Posts with the category “nehemiah”

Strategic PlanningNehemiah 4:13-23So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows.Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and figh...  Read More

Rehearsing the NegativeNehemiah 4:11-12Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.”The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!”Nehemiah’s team faces formidable enemies. It isn’t clear whether Sanballat and his crew will carry out their ...  Read More

DiscouragementNehemiah 4:10Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.”The work that Nehemiah’s team has accomplished in such a short time is truly remarkable. However, predictably, they are reaching a quitting point, and completion is at risk.Several factors lead us to co...  Read More

ProtectionNehemiah 4:6-9At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious. They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us i...  Read More

Suffering2 Corinthians 4:7-10We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked do...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTION(S)Can you remember a speech, or a favorite quote, that is deeply meaningful and inspiring to you? If so, share and tell ...  Read More

InsultsNehemiah 4:1-5Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something ...  Read More

Isolation Ecclesiastes 4:7-9Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone… Two are better than one…Yesterday, we discussed the benefits of teamwork. Today, I’d like to explore the flipside: the destructive impact of isolation. First, let’s acknowledge the difference between alone time, introversion, or even social anxiety, and isolation. We don’t mean regular time to r...  Read More

Teamwork Nehemiah 3:1-3Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel. People from the town of Jericho worked next to them, and beyond them was Zaccur son of Imri.The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah. The...  Read More

Seats on the Bus Nehemiah 2:19-20But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked.I replied, “The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no share, legal right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.”Did we already discuss Sanballa...  Read More

Community Nehemiah 2:16-18The city officials did not know I had been out there or what I was doing, for I had not yet said anything to anyone about my plans. I had not yet spoken to the Jewish leaders—the priests, the nobles, the officials, or anyone else in the administration. But now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been dest...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTION(S)Were you ever called into the principal's office when you were in grade school or high school? If so, and you’re willi...  Read More

See for Yourself Nehemiah 2:12-15I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took no pack animals with us except the donkey I was riding. After dark I went out through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal’s Well, and over to the Dung Gate to inspect the broken walls and burned gates. Then I went to th...  Read More

Patience Nehemiah 2:11-12; 16So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later, I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem.The city officials did not know I had been out there or what I was doing, for I had not yet said anything to anyone about my plans. I had not yet spoken to the Jewish leaders—the pries...  Read More

Showing Up Nehemiah 2:11So I arrived in Jerusalem.I recognize the simplicity of what I’m about to say, but it merits serious consideration. The first step in any great accomplishment is SHOWING UP.Part of my resume includes ten years as a high school teacher and eight as a college professor. During those years, I frequently engaged in conversations with young people eager to ask me what I believed...  Read More

Danger Nehemiah 2:9-10When I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king’s letters to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and horsemen to protect me. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of my arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of Israel.With little fanfare,...  Read More

Asking Nehemiah 2:4-8The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the ...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTION(S)Do you have someone in your life who is your prayer warrior? Someone you love to hear pray or that you look up to as i...  Read More

Sad Face Nehemiah 2:1-3Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.” Then I was terrified, but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For...  Read More

Confession Nehemiah 1:6-7I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses..Matthew 6:11-12 Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.Before we move on to the second chapter of Nehemiah,...  Read More

Prayer Nehemiah 1:5-11Then I said, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, ...  Read More

Time Nehemiah 1:4When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.Nehemiah 2:1Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan…I love action. Many of us do. But I love it to the extreme. This may be why I struggle to remember to ask questions or listen carefully to the responses. If I can be vulnerable for a moment, I often need to scold...  Read More

Tears Nehemiah 1:2-4Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem.They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn do...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTION(S)If you could have a sit down with an historical figure, aside from Jesus Himself (too easy), who would it be and why? ...  Read More

QuestionsNehemiah 1:2Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem.I have a longtime friend, Phil, who routinely finds himself in the most amazing conversations. Whether it’s with close friends or perfect strangers, if I step away for a ...  Read More

The CupbearerNehemiah 1:1These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa.Nehemiah 1:11In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.The story of Nehemiah is considered the last recorded activity before the Old Testament Scriptures fall silent, anticipating the coming Messiah of the...  Read More

Prologue Continued - EstherEsther 4:14“… who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”Many scholars believe that Nehemiah was the last book of the Old Testament to be written. Authorship is typically attributed to Ezra, who is also considered the likely author of 1st and 2nd Chronicles (originally a single book), as well as Ezra and possibly Esther. The Chronicles ar...  Read More

Prologue Continued – The TempleEzra 4:24-5:2So the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem had stopped, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia. At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. They prophesied in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel an...  Read More

Prologue - CyrusEzra 1:1-4In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:“This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jeru...  Read More

Jeremiah 29:11For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.All of Scripture chronicles God's audacious rescue mission as He seeks to bring His fallen children home. The story repeats in concentric circles. His children succumb to selfishness and wayward thinking, drift further from God, and become ensnared. This...  Read More