Devotional Thoughts for God’s Family – 1
Nehemiah 6:17–18 (ESV): Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife.
So we have been looking at various strategies of the enemy. Answering the question, how does the enemy attack us? This next area has some good news and bad news attached to it. The good news is, it will be better in the long run, the bad news is, the enemy is closer than you think.
As the wall is being rebuilt and attacked, everyone, not simply you is vulnerable. That is the nature of war. There are skirmishes, full frontal assaults, major campaigns, guerrilla warfare, all sorts of battlefield strategies at play – against you and everyone around you.
It is impossible for us to win every battle, and in the losing of an area, the enemy doesn’t simply ransack you and run, he wants to set up an outpost in your life so that he gains territory. That territory gets him closer to complete and total control of others beyond you. As has been stated, he never stops.
God is good, and he knows what the enemy is up to before the enemy even begins, and God will expose the schemes of the enemy for you.
Ephesians 6:11 (ESV): Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Its hard to stand against what you do not know or do not see. God wants you to know so that your defense against the enemy is solid and effective.
Armed with this counsel, let’s take a look at the reality of the situation, sometimes those who are closest to you are in league with the enemy.
You say, “I knew it, I knew it all along! The greatest source of misery I have every known, right next to me!” No, that is not what I am saying. I am saying that the nobleman around Nehemiah were bound by their family ties and agreements to Tobiah.
Nehemiah 3:3–4 (ESV): The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired.
Yes, lots of brain teaser names to read – but did you catch Meshullam and Berechiah? Go back and read the verse that is our text for the day, do you see their names there? They were building the wall with Nehemiah and bound by oath to Tobiah, an enemy of Israel. You see one of the most valuable tactics in the enemy camp is old alliances.
Old alliances that he can exploit when nothing else works. When all else fails he pulls the strings of old attachments. Things that lay dormant and non-lethal on the surface until the timing is right. You will see how deadly this is in the weeks to come.
Got any old stuff laying around that you think is harmless? My suggestion is to throw it on the burn pile and light it up.
What examples do I have, you ask? Since the passage eludes to relational ties between Tobiah and the noblemen, why don’t we look at your old relationships. Two things come to mind, one is the old painful attachments that you have not forgiven as of yet. Maybe you have distanced yourself, and tried to make lemonade out of lemons. Have you forgiven and released? Until you forgive, you will have an agreement with the enemy and believe me, if all he has left is that string to cause mayhem, he will yank it like there is no tomorrow.
The moral of that story is to forgive the way Jesus has forgiven you. And secondly, old attachments where you have given your heart through physical contact or you desired physical contact. Soulish, romantic or physical relationships with others that are not who God intended you to be with. Whether in your mind or in person – break off any relational value to those relationship right now, in the name of Jesus.
Disallow yourself from any perceived benefit from those foul desires and be clean and free from them. Otherwise, if you simply leave them dormant and you do not sever them, the enemy will pull that string when you least expect it.
The enemy is sinister, and whatever you leave available for him to use he will. And it won’t simply be you he comes after, whomever you love will also be in his crosshairs.
Remember, God wants us to be aware of the schemes of the enemy and to stand strong when the enemy charges. Doesn’t really make sense to stand strong against the enemy and to leave the side door wide open to him, now does it?
Lord, please help us to see the way you see and to live empowered by the Holy Spirit. Give to us the courage to let you examine our lives and hearts to see if there be any wicked way in us. (Psalm 51) Lord, thank you for mercy and grace that gives to us the opportunity to learn and grow. We bless your name today! Thank you Jesus for your great love and sacrifice. Amen.
Devotional Thoughts for God’s Family – 2
Nehemiah 6:17–18 (ESV): Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife.
Nehemiah 6:19 (ESV): Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.
Thank the Lord that our battles in this world are not against flesh and blood. As much as it feels that way, we truly are fighting a different war altogether than the one we see with our physical eyes.
This is good to know because, sometimes those closest to us are being used by the enemy to stop any building that God is doing in us personally.
I want to go first in admittance. One of my great sorrows in reflecting on my life with Jesus will be the places where I have been used by the enemy to hurt or stunt the rebuilding that God is doing in other people.
To me, being deceived is the worst! Thinking that I am right, but acting in a dead wrong way is truly dreadful. It is so important that we stop and take account of our own behavior and attitudes before we pounce on all the others who the enemy is using to disrupt the building of the walls in our life.
Are you open to this? Are you open to being the problem? Admittance is a key character quality of a great leader, the ability to be in chaos and admit your contribution to it, no matter what anyone else says about you.
This will help you in handling people’s fragile hearts, which is also a character quality of a great leader. Because you recognize that your heart is tender too.
When you are sure that you are not the one who has an agreement with Tobiah, and you are sure that it is someone close to you, you have to be very careful. This is the good news I talked about in the previous devo. God has just exposed to you a systemic problem that he is going to deal with.
Now it is time to do something about it. Now, isn’t the time to blown this thing up! Now is the time to do the best thing, pray. Thank the Lord for exposing the schemes of the enemy. And ask for wisdom as to how to maneuver so that the one that you love sees what God sees.
