Latest / Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms / #190. The Joy of the LORD is Your Strength + Where Deep Faith is Really Grown | Nehemiah 5-9

Transcript

#190. The Joy of the LORD is Your Strength + Where Deep Faith is Really Grown | Nehemiah 5-9 · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

• 0:00
  This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
• 0:02
  I'm Stephanie Hickox, and I am pondering where and how Nehemiah learned to be so compassionate, generous, diligent, God-fearing, and skilled in leadership living amongst the Persians, and how the people who were living in Jerusalem near God's temple didn't
• 0:17
  have the same commitment to obeying God's word.
• 0:20
  After we follow several examples of Nehemiah's integrity and character, our main reading for today will remind us of one of God's main tools for refining and sanctifying His people.
• 0:30
  It'll be a good checkup for us as moms to determine if we're falling into tendencies of trying to keep our kids in the ideal environments, in the ideal circumstances.
• 0:39
  Because biblically, that's just not always where God works in Nehemiah chapter 5, We witness Nehemiah's heart for justice.
• 0:46
  Some of the wealthier Jews were profiting off of exploiting their brothers and sisters.
• 0:50
  This was entirely against the Mosaic Law, and Nehemiah was disgusted with their disobedience and selfishness.
• 0:55
  There was a famine and instead of sharing what they had, they were gaining off of their own people.
• 1:00
  in contrast, Nehemiah uses what must have been the wealth that he accumulated as a cupbearer to the king, and he allows a hundred and fifty men and their families to regularly dine with him In verse nine, The thing
• 1:12
  that you are doing is not good.
• 1:14
  Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations, our enemies?"
• 1:19
  Nehemiah tells them to restore everything that they've exacted from their brothers and sisters and it's another example of Nehemiah's effective leadership because the people agree perhaps it's this occurrence that allows the people to recognize how skilled he is
• 1:32
  as a leader, because he's then appointed as governor he holds this first term in office for about 12 years.
• 1:38
  I think this is a little bit longer than Artaxerxes expected him to be away In verse 15, Nehemiah explains why he's different from the former governors Because of the fear of God.
• 1:48
  Remember that oh-so-important phrase, chapter 5 closes, Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people."
• 1:56
  It's definitely not the last time we're gonna see that phrase Sounds like something a mom could pray too.
• 2:00
  I love Nehemiah's discernment at the beginning of chapter six His enemies are trying to distract him, but he's no fool.
• 2:06
  Sanballat and Geshem sent to me saying, Come and let us meet together at Gathhepher in the plain of Ono."
• 2:12
  But they intended to do me harm, and I sent messengers to them saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down.
• 2:19
  Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"
• 2:22
  And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.
• 2:26
  this absolutely feels like a mom being interrupted four times every time she's trying to do something, doesn't it?
• 2:31
  But I so appreciate Nehemiah's confidence that he's doing a great work, and he's not going to get caught up in their distractions Unfortunately, these enemies aren't just distracting, they're also deceitful.
• 2:42
  next, Sanballat's servant comes to Nehemiah with a letter in his hand.
• 2:45
  He says, "There's a report here that you intend to rebel, and King Artaxerxes is gonna hear about this.
• 2:50
  So come down and let's talk about it Nehemiah calls his bluff and responds, There isn't a report.
• 2:56
  You're making this up, and I am not coming down."
• 2:58
  And Nehemiah prays, "But now, oh God, strengthen my hands."
• 3:02
  His enemies realize they better crank it up a notch 'cause he's not falling for any of their ploys and now they tempt him to disobey the Lord.
• 3:09
  They contract a false prophet who says, Nehemiah, there's a death threat against your life.
• 3:14
  Let's go hide in the temple where they won't find you."
• 3:16
  Remember, Nehemiah is a governor but now they're tempting him to go to a place where only a priest was allowed to go.
• 3:23
  Do you recall how King Uzziah entered the temple and how it turned out for him?
• 3:27
  Nehemiah doesn't fall for this for a second But asks, What man such as I could go into the temple and live?
• 3:33
  I will not go in Verse 12 confirms he saw right through it And I understood and saw that God had not sent him But he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
• 3:44
  For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, so that they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me All of Nehemiah's resolute and steadfast resolve is
• 3:55
  blessed by the favor of God Because right after this, he announces that the wall was completed in fifty-two days.
