Month: August 2018

In Job 8, Bildad offers his first monologue to Job. He tells Job his children were killed for their transgression, and it is time for Job to repent. He tells Job if he will repent God will make his latter days greater than his beginning. This is quite a promise, and reflects the belief system of that day. Bildad appealed to the tradition that had been established before their lifetimes, reminding Job that their lives were like a shadow. It is a good thing to rely on the wisdom of those who have come before us, especially when the appeal is to the wisdom of God and his people. The problem in this case is Bildad as Eliphaz before him, based their assumptions of Job’s situations on the “norm.” Normally, people reap the consequences of their sin, and when terrible consequences take place, the assumption is they must have been preceded by terrible sin. This was not true in Job’s case. While Job’s case was an extreme exception to the “rule,” Job’s case establishes for us that the “rule” of bad things happening to sinful people and not to good people is more of a guideline than a rule!

Job responds in Job 9 & 10. His first few words of response are directed at Bildad and it’s as if he says, “Duh!” Of course punishment comes from sin. Then he turns his attention to God and says he is not guilty, but even so how can he go against God? He states that no one can stand before God whether that one is in the right or the wrong. He acknowledges God is the judge, but he does not understand why he is being judged when he has committed no sin. He calls again for God to end his brief, miserable life. We can understand Job’s comments and questions, and even his desire to be done with suffering, at least if we have ever suffered when we haven’t been at fault. While in the back of our minds, we are probably still thinking, “Really? Is it possible Job could be in the right here, fully in the right?” It doesn’t seem possible, and Job admits he isn’t perfect, but as we will see in the last few chapters of the book, God sides with Job in the matter of his righteousness. Once again, we need to remember never to agree with the enemy, when we are being accused, but always to agree with God, whatever He says about us.

As we return to Matthew 15, we find the Pharisees once again attacking Jesus’ disciples for not following the traditions of the elders. In this case they didn’t practice the ceremonial hand washing ritual before they ate. While we might think it a bit disgusting that the disciples didn’t wash their hands before they ate, Jesus took on the Pharisees’ attack with a great deal of energy. When they asked, “Why do you disciples break the traditions of the elders…?” Jesus responded with His own question, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your traditions?” Jesus was having none of the Pharisees ritual and tradition taking the place of God’s commands in their lives. The specific example He gave was the Pharisees broke the 5th Commandment to honor one’s father and mother, by saying that the money they would have used to support their parents was set aside for God’s purposes. Jesus challenged this hypocrisy, and also pointed out to the Pharisees that it isn’t what we put into our bodies that defiles, but what comes out of them. He was speaking specifically of the attitudes and desires of our hearts. If those are evil then we are truly defiled. The disciples didn’t understand Jesus’ comments, so He explained them clearly. The key in our lives is to have clean hearts, so our lives will reflect Jesus’ values and the fruit of the Spirit. Then whatever we ingest with hands clean or dirty won’t matter. (I’m not saying, don’t wash your hands. I’m saying hand washing, as so many other traditions we have are secondary matters and not matters of what Jesus sees as right or wrong.)

Matthew offers us two more miracles of Jesus in this chapter. First, Jesus heals the child of a foreign woman, but only after initially rejecting her request, because she was a foreigner. Jesus came only to minister to the “lost sheep of the people of Israel.”  That does not mean Jesus’ salvation was only for the Jews. It means His personal ministry was only for them. He equipped the disciples for a world-wide ministry, but in his brief ministry He only ministered in Israel. The second miracle was the feeding of the four thousand along with healing many other people. This was a corporate miracle in which Jesus met the needs of all who came to Him. He met their physical needs both for food and health. This gives us another glimpse of what it’s like in the Kingdom of Heaven: There is ample food and total wellness for all. While Jesus is always most concerned about our spiritual well-being, His earthly ministry shows us He is also concerned about our bodies and souls as well as our spirits!

In Job 4 & 5, Eliphaz speaks to Job first. He starts gently, but soon using eloquent and flowery language he states the “obvious” to Job: misfortune is the result of sin. Eliphaz reminds Job even God’s angels are not without error, so how can he, a mere mortal, be without sin. If Job will repent, God will restore him. Eliphaz’s comments are well-reasoned and seem to hit on the source of Job’s calamities as well as the solution for overcoming them. We would probably have reasoned in a similar manner if we had the opportunity to speak to Job. We would have been wrong, too. From here to nearly the end of this long book, the monologues will go back and forth between Job and his friends, with the gist of them being the same: Job’s friends accuse him of sin, and tell him to repent, and Job responds he has not sinned.