Usually they will not see it and you certainly wont be the one to tell them. Pray for a window of opportunity. Pray for God to use someone else. Pray for the Bible to come alive for them in that area. And by all means, pray for love and understanding as you wait, the way God has been waiting on you. Pray for patience for God to do a whole work.
Nehemiah didn’t blow those people up he waited on the Lord. And so should you. He was the governor, he could have called them out and thrown them out of the city. He didn’t do that, he was wise and he waited.
The chief tactic of the enemy was to induce fear in Nehemiah. It didn’t work he stayed strong in his plan to accomplish the goal God had given him. Don’t be afraid when someone close to you is being used by the enemy. Maybe they don’t see it at all, chances are they don’t. Offer grace and mercy. Don’t avoid them or shun them, that none sense and is simply passive aggressive sinful behavior. Love them as much as you can or as much as they will allow.
The good news is that you are growing in your ability to love others. You are becoming Christlike.
Trust me, the Lord is keenly aware of what stands in the way, and he can stop it in a moments notice. He hasn’t though, not yet. Maybe for your growth he is allowing a difficult situation to foster a gentle and humble spirit in you.
Nehemiah was being built as much as Jerusalem – and so it goes with you too. Some of God’s sharpest and deepest digging tools in shaping us are those who are closest to us, right?
That is not code for “Someone please help me because my wife is unbearable”, far from it, I am thinking of myself.
Lord, let each of us examine our way to see if we are hurting others and missing the target of what you want us to be and do. Help us to take responsibility for change. If we find ourselves in a place where we are hurting because of other’s insensitivity, God help us to forgive and to bless rather than cursing. Teach us to walk as Jesus did.
Devotional Thoughts for God’s Family – 3
Nehemiah 7:1–2 (ESV): Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.
There is a beautiful and bountiful time ahead for all who will engage in the rebuilding of the walls. The walls I am referring to are both personal and corporate. The rebuilding involves your life and the lives of as many as Jesus assigns you to be involved in. It is a joy and a privilege to walk with people who have a mind to work. That is what Nehemiah found, a people who had the same vision as he did, it made the work before him exciting and doable.
Notice please, that Nehemiah was ready at the right moment to hand off to his brother the managing of the city. You might think that after all this hard work that he would want to sit on top of it and see it all functioning perfectly, or to control it so that it stays the way he wanted it to be.
No, when the work was completed he handed off the responsibility, there is a beautiful picture of maturity here. Some in this role would hold onto it and not let go because they would see this event as defining them. As much as Nehemiah loved his city, he had a higher call, he is the cup bearer to the king. The king gave him permission to do this rebuilding, but he had other things to do with his life.
When you know who God says you are, and you are content in it, he can trust you with big tasks that might cause weaker people to turn their heads from who God made them to be.
Nehemiah was content in being a cup-bearer and God was able to give him more. Paul displayed this same character quality, here is what Paul said, “Philippians 4:10–13 (ESV): I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Be ready to be raised higher my friend. If you are holding on too tightly to what you have, you may miss the opportunity for God to raise you higher. When I say higher, I am not saying higher in the eyes of man. I mean higher in the eyes of God who made you. Those around you may not understand what the Lord leads you to do, that’s ok.
Can you imagine Nehemiah explaining to his contemporaries that he is leaving the palace life to build something out of broken stones and rubble, and being in constant danger from an enemy who wants to kill him? Well meaning friends might not understand.
If you don’t know who you are, you are susceptible to two things, both of which can be disastrous. The first is that you rush off into many things trying to find yourself. And the second is that you are too afraid to do anything, so you hang onto what you have which in most cases is misery.
God gives you an identity. He has a plan for your life. Your life is as exciting as Nehemiah’s. I am not saying you are going to do what he did. I am saying that the God who made him also made you. Jehovah knew how he made Nehemiah and he crafted a life for him, a life filled with faith building experiences. And he has done the same for you. Do you see it?
If you don’t, I wonder if you might be leaning a bit to one side.
Trust the Lord’s good heart. And trust his mercy and grace that makes a way for you to live a full life. Trust the promises made in the Word of God, that they are written for everyone and that means you. Trust that you haven’t slipped through the cracks unnoticed by God. Trust that soon, God is going call you to rebuild, if he hasn’t already.
Lord, you are so good. You have hand crafted a life for everyone. No one slips through the cracks. Lord, teach us more from Nehemiah’s experiences so that we can live out loud, full of the power of God. Thank you that this is your heart. And thank you that Jesus makes it all possible, without him, we are doomed.
Devotional Thoughts for God’s Family – 4
We are pressing on in our investigation of the book of Nehemiah. Today though, I want to take a diversion, a small act of devotion in the midst of our devotion.
It is so important that you listen to the Holy Spirit. There times and places of rest and refreshing as we move on down the road of accomplishments. So, today let’s worship together.
In 1878 Edwin Hatch wrote a song that has stood the test of time and I believe is the perfect devotional thought for us today. The title of the song, found in the Baptist Hymnal is “Breathe on Me.”
