Nehemiah Chapter 9

Gone to Mex & Back

“Jesus Between the Lines”

Dear Friends and Challengers, welcome to Chapter 9! 

I hope it didn't take you as long as it took me to get here, nearly two years! In the summer of 2018, my older brother, Tom, and I did a "Pilot Test" of the 52-Day Challenge. I failed miserably. Mainly, I was distracted by editing, so instead of spending 20-30 minutes on each section, I spent 40-60 minutes editing. And since I wasn't finished writing the study guide, my brother had to wait for me to deliver completed chapters to him. Another time, I fell a week behind! From that experience, I created a 52-Day Calendar to help keep track of each day.

 It's safe to say the first challenge was premature. That observation led me to a second "Pilot Test." Again, several surprise challenges popped up during my first month, but I was able to apply what I learned and move on. A challenge isn't supposed to be easy, is it? I wanted to share some of the journal entries from that second 52-Day Challenge. Remember the quote, "Opposition is evidence of God's blessings." (Chapter 4) 

September 1, Chapter 1, Day 1. THE 52 DAY CHALLENGE BEGINS AGAIN.  If today I hear Your voice, let me listen, LORD!! If You call me, let me hear and respond. I will start 52 DAYS again, while continuing to work on finishing Neh & Me. Read Chap 1 text today, plus worked on Chap 8 & 9 (7 is almost finished) . . .

Note to Challengers: In early September, 2018, after learning he had Stage 4 Colon Cancer, my younger brother, Mark, would require treatment and surgery, and much, much prayer. I had recently purchased my plane tickets for Rosarito. In the middle of packing for my trip to Mexico, I was volunteering on a regular basis at the City Mission, plus writing the Never-Ending story of Nehemiah & Me.

Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, 52 Days, Chapter 1, Day 4. On Monday, it was a busy day. I know I prayed in the morning because when I prayed to seek Your face, I opened the Bible to find that verse and Your Spirit led me right to it. Psa. 27, so I know I prayed. I prayed also about whether to publish Neh & Me website yet, and again Your answer came from Psa. 27:14. “Wait on the LORD, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the LORD!”

Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, 52 Days, Chapter 2, Day 5 (Ready, Set, Read) Mark’s surgery. Will head to Bryan East soon, but caught myself feeling anxious, thinking before I go that I have to do this and that. Then remembered “nudge, nudge,” Phil. 4. “Rejoice in the LORD always; again, I say, 'rejoice!' Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in everything give thanks.” It actually is a wonderful N.T. link to Neh. 8:10 that I read earlier, “The JOY of the LORD is my strength.” 

Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, 52 Days, Chapter 3. Praise Fest at 5 in FCC parking lot. Caught up to Rox, Dick, Rick and Sue and kids. Thank You, LORD! Worked on the Inspirational Journal so I could add pages today. Took forever. I have to quit beating up on myself about being slow, and things take me “forever.” I realize this too is the enemy’s ploy. Satan is still working on tearing down my wall or finding gaps. I ask Jesus to help me overcome this “slowness” and asked Him what I should do to stop this self-abusive thinking and He immediately said, “Stay focused on Me.” Keep my eyes on Him, not on the negative messages the enemy sends (like the letters the enemy sent to the king to discredit Nehemiah).You are my King, LORD. Your Spirit said to me, “Keep your eyes on Me.” My heart said to You, “Help me train my eyes to remain on You. You are my Sight.”

Tuesday, September 11, 2018, Day 11. Thank You for my dream. I remember I was with a large group of people and we were getting ready because You and the Twelve were coming. We were all had tasks to do. I rushed and rushed trying to get things done. There were things to put away, help others get ready, and then I needed to dress. So when the time came, everyone was leaving to see Jesus, I wasn’t ready!! I quickly found clothes to wear and hurried to find You; my heart longing to see You, my LORD. Nothing else mattered, except I had made everything else matter while I was getting ready for You. My heart broke when I realized I missed my chance to see You. 

To make a long dream short. I did meet Jesus. He wore a long gown embroidered with silver and black threads, small designs, kind of cosmos and water-related. These designs moved and breathed constantly. The gown was alive. I was speechless and shy. The next time I saw Jesus, I don’t recall what we said, but we did talk. All I knew was that I never wanted to leave His side. “Do not send me away, LORD,” my spirit pleaded. I could not take my eyes off Him or His robe, living and swirling robe as if He was wearing the Universe. And then I woke up.

