And many times You rescued them according to Your compassion,
    29 And admonished them in order to turn them back to Your Law.
    Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
    Which, if a person follows them, then he will live by them.
    And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
    30 However, You remained patient with them for many years,
    And admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets,
    Yet they would not listen.
    Therefore You handed them over to the peoples of the lands.
    31 Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or abandon them,
    For You are a gracious and compassionate God.

    32 “Now then, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness,
    Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
    Which has happened to us, our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and to all Your people,
    From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
    33 However, You are righteous in everything that has happened to us;
    For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
    34 For our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your Law
    Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them.
    35 But they, in their own kingdom,
    With Your great goodness which You gave them,
    With the broad and rich land which You placed before them,
    Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
    36 Behold, we are slaves today,
    And as for the land which You gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its bounty,
    Behold, we are slaves on it.
    37 And its abundant produce is for the kings
    Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
    They also rule over our bodies
    And over our cattle as they please,
    So we are in great distress.

    38 Now because of all this

    We are making an agreement in writing;
    And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites, and our priests.”

  • Apr 3, 2022Nehemiah: Spiritual Preparation for Revival
    Apr 3, 2022
    Nehemiah: Spiritual Preparation for Revival
    9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them. The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the wrongdoings of their fathers. While they stood in their place, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.
  • Mar 27, 2022Nehemiah: Ezra Reads from the Law: Responding with Obedience to the Word
    Mar 27, 2022
    Nehemiah: Ezra Reads from the Law: Responding with Obedience to the Word

    13 Then on the second day the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe so that they might gain insight into the words of the Law. 14 And they found written in the Law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month. 15 And that they were to proclaim and circulate a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other trees with thick branches, to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the public square at the Water Gate, and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths. Indeed, the sons of Israel had not done so since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 He read from the Book of the Law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a festive assembly in accordance with the ordinance.

  • Mar 13, 2022Nehemiah: Ezra Reads from the Law: Rejoicing Over the Word
    Mar 13, 2022
    Nehemiah: Ezra Reads from the Law: Rejoicing Over the Word

    Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat the festival foods, drink the sweet drinks, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your refuge.” 11 So the Levites silenced all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 Then all the people went away to eat, drink, to send portions, and to celebrate a great feast, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.

  • Mar 6, 2022Nehemiah: Ezra Reads from the Law. Understanding the Word
    Mar 6, 2022
    Nehemiah: Ezra Reads from the Law. Understanding the Word

    And all the people gathered as one person at the public square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel. Then Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it before the public square which was in front of the Water Gate, from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left. Then Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” with the raising of their hands; then they kneeled down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites explained the Law to the people while the people remained in their place. They read from the book, from the Law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.

  • Feb 27, 2022Nehemiah Organizes the People of Jerusalem
    Feb 27, 2022
    Nehemiah Organizes the People of Jerusalem
    7 Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had installed the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were appointed, then I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. Then I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, the gatekeepers are to keep the doors shut and bolted. Also appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house.” Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built.

    Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the other people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first, in which I found the following record:

  • Feb 20, 2022Nehemiah Opposition through Betrayal
    Feb 20, 2022
    Nehemiah Opposition through Betrayal

    The Wall Is Finished

    15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they realized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence, and were reporting my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

  • Feb 13, 2022Nehemiah Opposition through Deception
    Feb 13, 2022
    Nehemiah Opposition through Deception
    10 When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, “Let’s meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.” 11 But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And who is there like me who would go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go in.” 12 Then I realized that God certainly had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired for this reason, that I would become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could taunt me. 14 Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in accordance with these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets, who were trying to frighten me.
  • Feb 6, 2022Nehemiah Opposition through Slander
    Feb 6, 2022
    Nehemiah Opposition through Slander
    5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. In it was written: “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; for that reason you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let’s consult together.” Then I sent a message to him saying, “Nothing like these things that you are saying has been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.” For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, God, strengthen my hands.
  • Jan 30, 2022Nehemiah Faces Opposition through Compromise
    Jan 30, 2022
    Nehemiah Faces Opposition through Compromise
    6 Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach was left in it, although at that time I had not installed the doors in the gates, Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let’s meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were plotting to harm me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and am unable to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” Then they sent messages to me four times worded in this way, and I answered them with the same wording.