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Nehemiah Builds the Wall - The Book of Nehemiah · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Think upon me, my God, for good,
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  Speaker 1: according to all that I have done for this people.
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  Speaker 1: Nehemiah 5.19 My Lord, as I look around and observe
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  Speaker 1: all of the blessings that you have bestowed upon me,
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  Speaker 1: quicken my heart to be mindful of your children who
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  Speaker 1: have yet to lay hold of all the promises that
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  Speaker 1: you have in store for them. With this quickening of
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  Speaker 1: my heart, I pray that you will give me the
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  Speaker 1: vision and resources needed for me to carry out the
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  Speaker 1: rebuilding of your children. Like the wall in the book
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  Speaker 1: of Nehemiah, I now understand that I am called to
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  Speaker 1: help build the walls of hope in the hearts of
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  Speaker 1: your children who are lost. I thank you for uncommon
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  Speaker 1: favor with powerful kings like Artaxerxes. I thank you that
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  Speaker 1: the deed has already been written for me to receive
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  Speaker 1: all of the provisions and protection needed for me to
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  Speaker 1: act out the next assignment for my life. I decree
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  Speaker 1: and declare that I will not allow the voices of
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  Speaker 1: those who are jealous of your favor to stop me
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  Speaker 1: from building and completing my mission. I decree and declare that,
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  Speaker 1: like Nehemiah, you quicken and multiply the works of my
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  Speaker 1: hands so that I will be able to accomplish more
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  Speaker 1: in less time. I command every limiting thought that would
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  Speaker 1: hinder my momentum to be removed and cast away. I
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  Speaker 1: can and I will rebuild the lives of those around me,
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  Speaker 1: because you have anointed and appointed me to do so, Lord.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.
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  Speaker 1: Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 1: in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Nehemiah Builds the Wall In our last story, the invisible
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  Speaker 2: and silent hand of God was used mightily in the
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  Speaker 2: life of Esther. In the presence of a great threat
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  Speaker 2: to the Jews in the Persian Empire, an unlikely hero
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  Speaker 2: was raised up to save them. Now we learn of
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  Speaker 2: another hero sent by God, Nehemiah. Nehemiah oversees the rebuilding
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  Speaker 2: of Jerusalem's temple. He gives them hope and encourages them
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  Speaker 2: to trust in the protection of God. Yet no wall
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  Speaker 2: could truly protect them from their real enemy. Inspired by
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  Speaker 2: the book of Nehemiah.
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  Speaker 3: In our previous episode, we heard how God used Esther,
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  Speaker 3: a young Jewish woman, to save his people from the
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  Speaker 3: evil plan of Haman, which was to wipe out the
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  Speaker 3: Jews in Persia. We see her courage to speak up
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  Speaker 3: for her people at great personal risk. And we see
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  Speaker 3: it demonstrated again that God doesn't need the strong and
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  Speaker 3: powerful to accomplish his purposes. He can do amazing things
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  Speaker 3: through people who are available to him. There are really
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  Speaker 3: two abilities that are needed, availability and expendability. And today
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  Speaker 3: we're going to hear of another who was willing to
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  Speaker 3: step up and do what God put upon his heart
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  Speaker 3: to do for him. A man by the name of
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  Speaker 3: Nehemiah will see the sorry state of Jerusalem and mourn
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  Speaker 3: for his homeland and his people. But then He will
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  Speaker 3: hear the call to boldly act to rebuild and restore
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  Speaker 3: what had been lost. Let's listen now to God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: The sun was shining on the empire of King Artaxerxes.
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  Speaker 2: The mighty nation of Persia shone in the light of day,
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  Speaker 2: gleaming with prosperity and power. Serving in the great halls
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  Speaker 2: of the king was Nehemiah. He was a Jew by birth,
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  Speaker 2: a descendant of the exiles, and loyal to the God
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  Speaker 2: of Israel. He served as the king's cupbearer and had
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  Speaker 2: his undying trust. Nehemiah served the king diligently and with joy.
