Nehemiah 2:11-20, A Man Who Inspired Others

·       The servant Nehemiah was a man who inspired others, 2:11-20.

Nehemiah may have had the ability to “command” others.  He was an official in the upper echelons of government, after all.  And it appears he took on the role of governor upon his arrival.  So he could have required the people to join in the project.  But that is not what he did, of course. 

The nighttime inspection of the walls was a wise move on two fronts.  First, he needed to have the specifics of the situation so he could put together a plan.  Second, doing it at night allowed him to concentrate without having to answer questions or explain the whys and wherefores of what he was doing.  Because of this he was able to approach the people with a workable plan in which they would be able to see that they could have a vital part in the project. 

It helps to remember the situation, as Nehemiah’s brother had described it in Neh. 1:3.  First, he called them “survivors” (NKJV).  It’s the word for “remnant.”  My understanding is that it had been about 90 years since the first return under Zerubbabel and Jeshua who rebuilt the temple.  The fact that he still calls them a “remnant” indicates they have not established a real presence in Jerusalem. 

Then Hanani told Nehemiah they were “in great distress and reproach.”  If someone were to come to them and just tell them what they “ought” to do (clean up the place, build a wall) they might have used the rubble to stone that person.  But Nehemiah did not come in that manner.  Rather …

·       He acknowledges the distress and waste (v17). 

·       He calls them to get rid of their reproach (v17).

·       He tells them how God’s hand has already been on the situation (v18).

·       He tells them what the king had said (v18).

·       He apparently reminded them that building the walls was a “good work” (v18).  It was a work that had to be done if they were to establish themselves alongside the other nations/provinces.  It had to be done if they were to provide protection for their families.  Even for those who lived outside Jerusalem it would provide a place to which they could flee in the face of an attack.

Nehemiah’s wise actions and words had two results.  First, the people seemed to be genuinely excited to tackle the project.  And second, as always, it aroused the neighborhood bullies.  They had undoubtedly been heaping reproach on the people whenever they tried to do something good.  So here they were again.  But perhaps no one had properly stood up to them like Nehemiah did in v20.  These are the words of a man of faith, and the way he stood up to them in the name of the “God of heaven” inspired the people as well.  Finally, there was a true servant-leader for Israel.

Psalm 49

This is the last in this series of Psalms written by the sons of Korah (42-49).  This one is a clear call to faith, courageous faith in the face of oppression from the rich and powerful.  James 5:1-6 might provide an excellent backdrop for the human experience behind this Psalm.  James refers to the oppressive and powerful wealthy people in the latter days.  So here, in a Psalm addressed to the rich and poor alike (v2) we are reminded of the fact that money has limits in its ability to satisfy the soul whereas God has none.  The ultimate limit is death itself.  Money is worthless after death.  But God will redeem the saint from the power of the grave.

·         V1-4: The Psalm is addressed to all the inhabitants of the world.  The poor need to hear this so as not to fear what is not of ultimate power.  The rich need to hear this so as not to set their hope on this foolishness.  So whoever I am, whoever you are, this is for each of us!

·         V5: Here is the question: Why should I fear in the days of evil? 

·         V6-14: As is typically the case it is those who trust in their wealth (v6) who tend to oppress others.  But in fact their wealth is insufficient as ransom (the price of redemption).  The price is costly, especially since an eternal price is demanded.  The rich man’s money fails him at death.  Men sometimes live and think like they are going to live forever.  They do all they can to have a legacy, a lasting influence (v11); but it is useless (v12) and foolish (v13).  They will rot in the grave!

·         V15: In one verse we are given the “word of faith”.  The one who trusts in God will be received by Him upon death.  The reason is because God Himself will redeem the soul.  And this He has done through His Son in His death on the cross.  There His precious blood was shed, the ransom price for sinners (1 Peter 1:17-21).

·         V16-20: Thus it is affirmed: do not be afraid!

The Psalm makes a very clear distinction between those whose Redeemer is God Himself and those whose redeemer is their money.  The latter is no different than an animal (v12,20).  He is consumed by the grave.  But the former has a true, viable hope.  Where lies your hope when your body lies in the grave?