In Job 6 & 7, Job responds. He calls on God to end his misery, but he does not repent, nor can he. He has done no wrong. He states his willingness to suffer, but he wants to know what he did wrong. We often refer to the patience of Job, but Job says, “I will not be patient.” Job sees no reason for patience, because he has done no wrong. He is the one who has been wronged. If you have never read the Book of Job before, you might be thinking, “How could anyone say such a thing? How could anyone say he or she is right before God?” Yet, as we will see at the close of the book, God agrees with Job. God won’t give Job an explanation for what he has gone through, but he will tell all Job’s friends they are wrong, and Job has been right all along. It is a dangerous thing for us to claim we are righteous when we are not, but we must learn this lesson from Job: Never agree with the enemy! Satan is our accuser. He will seek to make us feel guilty even for sins for which we have received forgiveness, and even in moments when we have not sinned. If he can get us to feel guilty, we will dwell on what he have done wrong, on our lack of standing before God, and we won’t live in the present. We won’t live in the joy of our forgiveness, and the power of our obedience. Let’s let Job’s righteous indignation remind us, because of God’s grace in our lives, and particularly because of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us as Jesus’ followers, we can have victory over sin. In those moments we must not let Satan’s accusations stop us from living in that victory, even if the victory feels like defeat, as Job’s must have felt in his suffering.

As we return to Matthew 14, we read the account of John the Baptist’s murder by King Herod. It is one of the most cowardly acts ever carried out by a king. Because he was pleased by a his step-daughter’s entertainment at a party, he promised to give her whatever she wanted. She asked her mother, a woman John had condemned for leaving her husband and marrying the king, what she should say? The mother asked for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. The king knew such a request was heinously wrong, yet “because of his guests” and the promise he had made in front of them, he had John executed. Matthew tells us when John heard of this, He withdrew by Himself into the wilderness. Jesus knew John’s death was a result of his righteousness, of his bearing testimony to Jesus, and preparing Jesus’ way. Jesus didn’t stop John’s death from happening, but He was impacted by it. Many have died in Jesus’ name from that moment until today. When they do, they advance God’s Kingdom. Early in church history, as thousands of Christians were martyred for their faith, it became clear that these believer’s manner of death, and their certainty of the future in the face of death was a testimony to the truth of their hope in eternal life. The blood of the martyrs became the “seed” of the church, as more and more who witnessed the noble manner in which Christians died wanted the same assurance for their lives that only Jesus can bring.

As usual crowds gathered and Jesus healed the sick and taught them. At the end of the day, Jesus told the disciples to feed the crowd, which was quite large. With only five loaves of bread and a couple of fish, Jesus fed 5,000 men along with women and children. As He often did after carrying out amazing feats such as this, Jesus withdrew by Himself to pray. He sent the disciples on ahead of him in a boat. Jesus came to the disciples in the middle of the night, walking on the water. The disciples were afraid, thinking it was a ghost. But Jesus calmed them by speaking to them and identifying Himself. Peter shouted, “If it’s You, Lord, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus called Peter and he walked to Jesus on the water. But Peter became distracted with the wind and waves, and started sinking. In that moment he offered my favorite prayer, “Lord, save me!” It’s my favorite prayer, because it was so short, so heart felt, and Jesus answered it immediately. Jesus reached out His hand and grabbed Peter. I have often thought of Peter and Jesus walking back to the boat together. I’m sure Peter walked beside Peter. Jesus didn’t have to carry him, because Peter held firmly to Jesus. In our lives, we often start to sink, and might try many other things before crying out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” But when we do, Jesus is always there. He does save us. It won’t likely be as dramatic as Peter’s rescue on the sea, but Jesus promised never to leave us nor forsake us, and He doesn’t!

 

Today we turn to the Book of Job, a “wisdom” book that portrays a righteous man’s suffering. In Job’s day as in times throughout history, people have believed God rewards righteous behavior and punishes sin. Throughout this book, however we will see Job suffers for no other reason than God gave Satan permission to cause him to suffer. In Job 1, we find Job was a blameless, wealthy man with a wife, seven sons and three daughters. Life couldn’t have been better for Job. Then one day as God was holding council in heaven, Satan joined the group, and God asked, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Job 1:8 (ESV) Satan’s responded that Job didn’t worship God for nothing, but that God had protected him and blessed him on every side. Satan told God Job would change his tune if all that were taken away.  God then gave Satan permission to take everything away from Job, but not to harm Job. In short order, Satan caused Job to lose his entire family except for his wife, and all his material goods. Job’s response is amazing.  ²¹  And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORDgave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21 (ESV) The chapter ends with the reader being told in all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong

As we turn to chapter 2 the LORD and Satan again have a conversation about Job. The LORD once again beams about Job’s faithfulness even in his time of great loss. This time Satan responds, “Skin for skin.” In other words, if the LORD would permit Satan to take away Job’s health, he would curse God. The LORD grants permission to Satan, but he was not given permission to take away Job’s life. Satan afflicted Job with boils and unrelieved pain. Job’s wife tells him to curse God and die, but Job will not. Then Job’s three “friends,” show up to “comfort” him.  the friends are Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. I put the words friends and comfort in quotes, because they will demonstrate themselves as Job’s accusers shortly. As chapter two ends they sit quietly, because they Job’s affliction makes him nearly unrecognizable and they know nothing they say will make a difference.

