(No, this is not about the Coronavirus.)
Since October I have been meeting up with a friend on a weekly basis to read through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. Notwithstanding occasional interruptions, we have met up pretty much every week. Some of the passages have been really engaging, full of new insights and discussion points, while others, such as chapter 3 (a list of names of those who worked on which bit of the wall), have been harder work. But there hasn't been a passage we have got nothing from, albeit at times the passage has been a springboard to talk about other related topics.
Nehemiah, written at the time of restoration after exile in Babylon, is about rebuilding a wall.
Chapters 1-6 begin with Nehemiah, who is in government service for the powerful Persian Empire, hearing of the reproachable state of his home city. This drives Nehemiah to prayer, followed by boldly petitioning the Persian for permission to remedy the situation. While his compatriots catch his vision, he has to overcome the opposition of those "with no claim or historical right" to Jerusalem. In the end the wall is rebuilt - in a record fifty-two days - with the involvement of many in the city.
Chapter 7 represents a bridge between the two sections of the book.
Then from, chapter 8 onwards, the rebuilding continues, but now it is about rebuilding the community spiritually - another "wall" but of a different kind. This involves heeding God's Word and calling on Him in confession and worship, addressing the spiritual causes of the exile. I am still on chapter 9, so there is more to come...
As I have been long-term reading this book, a sermon I found helpful asked, "What is your wall?" In other words, what is the particular focus and task God has set you at the present time. I think I have an answer for me, but I wonder how you might answer that question?
Since October I have been meeting up with a friend on a weekly basis to read through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. Notwithstanding occasional interruptions, we have met up pretty much every week. Some of the passages have been really engaging, full of new insights and discussion points, while others, such as chapter 3 (a list of names of those who worked on which bit of the wall), have been harder work. But there hasn't been a passage we have got nothing from, albeit at times the passage has been a springboard to talk about other related topics.
Nehemiah, written at the time of restoration after exile in Babylon, is about rebuilding a wall.
Chapters 1-6 begin with Nehemiah, who is in government service for the powerful Persian Empire, hearing of the reproachable state of his home city. This drives Nehemiah to prayer, followed by boldly petitioning the Persian for permission to remedy the situation. While his compatriots catch his vision, he has to overcome the opposition of those "with no claim or historical right" to Jerusalem. In the end the wall is rebuilt - in a record fifty-two days - with the involvement of many in the city.
Chapter 7 represents a bridge between the two sections of the book.
Then from, chapter 8 onwards, the rebuilding continues, but now it is about rebuilding the community spiritually - another "wall" but of a different kind. This involves heeding God's Word and calling on Him in confession and worship, addressing the spiritual causes of the exile. I am still on chapter 9, so there is more to come...
As I have been long-term reading this book, a sermon I found helpful asked, "What is your wall?" In other words, what is the particular focus and task God has set you at the present time. I think I have an answer for me, but I wonder how you might answer that question?