September 18, 2018, Chapter 5, Text. Sometimes, LORD, I’m afraid to TRUST and leave my prayers and supplications in Your Awesome Almighty Hands. Why? Because fear raises its ugly head and says, “Be afraid because God who is a Changer of Hearts might use drastic measures to answer prayers.” Be still, Satan! Let me remember Lam. 3:32-33, God’s love for us. “Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion, according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.”

Thursday, September 20, 2019, Chapter 5, Class Notes. I attended a leadership meeting at Calvary Church Lincoln with Warren Wiersbe, a prolific author who wrote books about the Old and New Testament books. “The greatest blessing is answered prayer,” Dr. Wiersbe said. 

I was really looking forward to Tuesday, September 25. I planned to go to church to help kick off the first City Prayer meeting, one Dr. Wiersbe encouraged us to start. After the meeting, I’d leave for Missouri. I couldn’t wait! My siblings and I planned a get-together at Tom and Mary’s house, and then everyone would go their own way. I would house-sit for Tom and Mary, and have the house to myself. A perfect opportunity to finish Nehemiah& Me. The book was moving too slow. I should’ve finished it a year ago! Now I hoped to wrap it up in two weeks so I could take it to Rosarito. After all, the idea for Nehemiah & Me was birthed in Rosarito. I was so excited! I was also terribly tired.

When Monday rolled around, I had one more errand to run before I could load up my car and be ready to take off Tuesday morning after our first City Prayer meeting. The previous Saturday night, I had extreme indigestion, almost a crushing feeling in my chest. Indigestion was not new to me. I blamed it on stress and the foods I ate. That night, after taking acid-relief pills and aspirin and baking soda, I fell asleep. The next morning, no pain, but come bed-time, Sunday, the pain returned. I nearly passed out on my way to the kitchen to get the baking soda. Again, it disappeared and I fell asleep. In the morning, I called my daughter Claire in Mexico and told her how I had been feeling. She suggested getting an EKG as soon as I could. I called my doctor, and she said to go the ER. My only thought was, “Should I wash my hair first?” I took the dog to a neighbor. By then I was so tired, I could barely take a step. At the Emergency Room, I expected to wait, but they wasted no time in seeing me. 

Monday, September 24, 2018 At Bryan East Hospital, having Triple Bypass Heart Surgery, Sept. 25.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018 Trying to get in prayer time  and visit with Cam and Ky before they take me away to surgery. Claire coming today (from Mexico). Praise the LORD for all He has done for me. If today I hear Your voice, let me harden not my heart. When Your Spirit said, “Seek My face,” my heart said Your face, LORD, I will seek. 

 Family plans, Rosarito, and Nehemiah & Me were temporarily placed on-hold. Looking back on events and entries, I see where God, the Changer of Hearts, was leading me. He even dropped a few hints like the verse from September 4. 

Psa. 27:14. “Wait on the LORD, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the LORD!” 

He was watching out for me. And that dream about seeing Jesus in His living robe was another clue that something would happen that I wouldn't be ready for, but He'd be there for me. Why I had a heart attack, I don't know, other than my health and stress levels needed attending. Looking back through my journal, I could read between the lines that the LORD was preparing me. And that's why Chapter 9’s Class Notes will be looking at Jesus between the lines in the Levites’ Psalm.

NEH 9: DAY 33 READY, SET, READ!

Section I: The People Confess Their Sins

1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.

2 Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.

The Jewish day is from sundown to sun-up. We consider our 24-hour days to begin at midnight and end at 11:59 P.M. If the Israelites were reading for one-fourth of the day, they were probably standing and reading for 3 hours.

4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani 

stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their God.

5 And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, 

Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: 

Stand up and bless the LORD your God forever and ever! 

Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise

6 You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, 

with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them,

The host of heaven worships You.

The leaders and Levites and priests were crying out with a LOUD voice to the LORD. They weren’t timid or afraid they would get a ticket for disturbing the peace. What they wanted WAS to disturb the peace so all would hear and join in the blessing. Today, most of us are too inhibited to cry out, “Blessed be Your glorious name!” If the heaven of heavens with all their host and earth and seas worships God, why are we, the children of God, so afraid? 

