Be Still And Know

Nehemiah 8:10 “This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” When the people heard Ezra reading the Law of Moses they burst out crying (v9). Presumably they did so because they were reflecting on how far they had fallen as a nation. There was a huge gulf between what God had intended and the present reality. Nehemiah and Ezra were as aware as anyone of these things, but they saw this day as one for celebration and rejoicing, not for sorrow. They encouraged the people to bring together the best food and drink and to have an enormous party to celebrate what God had done. The celebrations were a recognition of the fact that the joy of the Lord was their strength. We may experience the joy of birth, seeing a toddler take their first step, watching children playing happily, smelling a flower or seeing a majestic landscape; success in sport or work or the joy of finishing a jigsaw puzzle. But such joys tends to be a brief response to a pleasant exper

Nehemiah 8:6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days was an amazing achievement. But Nehemiah was quite clear that there was something that was even more important - ensuring that God was at the centre of the city’s life. In this chapter, Ezra the priest addresses all the people, bringing out the book of the Law of Moses. This may refer to the whole of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) or perhaps just the book of Deuteronomy. What we know for certain is that Ezra read for three hours. This was quite a marathon, but it is recorded that the “people listened closely to the Book of the Law” (v3) We read that Ezra stood above the people and, as he opened the book, the people all stood up and praised God. What an amazing moment that must have been as the people lifted up their hands in worship

Nehemiah 6:9 They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination. Nehemiah was a remarkable leader, but I am particularly struck by his amazing resilience. Almost anyone can lead an organisation when the circumstances are easy and everything is going to plan. The real test of leadership is what happens when you are living with constant pressure and an endless supply of discouragements. From the very beginning of his heroic rebuilding operation, Nehemiah had been mocked and threatened. The opposition intensified with time. No one would have blamed him for throwing in the towel, complaining about the unfair way in which he had been treated. But he didn’t. He not only hung in there but continued the work with even greater determination. Whatever you do in life, there will be times when the going is so tough that it looks as if the only sensible thing to do is to resign and move away. I am not denying that t

Nehemiah 5:14 For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes—neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. I once heard about a military officer who took his men on an arduous training exercise. They were all carrying heavy rucksacks which pushed them to their limits. At one point, they had to climb over a gate and the officer’s rucksack split open to reveal that, although it appeared to be full, it was in fact empty! It had no weight at all. In that moment, the officer completely lost the respect of his men and rightly so. He didn’t deserve it. It is impossible for leaders to command respect unless they live up to the highest standards. In today’s verse, Nehemiah points out that, during the twelve years that he was governor of Judah, he lived in an exemplary way. The previous governors had been very different, laying heavy burdens on the people and demanding not only a daily ration of food and

Nehemiah 5:6-7 When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. These verses give us a fascinating insight into Nehemiah’s leadership. First of all, he listened. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem might sound a simple and straightforward task. In fact, it proved to be anything but. The problem, as it is so often, was money. People were struggling to pay their taxes. This problem was made worse by the fact that, in order to pay them, they needed to mortgage their properties and fields and even sell their children into slavery. Nehemiah listened to the complaints. No leader will ever succeed unless they learn to listen carefully. This sounds simple enough, but true listening is incredibly demanding. It demands our full attention, compassion and wisdom. As Nehemiah listened it’s no

Nehemiah 4:16 From then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. There is no question that Nehemiah trusted God. He was absolutely convinced that God was on his side and that he was going to succeed in reconstructing the walls of Jerusalem. He also knew that he had to work incredibly hard, and to ensure that the city and its people were adequately defended. The opposition became so intense that he had to halve his work force in order to release men to stand on guard. It must have been very frustrating not having everyone working on the wall, but he knew that it was vital for his workers to have adequate protection. Every now and again, I hear people say that because they trust God they don’t need to have insurance or make plans for the future. This sounds very spiritual and impressive on first hearing, but I don’t believe that that is how God intends us to live our lives. It certainly wasn’t the way Nehemiah lived. He could have said tha

Nehemiah 3:10 Next Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired the wall across from his own house, and next to him was Hattush son of Hashabneiah. I vividly remember meeting a missionary for the first time. It was at a children’s mission in our local park and, with huge excitement, we were introduced to a real live missionary who had been serving God in the Amazon rainforest amongst a tribe whose language hadn’t yet been written down. Everything about his life seemed adventurous and he had clearly done a fantastic job of getting alongside the tribal people and finding ways of telling them that God loved them. It was obvious to me that this was exactly what Jesus meant when he told his disciples to go to the ends of the earth. If God has told you to go to the ends of the earth, that’s great! I pray you get on really well. But that wasn’t all that Jesus said. Jesus told his disciples to start in Jerusalem. Most of us are not told to go to the ends of the earth, we’re told to to start where we are. In Nehemiah’s accou