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  Speaker 2: The two became very close. However, Nehemiah's heart always longed
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  Speaker 2: for the promised land. The exiles had returned home to
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  Speaker 2: the great city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah had caught word that
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  Speaker 2: the temple had been rebuilt, and the exiles were creating
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  Speaker 2: new lives for themselves. Nehemiah asked his brother how the
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  Speaker 2: new settlement in Jerusalem was faring. When asked the question,
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  Speaker 2: his brother's face turned bleak. I am afraid the remnant
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  Speaker 2: is in great shame. The walls were broken to begin with,
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  Speaker 2: but now they are completely destroyed. They are vulnerable and
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  Speaker 2: live in constant fear. As soon as Nehemiah heard these words,
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  Speaker 2: his knees buckled. He wept on the floor for his
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  Speaker 2: kin in Jerusalem. He beat his fist against the floor,
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  Speaker 2: imagining the women and children of the city lying awake
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  Speaker 2: in fear every night. A city without walls was a
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  Speaker 2: city without hope. Nehemiah mourned over them. He knew what
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  Speaker 2: must be done. His forehead pressed against the stone floor.
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  Speaker 2: His prayers echoed in his palace chambers. O Lord, he whispered,
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  Speaker 2: grant me favor for what I am about to do.
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  Speaker 2: The next morning, Nehemiah was serving food to King Artaxerxes.
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  Speaker 2: Nehemiah's usually jovial demeanor was replaced with deep contemplation. The
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  Speaker 2: king took notice of this. What troubles you? he asked
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  Speaker 2: as he was finishing his breakfast. You are usually filled
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  Speaker 2: with the joy of your god. Something must have changed.
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  Speaker 2: Nehemiah froze with fear for a moment. He and the
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  Speaker 2: king were close, however... He was still considered a god
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  Speaker 2: in the land. To be on his bad side was ill-advised.
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  Speaker 2: Live forever, my king, Nehemiah feigned a smile. Forgive me,
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  Speaker 2: but my face reveals a sorrow for my people. Their
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  Speaker 2: city is in ruins and the gates are destroyed. The
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  Speaker 2: king looked closely at Nehemiah. Artaxerxes has heard many stories
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  Speaker 2: of the Hebrews from his grandfather Darius. He had heard
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  Speaker 2: of Daniel, David, and Moses. Like his grandfather, he held
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  Speaker 2: a soft spot for the Hebrews. His stepmother, Esther, was
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  Speaker 2: also a Hebrew. He had learned much from her.' What
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  Speaker 2: are your true desires, Nehemiah?' Artaxerxes asked plainly. The cupbearer
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  Speaker 2: bowed and said,' If it pleases you, I would like
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  Speaker 2: to see my people and help them.
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  Speaker 1: Rebuild the wall.
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  Speaker 2: As you know, I am a skilled architect.' Nehemiah's words
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  Speaker 2: resonated with the king. Artaxerxes looked at his wife, who
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  Speaker 2: was beside him. She seemed to agree that the cause
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  Speaker 2: was noble. So Artaxerxes allowed for Nehemiah to go. Not
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  Speaker 2: only did he allow for his departure, but he funded
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  Speaker 2: the project himself. He sent money, resources, laborers, and architects
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  Speaker 2: to aid in the building. Nehemiah and his team traveled
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  Speaker 2: for days and finally returned to the once great city
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  Speaker 2: of Jerusalem. Its high towers and low valleys filled Nehemiah's
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  Speaker 2: heart with joy. He had always imagined visiting the great city.
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  Speaker 2: Now his dreams had finally come true. Nehemiah could smell
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  Speaker 2: the faint odor of burning mortar from a distance. As
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  Speaker 2: he drew closer, he could see that parts of the
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  Speaker 2: walls were still smoldering from their previous attacks. He walked
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  Speaker 2: the whole distance of the wall, holding his hands against
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  Speaker 2: the broken stone. The walls represented the fortitude of God's people.
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  Speaker 2: As long as these walls were broken, so would their spirits.