7 You are the LORD God, who chose Abram, and brought him 

out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name Abraham;

8 You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him 

To give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, The Perizzites, 

The Jebusites and the Girgashites—To give it to his descendants.

You have performed Your words, for You are righteous.

9 You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea.

10 You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,

Against all his servants, and against all the people of his land.

For You knew that they acted proudly against them. 

So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.

God did make a name for Himself. In fact, His name preceded Him. Rahab from Jericho told the Israelite spies that her people melted in fear at the mention of God. The enemy nations of the Jews knew this history as well. To see the wall rebuilt meant only one thing: The God of the Israelites was back.

11 And You divided the sea before them,

So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;

And their persecutors You threw into the deep, as a stone into the mighty waters.

12 Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar,

And by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the road which they should travel.

13 You came down also on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven,

And gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments.

What an awesome description. God came down and spoke to Moses, and then gave his servant the two tablets of His law to take back to the Israelites.

14 You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,

And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,

By the hand of Moses Your servant.

15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, 

And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, 

And told them to go in to possess the land

Which You had sworn to give them.

The Levites are recounting the story of the water that flowed from the rock in Meribah (Num. 20:8-13). God told Aaron and Moses to do something a certain way, and they do it another. As a result they and the generation of Jews who came out of Egypt were not allowed into the Promised Land. Moses only saw the Promised Land from a distance before he died (Deut. 34:1). Joshua and Caleb were the only two allowed to cross over into Canaan.

16 But they and our fathers acted proudly,

Hardened their necks, and did not heed Your commandments.

“Hardened their necks” is another phrase for “stiff-necked” or “stubborn” people. How many times have we acted proudly or pretended we didn’t hear God? Instead, we turned our backs on God and went our own way. When we question whether or not we should follow God, we miss out on the big picture, God’s picture.

17 They refused to obey, and they were not mindful 

of Your wonders that You did among them.

But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion

They appointed a leader to return to their bondage.

 But You are God, ready to pardon,

Gracious and merciful,

Slow to anger,

Abundant in kindness,

And did not forsake them

Psalms 86:15 and 103:8 written by David, share these qualities of God. Letters written by the Apostles encourage us to possess those same qualities. It may seem hard at times, but not impossible. We, too, can be gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abundant in kindness. In verse 18, God’s people return to making idols, still God did not desert them.

18 Even when they made a molded calf for themselves,

And said, ‘This is your god that brought you up out of Egypt,’

And worked great provocations,

19 Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness.

The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,

To lead them on the road; nor the pillar of fire by night,

To show them light, and the way they should go.

I read the above verses in 2018 when California’s wildfires raged. One news video even showed a clip of a gigantic “Firenado.” I wondered when I saw the news if the Firenado was anything like God’s “pillar of fire by night” to show the Israelites light. God’s fire can be neither topped or stopped.

20 You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,

And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,

And gave them water for their thirst.

21 Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness;

They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out

And their feet did not swell.

God provided everything His children needed from food and water to clothing and shoes that never wore out, and “their feet never swelled. Still, the Israelites went back and forth courting evil and then crying out to God to help. These people were witness to God’s mighty works, but they never fully understood that God is God, Creator of the world.

23 You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven,

And brought them into the land which You had told their fathers

To go in and possess.

The Levites make a very strong point here. They held up their “fathers” as the ones who rebelled, and had to wander until that rebellious generation died off. But God kept His promise to Abraham. The population did not die out; instead a new generation prospered. After their fathers passed, Abraham’s children went in to possess the land.

 24 So the people went in and possessed the land;

You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,

The Canaanites, and gave them into their hands,

With their kings and the people of the land,

That they might do with them as they wished.

 25 And they took strong cities and a rich land,

And possessed houses full of all goods,

Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,

And fruit trees in abundance.

So they ate and were filled and grew fat,

And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.

 At the end of the 40-year trek, Moses died; Joshua became the new leader appointed by God and would lead the people into the land of milk and honey. For the division of the land and what the Israelites found waiting for them, read the book of Joshua and also Jeremiah, Chapter 29.

26 Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against You,

Cast Your law behind their backs

And killed Your prophets, who testified against them

To turn them to Yourself; and they worked great provocations.

