Defending Purity in the Lord(Jan16)
With the walls in place and the
spiritual condition of the nation
revived, Nehemiah now sets about
the task of organising the populace.
One-tenth of the people are chosen
to relocate within the city walls
while the rest remains in suburbs.
The walls are formally dedicated
and temple officers commissioned
to oversee the function of national
worship. Nehemiah then returns
from Babylon to find Tabiah living
in a temple storeroom; and the
people displaying a shocking
disregard for God’s laws concerning
marriage and the Sabbath. Assuming
again the role of reformer, Nehemiah
labours to restore national purity.
Lord, the book of Nehemiah is about
rebuilding the wall of a great city,
but it is also about spiritual renewal,
rebuilding a people’s dependence
on God. And Nehemiah’s life story
also provides many principles of
effective leadership that still valid:
Have a clear purpose and keep
evaluating in light of God’s will;
Live above reproach; and be in
constant prayer, deriving wisdom
and power from contact with God.
Lord, help us don’t lose sight of
doing what’s important to be a
spiritual leader; to focus on being
God’s person & doing what He wants.
Help us Keep Out Compromise;
Help us Be Distinctly Your People;
Help us to Lead by Example. Amen.
Lord, we will Keep Out Compromise:
I was not in Jerusalem at that time,
for I had returned to King Artaxerxes
of Babylon in the 32nd year of
his reign, though I later asked his
permission to return. When I arrived
in Jerusalem, I learnt about Eliashib’s
evil deed in providing Tobiah with
a room in the courtyards of the
Temple of God. I became very upset
and threw all of Tobiah’s belongings
out of the room (Nehemiah 13:6-8).
Lord, You know our heart for our
children to walk in Your ways.
You have heard our prayers and
You have witnessed our work.
But our children are ultimately
Your children. And they need
much more than godly parents.
For they need You to keep them
from compromises. In Jesus’ name.
Lord, we’ll be Distinctly Your People:
I gave orders to purify the rooms,
and then I put back into them the
equipment of the house of God,
with the grain offerings and the
incense. I also learned that the
portions assigned to the Levites
had not been given to them, and
that all the Levites… had gone back
to their fields. So I asked… Why is
the house of God neglected? Then
I called them… and stationed them
at their posts (Nehemiah 13:9-11).
Lord, we note Nehemiah to do what
is right and holy. All along he was
personally seeking to please God
and wants to ensure God’s people
remain distinctive fr their neighbours.
Help us Lord the desire to be holy
and to stand up for what us true
in Your eyes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lord, we will Lead by Example:
In those days I saw men of Judah
treading out their wine press on the
Sabbath. They were also bringing
in grain loading it on donkeys and
bringing… all sorts of produce to
Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath…
So I confronted the nobles of Judah.
Why are you profaning the Sabbath
in this evil way? I asked. Wasn’t it
just this sort of thing that your
ancestors did that caused our God
to bring all this trouble upon us?
Now you are bringing even more
wrath upon Israel by permitting
the Sabbath to be desecrated
in this way (Nehemiah 13:15-18).
Lord, we learn that Nehemiah is
a leader by example. He leads the
Israelites in rebuilding the city walls
& establishes policies for residents.
He also helps renew the covenant
& keeps Israelites on track with God.
Help us Lord learn from Nehemiah
what good leaders should do. And
grant us the wisdom and strength
to lead by example. In Jesus’ name.