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  Speaker 2: Nehemiah gathered the tribes and elders together. They planned through
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  Speaker 2: the night, taking note of which repairs needed to be
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  Speaker 2: addressed first. Each tribe and family was responsible for overseeing
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  Speaker 2: their own portion of the wall. With the funds of
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  Speaker 2: the king, Nehemiah's guidance, and the favor of God, the
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  Speaker 2: wall began to find its strength once again. Men, women,
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  Speaker 2: and children all did their part to see the wall
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  Speaker 2: reach its highest potential. As the walls rose, so did
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  Speaker 2: the spirits of the people. However, the project was not
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  Speaker 2: without opposition. The tribes that lived on the outskirts of
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  Speaker 2: Jerusalem hated the exiles. Since their return, Resources had been
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  Speaker 2: more scarce, and land was disputed over. They jeered and
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  Speaker 2: snickered at the builders, seeking to demoralize them. Look at
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  Speaker 2: these feeble little Jews trying to rebuild what's broken, they scoffed.
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  Speaker 2: Be careful that a fox does not brush its tail
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  Speaker 2: against your wall, lest it fall again, the men laughed.
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  Speaker 2: The Jews already lacked confidence since they lived most of
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  Speaker 2: their lives as exiles. Now they had to listen to
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  Speaker 2: the ridicule of their oppressive neighbors. Yet they kept working,
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  Speaker 2: and the wall continued to grow. The borderland armies could
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  Speaker 2: not bear the thought of Judah reclaiming its power, so
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  Speaker 2: they joined forces to rise up against them. The exiles
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  Speaker 2: stirred in fear. They were vulnerable and had very little
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  Speaker 2: to defend themselves with. Nehemiah did not waver. He put
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  Speaker 2: a sword in each man's hand and set up watchmen
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  Speaker 2: to take guard over the workers. The men continued to work,
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  Speaker 2: but their confidence was waning. Nehemiah saw this and stood
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  Speaker 2: before them. Listen to me, he shouted. Our God will
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  Speaker 2: fight for us.
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  Speaker 1: Keep building.
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  Speaker 2: If you hear the trumpet, rally to us and we
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  Speaker 2: will watch the Lord defend us. So each man worked
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  Speaker 2: with a hammer in one hand and a sword in
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  Speaker 2: the other. Weeks had passed, and the Lord had thwarted
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  Speaker 2: many plans to assassinate Nehemiah. Each time the Borderlands would
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  Speaker 2: try and lure him out into a meeting, Nehemiah was
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  Speaker 2: spared by warnings of their true plans. The wall grew
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  Speaker 2: day by day, as did the confidence of the people.
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  Speaker 2: It was as if building the wall itself was what
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  Speaker 2: the nation really needed. They needed to come together for
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  Speaker 2: a common cause and purpose. That served as a greater
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  Speaker 2: protection than the wall itself. Nehemiah began to plan for
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  Speaker 2: life after building. He gathered the leaders of Israel together
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  Speaker 2: and instituted a day where all debts were forgiven in
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  Speaker 2: the land. Nehemiah knew that a land could not thrive
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  Speaker 2: if the people were continually indebted to one another. This
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  Speaker 2: would prove as a powerful image of things to come.
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  Speaker 2: A day when the Lord would forgive the debts of humanity.
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  Speaker 2: After 52 days of labor in the hot eastern sun,
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  Speaker 2: the walls stood as a monument of hope for the
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  Speaker 2: entire nation. For the first time since exile, God's people
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  Speaker 2: were able to sigh a breath of relief. They no
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  Speaker 2: longer had to live in constant fear of ambush and violence.
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  Speaker 2: They could live in peace. They could worship in peace.
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  Speaker 2: Nehemiah called for Ezra to come before the people and
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  Speaker 2: read the word of God. There they bowed before the
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  Speaker 2: Lord and confessed their sin. They basked in his forgiveness
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  Speaker 2: and responded to the call to be better. Feasts and
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  Speaker 2: festivals were held to celebrate, yet all of it fell flat.
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  Speaker 2: No wall could truly protect them from the real threat.
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  Speaker 2: No brick could shield the people from their true enemy.
