(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 6:1-14) Nehemiah and the Jews endured great opposition in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. However, this was nothing new for this post-exilic community. The rebuilding of the temple of the Lord also came with great opposition. The challenging thing about this opposition was that it didn’t just come once, and then just disappear. […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 5:1-19) One of the challenges that the Jews faced upon returning to Jerusalem was an imbalance in the resources that the people needed to survive, especially during a time of famine. In response, there was an outcry: 1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 4:15-23) As Christians, it should be our desire to do the work. The work is the good work that God prepared in advance for us to do. The work should be for His kingdom, and is not for our salvation, but as a response to the salvation we have in Christ. To do […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 4:1-14) As with the rebuilding of the temple of the Lord, the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall also was greatly challenged by their neighbors. Sanballet, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod, were greatly angered at the work being done in the city of Jerusalem and tried to discourage them and […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 3:1-32) As we read the list of names of the people that worked on rebuilding the wall, and what sections they contributed to, what stood out to me was the repeated use of the words “next to.” This wasn’t an individual effort, but a group effort, and although each individual or group worked […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 2:11-20) 11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 2:1-10) Up to this point, Nehemiah had only heard about the city of Jerusalem, and had not yet set his own eyes on the city ruins. However, this was all that Nehemiah needed to stir his heart. Seeing would come afterwards. We often say that “seeing is believing,” but for Nehemiah he didn’t […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 1:1-11) What is in your heart? What do you feel? What do you have a burden for? What should we do about these emotions, these burdens, and even these tears? The answer from today’s Scripture is pray for what is in your heart. Nehemiah was living in Persia as a descendant of one of the exiles […]
6–12 January 2019. Matthew 5:1–20 (click to read). Ever since the ancient days of the Old Testament, followers of God have known that they cannot simply open up scripture and immediately understand the will of God. Scripture needs to be interpreted, and wise teachers are needed for that. In Nehemiah 8:8 we see how Ezra […]
19–25 August 2018. Ruth 1 (click to read). Ruth is one of the shortest books in the Bible, but also one of the most beautiful. It’s so moving because at each step of the story we see the profound importance of kindness, compassion, and love. In chapter 1 we see this at two different levels. […]