Nehemiah 7:61-9:21
Nehemiah 7:61-73
This concludes Nehemiah's
research on who was true-blue. The last part of v. 73 is the intro into chapter
8.
Nehemiah 8
Ezra's teaching ministry to
the people had been suspended during the two months of building the walls. I
don't know if this was planned by anyone other than God, but now came the Feast
of Trumpets and then the Day of Atonement and the Feast of the Tabernacles.
With the walls being finished, this would all be an amazing way to focus this
generation on their calling as the people of God in the world. Keep in mind
that the dedication of the wall doesn't happen until chapter 12.
Vs. 1-10 Notice that the
people gathered in unity. Notice, too, that there were leaders on the platform
with Ezra, giving visual testimony to their unity with Ezra and the Word. Also,
note that the "sermon" was longer than 45 minutes!
Vs. 7-8 So then, after all
of this, there were these guys who apparently were given different sections to
expound upon and apply. It could be that these all day events were broken into
sections where, after the reading of the Book of the Law, people sat in groups
in different parts of the city and had the Levites actually expound in depth on
Scripture portions.
When I read this I'm not
only amazed that the people willingly stood to hear all of this for hours upon
hours, but I wonder if they had port-a-potties or something.
Vs. 9-12 At this point in
the gathering Nehemiah and Ezra are standing side by side. There must have been
power in this event and the people must have been very sensitive and open
spiritually. As they heard the law, seeing all of God's favor and knowing how
far they had fallen as a nation, they wept. They had to be encouraged and
commanded to rejoice and be generous, in spite of being surrounded by enemies
and not being an independent nation. Also, think of what it meant for these
people to leave their farms and homes for this event and the week-long event
that was to follow. What we are witnessing here is a miracle of restoration and
spiritual renewal. It wouldn't last forever, but this was certainly a gift for
this group of people.
All through Scripture, back
then and today, the truth is the same for those who understand the Word: The joy of the Lord is our strength. We follow Christ in the
harvest, working for Him, hoping in Him, but we never forget that we live in a
lost world on a dying planet. We sense this death in our bodies and in the
nature within us that still strains to dishonor our Lord. Yet with this full
understanding, we can rejoice truly and greatly. Paul said it like this in Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the
power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Our strength and testimony spring from our joy in being saved and
belonging to Christ.
Vs. 13-18 What blows me away
here is the comment in v. 17. If I understand this correctly, this feast with
people living near the tabernacle/temple in little home-made huts had not been
held. It could be that the part of the feast that wasn't followed was that
everyone lived outdoors in booths made from branches. These feast weeks in
themselves were a challenge because all the men had to attend and they would
have gone with their families, meaning their houses and property were
unprotected. It would have taken a lot of faith. Finally here, the reason God
had given this feast in the first place was experienced. The people rejoiced in
God.
V. 18 Notice that Ezra
taught all seven days. From the earlier verses we know how they did this. Ezra
read and others were appointed to explain and apply the truth of various
sections of Scripture.
Nehemiah 9
And now the final day. You
can tell this was a special event orchestrated by God. What a way to give a
generation a shot of spiritual vitality, hoping they would determine in their
hearts to follow God.
Vs. 1-5 With the confession
and fasting and prayer, this looks like a revival. By virtue of all we have
read about the people weeping when Ezra read the Law, this was a time of
unparalleled humility and brokenness in Israel. This is just amazing.
V. 5 It would appear that
the guys mentioned here all led a part of the prayer of testimony and
confession that follows.
Since I know how Nehemiah
ends, it impresses me how important the leaders are to the walk of the people.
The entire congregation is like a living thing. If one part dies or becomes
corrupt, the entire body suffers. This would be true, too, of the NT teaching
on the church.
Vs. 6-21 As you read this
prayer, what stands out to you as a disciple? Isn't it amazing how important
their history was to them in inspiring them to remember, to repent and to
follow? God's love and forgiveness is woven through it all. As an exercise in
Bible study, underline or mark all the occurrences of you and they. It tells
you the story that is still going on today as God works through us to reach our
fellow wrecks on this planet.
As disciples, our own
personal history is important in that same way. Think of what the Lord has
done, what He has forgiven and the times when He has restored; and remember
that His love and forgiveness are woven through all of it. Our strength and joy
are not in us, but in Him and in what He has done in us. Add to that, the fact
that we are standing at the end of all of this redemptive history that we are
reading about, having been saved to follow Christ in this time of harvest.