 27 Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,

Who oppressed them; and in the time of their trouble,

When they cried to You, You heard from heaven;

 And according to Your abundant mercies

You gave them deliverers who saved them

From the hand of their enemies.

Verses 26 through 31, history repeats itself. The Israelites did evil; God sent them into captivity, then gave them deliverers who saved them. He didn’t provide them with heroes like Samson or David’s Mighty Men to rescue them, but harnessed the power of those nations and kings eager to enslave Judah and Israel.

28 But after they had rest, they again did evil before You.

Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,

So that they had dominion over them; yet when they returned 

And cried out to You, You heard from heaven; 

And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,

 29 And testified against them,

That You might bring them back to Your law.

Yet they acted proudly, and did not heed Your commandments,

But sinned against Your judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them.

And they shrugged their shoulders, stiffened their necks, and would not hear. 

30 Yet for many years You had patience with them,

And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. 

Yet they would not listen;

Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

 31 Nevertheless in Your great mercy

You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;

For You are God, gracious and merciful.

 32 “Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and awesome God,

Who keeps covenant and mercy:

Do not let all the trouble seem small before You

That has come upon us, our kings and our princes,

Our priests and our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people,

From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.

In verse 32, after listening to the Levites’ Psalm, the Israelites are ready to plead with God to help them set things right. The only way to set things right with God was to confess their sins. There was still much work to be done; they begged God not to view their trouble as “small.” Try incorporating that verse in your prayers, asking God not to let all our trouble seem small before Him.

 33 However You are just in all that has befallen us;

For You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly.

 In verse 33, the Israelites say they deserve all the trouble they’ve gone through. God has been just and faithful in handing out discipline, giving the Israelites over to their enemies.

34 Neither our kings nor our princes, our priests nor our fathers,

Have kept Your law, nor heeded Your commandments 

and Your testimonies, with which You testified against them.

35 For they have not served You in their kingdom,

Or in the many good things that You gave them,

Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;

Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

Looking at 34 and 35, the Israelites are confessing their kings fell short of heeding God’s commandments. What a rich history! Kings of Judah and Kings of Israel were often “bad” kings who did not keep the law of the LORD, with the exception of an occasional “good” son who would come through and tear down the idols and altars in high places that mocked God.

36 Here we are, servants today!

And the land that You gave to our fathers,

To eat its fruit and its bounty,

Here we are, servants in it!

37 And it yields much increase to the kings

You have set over us, because of our sins;

Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle

At their pleasure; and we are in great distress.

Verses 36 and 37 are a reality check, and a confession that they deserved what they got, but they don’t have to like it. Prior to the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s temple and walls, God gave the Israelites several chances to repent. When they did, He blessed them. All went well, until the men got greedy again and robbed their own countrymen. In Chapter 5 of Nehemiah, the women voiced their complaints about their children being forced into slavery to pay debts owed to their own people. Now the Levites are reminding the people that they are all servants in the land because of their rebellion and wickedness. It will take more than a declaration of the Year of Jubilee to make things right.

38 And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it;

Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.”

NEH 9: DAY 34 CLASS NOTES & CONNECTIONS

Chapter 9 is a continuance of the Feast of the Tabernacles. After Ezra’s reading of the Law of Moses, Ezra and the Levites felt it would benefit the people if they had extra time to confess their sins. On the Day of Atonement, the people gathered to praise God, confess their sins, and renew their commitment. To start the confession, the Levites read what was known as the Levites’ Psalm or Prayer. This psalm is historically accurate, and inspired by the “Song of Moses,” (Ex. 32) a song God taught to Moses to pass on to the children of the Israelites so they would always remember their history, and keep His commandments. 