Chapter 3 is Job’s long dissertation lamenting his birth. His suffering was so great, he stated it would have been better if he had never been born. I’m sure we have all felt his way at some point, but Job’s suffering rivals anyone’s. He had already lost all his children and belongings, and now he was in intense physical misery. His wife, Job’s only remaining family member was of no help. While the book is long and will offer us Job’s friends’ explanation for what happened, we can see up front how challenging life has already become, and we know if Job makes it through us, we will find something in his suffering to help us in ours.

As we return to Matthew 13, we find Matthew’s organization of material for ease of memorization at work as most of the chapter is dedicated to various parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus starts with the Parable of the Sower, which we found in Mark 4. Then He moves to the parable of the wheat and tares. Each of the parables in succession offers insights into the Kingdom of Heaven that are not intuitively obvious, and remind us how surprising it can be. When we reflect on the Kingdom of Heaven, we need to understand it is bigger than we can imagine, that many who think they “deserve” to be part of it won’t be, and those who think they could never enter will. The Kingdom of Heaven is a gift given to those who trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, and not a reward for religious effort. Those who respond to Jesus’ salvation are not to assume that means a life without effort. Indeed, anyone would do well to give everything he has to be able to gain it!

Esther 8 records the amazing turnaround that took place from the king’s original decree at Haman’s request that the Jews be destroyed. First, Esther was given Haman’s estate. Then Mordecai was given Haman’s position. Finally, the king gave Esther permission to write a follow up decree, because he could not change the original decree. The follow up decree permitted the Jews to defend themselves against any individual, army or people who came against them on the appointed day. There were also permitted to take plunder from those who attacked them. As a result many people declared themselves Jews, because the fear of the Jews fell on them.

Esther 9 tells us on the appointed day, when Haman had hoped to destroy the Jews, the Jews mounted attacks on their enemies, and with the help of all the kings satraps, who respected and feared Mordecai, they were victorious. The Jews killed more than 75,000 people throughout the kingdom, but they did not take any plunder. In Susa, the king permitted two days for the Jews to attack their enemies. Among them were the ten sons of Haman, who Esther had hanged. The resulting victory and celebration gave Mordecai cause to pronounce a holy day for the Jews, which became known as Purim. It was to be celebrated on the 14th and 15th day of the twlefth month each year. Mordecai’s fame spread more and more and Esther’s place as queen was well established.

Esther 10 is brief, but it tells us of Mordecai’s fame, and of how well he treated his brothers the Jews during his time as King Ahasuerus’ second in command. Again, we see how God rewarded Mordecai’s faithfulness through the king. Even though God’s name is not mentioned, it is obvious His hand was on Mordecai, Esther and through them the Jews.

As we return to Matthew 12, we find Jesus defending His disciples for eating grain on the Sabbath, by telling the Pharisees of David’s use of the holy bread when he and his men were hungry. He went on to tell the Pharisees that He was Lord of the Sabbath, and that the LORD had made the Sabbath for our benefit and not vice versa. Still on the Sabbath, Jesus was offered the opportunity to heal a man with a withered hand. This occurred in the synagogue, and the religious leaders watched Jesus to see what He would do. They planned to condemn Him if He did heal the man. Jesus healed the man, making the man’s wholeness a priority over the letter of the Law. Jesus would know better than anyone the intent of the Law, and thus His healing of the man was right. Yet, the religious leaders went out from it and plotted to kill Jesus. The chapter ends with Jesus healing people and the people being amazed, while the religious leaders conclude Jesus power comes from the prince of demons. In any era of history, including the era when Jesus was walking the earth people can draw false conclusions about who Jesus is and the source of His power. We have the opportunity in our lives to lift Jesus up as Savior and Lord, and when we do the result is blessing. The blessing might not be material reward, or physical healing, but Jesus always blesses those who trust Him and recognize Him as their Savior and Lord.

Esther 4 records Mordecai’s response to the news of Haman’s plan to destroy the Jews. Mordecai dressed in sackcloth and mourned, as did many of the Jews throughout Susa. When Esther heard of Mordecai’s response, she did not know why he was acting in this manner. She sent one of her eunuch’s to Mordecai to find out what was happening. Mordecai sent word to Esther of the pronouncement against the Jews, and also that she must go to the king and plead for relief from it. Esther sent a response that the king had not called for her for thirty days, and according to the law if she went to him without being summoned, she would be sentenced to death. Mordecai’s response has become one of the most famous in the Bible. After saying deliverance would surely come for the Jews by some means, and that Esther would not be spared from the pronouncement if she did nothing, Mordecai asked, “But who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther’s ascent to being the queen was certainly divinely orchestrated. She had access to the king who could do something about the situation, and save her entire race. It was up to her to act. Esther’s response was to call all the Jews in Susa to fast from food and drink for three days. She would do the same, and then she would go to the king.  We see Esther’s faith, as well as her willingness to obey her uncle and to follow his advice even when it might mean her death.  It’s always easy to exercise our faith when it doesn’t cost us anything. The true extent of our faith and obedience is seen when to exercise it means to pay a significant price.