1 Corinthians 9:1-18
This is another one of those
portions where Paul gets emotional. Read this portion out loud about three
times, putting a little emotion into it and you'll understand what Paul was
feeling when he wrote it. The climax comes in vs. 19-23, with 24-27 being a call
to imitate Paul in following the Lord.
Vs. 1-2 In chapters 6 and 8
Paul addressed the Corinthians’ exercise and misuse of freedom. This chapter
will have an ironic twist to it. In chapter 8 the weak were those who were not
able to eat meat, for fear that it had been offered in sacrifice. In this
chapter Paul shows that the weak and spiritually immature are really many of
those "strong" people in the Corinthian church who complained about
Paul. Here, Paul is defending his position as an apostle of the Lord.
Vs. 3-7 It is evident here,
and we'll see this again in 2 Corinthians 11, that Paul was spoken against as
trying to take advantage of this church's resources. Apparently familiarity
bred contempt. Paul, the founder of the church in Corinth, and his buddy Barnabas
were looked upon suspiciously; but all the other heroes of the faith were
fawned upon and given special privilege.
V. 7 These are all pictures
of Paul's work among them as a servant. That goes for us also, as disciples.
Vs. 8-12 Notice how Paul used
the law to prove his point. These people knew the law and would respect the
evidence. Paul is not only showing scriptural authority; look at vs. 11 and 12.
Paul had labored to plant this church, but many of these people had been led to
distrust and disrespect him.
V. 12 This is where Paul
illustrates what he mentioned to them in chapter 8. The stronger believer
sacrifices, until the weaker believer is mature enough to understand and not
violate their conscience. By now the Corinthians should have been supporting
Paul in his ministry, like the Philippians were doing. But we know from chapter
3, that this "gifted" church was in protracted infancy. So then, Paul
had to keep treating them as weak and not offend them so he could nurture them
to maturity.
Vs. 13-15 More proof,
straight from the OT and then Jesus, that supporting the work of the Lord was
not only supported by Scripture; but it was also a sign of maturity.
Vs. 16-18 Can you sense the irony in Paul's words
here? Since Paul is inspired by the Spirit, it has to be coming from God too.
You might have to read these a few times to get Paul's meaning. Paul never
thought he'd be rewarded for preaching the gospel, because preaching the gospel
was his obligation. That reminds me of Jesus' teaching on faith to His
disciples in Luke
17:10, "So you also, when you have
done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only
done what was our duty.'"
Disciples understand this.
Read the rest of the chapter and you'll get the punch
of where Paul is going with this. Paul was free, but made himself a slave to
Christ and to "the weak" in order to work in the harvest for Christ.
The Corinthians should have been humbled, but judging by 2 Corinthians 11, I
don't think they had the type of humility that the people in Nehemiah's day
had.
A leader sacrifices for his
master. Nehemiah sacrificed his personal comfort out of love for God, serving
the people of God. A disciple sacrifices for the sake of his Lord to reach
others with this message and to bring them to maturity as disciples. These are
words from the heart of an amazing disciple.
Psalm 33:12-22
V. 12 Here David is
declaring that it is a privilege to be that nation that has given itself to the
Lord.
Vs. 13-17 I find it
interesting that David mentions God's watchfulness and interest as being
global, and not limited to Israel. God watches all nations and all men, and the
affairs of men are ultimately in His hands as He works His plan of redemption.
Did David understand some of God's redemptive purpose in Israel? The Spirit
certainly did.
Vs. 18-22 is the crescendo
of this psalm. Notice how God's watchful care, steadfast love, and deliverance
are on all those who fear Him and wait on Him. It is common in all followers of
the Lord to hope and trust and wait on Him.
Proverbs 21:11-12
Verse 11 is similar to a
proverb we had before, and here the meaning is clear. The scoffer doesn't learn
from his punishment, but the simple learn when the scoffer is rebuked. So, it
is worth it to rebuke the scoffer. The wise don't need to be punished; they are
shown and they learn.
The last clause of v. 12 is
interpreted differently in different translations. If it is put together with
v. 11, it might mean that the wise person observes and learns from the wicked,
and what they learn is that God brings the wicked to ruin. So, it isn't worth
it to imitate or envy the wicked.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/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 complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
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.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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