The order of events appear in similar songs like “Deborah’s Song” (Judg. 5), “Hannah’s Song” (1 Sam. 2) and David’s “Song of the Bow” (2 Sam. 1). In the New Testament Book of Acts, Stephan’s retelling of the Israelites’ history ended on the note that the Messiah was crucified because of the unbelief of the Jews. That revelation prompted the stoning of Stephan. The Levites’ Psalm is one of the more significant songs as a tribute to God’s mercies and the Israelites’ history. Divided into four parts, each section of the Levites’ Psalm tells the story of the Israelites, their relationship with God, and God’s response to them. The four parts are:

• God is Glorified (Verses 5-6)
• God’s Faithfulness (Verses 7-31)
• The Righteousness of God (Verses 32-35) Verses 33 to 35 could be included as both “Confession” and “Acknowledgment of God’s Righteousness.”
• The Confession (Verses 36-37) 

Also tucked between the lines of this psalm are spiritual references to Christ. It’s amazing that verses 8 through 38 relate to the Israelites’ history while serving as a messianic link to the future. In other words, you can see Christ’s footprints on the pages of the past leading into the future. The Gospel writer, John said it best. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . .” (John 1:14). 

The Word has dwelt among us ever since Genesis; the Word inspired David to write about the coming of Christ and the magnificent miracles and mercy of God. From there the Word connects with the Prophets, from God’s mouth to theirs. Once again, through Jesus, we’re reminded that God came down. By the time we’re finished exploring Jesus in the Levites’ Psalm, you’ll be able to see the footprints of Christ in other chapters and book of the Bible, starting with Verse 8 of the Levites’ Psalm.

THE JESUS CONNECTIONS

(Verse 8) In Psalms, the Levites praise God because He keeps His promises and covenants. “You have performed Your words, for You are righteous.” 

• Christ kept His promises and indeed performed God’s Words, after all He was sent to accomplish the Father’s will. If you remember in Chapter 1 Nehemiah and Me, one journal entry talked about Jesus as “The Plan." This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up on the last day.” At least 4x’s in John 6:33-55, Jesus says, “raise it up on the last day.”
• (John 12:49)“The Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know His command is everlasting life.”
• Through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, God kept His promise and His covenants. The only way God’s plan could be accomplished was through Christ because He alone is righteous.

(Verse 10) You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of his land . . . So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.

• True. God’s name is known to all nations. Whenever I read Neh. 9:10, I think of Phil. 2:9. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.”

(Verse 12) Moreover, You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the road which they should travel. 

• (John 14:6) Jesus said to him (Thomas at the Last Supper), “I am the way, the truth and the light, and no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the pillar of fire who shines light on the spiritual path which we should travel. The “cloudy pillar” could pertain to the “cloud of witnesses,” or our first fathers of faith who believed God’s Word is truth. Their testimony helped prepare the way for Christ. They believed without having seen that He would come. Read NKJV study notes or commentary on Hebrews 12:1 for a further explanation.

(Verse 13) You came down also on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven. The verse from the Levites’ Psalm is about God coming down to meet with Moses, an anti-type (preview) of the Transfiguration scene when Christ met with Moses and Elijah on the mountain.

• (Matt. 17:5) While God met with Moses on Mount Sinai, the Transfiguration occurred either in the foothills near Mount Hermon or the on mountain itself which would have been difficult to climb. Have you ever traveled to the top of a mountain, and found yourself surrounded by clouds? While Peter, James, and John tried to understand what was happening, “a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the clouds, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’”

 (Verse 15) You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger; and brought them water out of a rock for their thirst. 

Water from a Rock (Exodus 17)

The words, “If today you hear My voice, do not harden your heart as the people did at Meribah,” came from Psalms 95:7, Hebrews 3:7 and 4:7. Include this verse as a part of your daily prayer life. It’s a good reminder to listen for God’s voice.

• (Luke 22:19). Jesus is our bread from heaven to satisfy our spiritual hunger. During the last supper, He took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and told the disciples to take, eat, “This is My body, given for you.” 
• Besides the bread from heaven, Christ declared that He is our living water. In Samaria, He told the woman at the well, if she were to drink the water He offered, then she would never thirst again.  
• (John 7:37 was mentioned in Chapter 3 under the Spiritual Significance of the Water Gate) In Jerusalem, as part of the celebration of the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the people marched around the altar while a priest filled a golden pitcher with water from the Pool of Siloam. And then the priest poured the water on the altar as an offering to God in remembrance of Meribah. The crowd knew the story and knew what to expect, but on this particular day, perhaps at the same time the priest was pouring water on the altar, Jesus cried out loud enough for all to hear.

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” He is our living water. 

(Verse 17) You are God, ready to pardon. Gracious and merciful and slow to anger, abundant in kindness.