Nehemiah 2:1-10, A Man of Action

·       The servant Nehemiah was a man of action, 2:1-10.

Nehemiah, the servant of the LORD, was a man of faith.  Faith always produces work.  There is a “working” definition of faith I have always liked: “faith is visualizing what God intends to do in a given situation and acting in harmony with it.”  Think about that with respect to Nehemiah.  He knew that God wanted the walls rebuilt.  How did he know that?  Was it because it was such a heavy burden on Nehemiah’s heart?  It certainly was that.  But that is not enough.  Evil men are highly motivated by their pride and selfishness.  Nehemiah needed more than that.  What we saw in Ch. 1 was that he was familiar with the book of Deuteronomy and God’s promise to restore His people.  It was obvious that God had brought the people back following the 70 years captivity prophesied by Jeremiah.  And Nehemiah could be sure that God’s plan was not that the people be in such a difficult situation.  Read 1:10 again: “Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.”

But in Nehemiah’s situation, if he was to serve the LORD in this he would need permission from the king.  Therefore, having prayed, he then went into action by approaching Artaxerxes.  I don’t think Nehemiah purposely put on a sad face; I think it was just there (v1).  Being sad in the king's presence was not the way you were supposed to be.  It was easy to answer the king’s first question (why are you sad).  But the second question, “What do you request,” required a second prayer from Nehemiah (v4), the kind we should use throughout every day of our lives.

Notice that Nehemiah was ready with an answer.  He had been thinking about this matter ever since his brother had reported to him of the sad situation in Jerusalem.  He answered the King with full respect (v5).  There was discussion, indicating that the king valued Nehemiah and wanted to get him back at an appropriate time.  Verses 7-8 likely took place at the same time, indicating Nehemiah had enough of a plan to make all the requests of the king at this time so as not to take up his time with a second visit.

So Nehemiah went into action, not immediately but at a time of God’s choosing (as the king and queen sat together).  I am reminded of Peter’s encouraging words in 1 Pt. 3:15: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”  I see this in Nehemiah.  By prayer and fasting in Ch. 1 he had put the LORD in His proper place.  By Spirit-led thoughts he was ready for the moment of God’s choosing when he would be able to approach the king.  The result?  “The king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.”  That is what we need to experience as we live in the “times of the Gentiles.”

Nehemiah 1, A Man of Prayer

The book called “Nehemiah” revolves around two events.

v The rebuilding of the wall, Ch. 1-7.

v The revival and restoration under Ezra’s leadership, Ch. 8-13.

There are two important themes in the book for us, living 2500 years later, to consider: SERVICE AND SEPARATION (holiness).  In Nehemiah we see a great servant of God (as well as in Ezra, and the other post-exile leaders).  The effect of Ezra’s “ministry of the Word of God” is seen in the corporate life of the nation. 

Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem, and after a few days made a night-time inspection of the terrible mess of the walls that had been destroyed by the Babylonians.  Then, the next morning, he presented his plan (God’s plan) to the people (the reason he had come, to rebuild the walls) and the people immediately said, “Let us rise up and build” (2:17-18).  According to Jesus, the best leaders are servants (Mk. 10:42-45).  Nehemiah came as a servant, not as “the big boss!”  He was first a servant of God, and then a servant of the people he led.

·       The servant Nehemiah was a man of prayer, 1:4-10.

First, this prayer came from a heart of compassion.  His brother told him of the distress of the people in Jerusalem, and Nehemiah mourned for many days.  But he didn’t just cry; in his grief he fasted and prayed, until he had come to have a prayer that he could lift to the LORD.  And what a prayer it was. 

He reminded God of His own character (v5) which He had proclaimed to Moses in Ex. 34:6-7.  Then he confessed Israel’s sin and the fact that God’s punishment was deserved (6-7).  But then he reminded God of His promises.  God had promised to scatter Israel among the nations if they continued to sin (Deut. 28:63-67); Nehemiah refers to this in v8.  But God also said that if Israel returned to Him he would bring them back (Deut. 30:1-10); Nehemiah refers to this in v9. 

