Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Nehemiah 2-7
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: Hey, it's good to see you today. Welcome to our journey through scripture. My name is Philip Thomas. I'm pastor here at Journey in Elgin, Texas. Again, what we're doing is we're going through ⁓ scripture in a chronological order. So we're in Nehemiah. So we'll be in Nehemiah chapters two through seven today. So Nehemiah two through seven. All right, we had just finished. We ⁓ talked talked about Nehemiah chapter one, ⁓ where he was a cupbearer to the king of Persia. And he had it laid on his heart that he wanted to go and rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. ⁓ that was extremely important ⁓ in that day and time. It w represented strength. ⁓ it gave a city a chance. ⁓ and the wall had been destroyed. Remember the temple has been rebuilt, ⁓ but the wall has not been. So Nehemiah ⁓ is desires to go to the king, ⁓ but this is always a a dangerous thing. ⁓ whenever you're asking ⁓ asking authority ⁓ things like this. ⁓ he knew it could go bad for him. ⁓ so he began praying on it. And ⁓ in chapter two we see what ⁓ happened with Nehemiah. He ⁓ goes before the king. I I love this. It says, ⁓ now I had never been sad in his presence before. ⁓ so the king could tell that something was wrong. ⁓ it says why is your face sad? Since you are not sick. This is nothing but sorrow of heart. I think there's there's some a lesson to be learned there. Nehemiah, he it's not like he didn't have bad days before, right? But he didn't let that affect the way that he interacted and worked ⁓ and did his job. ⁓ he he he did his job w in a ⁓ a positive manner. ⁓ and did not allow what was going on outside ⁓ to affect his work. ⁓ but this was different. This was this this was something he knew he needed to bring to the king. He was very sorrowful for what he had seen with the people ⁓ back and and it was it was obvious. And so the king sees ⁓ this sorrow of heart. He knows he's not just in a bad mood. He knows there's something really wrong. This is not just that Nehemiah had a bad day. And ⁓ so says, So I became dreadfully afraid. So Nehemiah ⁓ is is very scared. He knows what could happen here. He says, May the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my father's tombs, lies in waste and its gates are burned with fire? And the king said, What do you request? And ⁓ I love Nehemiah's response. So I prayed to the God of heaven. Now this would have been one of those really quick prayers, right? He has been praying. He has been preparing for this moment, and so now here it is. Here's the moment that he can ask. So it's kind of like okay, Lord, please guide ⁓ my words. Said I said to the king, if it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, the city of my fathers, that I may rebuild it. ⁓ and so the king asked him what his his plans are. So Nehemiah gives him a an idea of of what he desires. He says, I need letters giving me permission, and and it says, and the king granted them to me according to the good hand of God upon me. So Nehemiah, everything is attributed to God, that God is the one who is giving them him this blessing. ⁓ and so then he goes, ⁓ and there's some governors in the region. Nehemiah knew that they would probably be a problem. That's why he got the letters from the king and per permission from the king. ⁓ and it this is kind of foreshadowing ⁓ verse ten when Sambalot the Hornite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well being of the children of Israel. You know, we hear a lot about anti Semitism and we see a lot of evidence of of anti Semitism, which is very strange. It doesn't make any sense. This is a tiny small group of people ⁓ in the world population. ⁓ and yet ⁓ there's more anti-Semitic hate than hate for any other race ⁓ around. It's it's very interesting and it didn't just start recently. ⁓ even here and I I just th thought that was very interesting in that verse ten that what they were deeply disturbed about is that Nehemiah was coming to seek the well being of the people of Israel. They they didn't want that. So then you go and Nehemiah goes out at night to check out the ⁓ the the wall and he realizes how bad it is. ⁓ then he comes and he goes to the nobles and to the to the leaders, ⁓ and he says, I'm here to rebuild the temple. ⁓ they said in verse 18, so they said, Let us rise up and build. Then they set their hands to his good work. ⁓ but when Sambal Sambalot and Tobiah and Geshem ⁓ which Geshem may have been a king, ⁓ a very powerful ⁓ man. There's there's actually quite a bit of ⁓ extra biblical ⁓ documentation of of this guy that he probably it looks like he was a king in that area. ⁓ now again he was still been under Persia, but but still v a very powerful influence. says They they laughed at us and despised us and says, What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king? So Nehemiah answered, he said, The God of heaven himself will prosper us, therefore we his servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem. So it's kind of interesting. You see this tension begin right at the