We Resettled Jerusalem
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Nehemiah 11:1-21, Deuteronomy 7:9, Hebrews 11:13-16
BY Guest Writer
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 11:1-21, Deuteronomy 7:9, Hebrews 11:13-16
Two summers ago, one of my best friends went to Greece. He didn’t go to see the Acropolis or the Parthenon, or to eat feta and olives by the handful. Instead, he spent several months on the island of Lesbos tending to thousands of refugees who had flooded there from war-ravaged Syria.
He sent pictures of little children, of lines of people waiting for blankets and clothes, of tents, of towers made of life jackets used to keep people afloat after their lifeboats sank. And he sent one picture of a fence post with these words scribbled across it, a holy graffiti: On earth as it is in heaven.
Every text, every story, every picture made me catch my breath and whisper a prayer. If you search online for his camp, you see headlines with words like “trapped” and “welcome to prison,” “horrific” and “languishing.” A few months after he left, his camp burned to ground. Tears flow as I write this, just thinking about it.
The people of God were hardly strangers to displacement. I hesitate to pull a direct parallel to the refugees from Syria, because in reading Nehemiah 11 we see a cautious return to their forsaken home. The Syrian refugees haven’t had that yet (and may not), and it feels odd to use them as an illustration here without being able to do something to ease the tragedy of their situation. But I believe we have to sit in that together, and feel the unease and discomfort.
We know that God’s people felt the pain of being dispersed during the exile. They were torn apart from their families, and they watched their cities burn. But now, at the end of Nehemiah, Jerusalem was ready. The walls were strong again. And yet, the people didn’t come willingly.
Nehemiah 11:1-2 tells us that they had to cast lots to decide who had to live in Jerusalem. They blessed the people who volunteered to live there. Why? Because Jerusalem would be the target of all of Israel’s enemies. John Wesley described the situation so poetically in his commentary on Nehemiah, saying, “This city was the butt of all the malicious plots of their enemies.” The return to David’s holy city wasn’t marked by a parade, by triumphant singing, or by celebration. It was marked by trepidation, a slow and careful entrance into the city that God had given them once again.
I can imagine the Israelites were tired, limping across a finish line that still didn’t seem ideal. They were home, but they still had only the Lord to keep them safe. They knew the walls of Jerusalem had been burned once, and they could be burned again.
Like the Israelites, we are still seeking a safe haven, a homeland. We, too, serve a God who is preparing a city for us—a heavenly city, where there will be no need for walls to protect us because we will dwell with God in perfect peace forever (Hebrews 11:16).
These promises from God remind me of the hymn “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah.” It is the mournful cry of a pilgrim people who know that one day, we will be home.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside.
Death of death, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
…
Land me safe on Canaan’s side,
bid my anxious fears,
bid my anxious fears goodbye.
Melanie Rainer is a bookworm from birth who makes her days writing, editing and reading in Nashville, where she also joyfully serves as the editor of Kids Read Truth. She has an M.A. in Theological Studies from Covenant Seminary, spends as much time as she can in the kitchen, and can’t wait until her two daughters are old enough to read Anne of Green Gables.
50 thoughts on "We Resettled Jerusalem"
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“They still has only the Lord to keep them safe” oh dear one, the Lord is the best one to keep us safe!! And pay close attention to these passages and to what is going on now in Israel. It is still His chosen.
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The comparison to the refugees definitely struck me as it is crazy to think that there are people in this world who are truly living similar to those of the ancient times. It is easy to forget when it is not my daily life what else is happening in the world. I am grateful that God’s Word is still relevant today as it was yesterday because it reminds me not to get too caught up in myself and what I’m doing here on earth. There are better days to come.
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How fitting it is to read about finding a home! My husband and I have been house hunting and looking for a permanent home where we can begin to grow our family. In a competitive housing market, it has been an overwhelming and often frustrating process. I begin to wonder if we will ever find a place and question whether or not this is God’s will and timing for us, despite years of prayer poured into the decision. With this devotional, I am reminded that God is our true home and that everything else is just material. Prayers for guidance and encouragement during this overwhelming process would be greatly appreciated!
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Oh how I love that hymn.
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My Daddy was a Naval Officer so we had 9 moves by the time I graduated from high school. It made life an interesting adventure. I loved the variety. Today I struggle with staying put. My husband’s biggest dream was to own a house. Here we are in one place now for 11 years. As we get ready to transition into retirement my husband wants to stay put & just be. I’m ready to sell it all off, buy a truck & travel trailer & hit the road. It’s how we moved from base to base. It will be interesting to see how the Lord will blend these 2 diverse ways. It’s our trust in Him that is our home whatever He leads us into.
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Lord, I see the walls I have around me that leave out the people who want to get to know me. You know I have been deeply hurt by two former friends in the past. You know how I struggled to find friends and how lonely I was when I was in college, and how lonely I’ve felt at times during this first year of graduate school. You know about all of my struggles with social anxiety, Lord, because You know everything about me. Lord, I fully believe that You can break down these walls and the chains that still bind me to my past. Lord, please release the hurt I still feel about my past. Lord, please break the chains that are still binding me to my past. Lord, please help me to keep moving towards a better place, one that You have designed for all of us. In Your Name, Amen.
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Praying for you Jennifer
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I am a travel nurse so I don’t actually have a “home” anymore. I am basically a nomad. I live in a different city and state every 3 months and travel from hospital to hospital starting over every time. It can be stressful, and emotionally difficult sometimes but in every move and every town I know God is with me and he comforts me. He keeps me safe and guides me. I know I am doing what I need to be doing and God called me to do this, so I know that wherever God calls me to be, everything will be ok as long as I keep him at the center of it all.
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I absolutely love the descriptions of our devotion writers. They help build community. Thank you for sharing your reflections!
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