Nehemiah 3:8 Next was Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith by trade, who also worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of perfumes. I am so grateful to Nehemiah for the careful way in which he reported the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. He gives us lots of fascinating details. He tells us that every kind of person got involved, whatever their line of work, from priests to perfume makers. Many would have no experience of building work but they all wanted to play their part. Nehemiah clearly valued the work that they were doing and kept meticulous records of it. It is little wonder that, under his inspired leadership, the wall was soon rebuilt. It is so important for us to value every single person, because that’s precisely what God does. We don’t all have the same gifts but we all have a part to play. This is fundamental to the apostle Paul’s understanding of the Church. He said that we are the body of Christ and that every part of it is essential (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). When I

Nehemiah 2:19-20 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked. I replied, “The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall.” Everything seemed to be going so well. King Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah the leave that he requested and also supplied him with wood for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Nehemiah made the 1,000-mile journey to the city and inspected the broken walls, finding them just as he had been told. He called the people together and challenged them to rebuild the walls. They were eager to start, but even before the building work started, the opposition got going. The builders were mocked and ridiculed and had to face the dangerous allegation that their work would be an act of rebellion against the king. But Nehemiah confidently brushed off the opposition. He knew that God was on his side and that his work would succeed. The waspish criticis

Nehemiah 2:8 And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me. Nehemiah’s appearance before King Artaxerxes went incredibly well. Not only did the king grant him all the leave that he wanted, but he also gave Nehemiah letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates to ensure his safe travel, together with access to the royal forest for wood to help with the reconstruction of Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s response was to acknowledge that this happened because the gracious hand of God was on him. When things go well in our lives it is so important that we immediately turn to God in praise. If we succeed in sport, we should praise God for the gift of our bodies and the strength he has given us. If we do well in our studies or in business, we should praise God for the skills and abilities that he has gifted us. If our families are healthy and doing well, we should praise God for the way in which he graciously gave them to us in the first place. Every day provides us with reasons to praise G

Nehemiah 2:4-5 The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” This was a terrifying moment. King Artaxerxes noticed that Nehemiah was looking sad. He could tell that there was something troubling his wine taster but Nehemiah had to be very careful with what he said. The king was extremely powerful and if he didn’t like the answer it could have been the end for Nehemiah. We read that Nehemiah prayed. In the previous chapter we saw Nehemiah praying at great length but, at this point, time was of the essence. He could only offer up the briefest prayer to God. These ‘arrow’ prayers are good. It is a blessing that in the midst of our busy lives we can offer God quick prayers, knowing that he will hear us. But it would be tragic if those were the only kind of prayers that we brought to God. It’s the same in any relationship. If the

Nehemiah 1:11 “ O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honouring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favourable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” Nehemiah was on the verge of taking the boldest step of his life. He was going to ask King Artaxerxes, the mighty ruler of Persia, a question that could land him in a lot of trouble. In light of this, he brought his majestic and humble prayer to an end by making the bold request that God should grant him success. I think we often feel rather coy about asking God for success, but we needn’t feel that way because he loves to hear our prayers. He wants us to be completely honest as we address him and, in a situation like Nehemiah’s, it was absolutely right to make such a bold request. This wasn’t a selfish prayer. He was asking for success so that he could bless his Jewish brothers and sisters by restoring Jerusalem. If the king granted his request it was going to give him a great deal of

Nehemiah 1:6-7 I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. Over the last few weeks, we have had a problem with a water leak. We live in a reasonably new house but have seen water trickling down from the bathroom into the kitchen. We duly called in a plumber who used bright lights and careful instruments to discover where the leak was coming from. There are times in life when we just have to face the facts, uncomfortable as they may be. In a sense, that’s what happens when we come into the presence of a holy God. The truth about our lives is suddenly revealed. The fact is, we are sinners and we live in a community that is sinful. Nehemiah knew that he had to be absolutely honest with God. At times we like to play games with ourselves and make out that we are really not that bad. We open the newspapers and compare ourselves with people who have