Please, sing and pray these words, the tune doesn’t matter really, let the tune come to you. The bigger thing is the words that come from your spirit as you reach out to the Holy Spirit. Do what you can to linger in this and stop along the way to hear the Holy Spirit singing too (you might hear a trio).
Here is how you know you are too busy – you can’t make it through the words without writhing and wishing you could get to what you “should” be doing.
A few things (of many) that we are learning through our quarantine is that God is in control. He is not going anywhere, he is not leaving. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He, today longs for your worship inside of a loving relationship.
So, love God today – give him some time by singing or humming; if you can sit quietly in the song, he will lead you.
This song is based on John 20:22 (ESV): And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Holy Spirit breathe on me – Until my heart is clean;
Let sunshine fill its inmost parts – with not a cloud between.
Breathe on me, breathe on me, Holy Spirit breathe on me;
Take thou my heart, cleanse every part, Holy Spirit, breathe on me.
Holy Spirit breathe on me – My stubborn will subdue;
Teach me in words of living flame – What Christ would have me do.
Breathe on me, breathe on me, Holy Spirit breathe on me;
Take thou my heart, cleanse every part, Holy Spirit, breathe on me.
Holy Spirit breathe on me – Fill me with power divine;
Kindle a flame of love and zeal – within this heart of mine.
Breathe on me, breathe on me, Holy Spirit breathe on me;
Take thou my heart, cleanse every part, Holy Spirit, breathe on me.
Holy Spirit breathe on me – till I am all thine own;
Until my will is lost in thine – to live for thee alone.
Breathe on me, breathe on me, Holy Spirit breathe on me;
Take thou my heart, cleanse every part, Holy Spirit, breathe on me.
Devotions are not simply words to minister to the head, we cut off a lot of God’s ministering time to us by making our devotion exclusively a head thing. They are words that minister to the head and stir the heart. That’s not all, we engage our heads, hearts and our spirits.
Lord, teach us to truly be with you. Not when we get to heaven, now Lord. Your Word says John 15:4 (ESV): Abide in me, and I in you. Help us abide in you – not simply trying to do the things that we think you want us to do, but spending time worshipping you, fellowshipping in the Holy Spirit. Thank you Father for making this possible through your wonderful gift, Jesus Christ, your Son. He came and saved us from our sin and has given to us eternal life.
Devotional Thoughts for God’s Family – 5
Nehemiah 8:1-8 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
I can’t help myself, I recognize that this passage is longer than normal for you to read, but wouldn’t you want to be there and witness this spectacle?
I think that we have a little extra appreciation for the warmth of the moment. For so long the people had lived in brokenness and exile. Now, coming home, they had a bright future.
The people were gathering again; and look what the Scripture says in verse 6, “And Ezra blessed the Lord.” Think on that for a moment, Ezra didn’t try to bless the Lord, the Lord was blessed by the assembly of the people. Once the situation was safe and secure the regathering in peace brought blessing to the Lord.
The Lord’s heart was made glad by what was happening before him. His people gave him honor by standing in his presence, listening to the Law. They were glad and their God was glad. Can you feel it?
Oh, I wish I could have been there through the hard work and the finishing of the job. I wish I could have stood in the massive group of people as their eyes came off of the sword and the hammer that were in their hands, as they lift their eyes to a high and exalted platform as Ezra reads.
These people didn’t know how to approach God. They simply gathered and listened, and it blessed the heart of God. These were his people, as foreign as they felt, God knew them and loved them. They were his children and he was blessed by their worship. They had come home to the place of God’s choosing for them to interact with him.
Many of these people were two generations from the last to stand in that place and worship Jehovah. They probably didn’t even know what to do. They simply presented themselves before their God and read Scripture.
They were made for this kind of experience. I know they felt something deep and spiritual at that time, because God made them to interact with him personally and corporately. How beautiful to stand before their God and simply be. “Lord, we don’t really know what to do, so we are simply going to read your Word to us.”
I imagine they thought about what has been, and about what might be. Certainly, it was in their heart to thank the Lord for what is, oh to be in that moment.
This is our moment. (think on this)
This is our time. (don’t miss this)
This isn’t my ploy for a well stuffed auditorium wherever you attend, I truly see God’s heart glad in the attitude that stirs us to move toward honoring him the way the people of Israel lead us to.
Are you going to be too busy or worried and miss it? Whether God allowed Covid or the devil did this, we are all here right now. The question shouldn’t be who did this, or what is going to happen to me? My prayer is that your hearts would long for God like the people of Israel.
Nehemiah 8:1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.
Lord, there is no circumstance on this earth that can separate your love for us. Your love is greater and stronger than anything. Thank you so much for your love. Lord, I wish I could say that our love for you was consistent. Thank you for the experiences in life that help us see just how weak our hearts are. Lord, teach us to be honoring of your love. We bless you today not simply with our words, Lord, our attitude toward you, teach us to want you more than anything in this world. Jesus – thank you.
Blessings
Pastor D