Esther 5 starts with Esther going before the king. He raises his scepter to her, and offers to fulfill any request she has even up to half of his kingdom. Esther responds with a seemingly innocuous request: Let the king and Haman come to a meal she would prepare for them. The King agreed. At the meal he asked Esther again what she wanted? This time Esther asked for the king and Haman to come to another meal she would prepare for them the next day. The king agreed. Haman went out overjoyed at the favor he had been shown. Yet, when he thought of Mordecai who would not show him honor, he became angry. He went home and shared his mixed emotions with his family. They suggested he build a gallows seventy-five feet high and have the king hang Mordecai on it the next day. The idea pleased Haman and he had the gallows built.

Esther 6 begins with an account of the king not being able to sleep. He had one of his aides bring him the book of the records of the events in his reign and he turned it to the place where the account of Mordecai’s exposing of the plot to assassinate him was recorded. He asked what have been done to honor Mordecai for his noble act. When the king was told nothing had been done, he called Haman in and asked him what ought to be done for a man the king wanted to honor. The prideful Haman assumed he was the one the king would want to honor, so he suggested the king would put one of his own robes on the man, set him on one of the kings horses, place one of the king’s crowns on his head, and then have one of the king’s nobleman parade the man through the city proclaiming this is what happens to a man the king wants to honor. The king agreed this was the perfect response, and told Haman to go out an honor Mordecai in that manner. Can you imagine the humiliation Haman experienced in that moment. The man he had vowed to have the king execute was now being elevated by the king, and he was the one who had to proclaim Mordecai’s fame throughout the city. Haman’s wise men told him this was an indication that Haman’s downfall had started, because Mordecai was a Jew. They were more than right! The last statement in the chapter tells us Queen Esther sent for Haman to come to the banquet even as he was talking with his wisemen.

In Esther 7, Haman and the king attend Esther’s banquet. Once again the king asks Esther what she wants and promises to give her up to half his kingdom. Esther asks that her life be spared and that of her people. She tells the king she wouldn’t have bothered him if the edict was merely for them to be sold into slavery, but she was asking him to spare their lives. The king wanted to know who would do such a thing? Esther answered it was the evil Haman. At this the king left the room in a rage. Haman stayed behind to beg for his life. He fell on Esther to plead for his life, just as the king returned. He saw it as Haman attempting to assault Esther, and had his men cover Haman’s face, which meant he stood condemned to die. One of Esther’s eunuch’s mentioned the gallows Haman had constructed to hang Mordecai, and suggested it be used for Haman. It was. No greater example of how evil has a tendency to turn on itself can be found in the Bible, than in the life of Haman. His intense hatred for one man–Mordecai, which was based on Mordecai’s unwillingness to bow down before Haman, because of his religious beliefs, ended up turning into a generalized hatred for all Jews. This happens all too often, among us human beings. We generalize a real or imagined fear or hatred to others, and soon it consumes us. Haman’s condemnation came because of his condemnation of an innocent man and then an innocent nation. The example is an extreme one, but we must learn from it. That way we won’t make the same mistake on a small or large scale ourselves.

As we turn to Matthew 11 once again, we find John the Baptist sending some of his disciples to ask Jesus whether He was the Messiah or not? John was in prison, because of calling King Herod to task for taking his brother, Phillip’s wife for himself. John expected Jesus to be the conquering Messiah so many had awaited. Jesus’ response to the disciples was to quote Isaiah the prophet, and to remind John that Jesus was doing exactly what the Messiah was predicted to do–healing, teaching and preaching. As John’s disciples returned to him with the message, Jesus called the people to recognize John as the one who ushered in His ministry. He also said no one was greater than John up to that moment in history, but the least in the Kingdom of God was greater than he. Jesus’ ministry established a whole new era in human history. He would establish a new covenant between God and humanity, and we must remember how vastly different the time in which we live is than the Old Testament era. While Jesus words here are only at the beginning of the new era, because He hadn’t yet died, risen again, returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to every believer, they are still a strong reminder of the blessing we have because we live on this side of the new covenant He came to establish. The remainder of the chapter shows us how vital it is to respond to Jesus’ message, because He condemned some of the towns in Israel that had experienced the blessings of His ministry but did not respond to them.

 

Today, we turn to the Book of Esther. Esther is unique among books of the Bible, because the word “God” is not mentioned. Esther is the account of a young Jewish woman, who becomes queen of Persia. She must then decide whether to risk her life to save her people, or to say nothing and continue to enjoy the worldly blessing of her position. Esther is a classic account of how God has always protected His people, and how He has used history to carry out His purposes.