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  Speaker 2: The enemy of sin still existed. It still bore its
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  Speaker 2: teeth like a hungry lion. No wall would ever be
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  Speaker 2: large enough to protect them from their own hearts. That
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  Speaker 2: would take an act of God. That would take an
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  Speaker 2: act of the Messiah.
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  Speaker 3: In today's scripture, we meet Nehemiah, a Jew who, like
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  Speaker 3: other Israelites before him, had worked diligently even as a
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  Speaker 3: captive at an exile and had gained therefore favor with
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  Speaker 3: people in power. In Nehemiah's case, it was King Artaxerxes,
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  Speaker 3: the Persian ruler. Nehemiah was one of the most trusted
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  Speaker 3: servants of this man. He served as the cupbearer to
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  Speaker 3: the king and therefore served him food and drink, protecting
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  Speaker 3: the king from poisoning by his adversaries. He was close
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  Speaker 3: to the king. Nehemiah knew of the work of Ezra
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  Speaker 3: to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and this brought him
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  Speaker 3: great joy to know that his homeland was being restored.
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  Speaker 3: but he wasn't there, so he wanted to know what
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  Speaker 3: was actually going on in Jerusalem. And when he asked,
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  Speaker 3: the news disturbed him greatly. The city wall, their first
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  Speaker 3: and best defense against invaders, was on the ground in shambles.
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  Speaker 3: The remnant was living in constant fear in this rubble.
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  Speaker 3: They were living in shame for the sad state of
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  Speaker 3: their homeland. Nehemiah was broken. He was distraught. He knew
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  Speaker 3: that the walls of Jerusalem represented hope and peace and
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  Speaker 3: the glory of God. And he couldn't imagine his brothers
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  Speaker 3: and sisters living without God's glory, without God's hope in
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  Speaker 3: their lives. So Nehemiah weeps. He mourns. And then Nehemiah
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  Speaker 3: went to action. And his first action, the first thing
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  Speaker 3: he did was to get on his knees. He knew
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  Speaker 3: that unless he had God's favor and blessing upon his life,
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  Speaker 3: none of his efforts would be fruitful. We can learn
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  Speaker 3: here so much from Nehemiah. Prayer is not our last chance.
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  Speaker 3: It is always our first choice. Too often we are
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  Speaker 3: quick to act and react, to reach out to those who,
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  Speaker 3: from a human perspective, have power and resources to help.
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  Speaker 3: And while there's a proper course of action, we must
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  Speaker 3: never forget to go first to God, who is our
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  Speaker 3: source of strength, who is our source and our resource always.
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  Speaker 3: We are to submit to his will and ask for
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  Speaker 3: his blessing and favor and for his provision. Nehemiah understood
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  Speaker 3: this and it made all the difference in what he
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  Speaker 3: was going to do next. Before Nehemiah even spoke to
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  Speaker 3: the king, God prepared the king's heart. So when Nehemiah
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  Speaker 3: went before this powerful man the following day, Anazerxes took
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  Speaker 3: note of the change in the countenance of his trusted servant.
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  Speaker 3: He noticed that he was full of faith and courage.
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  Speaker 3: This opened the door for Nehemiah to tell the king
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  Speaker 3: that Jerusalem was in ruins. And amazingly, the king not
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  Speaker 3: only allowed Nehemiah to return home with his protection and blessing,
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  Speaker 3: but he sent resources and workers for the enormous work
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  Speaker 3: that needed to be done, the rebuilding of the walls.
