Let’s do a #SheSharesTruth tomorrow, what do you say? Details at the bottom of this post!
Text: Nehemiah 13:1-31
Sometimes real life can be a lot like church camp. God shows us our sin and a new passion is lit within us. All sweaty and sunburned, we commit and recommit our lives to obedience and Christian music every twelve months or so.
Of course, it doesn’t take long before our church camp high wears off. We aren’t going to chapel twice a day, the songs we sing at church aren’t nearly as hip, we aren’t eating lunch across the table from our youth pastor and, doggone it, our parents just don’t understand.
It’s a little humorous when we think of the Israelites as middle school campers, but it’s a lot less pretty when we think of their pattern of disobedience as belonging to church members, leaders, and spouses.
God has just done an awesome thing for them – He has rebuilt their wall and restored their gates. Not only that, the Israelites have also been restored spiritually. They’re a city again, brought back from exile and thriving in every way. Honestly, I think many of them wondered if they’d ever see this day again. And so, they re-covenanted with God (10:37-39). And this time, they reallydomeanit.
Only, Nehemiah goes back to Babylon to serve the king. All their confessing and campfire songs have become a clouded memory. And Israel is forgetting their covenant – forgetting their God – again.
Why do you think Nehemiah ends the way it does – with failure and backsliding, with corruption and disobedience? What does God want us to see here about Himself and the Church?
I would love to give you a tidy list of bullet points here with all the reasons why I think so. But instead, I see this as an awesome opportunity to share as a community. What is God telling us here? Why did He sovereignly inspire the book of Nehemiah in this way?
Take some time to think on the things we’ve read and studied together over the past two weeks, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the heart of the Father in this final chapter of Nehemiah. Then jot down what you see and hear in your journal or in the comments, or gather here tomorrow for the #SheSharesTruth linkup (details below). Let’s learn from one another!
#SheSharesTruth assignment for Friday, May 30th—
Join us tomorrow as we link up our thoughts on these questions:
Why does the book of Nehemiah end the way it does? What does God want us to see here about Himself and the Church?
Hint: there is no easy answer to this question, but we do know that these final verses of Nehemiah are not accidental. God inspired the text—His Word—this way. Let’s open our hearts to what the Holy Spirit is teaching us and then share our thoughts with one another here tomorrow. We can’t wait to hear what you have to say!
New to #SheSharesTruth? Here’s what you need to know—
As writers, we’ve found that one of the best ways for us to learn is to communicate what we’re learning back to someone else. #SheSharesTruth is an opportunity for you in the SheReadsTruth community to do the same! Simply study the assigned scripture passage and questions, write a blog post/journal entry/scrap piece of paper of your thoughts, and share it with us tomorrow! (And don’t worry if you don’t know what “link up” means—it’s super easy, and we’ll have instructions in tomorrow’s post.)
With the Holy Spirit at the helm, let’s teach and learn from each other. See you tomorrow!
I think it’s a reminder, that as a church and as a people we must keep ourselves holy and recognize what is coming into our temple …what Worldly thoughts or ideas that distort our thoughts and minds…we are going to keep falling and falling..its when we recognize what we have done (either by someone pointing it out or we recognize) that God can restore AGAIN. THIS BOOK SHOWS US OUR NEED FOR JESUS.
**Can keep ourselves holy by recognizing
I have really been blessed by this study. Thank you so much. Me depression is lifting for which I’m thankful. It’s been a very humbling experience and for that I’m very grateful. But crazy thoughts keep repeating in my mind. Possibly my thyroid medication is causing that. So would appreciate continued prayer for that. Thank you so much SRT sisters. BLESSED THANKSGIVING to each of you. Thank you Lord Jesus
I really enjoyed this study of Nehemiah because it reminds me how well God knows us and understands us. Because we struggle with the exact same temptations and disobedience that the Israelites had, yet God continues to love and bless us all the same. I believe the Weekly Truth says it all. Nehemiah 9:17b – But You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and do not forsake us. What a mighty God do we serve!!!