Nehemiah 1:5-6 “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer!” These words give us a wonderful insight into Nehemiah’s understanding of God. Everything that follows in this book flows out of these few words. Nehemiah’s courageous actions were the result of the way he understood God, and it’s the same for us. Our understanding of God (or to use the technical term - theology) will shape the way in which we speak and act. Nehemiah knew the awesome greatness of God but, at the same time, he recognised that the God of love wanted to live in covenant relationship with him. Nehemiah lived far away from Jerusalem, where the problems facing the Israelites were colossal. Added to that, he held an important and trusted position in the court of the Persian King Artaxerxes. As the royal wine taster, it was almost unthinkable that he would be released him from his sensitive role. Anyone looking out for the

Acts 7:59-60 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. Stephen was one of the seven men appointed to handle the distribution of food to the widows. Chapter 7 reveals that he was also a very fine preacher. He delivered a careful exposition of Old Testament history which showed that God had repeatedly raised up deliverers of his people, and the Jews had systematically rejected them. And now they had murdered the Righteous one, Jesus himself. The sermon did not go down well. Stephen’s Jewish audience was infuriated and shook their fists at him. They covered their ears, yelled at the top of their voices and rushed at him, dragging him out of the city where they stoned him to death. He was the first Christian martyr. As he died, Stephen used words that remind us of what Jesus said as he breathed his last. However, while Jesus had placed himself in his Father’s hands, Stephen asked Jesus

Acts 6:1 But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. If you have ever been part of a church – or indeed any other organisation – you will know exactly what is meant by “rumblings of discontent”! They are an exhausting but inevitable part of life. On this occasion, the problem was a practical one, but it was clearly causing great unhappiness. The church in Jerusalem was composed of Jews from different backgrounds. Some of them had always lived in the Jerusalem area and spoke Hebrew or Aramaic, but there were others who were from neighbouring countries and largely spoke Greek. Some of the latter had come to live in Jerusalem towards the end of their lives, were far from their families and so were particularly vulnerable. The response of the apostles gives us a good model as to how to handle rumblings of disc

Acts 5:38-39 [Gamaliel said] “My advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” The success of Peter and John’s healing and preaching ministry was deeply irritating to the Jewish authorities. They were anxious to silence them but nothing seemed to be working. They tried imprisoning them but the apostles miraculously managed to escape and carry on their preaching ministry in the Temple. So, once again, they were hauled before the Jewish leaders who became so furious that many of them wanted to put Peter and John to death. Gamaliel, as one of the most prominent rabbis of the time, was greatly respected by everyone. He was so revered that he held the title ‘rabban’, which literally means ‘our teacher’, to distinguish him from the other, ordinary rabbis. Gamaliel suggested that it would not be wise to ta

Acts 5:1-2 But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. This is a chilling story. Ananias and Sapphira were not obliged to give all the money from their property sale to the apostles, but they lied and said they had done so. They conspired together to trick the apostles and the result was that, when confronted with their lies, they both dropped dead (vv4–10). Given that everything seemed to have been going so well for the infant Church this must have been a shattering moment. No wonder Dr Luke concluded the story by saying that great fear gripped the Church and everyone else who heard what had happened. Lying is always serious. Facing up to what we have done may be painful but massaging the truth for our convenience is always destructive. It undermines trust and a relationship that is built on lies cannot possibly last long. Above all, we

Acts 4:29-30 “And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Having been ordered by the Jewish council to keep quiet, Peter and John returned to their Christian friends to update them. Their response was to pray, and what a beautiful prayer it is. You might have expected them to ask God to sort out their opponents, but they didn’t. They simply asked God for more boldness to continue their ministry and prayed for yet more miraculous signs and wonders. The pressure of the authorities wasn’t going to silence them for a moment. I have had the privilege of meeting with a number of Christians who have suffered greatly for their faith. During the communist era, a friend and I visited Romania and met with a prominent Christian leader. We knew that we were being followed during our visit and so went to a secret location to hear hi

[The council of the Jews] called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” The miraculous healing of the lame man attracted great attention. This gave Peter a further opportunity to speak to the crowd. He explained that the healing had been done in the name of Jesus, pointing out that they had “killed the author of life but God raised him from the dead” (Acts 3:15). This was too much for the Jewish authorities, who were desperate to find a way to shut him up. When told to stop talking about Jesus, Peter responded by making it clear that if it was a choice between obeying the Jewish council or obeying God, he would choose the latter. It is worth stopping for a moment and reminding ourselves that this bold, confident speaker is the man who, only a few weeks before, had denied ever knowing Jesus. Peter is clearly a