Nehemiah 1:1-3:14
Who were the three shortest men in the Bible? Knee-high Miah, Bildad the shoe-height (Shuhite), and the man who fell asleep “On His Watch.”
So, in Ezra, we read about the building of the temple and the intervention that kept the people from making themselves unable to worship God. Now we look at the building of the city and organizing of the government. Ezra will appear there too.
The rebuilding of the city is very important for biblical prophesy. The book of Daniel had already been written and in it Gabriel says that the 70 weeks begin with the decree to rebuild the city, not the temple. That is a small, but huge point. What Nehemiah is about to do will start the clock ticking. The decree was issued on March 5, 444 BC.
Nehemiah 1
The most striking thing in this chapter is Nehemiah’s prayer. It shows that he was well read, devout and knew both the warnings at the end of Deuteronomy and Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple. During the time in Babylon, both the synagogue system and a tradition of teaching and copying the OT came into being. Nehemiah apparently was a very serious follower of God.
The cupbearer might have been like the chief butler/organizer of the palace. He might have been responsible for all palace staff and particularly for the kitchen and all the food and drink. When we see what Nehemiah does, it is apparent that he has skills.
Nehemiah 2
Vs. 1-8 Artaxerxes had sent Ezra to Jerusalem 14 years earlier. The prohibition to rebuilding the city had been well before that. Now, his very trusted and respected officer was asking to rebuild Jerusalem. Why all this came to a head now is only known by the Lord. Apparently the time was right.
V. 6 This is apparently an important point that the queen was there. She would not have been invited to a public event. This might have just been the two of them eating, before they spent the rest of the night watching TV.
Vs. 9-10 Nehemiah’s first stop was to the government offices, which were apparently in Samaria. When you see all the opposition that came out of Samaria, both to the building of the temple and rebuilding of the city, it is easy to see why the Jews had this irrational feud with the Samaritans. There is evidence that Sanballat was the governor of Samaria. Now, there was already opposition. They might have been impressed with the command of Artaxerxes, but I’ll bet knowing Nehemiah was a cupbearer didn’t impress them.
Vs. 11-16 So, this opposition is one of the reasons Nehemiah went out at night.
Vs. 17-20 Nehemiah didn’t just present a vision, he presented a plan. He also showed how the hand of God was working. Gene Getz does Nehemiah in the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC), and he has a list of what Nehemiah did right in presenting this challenge to the leaders on page 678.
And, as normal, there was opposition from the local government in Samaria.
Nehemiah 3:1-14
Notice that not everyone repaired opposite his own house. What was brilliant was that the work was divided so quickly and people dove in. If we knew the city, it would probably be apparent to us that these sections are being given in some linear order, counter-clockwise. The BKC has a map on page 679.
V. 1 It is interesting that the high priest began the building, and that the gate was the sheep gate. This is where they brought in the sheep from the surrounding hills for sacrifice at the temple.
V. 12 This guy and his daughters worked.
V. 14 God promised that the Recabites would always have a believing man who would stand before Him.
For us as disciples motivating others in the harvest, there is a good lesson here. Vision is great, Vision and a plan is better. Sometimes people don’t get involved because they don’t know where to start or how their work makes a contribution to the whole.
1 Corinthians 7:1-24
Now for the questions the Corinthians had for Paul.
V. 1 This is an unfortunate translation. “Sexual relations” shouldn’t be there. The translator is filling in the sense of the meaning but the word is “touch.” “Touch” is a better rendering. Growing up, it was common knowledge that girls had cooties and if you touched them you’d get cooties too.
Also, the translator makes it seem as if Paul is quoting someone. In the entire context of chapter 7, we’ll see that Paul himself is of this opinion because of the distress the Corinthian church was facing.
One of the stylistic things that Paul does is seen clearly in this chapter. Often in one sentence or clause, Paul will say men and women, and in the next clause say women and men and then again, men and women, alternating the person being referred to. He did this referring to Apollos earlier and he does it in 1 Tim 2-3, when he talks about men and women again. That’s just interesting trivia.
Vs. 2-5 There is some interesting teaching in this passage.
V. 4 has lead to some funny marital conversations. Very confusing.
V. 5 The way to understand this is that married couples should be having regular sexual relationships. God made this for couples to experience one flesh and completion. It is built into us. To deny it or to neglect this need is to ask for trouble. If God’s view of being one flesh was understood, pornography and other sexual dysfunctions in Christian marriages wouldn’t be the problem they are today.
Vs. 6-9 At this point in his life Paul was single. Some people speculate that he might have been married as a younger man, but lost his wife. To understand Paul’s feeling toward marriage here, skip ahead to verse 26. The Roman world was beginning to go to seed. And, particularly regarding the Jews, a massive storm of judgment was on the horizon for the generation that crucified Jesus. In 70 AD Jerusalem would be destroyed along with the temple, and there would be a massive persecution of the Jews. Just before that, Nero would lose his mind; and many Christians would be promoted to permanent residence in heaven. Paul could see this on the horizon, and perhaps there was something very specific happening in Corinth, and knew that if the people were married, it might create fear and dividedness in their hearts bearing up under the persecution. Tomorrow in verse 36 Paul will suggest waiting, but say that if you can’t wait, get married.
Vs. 10-11 This means that Paul had a copy of Mark, or other words of Jesus where Jesus talked about marriage and divorce.
Vs. 12-16 What Paul is saying here is a command of the Lord, but it is not something Jesus said that was recorded in one of the gospels. While the Corinthians were going though some kind of distress which affects the context of these words, the application is broader. In a marriage where one spouse comes to faith and the other wants out, the divorce should be allowed.
Vs. 17-24 Again, this is best understood in view of verse 26.
Psalm 31:19-24
This is the final installment of Psalm 31. It is all about the praise David learned to give, not for the quick, massive deliverance he and all of us would want, but for the daily blessings and the little escapes.
V. 21 is David’s hallmark, the steadfast love of the Lord.
V. 24 This verse feeds my heart.
Proverbs 21:4
I guess the lamp is the view of the wicked or the things that guide the wicked as they think and make decisions..
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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