This is how we ought to pray: affirming the character and the word of God!  God will always act consistently with these two things.  We may need to study the word of God, even for days as Nehemiah did, before we make our request of God.  We need to know that our requests are not for personal glory but for the glory of God.  We need to know that our requests are not according to our common sense but are based in the word of God.  He will ALWAYS be faithful to His character and word.

The “servant of all” (as Jesus put it in Mark 10:42-45) is first of all the “servant of God.”  Nehemiah needed to know that God was in what he was desiring to do.  We are not, in the first place, servants of the people we lead.  We must serve God and seek to please God in all we do.  So we come to Him in order to know how to lead others. 

Ezra 7:12-26, God’s blessing After the Exile

From the book of Ezra there is one thing that really stands out to me.  Israel is not in the “times of the Gentiles,” when the Gentiles/Nations have governing authority over God’s people.  In terms of the four great world empires of Daniel 2 and 7 (Babylon, Medo/Persia, Greece and Rome), the Jews are under the second.  The Babylonians completed the removal of Israel from “the Land.”  Under Cyrus the king of Persia, they were encouraged to return and build a temple (Ezra 1:1-4).

We said that Cyrus “encouraged” the people.  It’s true!  Once, with the prodding of God’s prophets, Haggai and Zechariah (5:1-2) and they cleared the legal roadblocks, it is amazing how much freedom Israel had to be “Jewish.”  Read Ezra 6:6-12 and 7:12-26.  The cost of building the temple was paid by the king.  The king encouraged restoring the sacrificial system (so they could pray for the king and his sons).  Ezra was instructed by the king’s command to teach the “Law of your God,” the very thing Ezra desired and intended to do.  And he brought a caravan loaded with financial backing from the king. 

Why was there such support?  It was because of “the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me” (Ezra 7:27-28). 

This blessing of God in the return of the Jews to the Land is continued in the book of Nehemiah.  In the very first chapter, in answer to Nehemiah’s prayer, the LORD put it on the heart of Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:1) to permit Nehemiah to go to the Land and to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  You can tell from Nehemiah’s attitude and prayer that this was not automatic.  The kings favor was favor from the LORD.

What kind of man was Nehemiah?

·       He was the king’s cupbearer (1:11).  This was a position of high rank in the government (cf. Gen. 41:9; 2 Ki. 18:17).

·       He became governor of Judah (5:14).  He held the position twelve years.  This verse tells us he and his brothers did not live off the taxes levied on the people, though they had a right to it.  That tells us …

·       He was a true servant-leader (5:14).  We will talk about this in the next post.

·       He was a man of prayer.  Nine prayers of Nehemiah are recorded in the book that bears his name, and the type of prayers they are suggest that this might be a memoir or a diary, chronicling his work as governor.

·       He was a man of great leadership ability.  Again, as we spend some time in this book, this will be very apparent. 

May God use this man of God to encourage us to be true followers of Christ.

Ezra 10:9-17, Hope in a Pond, an Oasis (2)

We are studying “hope” in the term “miqveh.”

·       Lev. 11:36: a carcass ruins water, making it unclean and useless.  But springs or cisterns have value because there is “plenty” (miqveh) of water.  Let’s say you are walking across the desert and have run out of water.  You come to a carcass which has water in it from a recent rainfall.  You are thirsty but you must avoid the temptation to wet your tongue.  But if you come to a spring or a pool or collected rainwater, you have hope.  It’s an oasis!

·       1 Chr. 29:15: our days are like a shadow and without hope.  To get this you need to read vs13-15.  David is thanking God for His provision in all things.  Without God’s provision there is no hope because humans are but a shadow.  We are trusting God for the “gathering together” of blessings, and there is no blessing more fundamental than water.

·       Ezra 10:2: there is hope in the issue of taking pagan wives.  What they decided to do, to carry out true repentance, is to divorce themselves from the pagan wives.  This may seem strange, or even wrong.  I won’t argue this, although I assume part of the negotiations that took place with each man was to make sure he provided for the “ex-wife.”  I am also assuming the wives had no desire to take on the religion of Israel.  Maybe so, maybe not.  But here’s the point of this “hope.”  All the men who had taken pagan wives were “gathering together” to take this difficult action.  Therein was the hope that they would follow through on their decision borne out of repentant hearts. 

