Showing posts with label rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Bible Men: Nehemiah - Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem
According to the book of Ezra 2:2, Nehemiah, whose name means "consolation", was one who came out of captivity in Babylon to return to Jerusalem.. but how he did that is told in the wonderful book that bears his name.
The book of Nehemiah is written in the first person. We learn that Nehemiah was the cup-bearer to the king Artaxerxes, (Chp 2:1 "And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it to the king....." where he was placed by the Lord in order to accomplish His purposes for Jerusalem, and Nehemiah was in the palace of Shushan, the same palace we read about in the books of Esther and Daniel.
And one day Nehemiah was able to inquire of certain men of Judah about Jerusalem. He was told that the wall of that great city was broken down, and the gates burned with fire. Upon hearing this news, Nehemiah wept and mourned, fasted and prayed before the God of heaven (chp1:4-11) confessing his sins and the sins of the children of Israel, and beseeching the LORD to remember his words to Moses and to hear the prayer of Nehemiah and those who desired to fear the name of the LORD. He also prayed for mercy in the sight of the king. Because Nehemiah, as stated before, was the king's cup-bearer, and as such was able to approach the king directly.
Nehemiah's actions are very convicting. when he heard of the devastation of Jerusalem, he was overcome with grief, and immediately went before the Lord in prayer. So my question is, what do we do when we hear of problems within our church? do we go before the Lord in prayer? do we get involved? or do we go on with our lives with no heart for reviving that which has fallen. In this case, the LORD gave Nehemiah a heart for Jerusalem. Has He given you a heart for a place that has fallen into hard times?
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