Artwork Credit: dayofchange.org
Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Interspersed with our thoughts on our daily reading, we want to provide some tips about reading the Bible in general.
Nehemiah: The Rebuilding of Israel’s Security
We learn in this book that “one man can make a difference.” What is that difference in the book of Nehemiah? It is the rebuilding of a people by fortifying their physical and spiritual boundaries. Nehemiah explains the need for a burden and then a willingness to be the one through whom the burden will be removed. Today we look as the first of the two steps outlined.
Nehemiah’s Political Career Culminating In Rebuilding The Walls of Jerusalem (1-7)
In this section we can see:
- The burden of Nehemiah becomes great before the Lord. (Nehemiah 1)
- The blessing upon Nehemiah comes swiftly from the Lord. (Nehemiah 2)
- The building of Nehemiah brings unity for the Lord. (Nehemiah 3)
- The attacks upon Nehemiah cause pleas to the Lord. (Nehemiah 4)
- The generosity of Nehemiah shames others before the Lord. (Nehemiah 5)
- The conspiracy against Nehemiah brings resolution for the Lord. (Nehemiah 6-7)
There is a key lesson from this section of God’s Word: If you are willing to expose your heart to God, he will use you to become the solution to what breaks your heart!
It is our hope that this background information helps a bit as you read on in the Bible.
For daily insights into the passage we are reading together each day, you can follow Dr. Smith on Twitter and on Facebook.
You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.
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