I think it’s neat how we can relate to the Israelites in almost every area of life. Unfortunately, like them, we keep backsliding into our sin. This is something we’ll always struggle with because we aren’t perfect. Jesus was perfect for us, so we are now seen as redeemed, righteous, and holy. We cannot, however, wallow in our sins when we do backslide. That’s not what Jesus had in mind when he was hung on a tree to set you FREE from your sins. Instead, when we sin, we are to drop that sin and CLING to the truths of the Gospel. Every time. Let go of holding onto your kingdom so you can hold onto His.
The disobedient note on which Nehemiah ends speaks the same message to Christians as it had and does to Jews throughout the millennia. I think there are two points God is making: 1. We need to learn from the past and realize we are not above the errors of yesterday (down, pride!); and 2. No matter how hard we try, we are sinful by nature and need a savior to redeem us. Obviously to the Christian and Messianic Jew the second point has been fulfilled and so we can see a shadow of Jesus/Yeshua in the person of Nehemiah and another example of our inability to live up to God’s standards in how the book ends. To the traditional Jew trying to live out the Torah, this probably seems like a hopeless ending to the book. We should pray that the scales would fall off of their eyes and that they would recognize their Messiah and run to him, as the book of Hebrews promises they will. Praise God that he has saved us from the dreary cycle of falling short of his Law, that we are saved by grace through His Son!!
Thank you so much srt for a wonderful study! You brought Nehemiah to life and made it relevant to me. I’ll return to what I’ve learnt there again and again.
Christianity is all about committing to God again and again. Nehemiah is falling back, and he will have to come back to God. Our whole lives is a sequence of serving God, getting distracted, realizing just how much we need God, and serving Him again. Coming to God again and again is a never ending process, because we are human and sometimes we get too prideful and thing we don’t need God, and then God shows us JUST HOW MUCH we need His love and His grace and His forgiveness. Our troubles and our backsliding makes us turn to Him, and it’s so beautiful how God uses everything we do, good or bad, to bring us closer to Him.
I realized through this study how often I foolishly approach scripture for some kind of prescriptive direction to help me get this obedience thing right if I “reallydomeanit” this time: If I DO the things that Nehemiah did, or if I DON’T DO the things the Israelites did, then I will finally get this sinful nature under control. As frustrated as I am that the Israelites didn’t get it figured out (and therefore neither will I), I am equally as angry that this is a lie I continue to struggle with. The lie that perhaps I just haven’t stumbled on the right formula to follow or prayer to pray to help me always obey. To know the struggle will NEVER end is currently terrifying but should be freeing. Please pray for me to figure out what this means for me.
Hi, Susan, I am praying for you…and I KNOW that God is always rooting for us!
I copied this from the replies above: "AnnaLee : Ah, I love your words, sister… and I don't think it can be answered by anything other than to "abide," as you said. I remember freaking out about if I was "in the Lord's right path" and stuff like that, when my dad stopped me and said, "Anna, all you can do is abide in Him. He IS the path." Putting it all in perspective makes why the Israelites failed so much… all we need to do is abide in Him, and they never really had that. Father, forgive us… help us to abide in you father God. We need you, and you are ALL we need. Praise you Jesus!
Bless you today, friend. May you seek and abide in Him in newer, closer ways today. Your words are beautiful. :) "
"Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jesus came to save us ~ sinners! I like the above conversations about abiding in Christ! God loves you and is patient with you~please be patient with yourself! Someone replied above concerning us trying to attain perfection–but we KNOW we NEED JESUS ~ we never achieve that until we stand face to face with Him!
May you be encouraged, Sister! I know that God sent me here this evening/early AM, to learn more about this last chapter of Nehemiah, and to meet you here! Keep reading His Word, follow Him, and allow yourself to abide in Him! Cast out evil, but know that Satan is a sly one! We are human! We sin! But Jesus helps us get up, brush ourselves off, forgives us, and we walk & talk with Him. The closer we get to God, I think Satan tries to trip us up! "Be strong & courageous, for the Lord God is with you wherever you go"
love you, Sister