Nehemiah 7:5 – Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. In this chapter we learn many principles about God and people including the following: God made people and saves people because, in His mercy, He cares for us. God … Read more
Nehemiah 7:66 – The whole assembly together was 42,360… Nehemiah lists just over 4,000 priests who were descendants of Moses’ brother Aaron. Listed with them are the Levites who descended from one of the 12 patriarchs in Genesis and assisted the priests in doing the pastoral work of caring for people. The singers who lead … Read more
Nehemiah 7:66 – The whole assembly together was 42,360… Having completed the wall and establishing leadership to care for people in the city and church, the stage was now set for an influx of people and their conversion to the God of the Bible. The leadership principle here is that a leader labors to establish … Read more
Nehemiah 7:2 – 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. As a leadership lesson, Nehemiah starts with a small group of leaders who will then build teams to pursue their part of the mission. As an … Read more
Nehemiah 7:1 – 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… A family is comprised of things and people. For example, a family has to live in some kind of physical home. A home needs to have a … Read more
Nehemiah 6:16 – And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. Curiously, the completion of the wall is mentioned in passing with little reflection on Nehemiah’s … Read more
Nehemiah 6:15 – So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. Nehemiah’s final response to the attempts to divert, disgrace, and deceive are exemplary. First, he did not lose courage or stop pressing forward. Second, he was discerning and not dissuaded by threats, lies, or manipulation. Third, … Read more
Nehemiah 6:12 – And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Despite the failed efforts to divert and disgrace Nehemiah, his enemies persisted in attacking, trying to deceive the people supporting him (Nehemiah 6:10-14). They weaponized his … Read more
Nehemiah 6:3 – And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” Critics opposed to Nehemiah’s ministry since he first arrived at the city are again united to divert from the mission … Read more
Nehemiah 6:2 – Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. In any competitive sporting event, the last few minutes are the most intense and exciting. As one team is pressing toward their victory, their opponent … Read more
Nehemiah 4:13 – So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. There are two ways to get something – by building it or by stealing it. And if you build it, then you must … Read more
Nehemiah 4:7 – But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. Seeing the resolve and success of God’s people, the opponents (led by Sanballat … Read more