·       Jer. 14:8; 17:13; 50:7: In these passages God is “the Hope of Israel" or “the hope of their fathers.”  I love 14:8, even though Jeremiah is praying a prayer that God will not answer: “O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble.”  All that is true.  God had determined to punish Israel and there He would not change His mind.  Thus, in v11, He tells Jeremiah not to pray.

There is one other word for hope, that is related to “miqveh” (masculine noun) and that is “miqvah” (the feminine noun).  Perhaps you have heard the term “miqvah.”  That’s what Jews call the ceremonial washing pool.  It’s a reservoir, and the term is only used in Isa. 22:11 where it refers to a moat, essentially.  It’s a pool between two walls around a city.  What is interesting here is that God is accusing the people of putting their trust in the “miqvah” (the pool) rather than in the God who made pools, having made the first ones in creation.  The LORD God called for repentance but the people feasted instead of fasting: “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die” (22:12-13).  For that there would be no atonement (22:14).

One last thought.  In Acts 2, at Pentecost, when thousands were baptized, we believe they used the many “mikvehs” that are known to have existed in the temple mount area.  What a great picture.  Water baptism, immersion in the pool of hope.

Ezra 10:1-8, Hope in a Pond, an Oasis (1)

I think (I’m not always sure) we have shared on the OT terms for “hope” in the past.  But today’s post has some new things (never trust an old guy when he says he learned something new; at least it was new for today 😊).  I am sharing this here because it came up in my journey through Ezra. 

To begin with, the word “hope” in Ezra 10:2 is powerful.  Here are God’s people, confessing their disobedience to God in the matter of marriage to pagan women.  They had only recently finished 70 years in captivity for similar sins.  What they had done here was so offensive we read that Ezra himself “tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished” (9:3).  Yet, “there is hope in Israel in spite of this.”  What kind of hope is this?

In the past I know we have talked about “tikvah.”  The first use of this word for “hope” is in Josh. 2:18,21 where Rahab was instructed to hang a “tikvah” (the scarlet cord) from the window so that she and her family could be saved in the destruction of Jericho.  Here, the emphasis is on “faith” as fundamental to “hope.”  (By the way: this word is used in Ezra 10:15 but it’s someone’s name: Jahaziah the son of Tikvah.  And something tells me he had no hope of salvation because he opposed the planned repentance for the sins of the people.)

The Pilgrim Psalms (Ps. 120-134) speak of hope several times, but it’s never “tikvah.”  Rather, the term there is “yaked” (Ps. 130:7; 131:3).  The essence of that “hope “is expectation; it emphases the need to wait for the LORD.  That makes sense because our Pilgrimage requires a lot of waiting it seems. 

But so far, in “tikvah” and “yaked,” we have not come to Ezra 10:2.  Here, the word is “miqveh.”  How are we to understand this “hope”?  Let’s do what usually answers that question: look at the first use.  It’s in Gen. 1:10 which says, “And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.”  There!  Did you see the word “hope”?  In the NKJV it’s the words, “and the gathering together.”  It’s used 12 times in the OT and in most of those uses it has to do with a gathering of water, as in a pool or ocean, etc.

In the remainder of today’s post and in the next I want to share some of those uses.  In that way you can understand why the term is generally translated “hope.”

·       Gen. 1:10: the gathering together of the waters on the third day of creation.

·       Ex. 7:19: the waters of Egypt (streams, ponds, etc) became blood.  In Egypt bodies of water were critical for life.  They lived by irrigation from the Nile and the many ponds they created.  Do you see? Their livelihood was at stake here when all the water in the gathered places turned to blood.

Ezra 1, Introduction to Ezra

Human Author of Ezra:

Ezra is the likely human author of many writings that cover the time after the Exile.  This would include the book that bears his name, as well as Nehemiah.  The two books are, in fact, Part 1/Part 2 in the Jewish Scriptures.

Timespan of Ezra:

·       c.80 yrs, 538-458BC, a gap of about 60 yrs. between chapters 6 & 7.