Esther 1 opens with King Ahasuerus throwing a party for his officials. King Ahasuerus is the Hebrew form of the Greek Xerxes. He was the son of King Darius I, and Cyrus the Great of Persia. We see how prideful Ahasuerus was in flaunting his wealth before his officials, throwing a drunken party for seven days, and then calling his wife, Queen Vashti, to come before him as if she were a pawn in his chess game to show off her beauty. While we’re told Ahasuerus didn’t force anyone to drink alcohol at the party, which is commendable, he set the example of drunkenness for others to follow. Those who see Ahasuerus’ banishment of Vashti and his command for all the men of Persia to be masters of their own households as proof that the Bible calls for wives to be subservient to their husbands must remember King Ahasuerus was a pagan king, whose behavior was not being lifted up to us as an example. He is an object lesson of how we do not want to live: We don’t want to be proud. We don’t want to be drunks. We don’t want to treat our wives as subservient to us.

Esther 2 recounts how Esther became King Ahasuerus’ queen. After the king sobered up and he realized he had banished his queen, some of his advisors suggested a plan for selecting a new queen. Beautiful virgins from throughout the nation would be brought, “prepared,” and then brought to him one-by-one for him to determine which one pleased him the most. This one would be the queen. We are introduced to Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah, as the niece of Mordecai. He had brought her up after her parents had died. We’re told Esther was a physically beautiful woman. She did not tell anyone of her background as a Jew when she was taken into the king’s harem. This was at Mordecai’s command. The preparation time for these women was a year.  They ate the king’s food. They received beauty treatments, and then one-by-one they were taken to King Ahasuerus. He spent the night with each one, obviously having a sexual encounter with each one. After each woman had been with the king, they were sent to the second harem, and were not to return until called for by the king. When Esther’s turn came, she pleased the king more than any of the others, and he crowned her queen. She continued to maintain silence about her Jewish background, but maintained contact with her uncle Mordecai. As providence would have it, Mordecai was present when two of the king’s eunuch’s were plotting to assassinate him. Mordecai made this known to Esther, and she told the king in Mordecai’s name. When the accusation was proven true, the men were executed, and a record made of Mordecai’s revelation to the king.

Esther 3 introduces us to the “villain” of the Book of Esther, Haman. Haman was promoted by Ahasuerus to the second highest position in the empire. When Haman went out, he was to receive honor from all the people, by their bowing down before him. As a Jew, Mordecai would not bow before Haman. Haman became so outraged by this that he implored the king to issue an edict to destroy all the Jews. He offered to provide 10,000 talents of silver to see the edict carried out. Haman’s reasoning was the Jews did not obey the laws of the king and therefore ought to be eliminated. The king agreed, and issued the edict. He even offered to pay the cost of carrying it out throughout his kingdom. The laws of the Persians could not be altered, so this was a death sentence for the Jews. Chapter 3 ends with the statement that Haman sat down to drink (in other words, he was happy) but Susa, the city of Ahasuerus, and also Mordecai, was sent into confusion. (Undoubtedly, because of the Jews who lived there, and who realized they would soon be eliminated. The edict gave some time before it would be enforced, but the writing was on the wall.)

As we return to Matthew 10, remember Matthew 9 closed with Jesus telling the disciples to pray for “The Lord of the Harvest” to send workers into the harvest. Chapter 10 begins with Jesus calling the twelve disciples out of the many who were following Him. Then He sent them out to preach, teach, and cast out demons. (Be careful what you pray. God might use you to fulfill it!) Jesus gave clear and detailed instructions for their going out to the nation of Israel. He told them what to take and not to take. He told them to stay where they were received and leave where they weren’t. He told them they would be persecuted, and even their own family members would be part of that. He reminded them their allegiance to Him was to be above every other worldly allegiance, even family. He told them whoever saved their life would lose it, and whoever lost their life for His sake would find it. Jesus was always honest and straightforward with us. He offers great rewards, but also great costs to those who trust Him as Savior and Lord, and live in His name. As we go about this day, let’s remember to count the cost and remember the rewards of serving Jesus!

Nehemiah 11 records the names of those from among the priests and Levites and various other backgrounds who were willing to live in Jerusalem. The people cast lots and one out of ten was to move into Jerusalem. The rest remained in the towns and cities surrounding it. Again, the places where the people lived were named as well as who lived there. The reestablishment of God’s people in Israel was a major blessing as well as a fulfillment of prophecy. As we read it, we might not think it tremendously significant whether the people lived in Jerusalem or the surrounding areas, but that they had moved there and were living as the people of God once again was so important to them.

Nehemiah 12 records the names of the priests and Levites who came with Zerubbabel to resettle Jerusalem. Following this rather long list, we read about the dedication of the Wall surrounding Jerusalem. We might not think of this ceremony as being all that significant, but Nehemiah assembled two great choirs to sing praise and thanksgiving to the LORD. The chapter closes with a record of the reestablishment of the Temple service in the House of God. What a powerful day this must have been for God’s people. They were in the holy city giving thanks and praise to the LORD, and establishing once again that they would worship Him daily.