• 4:02
  And when all our enemies heard of it...
• 4:04
  And this causes their enemies and the nations around them To fear, because they knew that this couldn't be accomplished without the help of God Part of this wall was excavated recently.
• 4:14
  And they noticed that the wall seemed hastily built that makes sense given the construction conditions.
• 4:19
  But in any case, 52 days to build this entire wall is miraculous, and it certainly revealed the hand of God upon them The watching nations and their enemies are trembling because they know God's hand is upon them next,
• 4:31
  God puts it on Nehemiah's heart to record a genealogy, it includes the 50,000 exiles that had returned I really love what we can glean from chapter eight because as Ezra and the priest, and the priests go about renewing
• 4:43
  the covenant with these people They make great effort to not just read the book of the law, but to teach and instruct the people and make sure they understand it.
• 4:52
  And as the book of the law is read, the people are becoming convicted, realizing that there is so much that they haven't been following.
• 4:59
  They begin to grieve and mourn But Nehemiah and Ezra and the priests say, eat the fat, drink the wine, share with those that have nothing.
• 5:06
  This day is holy to the Lord, and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
• 5:11
  This is possibly the most well-known verse in Nehemiah We quote it a lot But do we apply it to our lives?
• 5:17
  So often we equate holiness with seriousness, and we should be serious about righteousness.
• 5:23
  But holy doesn't have to equal somber.
• 5:25
  It can equal joy We can take great delight in obedience and we read that the people get it.
• 5:30
  There was great rejoicing because they understood the words that were declared to them.
• 5:35
  have you ever felt your chest exploding because you have such delight over the love that God has for you?
• 5:40
  Maybe you've read His Word and you're just bursting to share what he's teaching you, or you're worshiping and everything fades away, And you are reminded that all that matters is eternity These verses provide such a delightful reminder for
• 5:51
  us, and I hope that when our kids look back and they think about the times that they spent in the Word or talking about God, that they think of joy and laughter, and it wasn't just, Everybody sit there
• 6:00
  and be quiet for the reading of God's Word But if we're honest, we could probably all use a tune-up to that end next in the chapter, the Feast of Booths is reinstituted and I'll have chapter nine be our
• 6:11
  main reading for today.
• 6:12
  It doesn't provide a lot of new information, but it's a wonderful summary of what has occurred up until this point and as we're just about to cross the finish line for the Old Testament, I love reading what makes
• 6:24
  the highlight reel in this account of Israel's history
• 6:27
  Speaker 102: the people read God's Word for a quarter of the day.
• 6:30
  Speaker 102: Then for another quarter, they make confession and worship As I begin reading in verse six, I want you to listen for the actions of the Lord.
• 6:37
  Speaker 102: What has God done and what have God's people done in response?
• 6:41
  Speaker 102: And what circumstances have produced the most fruit in their hearts?
• 6:45
  Speaker 101: You are the Lord, you alone.
• 6:47
  Speaker 101: You have made the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve all of them, and the host of heaven worships you.
• 6:57
  Speaker 101: You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.
• 7:04
  Speaker 101: You found his heart faithful before you and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Girgashite, and you have kept your promise, for
• 7:16
  Speaker 101: you are righteous.
• 7:17
  Speaker 101: And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that
• 7:28
  Speaker 101: they acted arrogantly against our fathers, and you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day.
• 7:33
  Speaker 101: And you divided the sea before them so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths as a stone into mighty waters.
• 7:42
  Speaker 101: By a pillar of cloud, you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.
• 7:49
  Speaker 101: You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments.
• 7:56
  Speaker 101: And you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses, your servant.
• 8:03
  Speaker 101: You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst.
• 8:08
  Speaker 101: And you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.
• 8:12
  Speaker 101: But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments.
• 8:18
  Speaker 101: They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them.
• 8:22
  Speaker 101: But they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
• 8:35
  Speaker 101: Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt," and had committed great blasphemies, you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness.
• 8:46
  Speaker 101: The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go.
• 8:54
  Speaker 101: You gave your good spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.
• 9:00
  Speaker 101: Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing.
• 9:03
  Speaker 101: Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner.
• 9:10
  Speaker 101: So they took possession of the land of Sihon, king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan.