Outline:

·       1-6: the history of the first return.  This is the one in response to the decree of Cyrus that Jews could return to build a temple.  The chief leaders are Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the High Priest.  Neither Ezra nor Nehemiah are part of this return.

·       7-10: the history of the second return.  This is the one involving Ezra in the reign of Artaxerxes.

·       Parallelisms between the two returns:

o   Each was due to a Persian monarch’s goodwill.

o   The Persian monarchs’ decrees were given at length.

o   The Number of returnees and their leaders was recorded.

o   The number of sacred vessels returned was recorded.

o   The accomplishments of each return.

Relation to other books:

·       Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah and Esther belong to the same “post-exilic” time period.  Malachi is also post-exile but long enough afterwards that it doesn’t make any references to the ruling empire.

·       Haggai & Zechariah were instrumental in encouraging the people to rebuild the temple (Ezra 5:1-2).

·       Esther falls between chapters 6 & 7.

·       These books show the changes in the status of the Jews in the “times of the Gentiles."

Three Principle Leaders:

1.    Zerubbabel, rebuilt the temple. Ezra 1-6.

a.     He was from David’s line, but he never took the office of king.  He was the governor appointed by Cyrus’ government.

b.    Jeshua the priest (3:2) is also worthy of note.  In Zech. 3:1-10 & 6:11-15 he appears in 2 symbolic prophecies.

c.     Both these men point to the Messiah.

2.    Ezra, teacher and reformer. Ezra 7-10.

3.    Nehemiah, rebuilt the walls. Neh. 1-13.

Psalm 48

God is exalted by His faithfulness to the nation of Israel in Psalm 47.  In Psalm 48 He is exalted by His choice of and faithfulness to Jerusalem. 

God had promised to choose a city where He would put His name (Deut. 12, esp. v5).  For the first several hundred years Israel was in the land the tabernacle was at Shiloh in the tribal area of Ephraim.  But God eventually rejected Shiloh and Ephraim and instead chose David of Judah and Jerusalem (Psalm 78, esp. vs59-60,67-72).  God’s choice brought together Israel’s King (David) and Israel’s High Priest (Aaron but with ultimate fulfillment in the One who was of the line of Melchizedek as well as the Davidic King, Psalm 110).

As the sons of Korah exclaim, Jerusalem is an amazing city (Psalm 48:1-3).  At 2474’ elevation it defies the stereotype of the Middle East as a hot and dusty place.  As we are currently in a pattern of spending 2-3 months a year in Jerusalem we can attest to the fact that it is quite pleasant, even when the rest of the nation is sweltering.  The Old City today is certainly nothing like what it was in the days of David and Solomon; yet it is a joyful place to be.

But what is important in v1-3 of our Psalm is the connection between Jerusalem and her God.  It is His city, His holy mountain.  The Davidic King was the head of a theocracy, a nation ruled through the King by God.  Thus it was the city of the great King, meaning the city of God.  Verse 3 notes this connection: God was in her palaces.  And not only that, God was her refuge.  This is an amazing statement given the fact that Jerusalem itself was a strong, natural refuge.  The song writers seem to say that Jerusalem by its very location is a picture or reminder of God Himself.

The second stanza (v4-7) says that the kings of the earth understood how special this city of God was.  And Israel trusted in God’s faithfulness that this city would forever be established as the city of our God (v8).

Now we come to the call to worship in this Song.  First, the locals are called to rejoice in God and His judgments.  When they think of Jerusalem they are reminded of God’s lovingkindness (often translated mercy;  Heb checed).  This is the prime attribute of God in His own expression of His Name in Exodus 34:6-7.  God’s mercy or grace or lovingkindness is evident in His choice of Jerusalem to be the location of His dwelling place, the mercy seat in the holy of holies in His temple.  The people of Jerusalem should rejoice, not simply that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel but because it is the City of God!

Perhaps the call to “walk about Zion” goes beyond the locals to any who would come to this city.  Again, I know the city today is not as glorious as it was in days gone by or as it will be in the future.  But a walk around the outside of the Old City today still provides an amazing view.  One still sees the natural refuge, the mighty rock foundation for the wall on the northern side, the glorious Damascus and Jaffa gates and the temple mount where stood and where will stand the House of God.  But the closing verse is very clear: the glory of the city and its location points to the glory of her God.  “FOR THIS IS GOD, OUR GOD FOREVER AND EVER.”