Nehemiah 13 closes the book with a record of Nehemiah tightening the obedience of God’s people to the Law. He rooted out those who were not bringing tithes to provide for the House of God and the servants of God who worked there. He stopped those who were buying and selling on the Sabbath, and he caused those who had married foreigners to abandon them. Remember, this might sound legalistic to us, but God’s people were being reestablished and the necessity for purity was a key component of that process. While such practices eventually turn to a cold legalism if the LORD is not at the center of them, obedience to the LORD brings blessing. Nehemiah called on the LORD twice to see what he was doing, and to bless him for it. We might be hesitant to call on the LORD to remember our good deeds and to bless us for them, but the principle is sound: Jesus told us if we love Him we will obey His commands. He also told us if we know His commandments, we will be blessed if we do them. Whether our obedience to God is legalism or love always depends on the attitude of our hearts as we carry it out in our lives.

As we return to Matthew 9, Jesus again carries out healing miracles to demonstrate His authority, but before He heals a paralyzed man, He forgives the man’s sins. The Pharisees couldn’t believe the “blasphemy” of that–a man forgiving sins. Jesus healed the man to show them He did have the authority to forgive sin. In the chapter Jesus also called Matthew, and when Matthew invited Jesus to dinner with all his tax collector friends, and the rest of his friends who were “sinners,” the Pharisees objected once again. Those who think they are righteous always condemn “sinners.” Jesus, the only perfect man who ever lived did not condemn the “sinners.” He ate with them, and called them to a new life. Thank God for Jesus’ approach. Whether we are self-righteous sinners or just sinners, we are all sinners in need of the forgiveness of God. As we see Jesus heal a sick woman, raise a girl from the dead, heal two blind men and a deaf man, we realize God is at work. The Pharisees suggested it was the devil, that Jesus cast out demons by the prince of demons. What a strange idea. Why would the devil work against himself? We are left with only a few options concerning Jesus. He could be demonic. He could be a liar, or a lunatic. Or He could be LORD! When we realize He is LORD it changes everything.

Nehemiah 8 breaks down into three sections. In the first, Ezra the scribe reads the Law of Moses to the people from morning until noon. The event was a solemn occasion. Ezra stood on a platform above the people, with other leaders surrounding him. As the people listened other leaders stood among them and told them the “sense” of what was being read. What an amazing truth: Sometimes we need help in interpreting God’s word, especially when we are younger in the faith.  The Law of Moses had not been read for a long time, so those who understood it, helped those who did not to understand. In the second section, Nehemiah and Ezra challenged the people not to cry, because this was not a day of mourning. While the reading of the Law was convicting, the goal was to challenge and encourage the people. They reminded the people to celebrate to eat and share with others. They also offered this amazing truth: The joy of the LORD is your strength! Sometimes when we are not feeling the joy we own as Jesus’ followers, we must remember the LORD’s joy is in us and provides us strength. Finally, on the second day of coming together to hear Ezra read the Law, the people discovered the LORD’s command to celebrate the feast of booths. This feast had not been celebrated since the time of Joshua, before the monarchy began! The people celebrated the feast together, and each day they continued to read the Law. As Jesus’ followers, we need to read God’s word. From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals Himself to us. As we read each book, chapter and verse we gain more understanding, and become better equipped to live in His ways. While reading the word without application in the power of the Holy Spirit doesn’t change us, much transformation comes when we do read it and apply it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Nehemiah 9 offers an amazing recounting of how the people responded to their reading of the Law. First, they read for a quarter of a day. Then they cried out in confession to the LORD for a quarter of a day! Imagine that–an entire people group confessing their individual and corporate sin before the LORD. So often, we who are Americans believe we need only confess our sins individually, but my sin impacts the entire group of believers, as does yours. After they confessed their sins, they called out to the LORD and “reminded” Him of all He had done, and all they had done. The LORD had called them to faithfulness, and they had acted in disobedience. Whether in Egypt, or in the wilderness, or in the Promised Land, the people responded to God’s great mercy and love with disobedience. At times the LORD subjected the people to judgment and punishment at the hands of other nations, but each time He forgave them and reestablished them. What incredible grace and mercy God has for us! He forgives us time and time again. At the close of the chapter, the people signed a new covenant. It wasn’t new in the sense that Jesus established a new covenant with us by dying on the cross, paying the penalty for human sin, and rising again. It was new in being a recommitment to live the Law of Moses.

As we turn to Chapter 10 we find a list of those who signed or sealed the Covenant, starting with Nehemiah, the governor, and including many of the officials and religious leaders. After sealing the Covenant the people reminded themselves of what they were agreeing to do. They would not marry foreigners. They would not do business on the Sabbath. They would give offerings to support the work of the House of the LORD and the priests and Levites who served in it. Sometimes in our lives, we need to recommit ourselves to the LORD’s will and work. We need to recommit ourselves to living in relationship with Him and in the power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus’ followers, we are redeemed from sin and death, and we have a new spirit, the Holy Spirit within us. That does not mean we never fall back into sin, or forget who we are and whose we are. The new covenant Jesus made with us was sealed in His blood, so we don’t need to re-seal it. We do need to make a fresh commitment to live in it on a regular basis.