beginning, and it's really because the people just ⁓ Tobias and Gershon, they just don't want anything good to happen to the people. They are also don't want any kind of power to to come to the people. So they just want to keep them suppressed. And so immediately they are kind of making fun of, ⁓ belittling ⁓ Nehemiah and what is going on. So then b ⁓ chap excuse me, chapter three starts talking about how the the gates are start being repaired and it goes about different families and different groups of people. Who are ⁓ working together to repair the gates. ⁓ again, these gates are huge, right? It's not just a swinging doors, it's part of this huge wall. ⁓ this was a a big undertaking. And ⁓ and so all of chapter three talks about ⁓ how they are coming together and who's ⁓ working on what gate. ⁓ and then chapter four, ⁓ you start to see ⁓ problems. So Sanbalat and and his ⁓ guys They ⁓ start making fun of ⁓ it says ⁓ verse one, but it so happened when he heard that they were rebuilding the wall that he was furious and indignant and mocked the Jews, and he spoke before his brethren in the army of Samaria and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves, will they offer sacrifices, will they come ⁓ complete and complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rub rubbish, stones that are burned? Now Tobiah was beside him and he said, Whatever they build, even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall. So right, they're they're basically mocking their ability to complete this building to to do this, that it's not going to be a good wall. ⁓ so they are trying to demoralize. They're trying to demoralize the population, ⁓ get them to ⁓ quit working, right? ⁓ then it continues on. And they saw that the gaps were beginning to be closed, and they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and to create confusion. Verse nine, this is Nehemiah writing this. He says, Nevertheless, we made our prayer to God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night. Then Judah said, The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall. Right, so it's kind of working. The the people are starting to get a little nervous. They're nervous that they may be attacked. ⁓ it's a challenge. So Nehemiah says ⁓ it says that ⁓ that they will or the adversaries, ⁓ verse eleven, say they will neither know or see anything till we come to their midst to kill them and cause the work to cease. So it was when the Jews who dwelt near them came, they were told told us ten times, From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us. So again they're g sh sharing how they're going to come and attack them. ⁓ verse thirteen, Therefore I position my men behind the lower parts of the wall and the openings I set the people according to their families with their swords and their spears and their bows. And I look and arose and said to the nobles and the rest of the people, do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for the brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses. So basically they started carrying weapons, he started setting aside some people to keep watch. says ⁓ in verse seventeen, those who built on the wall and those who carried burdens loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction and with the other they held a weapon. Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as his built, and as the one who sounded with the trumpet was beside me. And in verse nineteen it says The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us. I I I love Nehemiah's just saying, Okay, you're g you you're gonna try to to come against us. Well, you've got to fight on your hands. And and I I also like how he gave this, he said, God is going to fight for us, right? He acknowledged that it's gonna be God who wins this battle, but yet he prepared and had everybody with a sword because he knew that they would have to step up and participate in that battle. ⁓ that you know, God desires for ⁓ for good things for us and and ⁓ he desires for his will to be done, but we have to step up and do our part as well. And and we see Nehemiah encouraging the people to do that here. Then in ⁓ ch chapter five, another challenge, ⁓ it says, And there was great outcry of the people and their wives against the Jewish brethren. ⁓ it said, ⁓ we our sons and our daughters are many, and therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live. Basically as you read through chapter five, what's happening is ⁓ the people have had to to sell off things, they've had to borrow. ⁓ there's a famine going on, they don't have much. ⁓ and some of the nobles have actually made it more difficult on the people. They've taken advantage of them, they've ⁓ given them ⁓ you know ⁓ ridiculous loans that calls usury or usury, ⁓ where the people are are basically ⁓ have have no financial chance and and they are struggling and they are starving. And ⁓ so ⁓ Nehemiah calls on the nobles and the people who are kind of holding those notes ⁓ ahead ⁓ over the heads of the people, ⁓ to show leniency and to do what is right. Says verse nine says what you are doing, this is Nehemiah talking