• (Matt. 9:13), Jesus is questioned by the Pharisee about eating with tax collectors. He replied that those who are well have no need of a physician, and then He told them, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice (a quote from Isaiah).’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.
• (John 10:10) “I have come so that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” In every way, Christ glorified the Father and forgave the sinners, like Father, like Son.

 (Verse 19) sounds very similar to Verse 12. Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, to lead them on the road; nor the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way they should go.

• (John 14:18)“I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” Neither will He forsake us in the wilderness.
• (John 14:16)“And I will pray the Father to give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of Truth.” And that’s exactly what Jesus did. He sent for the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Light, the Manna, the Living Water, and has given us His “good Spirit.”

(Verse 20) You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them . . . 

• (John 14:26)“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance, all things that I said to you.” I like to recall this verse, especially if I’m worried that I may have forgotten verses or have a tough time memorizing them. The Holy Spirit will teach and bring to remembrance all things Jesus has said to us.

(Verse 21) Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

• (Mark 6:1-13) The Israelites were ungrateful witnesses to God’s mighty works. They believed in God only if it would benefit them or get them out of deep trouble. Jesus faced a similar crowd in His hometown of Nazareth. “He could do no mighty work there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.”

(Verse 26) Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against You, cast Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets, who testified against them to turn them to Yourself; and they worked great provocations. 

• (Matt. 23:35) Woes on the Pharisees. In Matt. 23, Jesus condemns the Pharisees 7x’s. One thing He makes clear is that they are not clean or innocent, but are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, . . .”
• (Matt. 23: 37) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!”
• (Luke 11:31; 48) On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You. And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’ Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.”
• (Vs. 48) “In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation . . .” 

(Verse 27) Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who oppressed them; and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to You, You heard from heaven; and according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hand of their enemies.

When we follow the excessive ways of the world, turning our attention away from the LORD, we aren’t always ready to be rescued. Living in sin, pursuing the world instead of the Spirit separates us from God. Jesus delivers us from those enemies, who physically and spiritually oppress us. Remember, in Nehemiah, the Israelites were oppressed by their own countrymen. In the Gospels, we see the signs of it happening again. Money changers in the temple, tax collectors, all charging more than the people could afford. Before Christ, the Jewish people were required to bring sin offerings, along with sacrifices to be sanctified by priests. Christ was sent by the Father to be our deliverer, the one-time sin offering to make atonement for us. He saved us from the hand of our enemies, and continues to be the deliverer and savior for those who believe.

• (Verse 30) “You had patience with them, and testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets.” Before the 70 years of captivity, God exercised a lot of patience with the Israelites. When He tried to bring them back to Him, He spoke through the prophets about what would happen if they continued in their path of worshipping idols and being stiff-necked.
• (Rev. 20) “For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy,” Like God speaking through the prophets about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. He is the Word of God and the Spirit of Prophecy.

(Verse 38) Here we are servants today! And we are in great distress, and because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it. Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it. 

 After Ezra read the Law, and the Levites’ recited their psalm, the Jewish people were filled with remorse. They wanted to draw up a new covenant even though a new covenant or commitment was not required by God. They still wanted to show God they were sincere, and promised to behave and honor Him. The irony was if the Israelites had believed all that the prophets had said in the first place, they would have understood that Jesus was the only new covenant they would ever need.

NEH 9: DAY 35 NEHEMIAH & ME

July 12, 2017  Levites’ Psalm

The Levites’ prayer or psalm covered nearly everything: The history of the Jews and God’s mercy to provide for them, and rescue them, and discipline them. When they refused to listen, they were called a stiff-necked people. Still God gave them every chance to turn their lives around.

(Psa. 95:7) Today, if you will hear His voice, 

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 

“Today,” means this day, July 12, this very moment. Today, if I remain alert and listen carefully, I will hear His voice. His voice is the Spirit of truth in the wilderness.

Sept. 11, 2017 Enemies took down the Twin Towers, America mourned

Remembering other battles. Getting it straight.

725 to 722 BC Assyria takes over Samaria

626 BC Jeremiah is called to prophesize

586 BC Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians

445 BC Nehemiah’s reconstruction is finished

Oct. 18, 2017  Today, LORD, if I hear Your voice

Let me harden not my heart.” You say “Do this,” let me do it. If you say, “Go here or there,” let me go quickly, to please You. Let me seek Your face, and know Your heart. LORD, please help me to take care of the physical rubble in my house and boxes in my car. Help me, please to clear out the mental rubbish so I can spend more time in Your word.

