Reading: Nehemiah 9-10
Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers (Neh. 9:1-2). And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His judgments and His statutes (Neh. 10:28-29).
The children of Israel that stood before Ezra and Nehemiah were over 900 years removed from the descendants of Jacob, whom God had led out of Egyptian slavery and escorted to the promised land of Canaan. During the intervening centuries, promises had been made and broken, kingdoms had risen and fallen, and the Israelite's bond with God had been stretched to its breaking point. The kingdom of Israel had first split in two and later shattered altogether. Now the remnants of God’s people had returned to the land He had given their ancestors, but they no longer ruled. Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress (Neh. 9:36-37).
Despite their status as tributaries of a foreign king, they once again occupied the home provided for them by God. The Temple of the Lord had been rebuilt, and the strict observance of sacrificial law had resumed. For the majority of the Israelites there, this was a new experience. Their lives to that point had been lived as a series of compromises and adjustments as they’d attempted to mesh their faith with the world around them. Now that they had heard God’s law in its entirety and received instruction and guidance on discerning His will, they realized that continuing as they had been was unacceptable. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers...They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law.
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matt. 6:24). If we are to serve God effectively, we must cease to serve the world. There is no middle ground, no way we can successfully divide our time and attention between the two agendas. God directs us to be actively involved in the world around us, but only inasmuch as we are working for His glory and the furtherment of His kingdom. God’s truth is timeless and universal. It is to Him, and Him alone, that we owe our allegiance.
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth (John 17:16-17).
Thought for Today: Our service to God must be more than a token action we have grudgingly made room for in our worldly schedule.
Christ Revealed: As the Creator of heaven and earth (Neh. 9:6). All things were created by Him, and for Him (Col. 1:16).
Word Studies:9:18 wrought great provocations = committed great blasphemy; 9:22 didst divide them into corners = allotted and set boundaries; 9:25 fat = rich; 9:29 withdrew the shoulder = turned away rebelliously; hardened their neck = were stubborn, obstinate; 10:1 Tirshatha = governor; 10:28 Nethinims = Temple attendants or servants
Pray For Staff:Judy McCrary • Country: Portugal (10,813,834) Western Europe • Major Languages: Portuguese, Mirandese • Limited Religious Freedom • 81% Roman Catholic; 3.3% Protestant; 0.6% Other (Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Buddhist, Taoist, Zoroastrian); 6.8% None; 8.3% Unspecified • Prayer Suggestion: Humble yourself, pray, and seek the will of God as you read His Word (II Chr. 7:14).
Optional Readings: II Corinthians 11.