to to the nobles that what you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please let us stop this usury. Restore them now, even this day, their lands and their vineyards, their olives and their houses. ⁓ so he's he's calling them to let them ⁓ make money, let them be able to to ⁓ take care of themselves. And so they said, We will restore it, and we will require nothing from them, we will do as you say. ⁓ and so the people ⁓ were able to take care of their ⁓ earthly needs, their food and things like that, while at the same time continuing to build the wall. ⁓ interesting the the last part of chapter five talks about the general generosity of of Nehemiah, ⁓ how he didn't take the governor's permit ⁓ provisions, the governor was given lots of extra food and things like that. Well he did not require that. He did not accept it, ⁓ because he knew that the people would have to provide that to him. And then I love what he says in verse nineteen. He says, Remember me my God for good, according to all that I have done for this people. He is desiring to do good. ⁓ he's desiring to do what is right by God's standards, not human standards. ⁓ Chapter six Talks about another conspiracy against Nehemiah, ⁓ Sambalat, Tobiah, and ⁓ Geshem, when they saw that there were no br breaks left in the wall, though at at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates. So Nehemiah is being very specific. He's like we're we are still vulnerable. The the gates were not completed, ⁓ but all the gaps have been filled in. So the so his nemesis, ⁓ they are recognizing, wow, this guy's actually gonna get this done. ⁓ so we we need to to cause more dissension. ⁓ and so they it says, Then Sabalot sent a servant to me, ⁓ as before, with an open letter in his hand, and in it was written, ⁓ it is reported among the nations, and Geshem says that you and the Jews plan to rebel, therefore according to these rumors you are rebuilding the wall that you may be their king. And and you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying there is a king in Judah. Now these matters will be reported to the king, so come, therefore, and let us consult together. So they're trying to get draw Nehemiah away from the wall to cause problems. They're just trying to use these ⁓ rumors ⁓ to derail the work that's being done. And Nehemiah knows this is a ploy. He knows that This is also dangerous. I mean, if if this gets back to the king in Persia, what if the king of Persia ⁓ believes them over Nehemiah? ⁓ this is definitely some political stuff going on. ⁓ so verse eight, then I sent to him saying, No such things are your saying are being done, but you invent them in your own heart. All right, so the the lies of the political world are are are flying all over the place. Verse nine, for they ⁓ all were trying to make us afraid, saying their hands will be weakened in the work and it will not be done. So they they're trying to instill this fear in Nehemiah, but he is refusing to give in. Then he actually has someone that is paid by them, comes and tells them that ⁓ that they are ⁓ are that Nehemiah is going to be killed and that he needs to go and hide in the temple. ⁓ and ⁓ verse eleven says Should such a man as I flee, and who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in. Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he had pronounced this prophecy against me because of Tobias and Sambalad had hired him. For this reason he was hired, and I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they may have cause for an evil report, that they might ha that they might reproach me. So there Trying to trick Nehemiah into doing something ⁓ ungodly, doing something out of selfishness, to give them an a a reason ⁓ to bring him down. And so he wanted to make sure he was being righteous no matter what. And so as you continue reading in ⁓ chapter six, says that the the wall was completed. ⁓ verse sixteen, and it happened when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes, for they perceived that this work was done by our God. See the the enemies to Nehemiah were correct that this was a very difficult ⁓ project, and when it got completed in like fifty-two days, they knew this had to be God in the in the midst of it, and so they were disheartened. ⁓ Then as you continue to ⁓ to read, it talks about it goes into ⁓ all the different people ⁓ who would stand guard, and then ⁓ Nehemiah actually does a genealogy ⁓ of the people who had come back into captivity. That is chapter seven, ⁓ is about all of these ⁓ different genealogies ⁓ but now and and how they needed to come back into the city and populate the city, that it was now safe to live in the city. ⁓ and so Jerusalem, the temple n has now been rebuilt, now the gates and the wall has been rebuilt, so the families ⁓ from the exile are now reinhabiting Jerusalem. All right, so let's read chapter eight, nine, and ten in Nehemiah. So eight, nine, and ten in Nehemiah, and then there's some psalms that kind of correspond loosely with this time period. We'll read Psalm one, Psalm ninety one, and Psalm one nineteen. All right. So we will see you on have a great day.