Today, if I hear Your voice, let me not turn away because I am too busy to listen. I’m sorry we tune You out because we only want to listen if it’s what we want to hear. On hearing Your voice, I have found that You have many ways to express Your voice, thru the thunder, and the sound of the waves, and wind, and outright calling to an individual or group as you did more than once to let a crowd or others know. Jesus is Your Son in whom You are well-pleased.

You spoke out loud to Paul on the road, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” In (Ex. 33:11) you talked with Moses “face to face, as a man speaks to a friend.” I remember writing a journal entry in 2015 about learning Your language thru studying Your word, similar to learning another language like French or Spanish. Now if I’d only stop and listen.

Nov. 16, 2017  LEFT HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY

4:30 AM. Another milestone day! Lamb of God, thank You for bringing me here from Nebraska to Mexico to Nebraska, from proud to humble, from Spiritless to Spiritfull. I believe in You. Bless You, LORD, for being attentive to our prayers.

1:15 PM Surgery went well. Thank You, LORD. I could feel Your Presence, plus someone fooled with IVs’ and other lines, my temp took a long time to come back up, but all is well. It is well with my soul. Ready for a nap. Hoping the feeling will return to my toes.

3:00 PM Tried standing with physical therapist’s help and walker, but legs were like Gumby legs. Meanwhile, watched my favorite disaster movie, DAY AFTER TOMORROW.  Although this was the fifth time I’ve seen it, there’s always something new I’d never noticed before. Sort of like the Holy Spirit. Read a verse a hundred times, and then suddenly I connect to a word that provides deeper insight, complements of the Holy Spirit through Jesus, Living Water, Lamb of God.

9:00 PM. Chillin’ at home. God, You deserve so much praise and thanks. O LORD, You are so good and awesome and mighty. You show us mercy, You hear our prayers. I feel unworthy of all the prayers said on my behalf, yet I am your child, and therefore worthy. What can I say, LORD? To think of myself unworthy of Your love and healing is a lie, a seed planted by the enemy. Also to say I am unworthy when You died for me on the cross, would be an insult to You. And so I say, “Thank You” with all my heart and soul.

 NEHEMIAH 9 The Levites’ Prayer

Stand up and bless the LORD Your God forever and ever!

Blessed by Your glorious name, which is exalted above all

Blessing and praise!

Even though I’ve read this before, new things stand out, such as STAND UP, and so I did, at home for the first time since surgery, no cane or crutches.

As I re-read this chapter, I realized the importance of obeying God. When Moses and Aaron failed to follow Gods’ instructions exactly, the result was 40 years of wandering. If I don’t follow His instructions to a T (LORD, You know how I am, blaming it on ADHD), Christ is here to forgive me when I confess and ask. Truthfully, I just want to follow His lead and law without hesitating.

Jan. 25, 2018  Reflections On The LORD’s Prayer

Yesterday was a good day. Are there any bad days when you are in the word of God? Ask Jesus, especially the day He was beaten, dragged through the streets, tortured and crucified. I have it easy compared to Christ and others who have suffered in His name.

I spent time reading and reflecting on Matthew 6 and the LORD’s Prayer. Christ admonished us not to pray like those who recite long prayers to try to look impressive in public. Then He said, to pray in secret similar to the example He gave us of the LORD’s Prayer.

“Oh no,” my spirit groans, “Have we have turned the LORD’s Prayer into a public recitation?" My ears hear the prayer said in a monotone of voices, droning on. Or am I being judgmental? Probably. Oops, sorry, LORD. I need to check myself and not be critical of others.

June 10, 2018  Thoughts On The Levites’ Prayer

(Vs. 36) - Here we are, servants today! . . . And we are in great distress.

How did they get that way? In Jeremiah 17:4, God promises the faithless, idolatrous nation of Israel, “I will cause you to serve your enemies in the land which you do not know . . .” It made me wonder if people in our country today think we’re too smart to repeat that mistake. Forsaking God and worshiping the idols of their enemies. Yikes. Satan is the clever one. Our hearts are turned toward worshiping sports teams, fast or cool cars, the “American Dream” and material things.