As we return to Matthew 8, the Sermon on the Mount has ended and Matthew shares a number of healing miracles with us. Their order is different from that in Mark. Why? Matthew organized his gospel so it would be easier to memorize. Remember, printing presses would not be invented for centuries. The only way to transmit truth was to make written copies, or to memorize information and pass it on orally. While we live in a culture that doesn’t memorize much, because we can “Google” what we want to know, in Matthew’s culture, memorization was pivotal. Matthew tells us of Jesus healing a leper, a Roman centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law and the people of her town, and two demon-possessed men. He also includes Jesus’ calming of a storm. All these miracles are recorded in Mark, but in different places throughout Mark. The different order doesn’t tell us they didn’t take place. Rather the confirmation of two authors deepens the evidence they happened. The details differ a bit, as we would expect when two sources provide information on the same event. The key is Jesus was unlike anyone who had lived before Him or who has lived since, because He was and is the Son of God!

Nehemiah 4 records the initial opposition to the work of rebuilding the wall. Sanballat and Tobiah came against the people with words. We have all heard the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us.” The truth is words can penetrate far deeper than the physical wounds caused by sticks and stones. Sanballat and Tobiah intended to discourage the Jews, to put fear in their hearts, to dishearten them to the point they gave up. The response of Nehemiah was twofold: 1) He prayed. He prayed and asked the LORD to protect them; and 2) He rallied the people to work and be prepared to fight. His strategy was clear and effective. He had half the men stand with spears, javelins, and swords at the ready to fight. The laborers who carried the stones, carried the stones in such a way that they carried with one hand and held their swords with the other. Those who laid the stones worked with their swords strapped to their waists. Because of these precautions Judah’s enemies decided not to attack them. At night, the people slept inside the wall, and watchmen were posted throughout the night. The people had a clear vision from God, effective leaders with a clear and effective plan to address their distractors and detractors. The work forged forward.

Nehemiah 5 gives us a clear understanding of Nehemiah’s character, his love for his people and the observation of the law and his generosity. When Nehemiah found out some of the people were enslaving their Jewish brothers and sisters, or their children, he called them out on it. We’re told before he said a word he “took counsel with myself.” That could sound arrogant, until we realize what it means is Nehemiah turned to the LORD and the words of the Law and examined what was going on in light of these. The result was a call for those who were enslaving their brothers and sisters, and those who were charging interest to their brothers and sisters to free those they had enslaved and to stop charging interest. The people agreed. Nehemiah had them make their vows before the priests, and he made them aware of the consequence if they didn’t fulfill their commitment: they would be banished, or “shaken out” from among the people.

In Nehemiah 6, Sanballat and Tobiah sent messages to Nehemiah to frighten him, and threaten him to stop the work on the wall. They also wanted him to come to them, but Nehemiah realized they intended to kill him, so he did not go. Sanballat and Tobiah also had false prophets tell Nehemiah he was to go into the Temple to gain protection from them, but he would not listen, because God gave him true knowledge and wisdom in the situation. Eventually, the work on the walls was done. It took only fifty-two days from start to finish. All the surrounding people realized God’s hand was on the work, and they feared God. We see the importance of listening to God, and following His word and will rather than letting people around us influence our thoughts, words, and actions. Nehemiah offers us a powerful example of what can happen when God’s leaders listen and obey God, and His people submit themselves to faithful leadership.

As we read Nehemiah 7, we find that when the work was completed, Nehemiah appointed Hanani, his brother, and Hananiah as leaders over Jerusalem. Nehemiah had promised King Artaxerxes he would return after the project was completed. Now, he was establishing leadership in Judah for the time when he would no longer be there. The remainder of chapter 7 records the names and positions of the people who returned from Babylon (now Persia) to Judah. Once again, we see how important it was to the people of that time to record and remember the names of the people who returned to Judah in fulfillment of the LORD’s command. The chapter concludes with numerical totals of the number of people and the number of gifts given by those people to the work of the LORD. Many modern church leaders say, “We count people, because people count.” While a focus on how much and how many can become an end in itself, God has always had His people record and remember how many and how much when it came to establishing His people, and remembering their work. The only time this was not considered good was when a king would number or count his troops. The reason this was not a good thing, was it could be done so as to trust in the number of soldiers he had rather than the LORD.