• 9:15
  Speaker 101: You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess.
• 9:22
  Speaker 101: So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do
• 9:32
  Speaker 101: with them as they would.
• 9:34
  Speaker 101: And they captured fortified cities and a rich land and took possession of houses full of good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance.
• 9:45
  Speaker 101: So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
• 9:50
  Speaker 101: Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you, and cast your law behind their back, and killed your prophets who had warned them in order to turn them back to you.
• 10:00
  Speaker 101: And they committed great blasphemies.
• 10:02
  Speaker 101: Therefore, you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer.
• 10:05
  Speaker 101: And in the time of their suffering, they cried out to you.
• 10:08
  Speaker 101: And you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies, you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
• 10:15
  Speaker 101: But after they had rest, they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them.
• 10:23
  Speaker 101: Yet, when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies.
• 10:29
  Speaker 101: And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law.
• 10:33
  Speaker 101: Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them.
• 10:41
  Speaker 101: And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey.
• 10:45
  Speaker 101: Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets, yet they would not give ear.
• 10:51
  Speaker 101: Therefore, you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
• 10:54
  Speaker 101: Nevertheless, in your great mercies, you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
• 11:02
  Speaker 101: Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all of the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests,
• 11:16
  Speaker 101: our prophets, our fathers, and all your people Since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day, yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully, and we have acted
• 11:28
  Speaker 101: wickedly
• 11:29
  Speaker 103: As the people renew their covenant before the Lord, it's of paramount importance that they remember God's faithfulness and that they have been faithless to Him This account acknowledges that God has filled them with good things.
• 11:41
  Speaker 103: When the people were delighting in God's great goodness, they became comfortable, and then tempted by sin Instead of enjoying abundance and blessing and drawing near to the Lord through it, the people compromised and turned away from Him.
• 11:54
  Speaker 103: Yet every time they cried out, God was merciful and gracious and ready to forgive And now they're acknowledging that they need the refining element of suffering did you catch that thread being woven through?
• 12:05
  Speaker 103: And as I think about Nehemiah's character, the way that God worked in him in exile, serving a king that did not serve the Lord, I am in awe once again of God's ways and this leads me to greater
• 12:15
  Speaker 103: surrender for my kids.
• 12:17
  Speaker 103: instead of trying to protect them, and place them in circumstances that I think would prosper their faith, it teaches me to hold up my hands once again and say, God, you know."
• 12:26
  Speaker 103: Far be it for me to control where my kids live, where they go to school, what opportunities they have.
• 12:33
  Speaker 103: Far be it for me to think that they'd be better off if they didn't have a certain challenge in their life.
• 12:38
  Speaker 103: Far be it for me to pray away suffering when that may be exactly what they need to bend their knee to Him Of course, we want blessings and favor for our kids.
• 12:47
  Speaker 103: But when God has chosen a different path or we know He's leading us to trust Him with circumstances we didn't anticipate Let's be reminded That it's often in the difficulties that the strongest roots of our faith are developed
• 13:00
  Speaker 103: Heavenly Father, your word once again reminds us of what you want us to understand about your character.
• 13:06
  Speaker 103: That you are merciful and loving, slow to anger, but quick to forgive.
• 13:11
  Speaker 103: We thank you that the joy we find in your presence is our strength I ask that our families would be marked by the joy and the delight of you.
• 13:18
  Speaker 103: I pray that when they look back on their childhoods, that the times that they would remember as the most enjoyable would be the times we spent focused on you That the discussions that were most engaging and enlightening were
• 13:29
  Speaker 103: the ones centered around your Word.
• 13:31
  Speaker 103: I ask that even the foods and traditions that would bring the most joy would be ones that are centered on remembering your goodness Lord, when we are in seasons of abundance, help us to continually come back to you
• 13:42
  Speaker 103: as the source of our delight.
• 13:44
  Speaker 103: And when you have chosen the sanctifying seasons of suffering, may our hands be open in surrender for ourselves and our families.
• 13:51
  Speaker 103: trusting in your loving kindness.
• 13:53
  Speaker 103: Jesus, we thank you that you were anointed with the oil of gladness and we pray that you would be glorified by the delight we have in you.
• 14:00
  Speaker 103: It's in your name we pray.
• 14:02
  Speaker 103: Amen.