God’s word – Page 3

Nehemiah 2:11-20 – Unwavering Faith

Read Nehemiah 2:11-20

Can you imagine gathering all of the people together who are returning to Jerusalem with you and saying absolutely nothing about the plan God put on your heart? That was a long journey to have not confided in someone, recruiting people to help you in your mission.

Apparently, Nehemiah had his reasons. And now in the opening scene of this passage we see him sneaking around! At least he took a select few with him. I don’t know why I was surprised by the piles of rubble still blocking the way. The city had been destroyed 70+ years ago, and there had already been returnees in Jerusalem for years by the time Nehemiah showed up to finish securing the city with a wall.

Ezra 9:1-15 – Cry Out to God

Read Ezra 9:1-15

Have you ever been in Ezra’s shoes, totally disgusted with the sinful behaviors surrounding you? It’s hard to not become embarrassed by the way some people choose to live their lives. This frustration is nothing new. The people God has created have a long history of making bad choices. Remember Adam and Eve?

Ezra chose to take his anguish to God in prayer. As if to apologize for all mankind, Ezra speaks of polluted holy race. Clearly the implications of intermarriage in Ezra’s day, and for generations before, amplified the chasm of sin keeping people for experiencing God’s best for them. What would Adam and Eve’s lives looked like if they had resisted the serpent’s cleverness? What would the Israelite people have looked like had they not intermarried people who distracted them from God’s laws?

Ezra 6:1-12 – Stamp of Approval

Read Ezra 6:1-12

As we expected, King Darius confirmed the Israelite’s story. It took a little digging from the sounds of it, but the message was exactly as Tattenai had been told. Did you love King Darius’ response to the meddling Tattenai and his cohorts! “[S]tay away from there!” In other words, don’t mess with the Israelites.

King Darius took it a step farther as well. He decreed that Tattenai actually help the Israelites. The king’s instructions left little doubt of what should be done. I can just about feel Tattenai’s blood boiling even after all of these generations. He was probably very sorry that he had “opened that can of worms” when he first made his inquiries.

James 1:19-27 – Listening and Doing

Read James 1:19-27

Remember James is teaching us how to live as followers of Christ. Wouldn’t the world look totally different if everyone put his wisdom into play? Let’s unpack these great reminders.

Listen before speaking. How many times have you rushed to respond to someone without letting them finish or even paying attention to what they said? I know I’m guilty of that and feel horrible when I catch myself. James is simply telling us to “be present” in all situations. We can avoid a lot of heartache when we pay attention and communicate effectively. This may be the gentle prompt you need right now to “slow down!”

Hebrews 1:1-4 – Encounter Jesus

Read Hebrews 1:1-4

If you’ve spent any time at all reading prophecies in the Old Testament, you are very familiar with the salutation to the book of Hebrews which talks about how God speaks to us through the prophets. It’s true that God’s prophetic messages are still relevant and applicable to us today. Many of those prophecies point directly to Jesus.

The book of Hebrews is like an eloquent sermon burning with passion. The author is unknown but appears to draw from eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life of ministry. Several main themes dominate. One is that Jesus Christ is superior to everyone and everything. We will see descriptions showing how Jesus fulfills prophecy and the promises of God. The other focus is simply to give encouragement to the Jewish Christians, likely 2nd or 3rd generation. Not all Jews had accepted Jesus as their Messiah, so the Jewish Christians needed this encouragement, so they didn’t fall back into their old ways.