As we return to Matthew 7, and the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, let’s focus on Jesus’ reminder to all of us of how hard it is to follow Him, and that not all who call Him “LORD” will enter the Kingdom of heaven. In our day, many American Christians emphasize to an extreme that we are saved by faith and not works. We aresave by faith and not by our works. Yet, Jesus reminded us of the great effort we must expend in following Him. As I say so often, “Following Jesus is simple, but not easy.” A child can understand Jesus’ command to do to others what we would have done to ourselves, but doing to others what we would have done to us is hard, and often impossible, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit within us. One of the most challenging statements Jesus makes is there will be people who do miracles and cast out demons in His name who will be cast out of the Kingdom of God. Our actions speak louder than our words, but even our actions done in the name of Jesus, can be done apart from a relationship with Him. While we cannot earn salvation by our works, once we have been born again, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, then and only then, will we do works that please Him, and we must do those works to please Him. Never let the lie of Satan that you must earn your salvation deceive you. All our works are as “filthy rags,” apart from the saving grace of God in Jesus. At the same time, never let the lie of Satan that you can bask in God’s grace apart from his works keep you from living in faith and obedience to Him.

In Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah finds out Jerusalem is in disrepair. His response is to cry out to God. He doesn’t ask God, “Why?” He confesses his sin, and the sin of the people, and asks God to have mercy and to restore the people. He “reminds” God of His promise to restore the people when they cry out to Him. He doesn’t pray for a  few minutes, or even an hour, but for days.

In Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah came before King Artaxerxes, and as he served the king wine, the king asked him why he was so sad? Without hesitation, even though he was filled with fear, Nehemiah told the king his sadness was from knowing the land of his ancestors lay in ruins and the Temple of his God as well. The king gave permission for Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls as well as to rebuild the Temple. He also sent letters to those who controlled the region: Sanballat and Tobiah, not to interfere with the process. Even so, Sanballat and Tobiah were against the rebuilding process and from the outset jeered the idea that it would happen. Upon his arrival, Nehemiah assessed the situation, and cast a vision for the people to start the rebuilding process. This chapter gives us a brief summary of how much we do in Kingdom work takes place: First, God gives someone a vision for the work. Then God opens a door for the work. Next, opposition to the work arises. Then the one who received the vision shares the vision with others. At that moment the others must buy into the vision, and the process continues. Ongoing opposition to the work willcome, if it is truly God’s work, because our enemy, Satan, does not want God’s work to take place. As God’s people trust in Him, pursue the vision, and stand in the face of obstacles, the work moves forward.

In Nehemiah 3, we read about the repairing of the wall and gates surrounding Jerusalem. With extensive detail, Nehemiah records the names, occupations, and specific locations of those who repaired sections of the wall and which section was repaired. The repairs started with a priest and his family. We’re told at one point that a man and his sons and daughters participated in the repairs. We realize the significance of daughters being mentioned, because women’s names, and even presence was often left out of these lists. Nehemiah ensured these people and their families would be remembered every time his words were read. They were the people who trusted Nehemiah’s vision was from God and were willing to pursue it. Nehemiah believed the gate would be rebuilt. He “saw” it before it happened. Nehemiah was a believing is seeing kind of person. Thank God, many “saw” his vision, too. They also believed and started working. From my experience, some of the folks who are listed later, saw the actual walls and gates that had been completed. Then they believed and joined the work, too. They were the seeing is believing people. We always need both. Someone must believe before he or she sees, or the work won’t begin. Those who join in after they see the work, ensure the work continues and is completed.

As we return to Matthew 6, we find ourselves in the middle of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. While all the sermon is important and challenging, Matthew six offers us instruction regarding giving, prayer and fasting. Then it moves on to remind us of where we must store our treasure to gain God’s “return,” as well as how important it is to rely on God to provide for all our needs. The chapter concludes with Jesus’ command in 6:33 to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and the reminder as we do that everything we need will be added to that. Matthew 6:33, has long been the verse I have clung to as I have followed Jesus into unknown territory. As a pastor for more than thirty-four years, I have experienced many times personally and in the churches I have served where it seemed we would not have enough resource to provide for our needs. In those moments, I have returned to Matthew 6:33, and have remembered my task was to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first, to call my family and the church family to do the same and to expect the need to be provided. God has always fulfilled His promise to provide. I have been amazed at the many different ways He has done so. At times, when the weekly offering was “$X,” we would receive a gift from one individual that was “$X.” In other words, one person would give an entire week’s offering. That person might never have given, or might have given generously before, but in that moment, he or she gave an entire week’s offering, just when we needed it. I hadn’t asked the person for it, although I had prayed to the LORD for the provision, and He chose to use that means. At other times in our personal life, God chose to provide through a gift from a family member or friend, or even through having the opportunity to officiate at a funeral, and receiving an honorarium that met the need. (I’m not saying God made the person die, so my family would receive the gift, but in the moment of need the gift came.) The bottom line is: put Jesus first. Soren Kierkegaard once wrote, “If you don’t seek first the Kingdom of God, you won’t seek the Kingdom of God.” How true. The moment we put anything before Jesus in our lives, He gets pushed aside whether momentarily or for a longer time. In that moment, we are in a dangerous place, a place where we are responsible to meet our own needs. Always remember: When Jesus and His Kingdom are first in our lives, Heis responsible to meet our needs. When He and His Kingdom are not first, weare responsible to meet our needs.