I am not shy about encouraging people to come to Israel and to spend a few days in Jerusalem just to get the picture of what the Scriptures speak of concerning this amazing city.  You don’t have to in order to trust the Scriptures but it sure opens the eyes of most people.  But keep in mind: Jerusalem is meant to remind on-lookers of the simple truth of verse 1: Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised!  Perhaps in lieu of being in Jerusalem today you might think on the greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ in Titus 2:13, Heb. 4:14 and 13:20.

2 Chronicles 29:3-11, Revival Under Hezekiah

In today’s post let’s talk about King Hezekiah.  An interesting fact concerning this great and righteous King is that he was preceded by his father, King Ahaz and followed by his son, King Manasseh.  Both Ahaz (2 Chron. 28) and Manasseh (2 Chron. 33) were extremely wicked.  Of Ahaz it was said, he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD … this was that King Ahaz (28:19,22).  As for Manasseh, he was the king whose wickedness brought God to the final conclusion that judgment would come on Judah (Jer. 15:4).

Concerning Hezekiah, there are basically four stories.  The deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrians, God’s granting 15 years extension to his life, and the visit of envoys from Babylon are repeated in 2 Kings, 2 Chron. and Isaiah.  The other story has to do with the great revival that took place in his reign.  That is told briefly in 2 Kings 18:1-8 and in detail in 2 Chron. 29-31.  This is the first of the four stories and we want to highlight in this post.

·       29:3: In the first year and first month of his reign he restored the temple!  Given his father’s wickedness I find this amazing.

·       29:13-14: Note the 3 musical leaders, families that went back to David’s organization of the temple worship: Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun.

·       29:27-30: What a great concert of thanksgiving.  First the sin offering was started.  Imagine the animal’s death noises as his throat is slit.  As this happened the “Song of the LORD” started. Then the choir sang and the trumpeters sounded. Then everyone bowed to the LORD.  Why such joy?  That animal represented salvation for Israel.

·       29:32: These numbers are small compared to the great feasts in the times of Solomon and Josiah. BUT it was from the people. Hezekiah was trying to eliminate the spiritual disconnect between King and people (v32-36). 

·       30:5: Then an invitation was proclaimed from Beersheva to Dan to come For Passover. 

·       30:6-9: This invitation that was proclaimed was the “Gospel message.”  It is an invitation for Passover which is the greatest picture of salvation in the OT.  It was preached to all, it was good news that would keep the fierceness of God’s wrath away from them, and it called to repentance.

·       30:12: Is this just obedience from the king or is it heart-felt?  That is always the question in times of revival.

·       29:16 and 30:14: The “paraphernalia” of idolatry was destroyed in the Brook Kidron!  For me, the Kidron stands for the removal of idolatry.  King David in the time of Absalom and Jesus on the night He was betrayed crossed the Kidron twice.  Heading east each was aware of the burden of sin and the sorrow it causes.  Heading west each was strengthened by God and prepared for His will.

·       30:3,17-20: This was “heart” religion.  The Law demanded a certain date and a specific protocol.  But God blessed anyway.  This was a wonderful event.

·       31:1: The “cleansing” then went from Jerusalem all through Judah and even into the area of the northern kingdom.  When we have visited Tel Arad, east of Beersheba, we have seen ruins of one of those “high places.”  We will include some photos.

Hezekiah shows us the value and the nature of godly leadership. 

Temple at Tel Arad

Holy of Holies at Tel Arad

Altar at Tel Arad

High Place at Tel Arad

Lamentations 3:22-39, GOLD FROM MATTHEW HENRY

 I am sure I have posted this previously when working our way through Lamentations.  Here it is in a simple list.  What great hope there is in the middle of Lamentations.  The immediate context is, of course, the destruction of Jerusalem and the weeping of Jeremiah.  In that "it-can't-get-any-worse-than-this" situation, Jeremiah found hope.  Matthew Henry put it in principle form.  I love this "plaque."