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  Speaker 3: Once again, we see how God uses people just like
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  Speaker 3: you and me to accomplish his purposes. Everyone has a
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  Speaker 3: place on the wall. Everyone has a place of service
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  Speaker 3: to rebuild and restore what God is doing. Nehemiah arrived
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  Speaker 3: to Jerusalem with great anticipation, but also an understanding of
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  Speaker 3: the massive responsibility. He gathered the elders and the people
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  Speaker 3: to survey the work that needed to be done. Here again,
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  Speaker 3: we learn a valuable lesson from Nehemiah. He knew he
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  Speaker 3: had God's favor and But that did not mean it
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  Speaker 3: would be smooth sailing or that he could just mail
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  Speaker 3: it in without a plan. God had granted Nehemiah wisdom
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  Speaker 3: and skill at developing and planning and leading. And so
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  Speaker 3: he did not just dive into the work. He developed
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  Speaker 3: his plan and his strategy with the people. As we
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  Speaker 3: have heard, Nehemiah's campaign to rebuild the wall was not
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  Speaker 3: universally embraced or accepted. As is the case with any
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  Speaker 3: work that God has ordained for his glory, there was
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  Speaker 3: fierce opposition to the work. It didn't stop with derision
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  Speaker 3: and doubt and danger. There were actually people who tried
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  Speaker 3: to stop the plan and undermine the work that Nehemiah
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  Speaker 3: was set to accomplish. But Nehemiah reassured the people that
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  Speaker 3: God was on their side, saying to the leaders and
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  Speaker 3: to the people in Nehemiah 4, 14, Do not be
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  Speaker 3: afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome,
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  Speaker 3: and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives,
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  Speaker 3: and your homes. What a great challenge for us in
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  Speaker 3: the 21st century, that we would fight for our families,
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  Speaker 3: for our husbands and our wives, our children and our grandchildren.
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  Speaker 3: His words, the words of Nehemiah, sound like the words
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  Speaker 3: of Paul, who would later write, If God be for us,
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  Speaker 3: who can be against us? We are more than conquerors
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  Speaker 3: through Christ. The people were emboldened by his words and
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  Speaker 3: pushed on even against hardship and opposition. Step by step,
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  Speaker 3: brick by brick, the walls came up and the city
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  Speaker 3: was protected by outside threats. But there were still threats
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  Speaker 3: internally and Nehemiah set out to bring the people together.
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  Speaker 3: And when he did, debts were forgiven, the poor were
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  Speaker 3: ministered to and cared for, and the nation continued to heal.
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  Speaker 3: Then Nehemiah called Ezra to read God's word in the
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  Speaker 3: presence of the people. Their forgetfulness of God's ways had
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  Speaker 3: brought them to their lowest point. And only in turning
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  Speaker 3: back to God's word could he preserve this newfound peace
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  Speaker 3: and prosperity among the people. As the people listened, revival
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  Speaker 3: came to his people. Through this podcast, we have seen
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  Speaker 3: time and time again of the cycle of sin and
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  Speaker 3: judgment and restoration, revival among God's people. I pray that
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  Speaker 3: it has been apparent to you that this tragic cycle
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  Speaker 3: can happen again and again And it is happening in
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  Speaker 3: the world today. It is happening in America today. And
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  Speaker 3: the only solution for the problems we face is spiritual awakening.
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  Speaker 3: That God would rescue his people and revive us again
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  Speaker 3: in the midst of the years. Dear God, we thank
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  Speaker 3: you for your word. We thank you for the Old
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  Speaker 3: Testament with so many exciting stories, sobering stories, stories that
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  Speaker 3: remind us that you and you only are God. May
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  Speaker 3: we find our strength and our favor and our valor
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  Speaker 3: in you. Help us to do always what you have
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  Speaker 3: called us to do, to build and rebuild the things
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  Speaker 3: that you desire. And we pray, O God, that your church,
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  Speaker 3: called by your name, would faithfully advance your kingdom until
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  Speaker 3: you come again. In Jesus' name, amen. Once again, thank
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  Speaker 3: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage
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  Speaker 3: you to download the Pray.com app and make Bible study
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: and prayer a real priority in your life. And if
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: you are enjoying this podcast, share it with someone you know,
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: someone you care about, because sharing God's Word has a
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  Speaker 3: powerful impact upon people's lives. And if you want more
• 19:48
  Speaker 3: resources as to how you can find faith, grow in
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: your faith, develop as a disciple and follower of Jesus,
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: be sure to visit me at jackgram.org. We have plenty
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  Speaker 3: of resources that will encourage you and equip you for life.
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  Speaker 3: God bless you.