God says in Jeremiah 17:5, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD.”

It sounds harsh, but from my own experience, it’s easier to depart from the LORD than we think. Even if we think we are “Christians” and go to church or we’re “good people,” we can still be blinded to those things that sneak into our lives and take priority. I need to check myself daily, moment by moment, and ask, “Is my heart on the LORD or on worldly things?”

When God spoke of Israel’s restoration (Jeremiah 16), it came true for the people and Levites’ in Nehemiah’s time.

       Restore us again, O LORD.

       Give me sense and guidance.

       Help me to listen and watch, in Your Name.

Nov. 10, 2018 (See Chapter 8, “To Mex & Back”)

Aha! Another “He came down” verse. Neh. 9, Levites’ prayer, verse 13, You came down also on Mount Sinai.” Funny, running into it here in Chap. 9. Last night I rewrote Chap 9’s “Gone to Mex” and was trying hard to fit in Isaiah 64:1-3 ref.“Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down!”

And verse 3, “When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down; the mountains shook at Your presence.”

Trying to fit it in with the confession theme and Levites’ Prayer. Ha! I wasn’t even looking when You did an awesome thing like putting in that verse in Neh. 9:13.

YOUR TURN! Why not try to write a psalm about God and your history or what your reaction might be if you saw Christ face-to-face? If you’re stuck on how to get started, write a poem or journal entry about how Nehemiah inspired you. Add more to it as we read through the remaining chapters. You might want to include how God has answered your prayers or disciplined you, or given you chances to start over. Think about it. You can even incorporate your favorite verses into your psalm if you want.

NEH 9: DAY 36 PRINCIPLES INTO PRACTICE

INSPIRATIONAL VERSE: NEH 9:13   You came down also on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments.

There are many wonderful verses to choose from, but Neh. 9:13 reminds me of three things:

First, God is not a god who judges from afar; He is a personal God.

Second, God came down and walked with us.

Third, God gave us “just ordinances and true laws;” Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to interpret those laws and statutes and commandments.

This verse prompted me to look into more verses about when God came down. One example is the following. (Isaiah 64:3) “When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down; the mountains shook at Your presence.” 

God came down, did some awesome things, but we weren’t paying attention. I believe He comes down to walk among us, like an architectural overseer of our spiritual growth. When we, as individuals or a nation, cry for help, He takes action. He comes down. When we mess things up; or we’re lost and hurting or even trying too hard to do what’s right, God comes down. When we’re confused about which path to take, He directs our thoughts. He walked with Noah and wrestled with Jacob, and showed His glorious radiance to Moses and called Moses His friend. He chose David, a young shepherd, to lead His people; He came down and talked to Solomon after the temple was finished. Most wonderful of all was He came down as the Messiah to walk with us and teach us His commandments. Jesus lamented over Jerusalem because the City did not recognize Him. He came down and we did not know Him.

What would you do if you knew God was coming down? How would you get ready? The Israelites gave us a good example of how to respond with respect. They stood for hours, listening to Ezra the scribe read from the Book of the Law of Moses. You have to admire them for their stamina. The first thing I do in the morning is grab my coffee and sit in my chair with my feet up, then start reading and praying. Sometimes the clouds and colors of the sunrise literally make me leap to my feet to admire God’s creation. But my favorite time in the morning is when the Word of God speaks to me. I can’t imagine missing that time with Him anymore, especially since I missed out on so much time in my past being too busy to pay attention.

What about you? Do you get excited to spend time with Him? Do you know He’s excited to spend time with you? How would you feel if you heard the LORD had come down, but you missed Him? Talk about devastation! A prayer of mine is: “LORD, do not hide Your face from me. If I see Your face, let me shake like mountains with excitement and tremble at Your Presence.” Maybe we don’t always see His face, but if we sit still and meditate on God’s Word, we can feel His presence.

Hopefully, Chapter 9 has inspired you to praise the LORD for what He has done for you in the past, and present, and what His plans are for you in the future. I know the Levites’ Psalm has certainly made me more aware of God’s mercies and love. If I were to write a psalm, I would want it to be a testimony of how Christ worked in my life and how many times He has rescued me.