 

1.      That, bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse, v22.

2.     That even in the depth of their affliction they still have experience of the tenderness of the divine pity and the truth of the divine promise, v23.

3.     That God is, and ever will be, the all-sufficient happiness of his people; they have chosen him and depend upon him to be such, v24.

4.     That those who deal with God will find it is not in vain to trust in him, v25-26.

5.     That afflictions are really good for us, and if we bear them aright, will work very much for our good. It is not only good to hope and wait for the salvation, but it is good to be under the trouble in the mean time, v27-30.

6.     That God will graciously return to his people with seasonable comforts according to the time that he has afflicted them, v31,32.

7.     That when God does cause grief, it is for wise and holy ends, and he takes not delight in our calamities, v33.

8.     And even then he retains his kindness to his people.  That though he makes use of men as his hand, or rather instruments in his hand, for the correcting of his people, yet he is far from being pleased with the injustice of their proceedings and the wrong they do them, v34-39.

MATTHEW HENRY

2 Corinthians 1:3-11, LUTHER'S ANTIDOTES FOR DEPRESSION

I will admit, for the next couple of days (at least) we are interrupting our Old Testament Survey for a couple of easier posts.  What I have planned for today and tomorrow were written by someone else, although I have put them in "plaque form" (not the stuff on your teeth but the thing on your wall) because I consider both of these of great value.  If you share my enthusiasm for these items, wonderful.  Of course, both deal with powerful afflictions; thus, "enthusiasm" might not be the right word.  

Martin Luther, like many, many people, suffered from depression.  These were said to be some of his "doses of reality" that would help him through those times.

 

                 1.  Avoid being alone.

                 2.  Seek people/situations which generate joy.

                 3.  Sing & make music. Ps 42:8; Acts 16:25

                 4.  Dismiss heavy thoughts. Phil. 4:8

                 5.  Rely on promises of Scripture.

                 6.  Seek consolation from others.

                 7.  Praise & give thanks.

                 8.  Think of other depressed people.

                 9.  Exercise patience with yourself.

            10.    Believe in the blessing of depression.     2Cor 1:3-11

Deut. 17:14-20, The Kings and the Word of God

(This post was intended for several days ago.  Not sure what happened.  The other "list" referred to in the first line is the one for Jan. 8 - 2 Chron. 15:1-8.)

In today's and tomorrow’s posts we want to produce lists based in 2 Chronicles.  Tomorrow’s is a listing of prophets that ministered in the Southern Kingdom of Judah (SK).  Some of the names might be unfamiliar to you.  Today’s list has to do with the relationship of the Law (i.e. the Word of God, usually referring to Deuteronomy) to various kings.  In Deut. 17:14-20 we see that God’s intention for a king in Israel was that he actually write out a copy of Deuteronomy for himself (v18-20).  He was to be a student of the Word of God!  Did that happen?  Not always.

·       12:1: Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord and all the people with him.

·       13:11: Abijah knew and referred to the Law when he rebuked the NK.

·       14:4: The next king, Asa, commanded Judah to observe the law.  The nation had for some time been without the true God, a teaching priest and the law (15:3).

·       17:3,9: Jehoshaphat kept the law and sent out men to teach the Book of the Law.

·       21:6: There is no mention of the law in Jehorams 8-year reign. 

·       22:3: Again, no law in the 42-year reign of Ahaziah, who followed Ahab.

·       23:18; 24:9: After the 6-year reign of Queen Athaliah (that’s 56 years with the Law of God absent), Joash ruled for 42 years. He was given a copy of “the Testimony” (a reference to Deuteronomy) and under his mentor, the priest Jehoiada, there is evidence of following the Law. 

·       25:4: Amaziah initially obeyed the Law, but then turned away from it (v14).

·       26:5: Uzziah’s 52-year reign featured a prophet named Zechariah.  Otherwise, there is no reference to the Book of the Law.

·       27:6: For 16 years Jotham prepared his ways before the LORD his God, but there is no mention of the Law.

·       Ch. 28: The 16-year reign of Ahaz showed no interest at all in God’s Law.

