 Book of Nehemiah In our series on the book of Nehemiah, we have come to the place where the wall was built to half its height and the gaps were being closed. At the halfway point of rebuilding, there are lots of things to deal with. So far we have talked about the absolutely ridiculous nature of Nehemiah’s request in the first place. He risked his life even asking for permission. We talked about the extent of the damage and the daunting task before him. We talked about the increasing threat and intimidation of enemies who were committed not only to see him fail, but to terrify and utterly discourage the people. This morning we come to a puzzling shift of emphasis in the book. Nehemiah deals with the complaints that the Jews had against each other. The complaints had to do with money, charging exorbitant interest, and slavery. When we began this series, I said that we would be talking about an actual historic event about real people and a real reconstruction project. I also said that this is a book about how the Holy Spirit [remember Nehemiah's name means, "Comforter"] is able to rebuild our lives. We have rubble. We have enemies…and yes, we can get ourselves into positions where we use others to our gain and ignore the Lord’s clear directives as to how we are to live with each other in community. Indebtedness leading to bondage . . . hmmm? Isn’t it amazing how the Word of God is so applicable to our current situation? As we get into the Word this morning, I think we will see that not only is the Word of God precise in pointing out the problem, but that the Holy Spirit then as now is able to show us a way out of a desperate financial situation. So put down the mortar and the trowel . . . keep your weapon at the ready and let's talk. Pastor Jim |