·       30:16: In the 29-year reign of Hezekiah there were great reforms which were based in the knowledge of the Law of God (after 84 years without the Law).  In 31:21 he prospered because of his work in the law and in the commandment.

·       33:8: Manasseh, in his 55-year reign, reversed all that was done by his father.  The law was absent.

·       33:21-25: The same was true in Amon’s 2-year reign.

·       34:14: Under Josiah, the book of the Law given by Moses was found (after 57 years) as they were cleaning out the temple.  Josiah was immediately obedient.

·       Ch. 36: Josiah was followed by 3 sons and a grandson.  Nothing is said about the Book of the Law in their time.  We know there were prophets, most notably Jeremiah, during these days.  But the Word of God was not prominent in the story.

Now this was a rather rudimentary study.  But we have done two things.  One, we showed what we would have expected: inconsistency among God’s people in Judah in terms of faithfulness to God’s word, even though the temple was in Judah.  Second, we have seen how much the times of revival under Joash, Hezekiah and Josiah were needed.  God worked in amazing ways after lengthy periods of spiritual darkness. 

2 Kings 10:15-33, Jehu: Obedient and Disobedient

We noted in the previous post that Jehu was blessed with a lengthy dynasty.  Specifically …

·       Jehu ruled 28 years (10:36).

·       Jehoahaz ruled 17 years (10:35; 13:1-9)

·       Jehoash ruled 16 years (13:10-13)

·       Jeroboam II ruled 41 years (13:13; 14:23-29)

·       And Zechariah ruled 6 months (15:8-12)

You will remember that the story began with Jehu commanding Israel’s army against the Syrians.  In 10:32-33 we learn that Hazael captured the area of the two and a half tribes.  In Jeroboam II’s reign that territory was restored (14:25).  That reign coincided with the lengthy (52 years) reign of Azariah in Judah (15:1-7).  From an economic point of view things were good in both kingdoms.  Spiritually, there were problems.  Let’s fill in a few more details of Jehu’s story.

Jehu was a fulfiller of prophecy.  In 1 Kings 21:17-29, following the murder of Naboth and the theft of his property by Ahab and Jezebel, the prophet Elijah met Ahab and predicted his demise.  Because of Ahab’s humility (that’s a part of Ahab’s story many people aren’t aware of) the judgment was delayed until after his death.  In other words, it was carried out on his son.  Here is a simple list of events in the story of Jehu (from 2 Kings) and their prediction in 1 Kings 21.  As it turns out, Jehu had served with Ahab and heard Elijah make his prophecy against Ahab.  Also, the prophet sent by Elisha to anoint Jehu had repeated the prophecy of Elijah (9:7-10).

·       9:25-26: prophecy fulfilled, that the son of Ahab’s blood would be shed on the property of Naboth, 1 Ki. 21:19,24-29.

·       9:35-37: prophecy fulfilled, the blood of Jezebel licked up by dogs, 1 Ki. 21:23. Again, Jehu references Elijah.

·       10:9-11: prophecy fulfilled, the death of Ahab’s 70 sons. 1 Ki. 21:17-24,29.  And again, Jehu refers to Elijah.

·       10:12-14:  The death of Ahaziah of Judah and his family was not prophesied.  This was a critical time in Judah.  For one thing, because of the friendship between Ahab’s house and that of Jehoshaphat, Baal worship became a problem in Judah.  Further, when Ahaziah died, and the many brothers at the hand of Jehu, then Athaliah (daughter of Ahab and wife of Joram King of Judah, and thus daughter-in-law of Jehoshaphat) killed the rest of the Davidic line, except for Joash who was saved by his aunt and raised in the temple by the priest Jehoiada. 

·       10:17: prophecy fulfilled, killing what was left of the house and government of Ahab, 1 Ki. 21:21,29.

·       20:28: the killing of the prophets of Baal was not prophesied but was good!

Now, here is the bottom line with respect to Jehu.  He was used of God in all these ways.  BUT – 10:29 – he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, involving the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.  Further, he took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart (10:31). 

I am reminded of Jesus who said that there will be many claiming to have done many good things, desiring to have entrance into heaven.  But He will tell them: I never knew you (Mt. 7:21-23).  Much can be learned from Jehu.  Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through this man!